Ron Martinsen's Photography Blog: X-Pro 1

Showing posts with label X-Pro 1. Show all posts

Monday, February 2, 2015

REVIEW: Sony Alpha a6000 with 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens (Part II of II)–A Fujifilm X-E2 Killer?

Sony Alpha a6000 with 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens

In the first part of this review it was hard for me to contain my excitement about this camera. After all, it is offered at a very reasonable price yet impressed me as much as the NEX-7, yet it is even more capable. It also helps that it is a fraction of the price so I started to wonder if this should be a replacement for my Fujifilm X-E2. Yes, it is that good!

What follows here are my final testing, some additional images and my final conclusion.

Bookshelf Test

My bookshelf tests are simple tests done on a tripod with in-camera steady shot turned off and all camera settings set to their defaults (except I do keep the raws).

f/4 @ 16 mm, 5s, ISO 100, No Flash

When I first looked at the bookshelf shots from this camera my jaw dropped! I had to go back to B&H and remind myself again about the price. It boggles my mind that a camera so cheap can produce such amazing results! I can definitely say this is the best image quality I’ve ever seen for below $1000 and realistically it ranks high on the list of overall amazing image quality.*

Yeah, notice that little asterisk? Despite testing many other cameras which had optical low pass filter removed, this is the only camera I’ve tested to really show a what appears to be a moiré pattern as you can see below:

That boys and girls is what a moiré pattern looks like
and it’s pretty intense in my bookshelf testing with the a6000

Sadly I had to go all the way to 18px in Photoshop’s Filter | Noise | Medium filter to eliminate that moiré, but only after selecting just the blue part (which isn’t an easy selection to make). I only saw this problem in the bookshelf test, so generally speaking it wasn’t a problem but it is something to keep in mind.

UPDATE: I haven’t been able to confirm if this camera has a optical low pass filter or not, but either way this pattern that showed up during my testing is troublesome. I’ve reached out to Sony to discuss this problem and will report back when I learn more.

While that was bad, when I look at the adjacent image books image quality (as shown below) then all is forgiven. This is one seriously high resolution combo! Pay attention to that last part too, because it is also clear that the 16-70mm (not to be confused with the cheap 16-50 kit lens) is one awesome piece of glass!

Outstanding image quality is adjacent to the moiré pattern so if you are lucky enough to shoot subjects that don’t exhibit this problem then you’ll be rewarded with phenomenally good images

Generally speaking I found f/5.6 under the 50mm range to be the sweet spot of this lens, but things do get soft when zoomed out to 70mm. This photo shows how things definitely get much softer:

f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 13s, ISO 100, No Flash

I loved having the range of 16-70mm because with this sensor size the 1.5x crop factor meant 24-105mm (in 35mm terms) which just so happens to be my favorite range on my Canon cameras. I’m happy to trade off some sharpness for that excellent range.

High ISO

This camera performed admirably, but not phenomenally at higher ISO’s. Here’s a shot at ISO 1600:

f/5.6 @ 16 mm, 0.8s, ISO 1600, No Flash

If you zoom in and compare 1600 to 3200 then you see that the detail loss becomes unacceptable at 3200, but it’s still clean enough to be usable:

ISO 1600 has pretty decent detail still, but it starts to vanish rapidly at ISO 3200 and above

This all reflects my real world results where I felt uncomfortable going above ISO 1600 unless it was simply a documentary shot. This was a little disappointing as it does limit it from becoming a true DSLR replacement, but it is consistent with this class of camera.

In a pinch, ISO 25600 exists for what I call documentary shots (i.e., those that capture something you want to remember), but not photographic art (unless perhaps you are a grain B&W shooter):

f/22 @ 16 mm, 1/15, ISO 25600, No Flash

As you can see from this shot, the detail and dynamic range suffer drastically. Yes, It captures an image which is good, but it’s not something that I’d want to use. Of course it is better than a cell phone image, so perhaps some will find great value in that reality.

