Used Fujifilm X100F to sell … 6


Do you think it’s a joke that I’m doing a Blog because I’m so uninspired? Not really. This week I put up for sale my X100F that I bought just 3 months ago. Quite an investment for me back in the day – €890 for a second-hand camera! I’m putting it back up for sale at €750, negotiable if you know anyone who might be interested. I’ve been trying for weeks, but I still can’t get used to the size and weight of the camera. As far as image quality is concerned, I have nothing to complain about  this Fujifilm. It’s a very good camera, but it’s heavy!

 

 

One thing that annoys me is the auto ISO made by Fujifilm. It’s not specific to the X100F, my X-E2 works the same way… Why can’t I use a shutter speed higher than 1/500s ??? In the street, I tend to shoot a lot on the fly and this speed isn’t fast enough for me. But I’ve accepted this constraint. The X100F, like all the cameras in the series, is a beautiful camera that plays on the retro feel. Many people love it because it has an OVF (Optical ViewFinder) that can be switched to EVF (Electronic ViewFinder). On my X-E2, I never used the OVF. I find it so much easier to frame with the LCD screen that the viewfinder isn’t really useful to me. When I was in Thailand, however, I used the EVF on my Fujifilm X-E2 a lot because I had a non-autofocus 23mm lens and when I used it at full aperture (f1.4), I had to do the focus manually. I found myself being very quick at this little game, even in the street when the light was poor. Here with the X100F, I can switch to autofocus when there’s not enough light. As I’ve already explained in previous Blogs, I work in the street with the zone focusing. So I don’t use the camera’s AF. I tried to focus manually with the X100F for fun and I didn’t like it at all. The ring is very small and I found it uncomfortable to use. My 7Artisan 35mm f0.95 or my TTArtisan 23mm f1.4 were much more pleasant to use.

 

 

Ever since I started shooting with the X100F, I’ve complained that it’s too flashy. And yet I’d taken the trouble to buy the ‘black’ version to try and go unnoticed. But it’s no use. This camera attracts attention wherever I go. I don’t think it’s the size of the body. I sincerely think it’s the ‘retro’ feel that gives it away. Over the last few months I’ve been trying to ignore this problem. And frankly it was starting to weigh on me. So I made the decision not to use this camera any more. I’ve put it away until I can sell it. The price seems reasonable. It’s still going for around €900 second-hand. I’m selling it again because it doesn’t suit me. I’ve already written about it. GEAR MATTERS ! If I’m not comfortable in the street, it will show in the results of my work. The X100F interlude was short-lived. I can’t say that I took many photos with this camera. I’ve put together a slideshow of some of them, which I’ll share with you.

 

 

 

So EXIT the Fujifilm X100F. It’s a question of feeling and you’ll be more comfortable with one camera or another. John Harper also bought a Fujifilm X100S several years ago and sold it because he wasn’t comfortable with the camera. He switched to Leica. Don’t think I’m going to do what he did! No. I’m still convinced that the Leica MP or any other Q wouldn’t suit me. In fact, I think that whatever I do, I always come back to the same camera. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’m going back to the GR … Back to square one!

 

 

Well, almost. I’m not bringing out my Ricoh GRD IV, or my Ricoh GR, but my Ricoh GR3, the unloved, the hated camera. I refer you to the article in which I trashed Pentax/Ricoh following the release of the GR3. So what am I saying? I can say it now, I use the Ricoh GR3 by default … Remember, in a previous Blog, I listed the important elements in choosing my camera for 35mm shooting. I’ll list them again here:

  • A compact camera
  • A 35mm fixed focal length, no zoom
  • The Leaf Shutter
  • Image Quality

Well, I’ve got it, it’s the Ricoh GR3 ! Yes, this camera has a lousy battery life. It overheats. I’m not going to list all its faults, but it’s got a lot of them! But it’s compact, has Leaf Shutter, a good IQ and it also has 35mm! In crop mode, I grant you, but it’s much better than the regular 35mm ! I’ll tell you why.

 

 

How does the 35 mm mode work on the GR3? It’s just a crop of the image taken in 28 mm. So basically the camera doesn’t zoom in. As a result, the 35 mm file is only 15 MP, whereas the 28 mm file is 24 MP. That’s more than enough for my purposes, especially as the file size isn’t really important. What’s important at my level (I’m not planning to make 2 m diagonal prints…) is to have good image quality management. And here you retain the same quality as when shooting with 28 mm because it’s still a crop of the original image ! The real advantage comes from depth of field ! Even if I shoot at 35 mm, the DoF is calculated from the 28mm ! I think I must have lost a few people in mentioning these considerations, but the images below will speak for themselves.

