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Black Friday and Cyber Monday had some really good deals on photographic gear. I love making images, but I also like the technology of photographic equipment. I love my tools! Photography satisfies both my artistic and technological needs--left brain/right brain, so to speak. So, I planed to make some purchases on the big sale weekend as I rarely buy anything that is not on sale. Perfect time of the year.
I had been looking at the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and the XE-1 for some time. Just in time for the big sales, Fujifilm introduced the XE-2. I was wondering if it was going to be the impetus for me to jump in with the X-trans sensor crowd. I'm really intrigued by what I read about this system and the images it produces.
I grew up on manual film cameras. I am very much at home with using my left hand to manipulate the aperture directly on the lens and using my right hand to manipulate the shutter dial. The XE-2, introduced with better focusing and the upgraded processor as well as new algorithms, seemed really desirable. I thought the X-Pro-1 and the XE-1's slow focus issues were problematic. I spent a lot of time over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend agonizing over buying the XE-2 and several lenses. The amount of money that could be saved on that weekend was about $1400. Very attractive!
I read, researched, watched review videos, read many blog entries by Fujifilm users all weekend. I almost pulled the trigger about five times. But I still was conflicted. The more I read and watched, the more I was convinced there were some important aspects of the camera that just weren't there for me. Without those, it was a deal breaker. Here is what made the difference.
1. Minimal Image Quality gained over Micro 4/3. I am really pleased with the image quality from my Olympus O-MD E-M5. There isn't much difference between the size and quality of images made from Micro 4/3 and APS-C. In this case, both sensors are 16mp. The difference appears at very high ISOs. I have analyzed my shooting habits through examining my images' metadata in Lightroom, and I use an ISO above 1600 3.5% of the time. So, spending a few thousand dollars for no practical gain in image quality seems unwise. In their next generation of sensor development, I would like to see Fujifilm introduce a 22 or 24mp sensor to increase image resolution. I think the sweet spot in sensor size for me is about 24mp. So, all in all, as it currently stands, I wouldn't gain anything in image quality. Not good for me.
2. No really good raw converter yet. I have read in several places that Adobe Camera Raw and the Lightroom Develop module just don't do good conversions of Fujifilm X-trans raw files. I use those two programs extensively. It seems to appear as smeary greens, primarily. Detail in leaves and other greens doesn't convert well and it looks mushy, from what I have seen. Since I primarily make landscape and nature images, it seems counter-intuitive that I would jump into a system that doesn't do greens well. One blogger (The Sound Image Plus) uses a convoluted conversion protocol to import his images into another raw converter that seems to do better, reduces contrast to ensure he keeps all the detail in the file, then saves them as TIF files. Finally, he imports them into Lightroom and edits them. Wow! How unnecessary is that? I am not criticizing him, as it works well for him and he likes to use the camera system, but I have a workflow that works really well for me and I don't want to double my work to get the quality of images I demand. Not good for me.
3. The EVF and histogram don't reflect reality. I have come to love electronic viewfinders. I find it so useful to be able to see my finished image before I push my shutter button. I can see the histogram right in the EVF and can use the exposure compensation dial to move my histogram to exactly where I want it, before I make the image. I can look at the brightness and tones in the image and make them exactly how I want the image to be. I love that! I call it "pre-chimping." But I watched a video review and the reviewer said that doesn't happen with the XE-2. What? This is the first I had heard of this. In my E-M5, the image in the viewfinder gets brighter and darker and the histogram moves left or right according to my moving the exposure compensation button, or if in manual mode, the shutter speed or aperture controls. I can ensure that I don't blow out the highlights or drop the shadows and see how the rest of the tones fall, again, before I make the image. That makes a huge difference. I wish the XE-2 did the same. Not good for me.
4. Only 3 Bracketed shots. The XE-2 only allows you to make three auto-bracketed images in succession at a maximum of 1 EV (1 F/stop) apart for later merging for HDR. It is not unusual for me to use at least 5 and sometimes 9 images for merging. I find it better to have more images to merge and maybe not need them all than to only have three and need more information for HDR merger. (I try to make my HDRs as normal looking as possible, I don't go for the garish, over-processed look.) I wish they would correct the firmware to allow more. That just doesn't work for me and the way I work, as I can handhold bracketed images for later merging. Three can work, in a rudimentary way, on a tripod if you move the exposure compensation dial all the way to the left, make the three images, then move it all the way the way to the right and make three more. That then eliminates hand-held bracketing. Not good for me.
5. Focusing speed still lags behind the Olympus OMD cameras. From everything I have read, even though they made improvements, it seems that the XE-2 still doesn't focus as fast as the E-M1. There are times when focus just needs to be fast. Not good for me.
