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While suffering somewhat -- though to a far lesser degree than the competition -- from clutter and heavy-handed visual branding, the Leica X Edition Moncler PDF brochure is transparent, legible, and, for a brochure, light on marketing-speak.
Thanks to Leica Rumors for pointing out Leica's new X Edition Moncler website.
It's kind of cheating to give two options against which Betteridge must contend, but I'm going to say 'no'. It's fair to say that thus far, Fujirumors hasn't fared well against Betteridge. (Fujirumors may not even have heard of Betteridge, in which case, the '?' marks may just seem clever.)
Here's a hint: if you have to ask, you're being baited. On the other hand, Fujifilm don't exactly play a steady hand. With interfaces changing left and right, who knows, maybe they will offer to upgrade your old X-T1.
The question should be, then, 'how much for an electronic shutter in your now-shitty old, X-T1?'
Hilarity ensured here: X-T1 firmware in December + Rumor-Riddle: electronic shutter via hardware or firmware upgrade?
Fuji VS Fuji's well-organised Fujifilm X30 review is well worth the read. The review picks out several of the compounding interface inconsistencies across Fujifilm's camera line:
“The twist to turn on feature is clever, but this is one of those things I’ll have a hard time getting used to as the owner of multiple Fuji bodies. I always pick up the camera while fondling the shutter release, looking for the power switch. This is a non-issue for folks who only intend to own an X30 of course.”
as well as several of the improvements being made to the line, namely direct-selectable AF points:
“If you’re constantly changing your AF point and need to do it on the fly as fast as possible, Fuji has you covered. You can now set the D-pad to move the AF point immediately, rather than after tapping the AF button to activate. With this mode enabled, the functions listed on the D-pad are only accessible via drilling down into menu, or configured in your “Q” Menu.”
Fujirumors's hosting of Rico Pfirstinger's X30 First Look article is a breath of fresh air in an often-stale Expert Corner. One thing about the article puzzles me, though. That is Rico's use of the word retro.
“The X30 is currently Fujifilm’s most advanced camera, combining premium build with retro elements and a flexible and mature user interface. But is it worth 549 Euros incl. VAT? With X-M1 double-lens kits already selling for 100 Euros less than that, I expect the street price of the X30 to adjust downwards rather sooner than later. Yes, it’s a fantastic camera with great handling and performance, but it’s still a compact camera with a 2/3″ sensor. The IQ is great, but at higher ISOs, it can’t match Fuji’s entry-level APS-C cameras. That said, if the price is right, the X30 is a clear buy for those who are looking for a compact camera for grown-ups that doesn’t look and handle like a toy, but like something more substantial.”
As far as I can see, the only thing retro about the X30 is its belonging to the X series, which uses dials for certain controls. Anyway, good read.
Fuji Rumors: First Look: Fujifilm X30
Fujifilm's sleek new X30 small-format super-zoom fixed-lens camera
By now, you have heard of Fujifilm's new X30 compact camera. Its bold lines and moulded grip pay homage to the X-Pro 1. While it has lost its iconic OVF, its general unification of X-camera design elements is a good thing. The X series, as a whole, has little to unify it other than round dials.
The X30 inherits the following from the X-T1 and X-Pro 1
- tilting LCD (X-T1)
- WiFi connectivity (X-T1)
- 2,36M dot EVF (X-T1)
- 3,0 inch LCD (X-T1)
- Weight (423g: X30 including battery; 440g: X-T1 including battery)
- front function button (X-T1)
- Easy to press rear buttons (X-Pro 1)
Raising the bar for functionality across the series is good. So is firming up design elements. Making a large compact camera with a teeny tiny sensor, however, is scummy. So, too, is yet again re-arranging button layout. No self-proclaimed premium camera manufacturer has changed hardware interface elements so often.
Picking up an X100/s and then operating an X-Pro 1 or an X-T1 or an X30 is nearly as frustratingly fractured an experience as going from Sony to Fujifilm. Unifying skin-deep design cues are a good idea. Constantly switching haptic interfaces, and switch-swapping iconic selling points such as OVFs, are not.
