A Walk With My New Fuji X-T1:
Well, it isn’t exactly new…rather like-new :). If you’re on any of my social networks, then you probably already know that I ended up getting a Fuji X-T1 recently. It happened spontaneously. I had absolutely no intentions of upgrading but my uncle was going to trade in his X-T1 for something different. Instead, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: he offered to take my X-E2 in exchange for his X-T1 to use as a trade in. The X-T1 was barely used (he works quite a bit, so he doesn’t have much spare time anymore), and seeing as there were a lot of features that I wanted from it, I jumped at the chance.
I reviewed the X-T1 a long time ago (you can see my review here), and a few things about this camera have always stuck out to me as really useful features. First off, I love how big the viewfinder is, and I love how many different settings that you can utilize in it. For instance, to help with critical focusing when using manual lenses, there is a Dual Mode, which allows me to still see the whole scene in one screen but also allows me to see a zoomed in version in another screen, so I can focus with more ease using various focus aids like focus peaking. Then, there are the features from the new firmware that have really changed the camera since I reviewed it when it first came out. In some ways, it almost feels like a new camera thanks to some of the features of the new firmware. It’s great to see that Fuji still continues to produce some of the best firmware upgrades for their cameras.
I’ve owned the Fuji X-T1 so far for about a week. I haven’t really had a chance to use it much but seeing as we have been getting some decent weather here in NYC lately, I thought last night would be the perfect time to test it out. The clouds also looked pretty cool. So, after spending the better part of the day finishing a lot of my Leica Q review (it has become a bigger review than I thought it would be), I went out after midnight to do a little night shooting.
I chose to go to Dumbo, which is located in Brooklyn because it’s close to me by car, and there’s usually plenty of parking at that time. I was tired, and I wasn’t planning on staying out too late. However, plans changed when I met up with a fellow night owl (my best friend of over 15 years). We ended up staying out till about 3-4am. It turns out we weren’t the only ones out because there were actually a lot of people walking around but I guess that’s one of the great things about NYC. It truly never sleeps. Some even brought out their beach chairs :).
I really enjoy these nightly photowalks. I know a lot visitors who come to this city might enjoy the hustle and fast pace but I lived here all my life. It’s nice to get some peace and quiet once in a while :). Plus, everyone who was out last night was so chilled and relax; there was definitely a nice vibe last night.
My friend and I probably ended up doing more catching up than taking pictures but here’s what I had from last night. The color ones were taken with my Zeiss Touit 12mm F2.8 and the black and white was taken with my XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R lens. That Zeiss is still my favorite lens for the X Series :). I hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by!
Spectacular night time shots; the colors are almost surreal.
Thanks inthedarkroom!
Take care,
Patrick
Hello Patrick,
Talk about a night owl! But that statement really does give away my age, so let me just say that it was certainly worth doing to get the images you did. The black & white is quite amazing – so full of texture & detail; & the contrasts are wonderful. Shows what that so-called kit lens can really do. My only concern is now you’re giving aid & comfort to Fuji’s dark side, the one that makes them create more DSLR like cameras & lenses, by abandoning the X-E2 RF-like form for the X-T1 DSLR-like form. Just kidding though – as I have to admit I would love to have what that camera has to offer in my X-E2 package. And I wouldn’t have passed up that swap offer either, as much as I totally love my X-E2. So keep up the great work! Cheers,
Jed
Hi Jed,
Thanks for the kind words! Like you said, this “kit” zoom is fantastic. It’s not even that large either. As the for the X-T1, I am giving aid and comfort to Fuji’s dark side haha but like you said, it’s a pretty hard deal to pass up :). The truth is, it may not be the last time I ever own an X-E series camera. And the other thing is I already have the M 240, so my rangefinder form is covered. I figured it was a good opportunity to try something new for a while. Thanks for leaving a comment!
Best regards,
Patrick
Hello Patrick,
The viewfinder is something i would love to have. and of course the speed 🙂
I seen you are very happy with this unexpected incident 🙂
Enjoy it
Meng
Hi Meng,
Welcome back! Great to hear from you again. I was content with my X-E2. It’s a little more compact, it’s light but considering the X-T1 didn’t really cost me anything extra, yes, I am quite happy with this unexpected incident :).
Best regards,
Patrick
I’m big on peace and quiet but one of the good things about the city is that there is always something going on, no matter what time of the day or night. When I was younger I always used to think that everyone went to bed at midnight (at the latest) because my parents were always freaking out about my brothers being out after dark. When I got older, I saw that there was always someone outside. I remember being out until 3:00 sometimes and I’d still rarely be able to walk into my building by myself. It’s great for street/night photography.