More Real World Photos

I had such a good time with this camera that I ended up with a bunch more in the gallery. I decided to go ahead and share a few more real world shots. As is always the case, these are in-camera JPEG’s with no modifications. All camera settings are the default except the white balance which may be adjusted for creative intent.

NOTE: My apologies for the sensor spot on some of the photos, but I didn’t remove them since these are in-camera originals. Sadly I didn’t notice the dust spot until after my shooting all of my review photos.

f/8 @ 70 mm, 1/320, ISO 100, No Flash
Beautiful gradients with a little in-camera flare made for nice shot

f/11 @ 38 mm, 1/15, ISO 100, No Flash, -1EV
I exposed for the sky rather than the ground to capture the beauty of the clouds at sunset

f/8 @ 33 mm, 1/25, ISO 100, No Flash
There’s a little edge distortion at the 16mm range but I was pleased that at 33mm it is gone

f/13 @ 23 mm, 1/320, ISO 100, No Flash, 8192 x 1856 px, Pano Mode
It tripped up on the pano exposure on a couple attempts, but eventually got it right. If you’ve ever done a pano at sunset like this then you can appreciate how difficult it is to get this image. In this case it was ALL in-camera, so I was impressed (even if it was a little crooked – my bad)

f/5.6 @ 59 mm, 1/200, ISO 100, No Flash
Want a sharp shot with this camera?
Go for f/5.6 at as close to 16mm as possible for best results

f/5.6 @ 16 mm, 1/320, ISO 100, No Flash
The detail in this shot really made me love this lens

f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 1/160, ISO 100, No Flash, -1EV
AWB was yellow so I chose fluorescent 0 to get this blue tone

f/22 @ 23 mm, 1/40, ISO 100, No Flash
Sunset was a flare beast, but f/22 made it a fun flare

f/22 @ 70 mm, 1/800, ISO 100, No Flash, -2EV
I went super dark intentionally and loved the results

f/4 @ 44 mm, 1/10, ISO 800, No Flash, Handheld
Since this was handheld (using this technique) I had to use f/4 when I’d rather used a much larger f-stop number. However, I still was happy with the results all things considered
Watermarks added via Zenfolio to minimize Super Bowl abuse

f/4 @ 20 mm, 1/6, ISO 800, No Flash, Handheld
Same comment as above, except this one has already had clients purchasing prints!
Watermarks added via Zenfolio to minimize Super Bowl abuse

For more images check out the gallery at http://photos.ronmartblog.com/sony/a6000. You can also find more at:

My apologies for the watermark on the Seattle shots but if you click for the original you can see it without it. Watermarks were added to smaller sizes just to limit image theft prior to the Super Bowl.

All images are copyright ® Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may view them for your personal education, but you must delete them when done. You may not edit, print, share or otherwise use these images without my signed (on physical paper) consent.

DigitalRev TV Video

I enjoy watching DigitalRev TV videos as Kai usually has a funny perspective, even if I don't always agree with him. Here's his video for the a6000:

Conclusion

Simply put, I highly recommend this camera for someone who is looking for a lot of bang for the buck. Of course, the lens I used is twice the price of the camera so that may take away some of the value prop, but I’ve used the 18-55mm for NEX cameras and it was good so I’d suspect that the 16-50mm kit lens is quite usable. If you can afford it though, definitely get the 16-70mm!

Yes, the camera build quality could be a little better and I do wish the high ISO performance was better, but this camera has performed better than many DSLR’s I’ve tested a few years back. In fact, some have even suggested it is as good as the Nikon D7100, but I wouldn’t go that far. It’s good, but not that good.