 

 

Basically, I shoot in 35 mm while taking advantage of the DoF of a 28 mm. So I’ve turned my Ricoh GR3 into the ultimate 35 mm Point & Shoot! Everything is sharp between 1.16 m and infinity at f8 when I do the focus at 2.5 m. If I wanted the same thing with my Fujifilm X100F or any other APS-C camera, I’d have to close my diaphragm to f16 ! Which means that if I were to run out of light using the GR3, I could even open to f5.6 and gain one stop of light while keeping a fairly good DoF (1.3 m at 13.6 m).

 

 

Being back on the street with a GR changes everything. I’d forgotten how light this camera is and how perfectly it fits in the palm of my hand. The funny thing is that even at 35 mm, I shoot as if I were at 28 mm. Looking at some recent photos, I think they could have been taken in 28 mm. There’s not much difference between the two focal lengths. There’s just a little less distortion. Purists will say that I’m not really shooting 35 mm because basically this is just a crop of the 28 mm image from the Ricoh GR3. But as you can imagine, I couldn’t care less. My Ricoh GR3 is constantly in 35 mm crop mode. I’m not even tempted to switch back to 28 mm. In any case, I can’t see myself shooting 35 mm with any other camera than this one. I’m prepared to accept the many faults of the Ricoh GR3 in order to be able to use it. So Mr Pentax/Ricoh, now that you’ve brought us a 40 mm Ricoh GR3x, wouldn’t you like to come up with a native 35 mm GR3 or 4 as well? I think I might be tempted.

 

All the photos were made with the Fujifilm X100F and the Ricoh GR3 using the 35 mm crop mode.

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6 thoughts on “Used Fujifilm X100F to sell …

  • John Harper

    I feared this might happen. So many rave about the Fujifilm X100, I’m pleased it isn’t just me that couldn’t get on with it. It’s that same old thing that I keep trotting out: The camera is irrelevant, you have to be comfortable. So comfortable that it becomes meaningless, simply a tool.

    I could use your work as an example to other photographers. The camera manufacturers would hate it. It doesn’t make any difference what you’re using, how much you spend. The work you produce continues to be exemplary and sublime. Look at the photos in the blogpost…QED.

    • Jeff Chane-Mouye Post author

      I was willing to love this camera. Might be because of his look. Until now I’ve been shooting with a Camera that looks like a toy at best. Unconsciously I told to myself that this X100f is a hell of a camera. Its look is amazing. And I, Jeff will look like a hell of a street photographer with the x100f in my hands.
      But hey, as you mentioned, it’s just a tool and you have to be comfortable with the camera to be in symbiosis with it on the streets. It’s not to look cool with a fancy camera. I’m not walking on a red carpet to show my self. I’m just walking the dirty streets of Saint Denis snapping moments. And definitely this camera is not made for me. I ‘m a GR shooter.
      Being again on the streets with the GR was a relief. Man it was like coming back home!

  • Deborah Swain

    I just love that suggestion of using the 35mm crop on the 28mm focal length … I just tried that on my trusty Ricoh GR II this morning. I don’t have quite as much wiggle-room with smaller file size on the GR II, but I had great fun with it … and I also care very little about what the purists might think!

    • Jeff Chane-Mouye Post author

      I’m still wondering why I haven’t thought of that before Jean Perenet mentionned it in a comment. I think that’s because I had burried the GR3 somewhere in a closet … On the GR2 you still have a 10MP file working withe 35 mm crop mode. To me it’s enough considering that I shot for a long time with a 10 MP camera aka Ricoh GRD IV ! As I said, the most important is that the IQ is not altered with this crop mode and the quality will be exactly the same as if you were shooting with the 28 mm native focale length and You’ll get more DoF. Considering all the elements if you’re a GR shooter, the best 35 mm camera is the GR you own !

  • GERARD BARRE

    Bonjour, j’ acquiesce avec l’ idée du ressenti avec un appareil favori. Je suis passé de leica M argentique, à micro4/3, (en lx100 puis gx80), à 2 GR (IV et 3) avant de découvrir le LX15(10) il y a un peu plus d’ un an.
    J’ en suis à mon deuxième ; il est vrai que je les maltraite un peu. Mais voilà l’ appareil que j’ aurais cherché toute ma vie de photographe.
    Constamment avec moi. Léger, discret, hyper hyper rapide de chez rapide, grande autonomie, qualité jpeg en sortie très satisfaisante pour des tirages A3, etc…
    Mon idéal en photo de rue. Et tient dans la main, tient dans la main !
    Bonne continuation.

    • Jeff Chane-Mouye Post author

      On est tous pareils. On recherche ce qui nous convient le mieux. Certains sont à l’aise avec les x100 ou des boîtiers type M de Leica. Le poids ou la taille des appareils ne les gênent pas. Toi comme moi, on a une préférence pour les boîtiers plutôt légers et discrets. Ce qu’il faut, c’est se sentir à l’aise dans la rue avec le matériel qu’on dispose. Ça permet de se sentir plus libre dans la rue pour se concentrer sur ce qui est nécessaire.