Hi Tina,
I totally know what you mean. I went to college in Upstate NY and it was a huge change. Almost everything shut down around 6pm, and absolutely no one would be walking around at 3am. There was also not much to do at all. It was extremely hard to get used to…in fact, I drove home a lot not to go out and have some fun but because I just missed the noise of the city :). I would drive down I-87, and every time I saw the sign “Welcome to The Bronx”, I would sigh in relief…and yes, this is a fantastic place for street and night photography!
Take care,
Patrick
Hi, these shots are great, I own the XE2 and it’s a great camera, I’ve looked at the XT1 and as you say the view finder is excellent & very bright & large. The B&W shots you got are fantastic, could you tell me what iso and what f-stop you were shooting at? The images look so clean & sharp.
Great article
Hi Matt,
Thank you so much and I really appreciate you taking the time to take a look at my site. The X-E series is awesome! I still miss my X-E2. As for the black and white photo, I was shooting at 200 ISO, and I had my f-stop set at f8. I also think part of clean and sharp appearance is attributed to my new tripod setup…I had an older setup for years but this new setup is a lot more stable. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.
Best regards,
Patrick
Hi Patrick!
I’m glad You enjoy Your X-T1! Thank You for XF16 review. It really helped me to decide to buy one. When I see that sharpness and compare it to my XF18…XF16 seems to be a really good tool.
It would be also nice to read about XF90! 🙂
P.S. That photo above…great one! You are night shot specialist!
Regards,
Jiri
Hi Jiri!
I’m glad to hear from you and I hope all is well! Thank you for the kind words and it’s great to hear you’re going to buy an XF 16mm. It’s a fantastic lens and it should be a great match with your X-T1. Btw, you recently purchased an X-T1 as well, correct? Are you enjoying it? As for the XF 90mm, I will probably review it very soon. Thanks for stopping by!
Best regards,
Patrick
Yes, Patrick. I’ve bought the black version first, but the first shock of “DSLR-like” X-camera scared me so much that I returned it back. Later, after some troubles with X-2, I finally bought silver X-T1 and I must say that I’m really happy with it. Silver version doesn’t have any problems with D-pad and it looks great – that helped me getting over “DSLR-like” look.
X-T1 is snappier than X-Es and EVF is really pleasent to use. Reading/writing times…everything is better and old good things /X-trans sensor/ stay. Great camera!
Bye! Have a nice weekend!
Jiri
Hi Jiri,
Great to hear you ended up with the silver version. It is a fantastic match for the XF 16mm that you are planning on getting. Yes, there are a lot of things that I like about the X-T1. The EVF in particular is my favorite upgrade over the X-E series. Thanks for stopping by and you have a great weekend as well!
Take care,
Patrick
The results i see coming from that Fuji (in the right hands that is of course) are really impressive. I think it has the same sensor as the xe-2 which should be also a great camera. I am a one man one camera type of guy so i am out though 🙂
Tina i just visited your web page and i like your stuff. I think it is really important when you shoot graffiti that you include the invironment which you did. Adds so much more meaning and interest that way. Nice work.
And Patrick, you should go to bed earlier and work on that Leica Q Review 😉
Greetings from Cologne,
Markus
Hi Elderin,
It’s always great to hear from you and thanks for the kind words :). The Fuji is a fantastic camera and yes, the X-T1 will produce essentially the same images as the X-E2 since they use the same sensor. One could even get the same images from the X-T10, which is one of Fuji’s intro models. It’s definitely good to be a “one man one camera type of guy”. I highly respect you for that, and truthfully, one probably gets more out of his or her gear that way.
As for going to bed earlier, I would love to do so but apparently, I am a creature of the night; since college, I’ve never slept at normal hours ;). At least now, I’m being productive at these late hours haha. But I did just finish my Leica Q review, so I would be very happy to hear what you think about it. And as for Tina’s work, I’ve checked out her blog and it’s great. I really like the images as well, and the writing content is good.
Best regards,
Patrick
Hey Patrick;
Stunning shots – some of your best work!
As you know, I love the Fuji X cameras too. But I agree with you that a lot of the image quality of your shots here are attributable to your solid tripod. They’re a PITA to haul around, but if the subject matter is suitable for long exposures, allows one to shoot at base ISO and optimum apertures, for the best IQ. And no camera shake 🙂
All the best,
Marco
Thanks Marco!
Yes, tripods are a pain haha but totally worth it in the end. I’m so glad I upgraded from my older one. My new one is so much more stable.
Best regards,
Patrick