With a great focusing system that is far superior than the Fujifilm it had me thinking about replacing my X-E2. However, the moiré issue is enough to keep me from buying one to replace my X-E2. I will be eager to see what replaces this model at some point in the future as it could be a real game changer for me.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order the a6000 on the B&H web site. For the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens, click here.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Monday, March 24, 2014

REVIEW: Fujifilm X-T1 with XF 23mm–The Greatest Fujifilm Camera & Lens Combo Ever? (Part III of III)

Fujifilm X-T1 Mirrorless Digital Camera

I’ve reviewed a lot of Fujifilm products, and there is no question that the X-T1 is an impressive camera on many levels. I’m not ashamed to admit that over time I’ve become a bit of a fan boy of the X-Series simply because they do so many things right. However, I also review a lot of cameras from other makers so I’m not blind to the fact that these cameras are far from perfect.

On paper this camera seems to be the perfect one and when I look at the images I’m very satisfied with what I see, but I’m also a X-E2 owner so is this one so much better that it warrants an upgrade?

To find out I decided to do an extended review which is much longer than I often allow for a camera. This was partially due to my busy schedule, but also because I wanted to really live with this camera as if it were my own and see if it one that I’d keep or return. As a result, I had to break up my review into three parts and honestly I probably could have done a fourth. Here’s the first two:

While I tested with the very respectable Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Kit Lens lens, my love for the x100s and rumors of the awesomeness of the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R Lens had me reaching for the 23mm more often than the kit lens. Sure, I eagerly await the chance to test the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R Lens, and Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS Lens, but I didn’t have a chance – for now.

I loved this camera in many ways, but there were also things I hated which had a significant impact on my final opinion. Read on to see what I loved and hated about this camera.

Burst Mode Performance

f/4 @ 46.3 mm, 1/350, ISO 12800, No Flash (18-55mm)

I tried a variety of scenarios and I was very pleased at the burst mode performance of this camera with the continuous auto focus mode engaged. It did an above average job of detecting the right subject and tracking that subject sufficiently as well as sufficiently switching when I’d want to if I were personally controlling the innards of this camera. The buffer was slow to fill which meant that I could rattle off 22 images with RAW+JPEG Fine enabled before the buffer would hiccup. At 8fps, that’s enough to catch most action situations. If you go just JPEG then I was able to get 46 before it dropped from full speed and nothing would cause the buffer to fill completely with either RAW or JPEG. Of course my test conditions are in blackness with manual settings so your performance in the real world will be slower, but the takeaway here is that this is very fast burst mode camera.

Here’s more info from the creators at Fujifilm about this camera’s excellent burst mode performance.

For my testing I used this card, but Fujifilm says maximum performance will be possible with a UHS-II card.

AutoFocus Performance Indoors

f/7.1 @ 20.5 mm, 1/60, ISO 2500, Flash

With burst mode and sufficient ISO this is the first Fujifilm that I feel comfortable recommending for parents as being suitable for kids. What’s more it has a very good flash with a quick refresh rate that makes it great for capturing wild toddlers and pre-schoolers as shown above (in single shot mode only).

The fact that the flash can be used in single shot mode at a rate of about one shot per second means that parents can often get shots that would be impossible with many cameras they’ve used in the past.

With that said, all isn’t not perfect in paradise. There were plenty of focus misses indoors as this camera struggles at times to find focus as I’ve always seen with Fujifilm cameras. A good DSLR like a 5D Mark III or Nikon D7100 will destroy it when it comes to AF performance, but in skillful hands with manual settings and sufficient contrast you’ll typically get a keeper shot out of your burst mode series without the flash.

I wouldn’t call this the perfect camera for parents, but it’s definitely the best performing mirrorless I’ve used with my hyperactive son.

Bookshelf Test

The following sample images were all taken on a tripod with a timer and no flash. The images are not processed in any way (no crop, rotate, sharpen, nothing). These are the in-camera jpeg’s that have simply been renamed and uploaded. You can click the photos to download the original files and you can visit the gallery to get more samples not featured in this article.

f/5.6 @ 23 mm, 5.3s, ISO 200 XF 23mm

While the gallery has shots with the 18-55mm kit lens, the best results are with the best lens so I’m focusing on the XF 23mm for my bookshelf comments. Simply put, this is a sharp lens with very good results that compare favorably to the Sony a7 but not quite as jaw dropping as the a7R. Since this camera is much more usable overall and has better in-camera processing (for those who care about the JPEG’s), I’d personally take this camera over the Sony’s – especially since Fujifilm has a better lens selection for the X mount cameras (compared to Sony’s E mount).

