A Fuji X-Pro1 Review: A Great Digital Rangefinder
Fuji X-Pro1 Review:
My X-Pro1 is finally here and since there is so much clamor for information on the interwebs, I thought I would put in my 2¢ (Actually $2200 but who’s counting) on this great digital rangefinder. First let me say that there are a several in-depth Fuji X-Pro1 reviews out there so I am not going to reinvent the wheel here. For one of the best reviews, try Steve Huff here. So first let me provide some background so this review makes sense. First, I have only the 35mm lens, so I cant talk to the other 2 lenses. Also, I had an Fuji X100 which I sold to buy this camera. So issues related to the quirkiness of the controls do not really affect me since I am used to the X100 and this camera is not much different. One nice addition though is the Q button, which gives a summary menu and allows you to change functions pretty quickly. Here is a link to the manual for anyone that wants all the glorious details. On that note, I don’t change things too much. I am an old rangefinder film shooter, and I am happy just to have the manual controls. I also only shoot RAW. I will use this camera and my 5D Mark II for more serious photos. So options like film styles, sharpening in camera, etc. don’t apply. They can all be chosen in the RAW conversion after the fact. If I am shooting friends or family for quick stuff, I use the iPhone. There is no need to carry a larger camera around for everyday stuff. And although smaller than many cameras, the X-Pro1 is not small. You don’t put it in your pocket or small bag.
Cool Video Showing How the iPhone Camera Works
This may be a bit geeky, but it is still cool. Now most people would think that when the iPhone is shooting video, the light from outside enters the camera and hits the sensor and records all the information. But the iPhone processor can’t handle all that information. So the iPhone uses a little trick: it actually scans the outside light from right top to left bottom, over and over again. This can make for some pretty interesting effects in certain situations.
CameraSim: Virtually Discover How Your Camera Really Works
Today, most pictures are being taken with cell phones, with the regular camera left at home. In fact, on Flickr, the iPhone is the most used camera. Phone cameras are easy to use, they are quick, they are light and with Instagram, Hipstamatic and Super8 for video, you can take some pretty good shots. You just have to click and the camera does the rest, just like the Instamatic cameras of the 1970s. Yet there are often times when you want to take better pictures. Maybe its vacation shots, perhaps pictures of your child’s birthday or to memorialize that brand new puppy before he gets big and starts eating your shoes. So, for those occasions, many people have an SLR camera sitting somewhere in the house, packed away in a drawer or in the back of a closet. But when the big camera does come out, most people just put the SLR on automatic, making its quality just moderately better than a phone camera.
Tornado in Springfield (the real one, not the Simpsons one)
While the proliferation of video-enabled cameras and phones has provided us with nothing more than an abundance of videos in which an unsuspecting father gets kicked in the balls by his child, or a frolicking box of puppies before they are separated from their brethren to be pulled and prodded by their new 5-year old owner, we also have the opportunity to see news while it is happening. In the olden days, when home video cameras were the size of a a honey-baked ham (mmmmm ham), those few with access to a camera had to be extremely lucky to capture one of the fleeting events. Below is an example of what we get to see today, whereas just a few years ago, all we would find is pictures of the aftermath or a 3-minute news piece on one of the three evening news programs. This video of a tornado in Springfield CT yesterday is pretty incredible. Have a look.
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