So the long awaited and much hyped Fujifilm X-Pro 1 camera has finally arrived. As I and my partner Sid, our Shutter Time with Sid and Mac podcast, have been talking about this camera, since the rumours started, it was always an object of desire. What more can you want, than a retro looking Fuji X100 with interchangable lenses. So when the date of release was coming closer, I found myself in the local Edmonton camera store, putting down a deposit. Finally yesterday, to my surprise it arrived! A whole week early. It only came with the Fujinon 35mm f1.4 lens. So the photos in this little first impression review are direct from the camera, no processing what so ever.
If you ever used the Fuji X100, you will find the X-Pro 1 familiar. The controls on the camera have been updated, and the buttons are quite a bit larger, and easier for my big fat fingers :). It feels very solid and has good weight to it, which is quite comfortable to use. I have to say though that the hybrid optical view finder is not as nice as the X100, but I guess that is because the the view finder can change the magnification, depending on the lens is on the camera. The autofocus is faster than on the X100, which is a welcome improvement, as well as the manual focus has been improved. The best thing though is the quick menu button on the camera, which allows for quick settings changes on the camera. There is an annoying clicking sound coming for the 35mm when it's wide open. I think it's the aperture blades stepping down, but this will require further investigation. Never heard a sound like this before.
Another thing, the new RAW files are not recognized by Lightroom 4, or iPhoto on my Mac. I had to install a RAW file converter, then use that to change the RAW files into uncompressed TIFF, then I can import it into Lightroom. This conversion takes a little bit of time. To convert 200 images it took about 15 minutes. I guess that was something to be expected, as this is a new camera with a completely new sensor. I would love if some of these manufacturers adopted the Adodbe DNG format, which would make the world a better place, but I digress. There is another solution, shoot JPG. One thing that the Fuji X100 and X-Pro 1 does perfectly is JPG. Also shooting RAW with X-Pro 1, limits the ISO range between 200-6400, with JPG you have full range from 100-25600.
Over all though I really like the camera. It has a lot of potential, and with the Leica M-mount adapter already available, and new rumours of additional Fujinon lenses available late this year or early in 2013, it's going to be an exciting camera to use. I'm very impressed. Here are some more shots from the camera, unedited. Enjoy!
Mac