Minimal Diffraction

f/16 @ 23 mm, 30s, ISO 250 XF 23mm

Like the x100s, this camera shows remarkably good image quality even when a sharp lens is closed down to its largest f-stop. The XF 23mm has a range of f/1.4 to f/16, and at f/16 it is pretty sharp edge to edge without a significant drop off as you’d see with cameras with optical low pass filters. Fujifilm claims on the x100s that they’ve virtually eliminated diffraction with lens modulation optimiser, and from what I see here I’d say they have accomplished it on the X-T1 as well. This is a huge feature for landscape shooters who want the depth of field without the tax of soft images.

Don’t believe me? Click the two bookshelf images above shot at f/5.6 (the sharpest aperture of the XF 23mm lens) and f/16 (it’s largest f-stop number). While the f/16 is a tad bit softer, I suspect that is more of a factor of the lens itself than the camera sensor. What’s more, it’s a very sharp image for f/16 that I’d have no reservations using for my own landscape shots. On my Canon cameras, I’ll typically start to worry about diffraction after f/11 and use large f-stops with caution, but not with the X-T1.

ISO Noise

f/4 @ 23 mm, 1/10, ISO 6400 XF 23mm with Noiseware Landscape Preset
Click here to see the NR –2 version as it came out of the camera

As I’ve mentioned in most of my other Fujifilm reviews, if you want the best results at higher ISO for this camera you MUST set the Noise Reduction setting to –2. The in-camera noise reduction is horrible, so you’ll be much better off using a product like Noiseware (Tutorial) to preserve the maximum amount of detail and remove the most noise. You can click the photo above to see the full size version with Noiseware’s Landscape preset noise reduction or click the link below to see the full-size version as it came out of the camera with the –2 setting (which honestly would print just fine without noise reduction).

I’d classify ISO 6400 as suitable for commercial work with Noiseware and 12,800 & 25,600 usable for personal work. While people may find some faults in this camera, ISO noise shouldn’t be one of them.

It should be noted that while Fujifilm advertises ISO 51,200, I only tested using the default camera controls up to H2 which maps to 25,600. H1 and H2 may be programmed to be 1 stop greater allowing for 51,200, but I saw no practical reason to test that feature. The quality I saw at 25,600 clearly is the maximum resolution I would feel comfortable using on a limited basis, and practical speaking I’d try to stay at 12,800 or less whenever possible.

Hands On Video Review

Fujifilm also has a great mini-site on this camera here. I encourage you to check it out, but come back here when you are done!

Compared to the X-E2, X-Pro1, x100s and Sony a7/a7R

f/16 @ 23 mm, 0.6s, ISO 200, Tripod (XF 23mm lens)
The x100s sealed body means no dust spots as I ended up with here on the X-T1

While the lack of an optical viewfinder on the X-T1 might turn some people off, I’m glad that Fujifilm elected not to put the expensive hybrid viewfinder found in the X-Pro1 and x100s in this camera. The electronic viewfinder on the X-T1 one is so good that I honestly don’t miss it, and the real-time exposure and focus peaking really deals with any concerns about low light scenarios.

I have despised electronic viewfinders (EVF’s) because so many I’ve used have been terrible, but 2014 seems to be the year of the great EVF! What’s more, the X-T1’s is a lot bigger and better than any other models I’ve used. In fact, the EVF reminds me a lot of the optical viewfinder of my 1D X which is one of my all-time favorite optical viewfinders, yet it features more data and overlays than I get on my 1D X so I find it to be better overall.

Subjectively speaking, I’d call this viewfinder slightly better overall in terms of practical usability than the Sony a7/a7R, but the Sony’s are very impressive too.

