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Have I gone Mad ???


Alf

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Heres an interesting thing ......

 

I may well have lost the plot (quite possible)

 

Anyway here goes...

 

In the beginning there was the XP1 which after a bumpy start I ended up really liking , it had soul it was a camera that just felt right ...

 

Then enter the XT1 with all its bells and whistles and yes I was tempted  by the new camera and ended up with 2 of them 

 

They were fine and I used them with no problems but I did not love them :(

Compared to my XP1's they were ugly and just had no soul 

 

Yep I know I'm mad but to me a camera needs to have something about it more than mega pixels and fancy focus , if the camera feels right a decent snapper will make great pics , I really do believe that 

 

So....

 

Here we are at XP2 launch and I have had mine a few days 

Yes it works fine 

Yes its faster

 

But having it made me get my XP1's out of the cupboard and guess what .... It doesn't seem so slow 

Granted its not very useful for super fast things but I don't snap super fast things 

 

Then I started looking at image files from the XP1 days and I think some of my best Fuji era work was on those cameras !

 

Ive also printed those files to A1 with no problems  (I'm never likely to go bigger )

 

So here I am with 2   XP1 bodies and an XP2 body , I am 2 days away from a job in Paris and I am seriously thinking do I dare go back to the old days !

 

I am seriously considering it and if I do .......  who wants to buy an XP2  :)

 

(attached pic from XP1)

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I can relate, as I'm also sentimental about my X100 Classic, my very first X-series camera. We went through difficult times together, and it may even be possible that it would still be my only X camera if my main duty wasn't to evaluate new gear that isn't on the market, yet.

 

So I'm split. The majority of my images is made using (usually faulty) pre-production gear with unfinished firmware, so there's always a craving to use mature and well-aged gear that has reached its end of life and will not change/improve anymore, like my X100 Classic. Maybe that's also why I bought myself three old Sigma Merrills. 

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While I am sure that many of us can get behind the idea of loving the gear that has served us for several thousands of shutters, we can not help but lust after the newer versions, the brightness and new shines from it attracts us like moths toward a candle.

 

Personally, I love my X-T1, it will be my main camera for years to come. I gave the X-Pro2 a try, and while it is a bit faster, it's not enough to make feel like changing body. If the X-T2 follows the same upgrades as the X-Pro2, there are absolutely no reasons for me to get the X-T2 either.

But on the other hand, I can lust about gear that my Fuji is unable to bring me, the Nikon D500 is a very good example of this. Will it replace my Fuji ? Not at all, but it does fit in a gap in my toolset that the Fuji is unable to compete against at this time.

I will certainly wait until mid june before taking the decision on the Nikon D500 and keep enjoying my time with the Fuji gear.

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It's very similar for me in many ways. I try something new and I immediately find a lot of "flaws" and things that I don't like as much as the old ones. Then it grows on me. Then the time comes when the new features take over more value. And then the time comes when I don't want to go back to the old. 

 

This is very similar for me with many new products. Be that cars, motorcycles, cameras, phones, computers and so on. In that regard there is quite some numbing down happening as well. I get new phones, iPads, computers, screens ... all the time. I have a drawer full of "stuff", like a bunch of iPhone 6/6S/Plus/5/5S and so on. All just part of the job. 

 

Sometimes I'm thinking of going back to a feature phone for availability and an iPad mini for the rest. 

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Some people dsimiss the "market saturation" angle for the shrinking high end market, but this thread says exactly that.

 

I'm betting bodies like the X-Pro2 will see multi-generational use if they don't short circuit first.

(I say ditch the X-Pro 1, jump in with both feet, Fuji made a lot of very practical improvements here, but the X-Pro 3 is going to have a very steep hill to climb.)

Edited by 9.V.III
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My first impression is that the pictures from the X-Pro2 isn't as "soft" and "delicate" as the X--Pro1.....which I've come to love.

 

It'll take some time to get to grips with the X-Pro2 and fully appreciate it's new character.

 

Exciting times ahead...

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"if the camera feels right a decent snapper will make great pics , I really do believe that"

 

I agree completely, and no you're not mad...of course that's just one man's opinion.

Years ago I felt that way about my Nikon F2. It just felt so right, and the sound of that shutter was something magical. It made me want to shoot.

Then along came all these digital SLRs. Nikons again, D70s, D200, mechanical devises to be used but not to inspire.

During this period I longed for a camera that gave me that feeling I was missing and found it when I went back to film in the form of a Leica M6. 

I loved, loved, loved that camera. This tiny brick, built like the proverbial tank, it made me want to shoot and I made some great images with it. And I discovered I really liked rangefinders.

Enter Fuji. When I bought my X100 I was hoping it would be my digital Leica. And indeed I must say I enjoyed using it much more than any other digital camera I ever had. I even upgraded to the S as soon as it arrived. But it did it have soul? Not for me, though it is one of my all time favorites.

For these past few years I always looked at the X Pro 1 but never could pull the trigger...until recently. Thanks to the X Pro 2 the lowered price of the 1 made it impossible to ignore any longer. I haven't had enough time with the XP1 to say if it will rank up there with those other cameras I mentioned, but it certainly looks promising. 

So no, you're not mad...at least no more than the rest of us I'd assume.

 

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There is a definite compositional advantage from having the frameline in the OVF and being able to see outside the image, despite its inaccuracy. It's like the advantage of 'seeing' that a zoom can give you without the laziness trap. How many people using primes only 'zoom with their feet' into the frame otherwise? I also quite like the OVF framing inaccuracy for scenes; it adds a last minute 'zag' to my images that often comes as a welcome surprise.

 

I think this is also why I prefer the 23&56 to the 18&35. More out-of-frame in the viewfinder.

Edited by frod
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