X-E2 first test (with XC50-230mm) at riflessifotografici

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image courtesy: riflessifotografici

Fujifilm X-E2 & XF35mm  – Jpeg OOC, ISO 4000, f/1,4 – 1/125 sec – EV -0,33 –  Settings: Standard – Film simulation: PRO Neg Std

Riflessifotografici will take all the time they need to publish their full X-E2 review. They will push the camera to its limits in many different conditions before they speak their final word. But in the meantime Donato already shared with us his first field test here (English version). The review includes also images (and 100% crops) taken with the XC 50-230.

A few words, some 100% crops and a lot of images that speak for themselves.

“For now we can safely say that the X-E 2, even if not in the final version … seems to respond to the expectations, with regard to the overall responsiveness and the speed / accuracy of focusing in critical situations. It seems remarkable the quality of the EVF and quite useful the bigger rear display. […] So, we’ll let the pictures speak for now… and wait before posting a more comprehensive and thorough review that, just hours and hours of work in various conditions can make significant ….”

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by using the links below to make your purchase, you’ll support FR. It won’t cost you a single penny extra, but FR will get a small commision that will help to keep this site running. Thanks.

X-E2 – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / Pictureline / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / Fotomundus24 GER / PCHstore /

XQ1 – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / PCHstore /

XC 50-230USA: AmazonUS  / BHphoto / AdoramaEUROPE: AmazonUK (via DR)

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X-roadmap 2014/2015: Weather sealed lenses and Full Frame X?

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1) Xjrumo said that he has been told by trusted sources that the X200 FF (see here) will come 2014. Personally I trust him, as he was right in the past when he shared rumors of his trusted sources.

2) You may already know that Sony produces the APS-C sensors for the Fuji cameras (and other brands). I’ve dropped an email to Andrea from sonyalpharumors and he told me some interesting things. Here is how it goes: once Sony implemented a new sensor in one of their cameras, other companies have to wait at least 6 months before they have the permission to use it in their own cameras. This means that if Fuji wants to use the brand new FF sensor of the the A7r  or A7 they’d have to wait at least until mid April (maybe right in time for my birthday :)). On the other hand they could already use the “older” FF sensor of the [shoplink 14322]RX1[/shoplink] and launch an X200 earlier. But it seems that Fuji decided to wait and launch the FF Fuji by the end of 2014, ealry 2015.

3) There will be new roadmap that includes weather sealed lenses and also f/2.8 constant aperture mid-range zoom lens. The lens roadmap should be updated early 2014. (src-Al Valentino at dpreview)

4) Everything has to be confirmed by trusted sources.

thanks to Sonyalpharumors / Xjrumo / Al Valentino at Dpreview (via PR)

have a great day
Patrick (google+, facebook and twitter)

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X-E2 – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / Pictureline / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / Fotomundus24 GER / PCHstore /

XQ1 – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / EUROPE: wexphotographicUK / DigitalRev / PCHstore /

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It’s coming: XF23mm delivery estimate October 30 at AmazonUS!

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The first bunch of XF23mm lenses should be delivered as expected in the next days. FR-reader Roger just told me that “Amazon has just posted delivery date for the lens I ordered upon announcement. It is 2 day delivery so I assume they will ship on Monday. [UPDATE:] Looks like they actually have first shipment as status has now changed to PREPARING FOR SHIPMENT which indicates that it in packing. ”

BHphoto expects to have it available in 2 days, on October 28th!

Fuji XF 23mm: [shopcountry 16128]

enjoy your weekend
Patrick (google+, facebook and twitter)

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tz Santos’ camera strap + Paul’s X-PRO1 musings

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tz Santos (website)

Hi Patrick!

A months ago i bough a keychain that i improvised to be a camera strap, last week, i decided to buy the lanyard version of the strap, is the same but longer… today i saw through facebook that the company developed a real camera strap from the same concept.

here is my improvised one.