The focus speed, burst mode, and the lack of any shutter lag whatsoever make the X-T1 SIGNIFICANTLY better than any previous Fujifilm that I’ve used. The x100s is pretty good, but the fact that I can change lenses and still get better performance on the X-T1 than on my X-E2 really makes me love this camera.

As a video camera, Fujifilm’s suck – big time. The Sony a7/a7R and just about any other camera wins that battle hands down over Fujifilm. You can see some video examples in the gallery here which simulate a standard consumer handheld video shooting result.

X-T1 Selector Buttons shown up top,
X-E2 shown at the bottom

The obvious place where the X-T1 wins hands down is its wealth of knobs that make it very easy to get the settings you want without fumbling through menus. This is great and it makes this camera one that’s easy to love, but the damn selector button change makes that part of this camera totally useless. Given the importance of the selector buttons, this is the ONLY thing that holds the X-T1 back from being the best overall Fujifilm camera ever made.

Aside from that design which I very much dislike, the X-T1 wins hands down with a better grip and overall layout of all the controls. I’ve seen a complaint about the record button being too easy to hit, but I never accidentally hit it. I would prefer to see that button be programmable (which seems doable with a firmware update) so that I could change or disable its functionality, but personally it never tripped me up once.

Conclusion

I said in my first article that the selector buttons on this camera are so bad that I couldn’t buy or recommend this camera due to this horrifically bad design, and I’m sticking to that. If it weren’t for that horrifically bad feature, I’d declare this camera my 2014 Camera of the Year until something else comes along this year to take that title. This camera is THAT GOOD, but the selector buttons are THAT BAD!

The folks at Fujifilm are smart and I don’t think I’m alone in my disdain for these unusable selector buttons. I’d personally pay money to change them out with the old kind (similar to feature upgrade programs Canon offered for the 5D Mark II/7D and Nikon offered for the D3). With that change I could easily see myself upgrading my X-E2 to to this camera because it’s just so much more enjoyable to use in every other way.

Fujifilm has been great at listening to customer feedback and issuing significant firmware updates to improve their cameras. However, their response for the selector buttons issue has been puzzling.

I wish they’d offer an upgrade program to get the better buttons or crank out a new model (like Nikon did with the D610).

The selector button issue aside, if you are in the market for the best overall mirrorless camera money can buy the X-T1 is at the top of the list. Sure the Sony a7/a7R will win in some categories, but when you look at the entire user experience and system quality – the X-T1 is at the top of the heap.

If you haven’t already, please be sure to check out the other parts of this review here:

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order it on the B&H web site. My friends at Amazon have it available here.

Click here to order the Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R Lens.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

I’d like to thank B&H for loaning me this equipment for this review.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Thursday, December 19, 2013

REVIEW: Fujifilm X-E2 – A DSLR Replacement?

Fujifilm X-E2

When I first shot my first X-Series camera, the x100, I was instantly in love with the charm of this compact Fujifilm series. However the x100 was a nightmare to use indoors and its fixed focal length lens turned me off. When the X-Pro1 came out my expectations were high as my lens concerns were addressed by a camera with an interchangeable lens, but despite the great in-camera results I got with that camera I still cursed it’s AF system. The price of the X-Pro1 was a tough pill to swallow for many, so they ditched the expensive hybrid view to make the super successful X-E1.

Fast forward to today and the X-E2 is one of the hottest cameras for the holiday season because of the incredible performance of the x100s.The x100s seemed to address all of the sins of past Fujifilm cameras and add much improved AF performance, so I highly anticipated getting my hands on the X-E2. I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint in that it is a fantastic cameras with some of the same quirks as its predecessors.

I’m a big fan of the X-series so this is one that I was saving for this holiday season. Read on to see how I liked it and if I decided to get it. You can also check out a gallery of sample images at http://photos.ronmartblog.com/fujifilm/x-e2.

