X-pro2 launch, keep or sell your x-pro1?

[Guest Ridgeback]

Fair comment ... but I really look at my pix once I've made my selection and am holding 8x10/8x8 prints in my hands.

 

The difference now is that we assess our images at 100%, not as a 6x4 print.

[Digitalrules]

I accidentally popped the hot shoe connection off my X-Pro 1 when I inadvertently hit the thumbs up grip against a door. So now the hot shoe won't work. Also I removed the skin and replaced it from a custom skin I bought from Japan. I'd love to get the X-Pro 2 but I know I'd never get more than two hundred dollars for my current camera if I sold it "as-is". At least it still works well and flashes can be triggered using the p/c sync connector.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Dis]

Will be waiting for X200 and X-T2)

[Woodworth]

The difference now is that we assess our images at 100%, not as a 6x4 print.

 

Ah, but if you were brought up with 5x4 and 6x6 cameras, like me, you would reach for the loupe when inspecting transparencies or negatives on the light box - pretty much the same thing isn't it?

 

Granted that too much emphasis is put on critical sharpness and maybe we were (in the day) more tolerant of a little creative softness when the picture was deemed beautiful enough to allow for this, however, I think there is a need to get the very best technically amongst many photographers and perhaps this crushes creativity just a little bit.

 

That said, when doing weddings or portraits I don't mind minor imperfections if the mood or expression is what I wanted, whereas when I'm shooting commercially, I need to get the very best technically and aesthetically if I can.

 

The topic in hand is however the X-pro2 and I have to say that I'm still disappointed that IBIS has not been included as shooting with my 90mm would have been easier (yes, I am banging on about that - again). The 24Mp sensor and improved low light performance are tempting but I'll probably wait for an X-T2 in the hope that it will have IBIS...

[milandro]

exactly, I have always checked slides  from 24 x36mm up to  8 x10” with a loupe ( by the way using anything more than 4 or 6 X only makes you see the grain  but doesn’t show a better magnification to judge how sharp your picture is) besides I have done weekly tests with all manners of cameras and film when I was working at the Dutch Royal Library as photographer, they were carried out to insure compliance with the stringent conservation norms.

 

The same system was a part of DAILY check ups for digital large format photography. You started the day with absolute calibration of every single aspect and repeated that every time you changed reproduction ratio.

 

For comparison we compared analog with digita.

 

We had scanning backs producing files of 720Mb. We also scanned slides taken with the same camera, with Imacon scanners and I’ve made many comparisons between digital and digitized analog.

 

I am really not a stranger to testing and comparing digital with analog.

 

One interesting thing was the use of Bosscreen focussing screens ( from small to large format) which, instead of being mat etched was made with a layer of beeswax put between two glasses, this way the mat surface had no “ grain” as it happens on mat etched glass.

 

There you could really test your ability to focus.

[Woodworth]

I don't miss carrying a Linhoff 5x4 system or a Mamiya RB67 kit although they did produced some lovely images. My back certainly loves modern cameras!

 

The advantages of the lovely little Fuji are many, especially when working quickly. We're probably getting a little off-topic here so I feel the need to comply  just a little and say something about the X-Pro2. 

 

One thought I had was that I used to prefer my XE-2 to the X-Pro1 but (despite the lack of IBIS) if I had to choose again, I'd get the X-Pro-2 instead of an XE-2 mostly because of the higher resolution. Many say that 16Mp is enough but I've always thought that 24Mp was about right for me and so the X-Pro2 fits that standard very well. 

[milandro]

because you print larger than 100cm on the short side of a print?

[Woodworth]

Not always, but it does allow for cropping without significant loss of quality. It's difficult to anticipate what my customers would want beyond the initial commission, sometimes they do want pretty huge prints, so I like to be prepared. "Chance favors the prepared mind" (attributed to Ansel Adams) might be amended to "chance favours the prepared photographer"? Now I don't think we can anticipate any eventuality, but having done quite some industrial work in fairly dangerous situations, I like to be ready for what might face me. Overkill? Maybe, but ...

[milandro]

  Be prepared!

 

I know the motto, I have been a scout and probably you were one too  .

 

I have already told the tale of an advertising agency which once asked me to shoot a 4" x 5”  picture of their building, then I was asked to have it scanned in the highest possible resolution and THEN they published the picture in a brochure ( they moved a couple of years after and never used the pic again) only a few centimeters wide.

 

Of course one has to prepare...,but one can be prepared and ready... waiting for something which will never come. !

 

Waiting for Godot

 

In Italian there is a very nice phrase, to bandage one’s head before one breaks it.

 

There is no need for a rational explanation to want to buy the latest of anything.

 

Be prepared anyway. Bandage is, however, cheap.

