Edward Marcinek - Photography - Fuji X-pro1 Review

Fuji X-pro1 Review

Cutting edge sensor technology

X-Pro1's 23.6 x 15.6mm image sensor is what sets this camera apart from the competition while bringing it a step closer to Leica M's performance at a fraction of the cost. The sensor distributes the color filters in a 6x6 RGB pattern, instead of the standard 2x2 Bayer pattern which requires anti-aliasing or blurring. Using a randomized distributed pattern of 36 pixels rather than 4, greatly reduced false colors, and undesired artifacts associated with the Moiré effect. Since the optical low-pass anti-aliasing filter is no longer required you're left with crystal clear detail, edge to edge sharpness, and stunning high contrast color rendition. The lack of this blurring is where this sensor shines to produces amazing sharpness, beautiful dynamic range of colors, and an image quality that is out of this world.

Compact lens system

X-Pro1's mirror-less system makes it rather lightweight and comfortable to carry around because the lenses are tiny in comparison to the DSLR cameras. Xpro also automatically updates frame lines and makes changing lenses a snap. The lenses that are currently available are the FUJINON XF: 14mm F2.8 R, 18mm F2R, 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS, 27mm F2.8, 35mm F1.4R, 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS, and 60mm F2.4R Macro. The lenses that will be available in the coming months are FUJINON XF: 10-24mm F4 R OIS, 23mm F1.4 R, and 56mm F1.2 R.

Ease of use and Performance: XPro1 vs. X100

X-Pro1 is better than x100 in almost every way: faster loading up, 20% faster continuous shooting (6 fps vs. 5 fps), and faster focusing due to its improved Manual Focus. It also features a larger higher resolution screen (3.0" @ 1,230k dots vs. 2.8 @ 460k dots). It has a light sensitivity boost of ISO which is 1 f-stop better (25,600 ISO vs. 12,800 ISO). You can now also take advantage of a variety of interchangeable lenses, unlike with x100 (and the x10). Even though it's a little larger than X100, the weight is still around 450g. Xpro1 now features a quick-menu that simplifies navigation by keeping all your settings within a few finger clicks. The camera itself has a nice feel and a sturdy grip, while the controls are accessible and laid out well. Xpro1 has a significantly higher resolution of 16.3 million pixels vs. 12.3 million pixels, thus allowing the capture of around 40% more detail in your photos. You can now also shoot Full HD (1080p) video although at a lower frame rate (1080p @ 24fps vs. 720p @ 30fps). Xpro1 supports Jpeg and Raw with maximum image resolution of 4896x3264 and ISO range of 200-6500 with an extended range of 100-25600. X100 has some advantages, mainly the fact that it's slightly smaller, significantly cheaper and it has a built in flash.

Great in low light

Xpro1's outstanding noise performance produces photos that allow for greater flexibility and cleaner results during post processing. Xpro1 doesn't come with a built-in flash, but that's probably because of its phenomenal low light preformance especially with high ISO.

Landscape vs. Street photography

As it turns out X-pro1 is great for both landscape and street photography, due to its solid compact design and light weight lens system that will not drag you down. Fuji X-pro1 features an elegant blend between retro-vintage and discrete look which is great for low key street photography. It's great in low light, and since flash is not required; it will not give you away during your street shoots, or drain the battery. X-pro1's incredibly long battery life will lasts you for many days, making it a great travel companion. Its range focusing make it a perfect street camera, while it's amazing sharpness and color range make it optimal for landscape photography. X-pro1's built in color and exposure recognition is very accurate and will overall save you a lot of post processing time.

Video Recording

Although Xpro1 supports full 1920x1080 HD H.264 video, it's not intended for making movies because the video is limited to 24 frames/sec for around 30 min, and it suffers from intermittent focusing issues. The stereo sound recording is also less than perfect because it comes out rather noisy and hollow, and the camera doesn't support external microphone attachments.

Conclusion: What it is, and what it's not

X-pro1 isn't a sports or live action event camera. The focus is great with still objects but it could certainly be improved for motion photography. The hybrid dual-mode optical viewfinder still needs some work, especially in the focus department, which I hope will be fixed with a future firmware update. The current firmware only fixes the chattering noise and adds some parallax correction. Although autofocus is slow, it's accurate in most conditions including bad light. If you know how to select focus points, it's certainly a non issue. Xpro1 has no image stabilization, so you need to keep things steady, but once you learn how its sensor works, the results will come out extremely sharp. The focus matter will definitely not stop you from loving this camera because most shots still turn out great. On the other hand, the ease of use of this camera lets you focus on taking great pictures without fiddling with useless controls or extensive post processing. X-pro1 might be a little pricy, but it's still worth every penny, considering the Leica like results. I highly recommend this camera because it will definitely enrich your portfolio whether you're a street or landscape photographer.