Video Overview Review

I hate doing video, but I’m testing a video lighting product right now so I’m including a simple overview review video:

View X-E2 Video Review on YouTube

Compared to the X-E1 & X100s

Honestly I didn’t see much beyond speed and image quality improvements to set the X-E2 ahead of the X-E1. Wi-fi is a new addition over its predecessor, but from a shooting perspective the two cameras feel identical.

When compared to the x100s, I find the X-E2 to be identical in nearly every way except the viewfinder & fixed lens. Personally I prefer the X-E2 viewfinder, so I’d advise those deciding if they should get a x100s or X-E2 that they should go for the X-E2.

Bookshelf Test

My bookshelf shots are taken with camera default settings but at ISO 200 (the native base ISO for this camera). As you can see below the color and quality of the image are very solid, but it’s rather dark in the shadows despite the in-camera Dynamic Range setting being set to Auto.

f/2.8 @ 18 mm, 1.7s, ISO 200, No Flash

The image quality is excellent even with the kit lens, and the color is outstanding. Click this article to see how the Adobe raw processing works with the X-E2.

If you turn off RAW you can go to ISO 12800 and 56000, but the results aren’t that impressive from a color and detail standpoint:

f/2.8 @ 18 mm, 1/80, ISO 25600, No Flash, AWB, Standard Film Simulation, NR=0

You’ll definitely want less aggressive noise reduction, so I recommend setting the NR setting to –2. Here’s how detail is obliterated with the in-camera noise reduction:

There’s no RAW after ISO 6400, so if you use ISO 12800 or 25600 you’ll want to turn noise reduction off to avoid the smearing shown here at ISO 25,600

Even at f/22 I found the image quality to be excellent when a tripod and low ISO were used. The lack of obvious diffraction certainly puts this camera ahead of most at this price range and sensor size.

From an image quality standpoint, this camera is definitely on par or better than many DSLR’s with APS-C size sensors. It’s certainly on par with the x100s (which you can compare against by downloading images from here). Click here for a gallery of x100s images.

Sample Images

Click here to go to my Real World Sample Images article

Observations

The ability for the auto focus to lock in low light seems to be lens dependent as I’ve seen consistent poor performance with the 18-55mm lens, but good performance with newer lenses like the 55-200mm seems to be more reliable. That said, the pre-release X-E2 seemed to perform better than what I see with the released version, so I’m suspecting there will probably be a firmware update in the future that improves upon the low light auto focus problems I continue to see with this model.

The built-in flash height still hasn’t changed so it will get the job done, but you’ll get shadows on longer zoom lenses with hoods as shown below…

Popup flash gets the job done but it's nothing to write home about

Remove the hood when using the popup or you'll get shadows like this
Remove the hood from the 18-55mm when using the popup or you'll get shadows like this

There’s also some carryover body design problems from the X-E1. They include an AF illumination lamp that is easy to block with finger, and the AF mode switch is easily bumped with the finger. I also find the in-camera noise reduction to be horrible (it destroys detail), so when not reviewing for the blog I prefer to set Noise Reduction to –2 and use Noiseware to eliminate noise better while still preserving detail.

The Velvia film simulation is still my favorite for everything but people where it seems to do a skin softening effect on people that make them look very plastic like. Here’s an example that shows how reds look using standard film simulation:

and here’s the vibrant Velvia film simulation (no edits):

f/4 @ 44.4 mm, 1/60, ISO 2500, No Flash, AWB, Velvia Film Simulation

Here’s the problematic face smearing (even when in-camera noise reduction was off):

f/4 @ 55 mm, 1/17, ISO 6400, No Flash, Velvia film simulation & NR = -2

While the dynamic range isn’t anything to write home about, it’s not bad. Here’s a tough shot because it was taken in total darkness:

Shot in total darkness, but a great AF assist beam and good contrast helped to get the shot
f/2.8 @ 18 mm, 1/60, ISO 800, No Flash, AWB, Standard Film Simulation

Overall I had no issues with this camera from a quality standpoint, and the speed overall seems to be much better in the X-E2 than its processor.