 

Getting 24Mp, if you’ll never use them, is not.

 

Enjoy your new camera!

[CRAusmus]

Don't think I'll ever sell my Pro1, but the Pro2 looked really good last night while he was going over the features.  I definitely want one, but when is the real question...

[milandro]

but in case you want to print a really large print, you would already be prepared for that remote but always possible event! 

[Drake]

The new X-Pro 2 looks terrific. I have been going back and forth all day about pre-ordering one. 

 

Here's why I'm on the fence: it looks like the dual slots and WiFi capabilities may be the answer to wanting to shoot tethered, though I'm still not totally certain about this. I'm eager to hear some real world use cases. From what I have read, the EyeFi and the X-Pro 1, had issues. For instance it would take about a minute to transfer an image. This won't work when I am working with clients who want to view the work in progress. It may be that I will eventually need to purchase a XT-1. Or, hold out even a bit longer for the XT-2.

 

All that said, there are two things that I want Fuji to make for the  X-Pro 2:

 

1) a "ergonomic extension kit" bracket, i.e. thumb rest/ grip thingy with a built-in hot shoe. 

 

2) a vertical grip / battery pack with shutter release - similar to the one available for the XT-1

[frod]

Hot shoes aren't designed for the role that these thumb rests have them fulfil so I doubt if you'll ever see an official fuji thumb rest.

 

I also think a battery grip for a RF style body is unlikely but maybe a third party will make one?

[Drake]

Hot shoes aren't designed for the role that these thumb rests have them fulfil so I doubt if you'll ever see an official fuji thumb rest.

 

I also think a battery grip for a RF style body is unlikely but maybe a third party will make one?

 

Hi Frod - about that Fuji thumb rest, I own one. See: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/889589-REG/Fujifilm_600012331_X_Pro1_Ergonomic_Extension_Kit.html

 

I like it, just wish I didn't have to remove it to mount a wireless trigger. 

 

I do think you are probably right about the battery grip though. 

[frod]

Wow, I didn't know such a thing existed!

[frod]

Doesn't seem to exist as something one can buy in the UK

[CRAusmus]

 

Hi Frod - about that Fuji thumb rest, I own one. See: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/889589-REG/Fujifilm_600012331_X_Pro1_Ergonomic_Extension_Kit.html

 

I like it, just wish I didn't have to remove it to mount a wireless trigger. 

 

I do think you are probably right about the battery grip though. 

 

Looks piece exactly like the EP-75 from Match Technical, with an added soft release.

[Steve C]

Posted in error.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Steve C

[Steve C]

Looks piece exactly like the EP-75 from Match Technical, with an added soft release.

I magnified the picture from the BHPhotovideo link and it has some writing on it.  Having said that, my thumb rest for my X100s was purchased as a Fuji product but clearly says 'Match Technical' on it.

 

[gdanmitchell]

There is always a tension between the truth that the newer camera is an improvement over the older model and the truth that one can make beautiful photographs with the older camera. The right answer is going to depend a lot on persona things: How do you feel about spending the money on the newer camera? How large do you print and how often? Is this an "only camera" or one of several that are specialized for different aspects of your photography? How important is photography to you? And more...

 

If you don't have a camera in the broad category filled by the Fujifilm cameras, then the question of getting the XPro2 or waiting for the XT2 is a valid one. Each camera has its pluses and minuses, and the real question is likely whether what we know about the XPro2 or what we suspect about the XT2 will fit better with your particular needs and preferences. If the past is a guide, it is very likely that both will produce equal image quality, and the differences will largely be functional and operational, so think a lot about the the form factors. Ask yourself questions like, "If the XT2 were announced first, would I wait for the XPro 2?" or "If both were announced at the same time, which would I select?"

 

The XPro1 is still a very useful camera, and at the current prices (body only as low as $499) it certainly has value commensurate with its price. If it does what you need done and if cost is an issue, this is a fine way to get a good mirrorless Fujifilm camera at an excellent price. On the other hand, the XPro2 brings a number of real and likely consequential improvements that make it worth the higher price for may folks.

[lleo]

Also, I think with the arrival of the X-Pro2 the updates for the X-Pro1 will stop and the next ones will only concern the newest camera.

[johant]

Also, I think with the arrival of the X-Pro2 the updates for the X-Pro1 will stop and the next ones will only concern the newest camera.

Functional updates already stopped a few months ago, I think. Unless Fujifilm is going to surprise us, but that's very unlikely.

 

It's end of the road for the X-Pro1, but that's only a problem when you want something that the X-Pro1 cannot do now.

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[milandro]

yes, the only updates were merely technical ones concerning the usability of lenses and the capability to work with windows 10, no goodies were dealt for a long time.

 

But this is not unlike what happened to other cameras of the first X generation.