View single post by Eric
 Posted: Sat Oct 1st, 2016 15:21
Eric



Joined: Wed Apr 18th, 2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4186
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My critique of the Fuji XT1 is several fold.

Let me say firstly it's capable of producing excellent images and the lenses are sharp. As mentioned before, the battery life is woeful. Even with the LCD switched off I only got about 150-200shots. I have the extra battery grip and EVERY day that battery was drained and the internal one needed to come to the rescue. Which meant EVERY night I had to charge two batteries.

The second gripe is the proliferation of knobs and their poor distribution around the body that caused me to HAVE to check something hadn't changed everytime it came out of the bag, or when I changed a lens. I know many people argue against menu only adjustments on Nikon entry bodies but there's a lot to be said for keeping things away from fingers and other surfaces ready to change everything from exp comp to focus mode in the blink of an eye. Yes I know about gaffer tape...but come on, these are supposed to be 21 century evolutions.

I guess the number of shots I lost through erroneous setting changes contributed to my fewer good shots per battery tally.

My biggest gripe is the EVF. It's pokey, off colour, pixelated and slow to refresh. Even shooting Cont H, there is a loss of positioning with moving subjects. Example...photographing large yellow spider on web by a fast running stream.....no problem at all with the Fuji and 200mm lens.
Photographing a Dipper, bobbing and weaving under the same fast running stream or Kites and vvultures flying 'lazily yet unpredictable in direction' against a blue sky and the EVF is too busy 'keeping control of itself' to let you follow or catch the second decisive moment ...assuming it focuses in time to get the first decisive image!!! I would also add that trying to keep track of a fast moving bird in and out of shade and full sun was far harder to watch on an EVF than an optical viewfinder. The image in the viewfinder is harsh and electronic making it an obstacle to clear sighting.

Basic camera functions shouldn't irritate and as a result, get in the way of best practise.

I think back to the film days and the Canon EOS RT (real time) body with its fixed pellicle mirror. With that you could see the exposure as it happened and keep composition. Sure you lost a half to one stop of exposure and the viewfinder was dim...but it was amazing for keeping your eye on the action.

I can't help thinking with the high ISO capability of modern sensors, resurrecting and refining that idea rather than EVFs would be a far better route for lightweight bodies without mirror movement.

You might have guessed there will be Fuji clear out soon.

I will keep the IR converted body and the right lens or lenses for IR work. But I just don't see the point on hanging onto a system that needs help from other cameras to cover more acting subject matter.

Last edited on Sat Oct 1st, 2016 15:48 by Eric



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Eric