Great Lens Choices

Fujifilm has done an incredible job of bringing a wide range of excellent lenses to market. They’ve also teamed up with Zeiss to provide a an excellent range of premium quality lenses:

FUJIFILM X-Mount Lens Roadmap - July 23, 2013

For those who are wondering, my favorite lens in the Fujifilm lineup is the 23mm:

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R Lens

This lens with the X-E2 will have x100s owners wishing they would have waited this super combo. Sure, it’s a lot more expensive, but this is one of those “sure to be a legend” lens like Canon’s 85mm f/1.2L and Nikon's 14-24mm.

Will I give up my DSLR and go mirrorless?

With great image quality, lenses and even a EF-42 shoe mount flash for only $159 (at the time of this writing) to round out this platform to give you really everything you need to make a switch from a DSLR. The question is should you? Will I?

As great as these cameras are, I still prefer my DSLR bodies primarily for the autofocus performance. Yes, these are excellent cameras, so if I were to buy one it would be a complementary setup to keep me from having to lug my heavy DSLR around.

Prior to getting my review unit of the X-E2, I was 100% convinced that this was “the” one I was going to buy. I adored the x100s, but I need more lenses choices. I don’t care about a X-Pro2 because I think the optical viewfinder on this class of camera is garbage, so the electronic viewfinder on the X-E2 is good enough for me. However, the real world indoor performance of the AF system still isn’t where I want it to be so I don’t think I could trust it as my only camera when traveling. With that reality, it means that I’d still need to lug my DSLR on trips so this would become more of a hassle when traveling.

Around town I’d feel totally confident to only bring the X-E2 as long as I had the right lenses, but there again presents another problem for me – I’d probably need to invest in at least three lenses and a flash. For me that just added up to more expense than I wanted, so in the end I’ve decided that this fantastic and fun to use camera just isn’t for me – for now. However, if I was going to go mirrorless this would be the one I’d get.

Conclusion

If you are looking for an x100s with interchangeable lenses or you were disappointed with the X-Pro1 performance then your dream camera has arrived. There’s lots to love about the X-E2 as its build quality is excellent, the lens choices are plentiful, and the image quality makes me fall in love with photography all over again. This is an excellent product that I long to own should I decide to buy with my heart instead of my head, but for now common sense keeps me behind a DSLR for at least another generation.

If you don’t already own a DSLR then I’d say start with this camera and invest in the X mount lenses. If you stick with prime lenses, the AF performance seems to improve so there’s a workaround if you are willing to pay the price of more lenses.

The Fujifilm X-E2 is an excellent camera that I highly recommend. I also think it makes sense over the x100s as XF 23mm lens will give you everything people love about the x100s with better image quality and the ability to swap to a different lens when you need it.

May 2014 Update

After being disappointed with the selector controls of the X-T1, I finally broke down and bought the X-E2. I’ve been very happy with it, and these lenses that I tested with it were amazing:

Fujifilm XF 56mm & XF 10-24mm Lens Review

Where to order

Fujifilm X-E2 KIT w/18-55mm (Black) – (Adorama)
Body Only Link – (Adorama)

The Perfect Bag for this Camera

Think Tank Photo Mirrorless Mover 30i

I carried the X-E2 in my Mirrorless Mover or Turnstyle 20 bag during my testing and found both to be excellent choices for this camera.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Fujifilm X-E2 – Real World Sample Images

Fujifilm X-E2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Silver)

If you’ve followed my blog then you know I’m a big fan of Fujifilm X-Series cameras, so I’ve been eager to get my hands on the X-E2. There was always something about the X-E1, X-Pro1, and x100s that gave me a good excuse for not owning them, but on paper this looked to be THE Fujifilm that seemed worth of my hard earned cash.

Want to know if it got it? Stay tuned for part II of my review of this camera.

