View Single Post
  #1  
Old 02-18-2019, 10:37 AM
Dirk Hofman Dirk Hofman is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: NOR * CAL
Posts: 7,510
Default Let's Talk Mirrorless

Hey photographers,

Wanted to share the new toy, a Fujifilm X-T1. I've been reading here and other places about the joys of mirrorless, and started lusting after some of the offerings from Fujifilm. I originally bought an X-100F, wanting a very small camera which contrasted markedly from my full-frame Canon 6D. Wanted something very portable that I could use for street photography, so I pulled the trigger. My first evening of shooting was at a work event and at night, and the low light performance was a fairly shocking drop-off from what I was used to. I also was intrigued by the idea of a hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder to wean me off the optical I'm used to. Well let me say I immediately regretted the purchase. Everyone kept asking me about the camera (Is that a Leica?) making it rather the opposite of the unobtrusive object I'd hoped it would be (maybe that's an artifact of working in tech), and I have to say I just didn't like the feel of the rangefinder at all. I hated it. I didn't give it enough time to really understand the camera, had some buyer's remorse, and sent it back in 3 days.

Undeterred to some extent, I kept on reading up on other Fujifilm cameras, as the idea of the manual dials, the incredibly sharp and less expensive lenses, and the compact size still had my attention. So I ran across some YouTube video of a guy recommending the X-T1 as a great stills camera. I hadn't considered it previously, assuming the 16 megapixel sensor and older autofocus would be dealbreakers, but getting a near pro-level camera for a bit over $300 on the used market ($332) was compelling, in that I could sell it for what I paid for it, and I wasn't in for thousands. I paired it with a used 23mm f2 (35mm equivalent) and a used 56mm f1.2 (85mm equivalent), and have had a very different experience than I did with the X-100F. I immediately bonded with the ergonomics and the manual dials and I loved the small size. The sharpness of the lenses is incredible in comparison to my Canon. Opening even the 16MB files in post-processing shows incredible detail, even wide open. Really impressed. Autofocus isn't on par with the Canon in low light, but the continuous focus is much better. Auto focus in good light is fast with both, but the Fujifilm has really cool focus enhancement features like magnification and focus peaking which give a tremendous confidence in focus, and the bright, large EVF shows me my exposure before I trip the shutter, which is a huge advantage in many respects.

Still getting used to it, but I really like it. Not ready to ditch full-frame at any point, as there are just some real advantages in low light and with DOF which I'm not yet ready to lose. I'm considering investing more in the platform, probably glass at first and maybe an X-T3 before I go on vacation this summer, but not sure. Here's the camera, shot with the Canon 6D, 40mm f2.8 pancake:



Let's hear about your mirrorless!
Reply With Quote