Fuji X-Ploits; The X-T1 Will Now Be My Primary Camera

Fujifilm X-T1, 18-55mm lens @ 21.4mm; 0.6 sec. @ f/11; Fader II Variable ND filter; ISO 200 (click to enlarge)

1. EXPLOIT

   verb

   ikˈsploit/

   1. 1.

      make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource).

      
      

      synonyms:

      utilize, harness, use, make use of, turn/put to good use, make the most of, capitalize on, benefit from; informalcash in on "we should exploit this new technology"

About three years ago, I made the decision to look for a photographic system that was smaller, lighter, less expensive but kept high image quality and maintained necessary photographic versatility.  For many, many years, I had used medium format 6X7 Pentax gear as well as Nikon and Leica gear in the 35mm format.  When transitioning to digital photography in 2001 and since I had a large number of Nikon lenses on hand, I went with Nikon digital cameras.  It made sense at the time.  As with most of us, after many years, I really started to feel the weight of carrying around a full frame digital SLR and all the lenses and accessories that go with it.  It was time to lighten the load.

At that time, as an experiment and after extensively researching it, I bought into the M4/3 system and acquired an Olympus E-M5 and a few lenses.  I was delighted with the size, weight, cost, versatility and especially the image quality. Even more surprising were the options available to me on that camera.  I had never owned a camera with so many choices that could be made to customize it to my exact needs.  Additionally, I found the lenses I purchased were of very high quality.  When the E-M1 was introduced, I purchased one of those and some even higher quality lenses. 

The M4/3 system served me very well for about 95% of my images.  I found my images to be sharp, detailed and with a pleasing color palate. The other 5% of my images were personally disappointing, but those images were made at high ISOs which generated a bit too much noise to reduce or eliminate without losing subject detail.  That noise was a function of sensor size and the really small photosites on that small sensor.  I've written extensively about my three years of experiences with M4/3 in previous posts in this blog. I've written about the pros and cons and show many images.  Additionally, I created a gallery just for M4/3 images on my website.  You can find it here.  See for yourself what quality can be produced using this small format.

As of now, I feel as though my experiment with M4/3 is about over as I think I have wrung about everything I could out of the format.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not selling my M4/3 gear, I'm just ready to take on another personal project.  Just as I primarily used M4/3 over the past 36 months, I now want to explore another system.  Ninety-five percent is terrific and there is nothing wrong with the system.

In January, I purchased (for the second time) a Fujifilm X-T1 with the 18-55mm lens in order to play with it and see how much I liked it and what I could produce.  Although the issues with Adobe Camera Raw and the Lightroom develop module have not been totally fixed when converting RAW files, there has been an improvement since the camera was first introduced 15 months ago.  Additionally, the ability to use additional RAW converters as plug-ins has given users some additional alternatives which, in some circumstances, may work better than the Adobe products.  Since January, I have been using the X-T1 off and on and along side of my E-M1.  I have also written about my experiences in past blog posts.

Now that I want to start a new personal project, I thought I would now use the X-T1 full time in the same manner as I did the M4/3 gear to explore and see what I can wring out of it as well.  I'll call this experiment "Fuji X-Ploits."

There are three other reasons I wanted to use a Fujifilm camera for this new project. First, I already own it.  Second, as I have written many times in this blog, my sweet spot for a sensor is about 24mp.  I say 24mp because I shoot stock and I need the extra "headroom" for clients who may want larger files.  Twenty-four mp is a function of their needs, not mine. If I were not shooting for stock, 16mp would be just fine for what I do. However, I don't think M4/3 format manufacturers are going to get to the 24mp range with their future sensors any time soon while keeping the same high quality or better yet, improving the image quality they now have.  I do think Fujifilm will get there with their next generation of high end mirrorless cameras.

Third, there is my desire for a somewhat simpler camera for a change.  The Olympus cameras have so many options that allow them to do about anything a photographer could possibly want as well as almost infinitely configurable controls (and once you fully master the controls and menu it is mostly wonderful), that for a change in pace I wanted to use a camera that was a bit simpler to use.  Hence, the X-T1.

Although the X-T1 is quite configurable, the control setup is completely different than the Olympus as well as most other digital cameras as well as not having nearly the options for use.  As has been written by experts (see the book "The Paradox of Choice"), sometimes too many choices actually degrade the experience.  Coming from many years of manual film cameras with only focus, aperture and shutter speed adjustments, it is nice to get back to a camera that feels intuitive in that way.

Last week, I "bit the bullet" and ordered a Fujifilm 10-24mm lens as well as the 55-200mm lens.  I thought long and hard about what kit to put together as I had a wide choice of zooms and primes. But remembering that my goal over the past three years has been to go smaller, lighter, less expensive with high image quality while maintaining versatility, I chose a three lens kit as a beginning. This kit should be similar in size and weight as my M4/3 kit.

With these three lenses, I should be able to fully delve into the system for my types of photography.  You may need something different.  I may add one more lens, and that would be the 23mm f/1.4.  I can see a need for a fast prime, just as I did for the full frame and M4/3 gear I own (I own a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 as well as a Panasonic/Leica 25mm f/1.4).  I do love primes, especially high quality fast primes, but buying 5 or 6 primes starts to add bulk and weight.  So, for now, it will be the three zoom lenses.

So, I anticipate for the foreseeable future, I will be using my Fujifilm camera almost exclusively, posting my images and writing about my positive and negative experiences.  I will still keep my Nikon D810 and lenses as well as my E-M1 and lenses for now, but who knows what the future will bring. 

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.


Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.

All content on this blog is © 2013-2015 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.