Sample Photos

You can view the full set of casual snapshot photos at http://photos.ronmartblog.com/fujifilm/x-e2. Please note that this gallery currently contains images that were shot with the internal noise reduction feature set to –2 (basically, off). This will cause pixel peepers to incorrectly assume that the X-E1 had better noise handling but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, I set the camera to –2 for my testing specifically so I could see how much it has improved.

The film mode choice was Velvia which won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I like it enough that I typically don’t do editing on X-Series images shot in Velvia. That’s exactly what I want from a little camera, so it’s one of the many reasons I like this platform.

Please note that all of these images are the original jpeg’s as they came out of the camera. If you click the image you’ll see the full size version exactly as it came out of the camera. The file name will also offer a clue as to what’s what lens and settings were used when the shot was taken.

Copyright Ron Martinsen - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I was disappointed to see how this camera handled this shot
when the x10’s EXR mode could get the interior and stained glass in one shot
f/5.6 @ 25.4 mm, 1/52, ISO 6400, No Flash

Copyright Ron Martinsen - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I intentionally went down to –2 EV when taking this shot to see if I’d be
left with any detail in the shadows. I was very satisfied with result
f/3.2 @ 20.5 mm, 1/320, ISO 800, No Flash, –2 EV

Lightroom 5.3 & Adobe Camera Raw 8.3

On December 11th Adobe released Lightroom 5.3 and Adobe Camera Raw 8.3 to allow support of RAW files in their products. I’ve checked it out and it works great. The raw processing is Adobe standard so it doesn’t simulate the film simulation modes (i.e., Velvia as shown in my images) but it is on par with the raw processing I see with Adobe standard on Canon and Nikon cameras. The default film mode on Fujifilm is Provia which is still more saturated than Adobe Standard RAW processing, but the effect can easily be simulated by dragging the saturation slider. This is on par with the latest generation Canon cameras which have much more default saturation too.

Adobe does not offer Camera Calibration Profiles for the Fujifilm X-E2 Film Simulation modes in its RAW processing at this time like it does with Canon and Nikon.

For those hearing myths about Fujifilm RAW processing not being very good in Adobe products, I’d encourage you to read this article. Back in Lightroom 4.4/ACR 7.4 Adobe had worked closely to address earlier raw processing problems found in versions before that release. It was true that before that time that Adobe didn’t handle Fujifilm RAW processing very well, but that has been significantly improved ever since then. LR 5.3/ACR 8.3 added X-E2 support which I tested and found to be very good.

Conclusion

Stay tuned for part II of this review when I’m done testing this camera.

Where to order

Fujifilm X-E2 KIT w/18-55mm (Black) – (Adorama)
Body Only Link – (Adorama)

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Monday, February 2, 2015

REVIEW: Sony Alpha a6000 with 16-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens (Part II of II)–A Fujifilm X-E2 Killer?

Bookshelf Test

High ISO

More Real World Photos

DigitalRev TV Video

Conclusion

Where to order

Other articles you may enjoy

Disclosure

Monday, March 24, 2014

REVIEW: Fujifilm X-T1 with XF 23mm–The Greatest Fujifilm Camera & Lens Combo Ever? (Part III of III)

Burst Mode Performance

AutoFocus Performance Indoors

Bookshelf Test

Minimal Diffraction

ISO Noise

Hands On Video Review

Compared to the X-E2, X-Pro1, x100s and Sony a7/a7R

Conclusion

Where to order

Other articles you may enjoy

Disclosure

Thursday, December 19, 2013

REVIEW: Fujifilm X-E2 – A DSLR Replacement?

Video Overview Review

Compared to the X-E1 & X100s

Bookshelf Test

Sample Images

Observations

Great Lens Choices

Will I give up my DSLR and go mirrorless?

Conclusion

May 2014 Update

Where to order

Other articles you may enjoy

The Perfect Bag for this Camera

Disclosure

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Fujifilm X-E2 – Real World Sample Images

Sample Photos

Lightroom 5.3 & Adobe Camera Raw 8.3

Conclusion

Where to order

Other articles you may enjoy

Disclosure