Despite the cold weather the X-T1 bug has been spreading quite rapidly. There are many reasons to like this new addition to the Fuji X-series line: a great sensor, clean design, weather sealing, improved autofocus… the list goes on.
While technicians and pixel-peepers will keep arguing about the sensor or autofocus and compare it to all other cameras, we are looking somewhere else. Since its inception, photography has always been about seeing. We have argued repeatedly that SLR camera designs have gone berserk. The plethora of functions and buttons and 300-page-long manuals cannot be good for someone who just wants to focus on seeing. Years back, when we first got our Fuji X100, then the Fuji X-Pro1 and X100S, we knew that “there is a better way“.
The release of the X-T1 Fuji addressed two key elements in photography.
First and foremost, an extra-large EVF allows you to concentrate on composition, light and subject in a way that is not possible with the optical viewfinder (which we also like to use). You can actually see the image before you take it! Of course, the EVF is not a new idea but it is beyond my comprehension that as of today, neither Nikon nor Canon has implemented this important technology in their leading cameras.
Second, access to all-important dials such as shutter speed or exposure compensation is at your fingertips. No, it is not hidden in the menus but in front of you! You can change them without dragging your eyes away from the scene.
In sum, a camera doesn’t have to have every possible feature — quite the opposite. Give me the best viewfinder on the market and the manual controls at my fingertips and let me do what I love to do – see and paint with light. All the rest is just distraction.
We have the X-T1 on pre-order and we plan to shoot extensively with this camera. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, it is time to share with you a few recent images shot with the Fuji X-Pro1, XF 60mm F2.4 and Fuji X100S. Processed in Iridient Developer and NIK Silver Pro (B&W). Enjoy.
and some in colour…
© Olaf Sztaba Photography. All rights reserved.
Hi Olaf
At a Fuji event in Toronto I spent some time playing with the X-T1.
The VF really is in a class of it’s own. An extraordinary view. It is also the first EVF I have used where it didn’t feel so much like an EVF. I am not a huge EVF user, but this one really did make me see things differently…
As for the camera, well, it’s certainly a modern Fuji. No compromises on the controls, and lots of small improvements in layout that add up to a very nice setup. Everything falls to hand. I find that my X-Pro 1 is a great size for me, whereas the XE range is a bit small. The new camera is pretty much the size of the XEs but doesn’t feel small or cramped.
I liked the flip out screen too; nice for tripod / landscape work, or for creative angles.
I don’t think I will get one, but that is because I don’t need it. It is an extraordinarily well designed camera that makes you forget about it and place your attention on the composition and light. I’m looking fotrward to your experiences with the one you have on order.
Love your work and your words! and you have inspired me to take a serious look at Iridient and Silver Efex…look like great tools! Do you still use LR in your workflow…?
I love the fact that Fuji is bringing the control outside of the menu’s and back into our hands. As i came back to photography from the era of 35mm into the digital realm about a year ago, I went thru several cameras before I fell upon the x100s, and now the xpro 1…Fuji has somehow captured some sort of fairy dust in their machines that is delightfully transcendent.
Your next to last pic with the sun and fog is stunning!
probably because I love the mountains the last one is so stunning. do you really need the T1 :)?
Olaf, your words ring truer than the extremely large amount of X-T1 “hands on” reviews circulating on the net these days. I love the new technology coming into the smaller form factor. The big deal is that it seems this camera will get out of our way and let us realize our visions more “organically”. Is that word?
Great images! I especially loved the last one. I’ve been wrangling over getting the XE2 or the new XT1. I can’t see enough difference between the two. Do you also shoot with the XE2 and if so, what are your thoughts?
@Annalise: I have the X-E2 and it’s a great camera, too. The main advantages of the X-T1 are the improved EVF and the fact that the camera is weather-sealed. And perhaps the tilt monitor. I expect that the enhanced wireless functions may come for the X-E2, too in a firmware update.
Reblogged this on The Fujifilm Blog.
Totally agree with Stephen McCullough.
Thoughtful words of wisdom in your post, Olaf. At the moment I am so satisfied with my X-Pro1 that I do not even think about affording an X-T1. But maybe that will change during the next months. At all means many thanks for your post.
Great pictures!
I’m really drawn to the first BW and the first colour photograph in this series. Trees and barns, two of my favourite things, captured in glorious light and shadow.
As for the camera stuff, well it’s just incredible how much is written about X camera vs Y camera etc. I am happy that there are cameras suitable for every passion, from sports to underwater. What irks me is the race to a massive list of features over benefits. I like my Fujis because every bit is about the making of a photograph. They don’t add something just because they can. I hope they keep this up. They are kind of the Apple of the camera world.
Skakuntala,
Thanks for visiting.
Olaf
Really nice pictures! Love them all!