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and here is the one they created.

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It costs only 10€ and i can assure by my improvised one that is is great!

heres the link to the online store and facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Original-Lanyards/171714706197728 / www.originallanyards.com

Have a great week!!

tz Santos

[Patrick: and what camera strap do you use?]

tz Santos (website)

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_ _ _

Paul

Hi Patrick

Love the site, and all the great info you put up !

Here’s some X Pro 1 musings,  info, and pictures to illustrate – feel free to use any or all of it…

Fuji’s X Pro 1 – some thoughts from a Professional user.

Much has been written about this great camera, which has many foibles, but Fuji’s firmware upgrades seem to be sorting them out gradually.

I love it’s style, weight, low light capabilities, very quiet shutter, image quality etc. but from my personal perspective as a professional photographer I wouldn’t be able to stop using my Canon SLR’s, as there’s too many situations where the Fuji wouldn’t cope – but it’s a perfect compliment to the Canons, and goes everywhere with me.

Here’s a few specifics I’d love to see amended with future Firmware upgrades.

– Flash firing in continuous shooting mode –  that’d be a useful function, and there’s times you don’t mind if it doesn’t fire, as there’s then the option of available light too.

– File numbering and playback in continuous shooting mode – I’m baffled as to why the file number prefix changes from DSCF in single shot, to SOO for pictures shot in continuous mode – which  then appear at the end of the image set when downloaded and viewed on screen.

Also, in playback, on the camera, the sequence of continuous photo’s appears in a small sub window, and to view the burst, you have to use the down arrow to look at the pictures !

– Pictures can’t be deleted in playback mode when either the + or –  zoom buttons have been pressed – you have to return the image back to it’s original size first.

– Autofocus in low light still isn’t great, even after the latest Firmware upgrade. I was at a gig in a dimly lit pub and it often failed – that said, I was then at a festival shooting under stage lighting and it produced superb results !!

– In OVF mode with the 55-200 lens, the view finder only shows  framelines up to about half the lens’s focal length – not an issue in EVF though !

– Following on from previous posts regarding batteries – always carry a spare – they do die SUDDENLY !

There’s some hardware ‘issues’ that’d be great to see sorted

– No built in eyepiece correction – I had to buy screw in Diopter correction lens – my Canon G9 has it, as does a forty year old Russian FED 4 rangefinder !!

– The battery charger shows a green light whilst charging, which goes out when fully charged – why not have red or orange when charging, followed by green when fully charged ??

And here’s some practical notes about grips, cases, and lens adaptors, that I’ve bought to go with the camera.

Grip – via Ebay
[shoplink 15967 ebay]Metal Quick Release Plate Camera Handle Fuji X-PRO1 Tripod Ballhead[/shoplink] £48.00 via ebay UK

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To my mind it’s better designed, and more useful for larger hands like mine – I bought a Fuji grip, and took it back, as for me, it was too small !!

You can also access the battery and memory card without removing the grip from camera – unlike Fuji’s version, and there’s  also a tripod screw under lens axis too, as per Fuji’s own version.

It’s also designed for mounting to AS interface ball heads on tripods, and comes with a piece on the side for upright mounting – which is removable.

[shoplink 15968 ebay]Canon FD lens to X Pro adaptor[/shoplink] – £24.00 via ebay UK

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I bought this to use my 30yr old [shoplink 15969 ebay]Canon FD 100mm f2.8 lens[/shoplink], that now fits perfectly on the X Pro 1 with this well made adaptor, and has manual aperture control too, with a stop down control, so now have a 100mm manual focus lens, that with my set of extension tubes, also offers a macro facility too !

Camera case – £20.00 via Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Leather-Fujifilm-X-Pro1-Camera/dp/B008GNM1Y6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1372162143&sr=8-7&keywords=Fuji+x+pro+1+case

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This is a copy of Fuji’s own [admin: the original Fujifilm X-PRO 1 Leather Case can be found [shoplink 15970]here at Amazon[/shoplink] or [shoplink 15970 ebay]here at eBay[/shoplink]], operates the same way, and comes complete with a strap and lenshood case.

