Fujifilm XE2; amazing camera with one major firmware flaw.

[miles1]

<p>Gee, Andy I don't think I can make any clearer than I have already...</p>

[miles1]

<p>Thanks again Ant��ónio, have a great Christmas too!</p>

[eric_arnold]

<blockquote>

<p>a good deal for sure however it was the phase detect AF and snappier electronics that made me go for the XE-2. Don't get me wrong people, this a fine camera; superb image quality and excellent build quality. Just that as it stands it's more suitable for static subjects and bit trickier for on the fly stuff. There are work arounds, manual zone focus being one, but it could be so much better with a few lines of code...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>well, i guess i'll find out how much of an issue this really is. for me, i was just getting my feet wet w/ fuji, being fairly invested in nikon, so couldnt quite pull the trigger on $1400 (w/ 18-55). i think i paid $900 for body+lens. the good news is, when the xe-2 prices fall in about a year or so, i can just pick up a body at a more reasonable price without taking the depreciation hit if i feel i need the PDAF. anyway, enjoy the camera miles and let us know how that works out for you.</p>

[miles1]

<p>Thanks Eric; sounds like a wise strategy you've got there. I'm also mainly Nikon but am lured by the small size of the X cameras and their astonishing image quality. The cameras' handling and firmware will improve year on year hopefully mostly in the AF and EVF departments. I've been out shooting today and the overall experience is pretty good. I would also like the multi area autofocus to be more like Nikon's but the continuous AF is better than expected based on some of the reviews. I would also say that a really fast SD card is necessary; I'm now using a 90 mb read/write card and things are much smoother. I look forward to seeing how it works out for you Eric.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>thanks miles, i did a ton of research before settling on the x-e1. have to say i like fuji's photographer-centric approach, which is a bit refreshing, since nikon seems to have hit a wall as far as innovation. my plan is to go slow and maybe cop a few more lenses down the line as i get more familiar with the camera. i was also looking at the olympus om-d's but that seemed like a lot of $$ for a smaller sensor camera, especially once you factor in lenses, though the AF is reputedly blazing fast. i'm not looking to replace my D3s for action and events, but i think the x-e1 will be great for travel, candids, some street, and maybe even some PJ stuff. the fuji kit lens appears to be as good as advertised, great skin tones and even some background blur at 18mm. using a 16g sandisk extreme card. so far so good.</p>

[miles1]

<p>Yes, Eric, I think the Fuji X is a good platform with sensors 65% larger than Olympus and 4/3 and therefore better ISO performance while not needing to be as large as full frame. The Fujifilm images seem to have more pop similar to the Leica M or Nikon D800, incredible engineering on their part; remember that they make the lenses and many parts for the medium format Hasselblad H cameras. It's great to have something with extremely high build quality too.</p>

[Brad_]

I don't own any Fuji cameras, but have to give the company huge props for taking care of their customers

with frequent and significant firmware updates, even for cameras that are not their latest.

[miles1]

<p>Brad, you're right, they really listen to the feedback and give customers what they want. I am looking forward to seeing the X series cameras improve and develop, and feel that this is the right platform for me as a smaller alternative when the Nikon is too cumbersome.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<blockquote>

<p>sensors 65% larger than Olympus and 4/3 and therefore better ISO performance while not needing to be as large as full frame.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>that was a big factor into my decision too. i was pleasantly surprised at how clean ISO 5000 was. the better than average kit lenses make a lot of sense too. the XPro2 could really be a game-changer for pros, although the small size of the X-E series make them really suitable--and capable--for casual photography.</p>

[miles1]

<p>Eric, I'm finding ISO 6400 cleaner than the Nikon D700 which is quite remarkable. It also seems less likely to blow out highlights. If Fuji gets the X-Pro 1 right, and I think they will, it'll be the most attractive mirrorless system on the market, and I will surely buy one. It may prove to be the "digital Contax G2" that so so many have lusted for for so long...</p>

[fwstutterheim]

<p>Put the Focus Mode of the camera on "M" and press the AE-L/AF-L button to focus.<br>

</p>

 

[eric_arnold]

<p>the issue is that after you decouple focus, you can't keep it locked. ... one good thing about the fuji 18-55 kit lens is the IS. in fact, the body-based IS on the Oly's is the one thing i wish the Fujis had. being able to handhold at slow shutter speeds is a big plus for light. compact bodies.</p>

[alex_hill]

<p>Fuji has lenses comparable to the Canon L line, from build to optics. They're metallic from sun shield to mount, and the optics in my opinion surpass many Canon L's. As for the X-Trans sensor, it competes on a par with the 5D mark III and D800, in both level of detail and ISO. So much so up to ISO 6400 and 12800, but beyond that it starts washing colors a bit. But at ISO 6400 there's no difference between them. Probably the AF is the only big pro for the DSLRs (and the optical viewfinder). <br /><br /><a href="http://maxcnash.com/maxs-review-of-the-fujifilm-x-e2/">The Fuji X-E2 - all that you wanted to know</a></p>

[jonathan_barber4]

<p>I know this was an old post, but as of June, 2015, with firm-ware 3.0 it was still true: a half-press on the shutter button of an Xe-2 will focus, but you cannot take more than one shot without releasing the button, forcing you to focus again before you complete the button press to shoot ...only one more shot! This seriously slows down what is otherwise a wonderful, fast-response street shooter. True, some people don't care about this limitation, or that it is not the way other top-quality digitals operate. I do care, and agree with Miles that having the option to select the same behavior that my Canon DSLR has, would be a big advantage in speed, and no dis-advantage to those who don't care.<br>

Many experienced shooters use only the center focusing point when they focus, because it is always of the most highly-capable type offered in any given camera. I, for one, don't want the camera brain choosing what to focus on in my photos. I'll make that decision, thank you. Once focussed by a half-press of the shutter, I maintain that pressure while re-composing the shot without the focus changing. I can then take as many shots of this composition as I like, without re-focusing, as long as I keep the shutter button half-pressed, pressing fully only to take another shot. That way of working with electronic focus is so effective, and so wide-spread in other top brands, that it begs to be a standard option on any good camera. The option to select this behavior should be on Fuji's firmware revision list. </p>