Fuji X-E1 and X100(S)

I bet people were thinking that. I know I was.. just not on October 18th. I was privy to the brand new X-E2 a few weeks ago. To be honest it did not get me excited. I have been looking for a back-up body since selling all of my dSLR gear a few months ago. I borrowed a X-E1 from Fujifilm Canada for a month and I just didn't like it. It wasn't as solid as the X-Pro1, the LCD was shabby, no optical viewfinder and it did not fit in my hand as well as the X-Pro1. Which was strange because I have girly hands and the X-E1 is pretty compact. I was given the opportunity to try out a pre-production Fujifilm X-E2 along with 3 of my X-Photographer pals Kale JF, Patrick Laroque & Don Craig. I was last in the chute to try it and it arrived about 7 hours prior to Fujifilm's big announcement (In my time zone the announcement was actually on October 17th at 10:30pm). I wanted to have something done at launch time but my schedule and crappy light made it not to be. I planned to wake up early the next day and really put the camera to the test for my style of photography. What I was expecting was a slightly upgraded X-E1. But what I found was very different.......

Via Thomas Menk

Back in January I cheekily asked Fuji if I could borrow an X-E1 from them. I never thought they would agree but they did! I was very intrigued by it and thought that its extra flexibility over my X100 would be a great benefit to me. I was, and still am, most interested in the fantastic 35mm f1.4 lens as the results I'd seen from it are nothing short of spectacular. Fuji sent me an X-E1 to test but they sent it with the 18-55mm, a lens I had no interest in. 

One of my main reasons for getting the X100 was to strip down my equipment and concentrate on just one lens. I had sold my old DSLR and 24-70mm f2.8 to get it so to get to use another zoom wasn't what I'd hoped for but I was still super thrilled to have been given the opportunity to use one. It was before my X Photographer status too. So I eagerly put the lens on the body, raised it to my eye and nearly dropped it! It was so front heavy. The X-E1 has the same lack of grip that my X100 has so to mount a fairly heavy lens (by Fuji standards)  on the front seemed very out of place but this wasn't to be what I disliked about this setup.....

Via Thomas Menk

I've just spent 3 days in Marrakech on a business trip, and packed the Fuji X-E1 and 35mm in the hope of getting a few hours off to explore the old city. I'd been before with the 5D MkII and some lenses, but found photography very hard work owing to the local's distaste for having pictures taken. (At least some genuinely do not like it on the grounds of their religion, whilst the more tourist facing people don't mind if they are paid for having their photo taken). Like in any public place, the wielding of an SLR seems to scream "photographer" and make you conspicuous. So this time I tried with the little Fuji in my short time off (just two hours ). I found it a much better camera for this type of environment than the DSLR. I felt less embarrassed wielding a smaller camera, and it was clear to me that people were not as bothered about having their pictures taken even when they noticed I was there. It's funny how the size of the camera seems to make so much difference (I'm sure more seasoned street photographers than me will find this blindingly obvious). Of course, the most important thing is to treat the subject with respect, but I really did find that the camera also made a difference. Here are some shots - the camera and lens performed really well it what were often very low levels of light. Very few mis-focussed shots, excellent exposure and colour. I love the rendering from the XF35m F1/4 wide open too. This is not my particular forté in photography - I'm not well practiced in "street photography" so any comments more than welcome!

Via Thomas Menk

When I first heard that there would be an X-E2 coming out this year, I have to say the gear nerd inside of me did a tiny fist pump. I’ve been shooting on my X-E1 for almost a year and I really can’t imagine not having this camera in my life, so I figured with the X-E2 things could only get better, and as I had hoped, I was correct. The design, well no surprise here, no real major changes from the body shape and design of the X-E1, which I don’t mind one bit, I’m a ‘don’t mess with a good thing’ guy,  and the bonus ? my grip from my X-E1 fits perfectly, one less accessory to purchase. The couple changes you will find are; the Q button has moved, there is no longer a View Mode button and there’s now a F2 button to give you another button to program, making 4 in total. For you photographers that like to do a lot of button pressing on your camera this should be a welcomed edition as well you can now set the exposure compensation dial now goes to 3 stops. I think the biggest and best changes to the X-E2 happened on the inside. They’ve upgraded the guts to the 16MP X-Trans CMOS II & EXR Processor II and the Intelligent Hybrid AF (Phase & Contrast Detection) which promises a great improvement to the AF function of the camera as proved by the X100S. There is a list at the bottom with a break down of all the features of the X-E2, but for me this camera is all about taking a very well designed camera and making it take better photographs, simple as that. You’re probably asking yourself, what about manual focus ? No huge changes here, you’ll find the two different options available for a highlight or split screen, of which I’ve found I prefer the highlight option as it’s less obtrusive in the frame, I noticed as well that the improved processor means the EVF reacts noticeably smoother and quicker in manual focus mode . I only had a few days with the X-E2 so this isn’t as much as review but a ‘First Impression’ but the good news is I will be taking an X-E2 with me to New York City in November to put it through it’s paces on the street and on some fashion shoots for one week, so I’ll be able to update this post with more of an in depth analysis and a huge pile of photos !.......

Via Thomas Menk

I shot all of these 33 pictures using the Fujifilm X-Pro1 with the 18-55mm zoom lens and a Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8th filter attached. One camera, one lens and up to two lights at any time for a simple yet stylish shoot. I had 5 delegates with me and we shot all day in the sumptuous Hilton Hotel in Manchester. We were in the Cloud 23 bar all morning and then after a delightful lunch we moved to the corridors and reception areas for the afternoon shoot.

Dresses: Lisa Keating
Makeup and hair styling: Emma MacKenzie
Model: Carla Monaco

Via Thomas Menk