As it’s a lot cheaper than Fuji’s own brand item, there’s not the worry about damage either.

I use the bottom half of the case for holidays – and the grip for day to day use.

www.sherwood.ie – check out my website !
http://paulsherwood.blogspot.com – For regular updates of my work.

Press, PR, Social, Corporate, Commercial, Conferences, Golf Days, Editorial, Weddings, Awards Ceremonies, Graduations, Interiors & Food Photography…and more…

Regards

Paul Sherwood
Photographer

Member
– Press Photographers Assoc. of Ireland
– National Union of Journalists
– Dun Laoghaire Chamber of Commerce
– British Irish Chamber of Commerce
– Irish Professional Photographers Assoc. (1996-2013)
Linked-In Paul Sherwood Photography
Facebook – Paul Sherwood Photography
Twitter – paulsherphoto

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First Look: Fujifilm XQ1

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First Look: Fujifilm XQ1

by Rico Pfirstinger

Talk to Rico (open forum for questions & feedback)Rico’s Flickr sets – XQ1 Sample Images Set – Expanded X-E2 Sample Images Set –  Mastering the Fujifilm X-Pro1 reading samples (65 free pages) – Order my NEW book (print or DRM-free eBook/PDF): Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1 (use code FUJISAVES30 to save 30%!)

Size does matter: Succeeding the stylish Fujifilm XF1 point&shoot camera, the full-metal XQ1 is even smaller and more lightweight than its already very pocketable predecessor. Solidly built, the XQ1 comes in either black or silver, and it features the same 2/3″ X-Trans sensor as in Fuji’s bulkier and more retro-styled X20 compact camera.

Exterior

Since many customers took issue with the manual zoom mechanism of the XF1 (and its unconventional on/off switch), Fuji equipped the XQ1 with a more conventional electronic “fly-by-wire” zoom and a standard on/off button.

The manual zoom ring has been replaced with a multifunctional “lens control ring” that can serve many different purposes. One of them, of course, is zooming the lens, so those of you who actually like to zoom in and out the “old fashioned” way can do so by setting the lens control ring to serve as a zoom ring.

In its “smart” standard setting, the control ring will assume different functions depending on which mode the camera is operating in. For example, in P exposure mode, the control ring handles the exposure shift. In aperture priority mode, you can use it to set the aperture. If you want to manually set the control ring function, you have a choice of controlling either exposure, ISO, white balance, film simulations, drive mode or zooming. In its default “smart” setting, the control ring offers even more variety, like picking an effect when in the Advanced Filter mode, or choosing a scene mode when the camera is set to Scene Position (SP).

Like in the XF1, six of the nine buttons on the back of the XQ1 have a second function layer that can be user customized. This basically gives you six different function buttons that can control any of the following features: face detection, intelligent digital zoom, ISO, image size, image quality, dynamic range, film simulation, white balance, drive mode, photometry (exposure measurement mode), AF mode, focus mode, focus area or wifi. To access this second button layer, simply press the E-Fn button.

A notable change is the camera’s new NP-48 battery, which is smaller (but not less powerful) than the NP-50A batteries previously used in the X10, X20 and XF1. The battery can be charged inside the XQ1 with a simple USB connection. The camera comes with a power supply and USB cable, but you can just as well use any existing USB (aka smartphone) charger. You can also use the supplied cable to connect the camera to the USB port of your laptop, or any car/airplane charger with a USB outlet. So if you travel with your smartphone or laptop, chances are you can save weight and space because you don’t have to bring an extra charger or power supply specifically for your XQ1. Of course, those who prefer to charge their batteries outside the camera can always purchase an external Fujifilm or third-party charger.

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