So, I didn't buy the camera and the several lenses I had in mind. I still want them. But, for me, they don't meet my particular needs--yet! I don't think any one of these issues would have been a deal breaker for me, but when you combine them, I just couldn't find a good reason to spend a lot of money and buy gear that didn't provide important features that I often use. When the five areas outlined here are corrected to my satisfaction, I will probably jump into the Fujifilm X-trans system as I still find it intriguing and I'm still anxious to try them out to see how the ergonomics of the camera and lenses feels and the images look. I think it is a terrific camera and the X-trans sensor is also terrific. I'm hoping their next iteration fixes these four items. Of course, the one downside that will always remain is the size of the lenses. In order to cover the image circle of an APS-C sensor versus a Micro 4/3 sensor, the lenses, by the laws of physics, have to be larger. But I can deal with that.
The lesson here is, before you commit your hard earned money to buy anything, do your homework and ascertain if the new tools will give you the benefit you desire in solving issues with your current tools, have all the features you need and provides you with a better outcome. Don't buy on emotion.
At this point, I stay committed to two separate formats for my photographic tools. And that makes sense as they play different roles and are used in different situations. But, if I ever buy into the APS-C format, one of the other systems would have to go. Most likely the full frame system. Three doesn't make sense.
As an aside, I can't see me buying another SLR in the future--full frame or APS-C. I see the EVF as a real plus for me and I believe, as we have already seen in second generation mirrorless cameras, the focusing, especially focus-tracking, is improving. I suspect the next generation focusing mechanisms in mirrorless cameras will equal or be very close to equaling SLR's phase detection focusing systems for tracking moving objects. As you already know, the manufacturers of mirrorless systems are already embedding phase detection sensors right into the sensors as an adjunct to contrast detection focusing systems. In my opinion, contrast detection focusing systems are superior and much more accurate than phase detection systems for general photographic work.
So, what did I buy on Black Friday/Cyber Monday? I bought a new Olympus OM-D E-M1! Why? I love my E-M5 and the images that the sensor records are terrific, but the camera has a few difficult operational quirks that don't suit me well. Primarily, the buttons are too small for my old, fat fingers and I just can't maneuver the focus point easily like I can in the D800E. There are a couple of other minor quirks, but nothing that is serious enough for me to dump the camera and system. I have been able to work around all but one item and, from what I have read, the E-M1 has corrected all the quirkiness that bugged me. So, I will let you know how it works out when it arrives this week! Can't wait! If I love this new camera even more than my E-M5, I will be really, really happy. We'll see.
I also purchased several memory cards that were on substantial sale. My D800E gobbles up memory like there is no tomorrow and I only have a couple of 32gb cards for that camera and not nearly enough memory in the form of SDHC cards for both systems.
Finally, if you have been a reader on my blog, you know that I have a waiting project to digitize lots and lots of my thousands of 35mm slides from 35 years of using film as well as my medium and large format negatives. I plan to try this with a very high quality macro lens and use my D800E instead of sending them off to a service. The native size of the D800E files is 7960 X 4912 pixels (RAW). The professional level scans I had made by Scan Cafe are 6000 X 4000 pixels (JPEGS). So I should have plenty or resolution to create excellent digital files of the slides. Additionally, the raw files I will create will be of higher quality than the jpegs that Scan Cafe produces. That is, of course, if my technique is spot on.
Initially, a few months ago, I purchased a Sigma 150mm F/2.8 macro lens, but during my testing (I test all my lenses for proper operation) it would not focus consistently, therefore, I was not able to ascertain the optimum aperture, etc. for the lens. I sent it back and went back to research. Over the weekend, I settled on the NEW model Tamron 90mm F/2.8 macro. Not the older model. From my research, and subsequent testing using the Focal software, it is a keeper. For my hundreds of medium and large format negatives, I will use my Epson 750 flatbed scanner. It does a great job on medium and large format films but doesn't quite reach what I am looking for for 35mm film, slides or negatives. The Tamron was $100 off plus a $100 rebate! I love when I save money! I'll let you know how it goes. I plan to start in January.
UPDATE/CORRECTION (12/12/2013): I continue to read and learn about the XE-2. Contrary to what a reviewer said in a video, the EVF does brighten or dim when applying appropriate exposure compensation by using the dial on top of the camera. That is as it should be. I downloaded and was carefully reading the User's Manual and it is clearly written, as well as illustrated, that this change, indeed, happens. Sorry for any misstatements.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis Mook
Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com. Please pay it a visit. Thank you.
All content on this blog is © Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.
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