Ω is somewhat hopeful that Fujifilm will finally settle on a single, unified hardware interface.
And despite being rather firmly planted in the Fujifilm camp, I'll admit that a well-done 7x0 series tugs at my heart strings.
As you can imagine, NR's Nikon 750 post has already spawned hundreds of comments.
Tom Grill is one of the dudes transforming sterile lifestyle photography with nice, friendly light. His recent review of the Nikon D810 is a worthwhile read for anyone thinking of move to Nikon's latest hi-resoultion full frame dSLR.
The entire review is hosted at Nikon Rumors: Nikon D810 camera hands-on review.
the new face of the Whuffie Bank
Back in the day, Cory Doctorow fans could hit up the Whuffie Bank to check the health of their tweets. The more retweets, interactions, etc., you had, the better a person you were-- from a whuffie standpoint.
Whuffie is a Doctorowian currency in a post-scarcity world. It was introduced in his fabulous debut novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. You do good things or hang with the right people, and you get noticed. Think of Whuffie as a living like button over your head. Get enough likes and you can do the wildest things. Don't get enough and you have to eat in the corner.
But about two years ago, Whuffie Bank showed signs of petering. At the time, I was operating online solely under the shigzeo nickname. Shigzeo never got out of the corner. I reckon he never will.
Perhaps it was Little Brother's sequel, Homeland, that tipped things against the Whuffie Bank, and Doctorow. Sad. Doctorow opened my eyes to modern speculative/science fiction. No one since has interested me. And now I'm running out of Vonnegut and Dick. And the Whuffie Bank, for all its early efforts, effectively is closed.
And I'm back to writing about cameras and audio.
If it weren't for Nikon, I'd probably still be stuck on cheap wine, Ikea cheese, and awkward, purple-lipped hangovers. But thanks to the wonders of the D800's ridiculous live view system and a jumpy exposure dial, I’ve been rammed into the wonderful world of the single malt scotch. I owe you one, Nikon.
Read moreIn order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Fujifilm X-Pro 1
I'm a Fujifilm X-Pro 1 user. I'm also a Canon P and Olympus Trip 35 user. The Olumpus really is small. The Canon is about the same size as the Fujifilm. Today's Fujifilm X supporter loves to hate SLR cameras.
"Smaller is better" and "SLRs are big" and "prisms suck" and "humping sucks" and so on are slung around at Fujifilm fan sites.
I wonder if that crowd have ever used an SLR from, say, the 1970's or 80's. The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 happens to be the same size as my Nikon FE, a regular-sized SLR camera. In fact, it is an SLR camera that was never considered that compact or small. People who valued compact cameras turned it down in favour of other cameras, like the Nikon EM.
Today's 'compact' is pretty much yesterday's 'normal'. Reminds me of cars. Yeah, there are few things to get out of the way. First, the mounting flanges between SLRs and other cameras are quite different. Today's mirrorless cameras typically sport flanges with fillm-to metal distances that measure in the teens and low twenties (mm). And SLR humps do stick up a bit. But the FE's shoulder height is lower than the X-Pro 1's even with buttons sprigging from the top. Minus the mounting flange, the body is also thinner. If the FE had as chintzy a viewfinder as the D5000 or X-Pro 1, it could be much smaller again. But it wasn't built to be tiny. It was built to do the majority of what Nikon's professional line could do, but in a more manageable package.
Kind of like the Nikon Df... except that the Df is a monster.
In order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Fujifilm X-Pro 1, Nikon D5000
So what do Fujifilm fans mean when they think 'SLR'? The above image illustrates exactly what they think. They think small SLRs are like the above D5000. Forgetful brains think today's SLR epitomises the SLR en total. Even Nikon's smallest contemporary D3x00 is bigger than the FE and X-Pro 1.
The D800 is the FE's market equivalent: same juxtaposition to the top models, similar build quality, and on and on. It is of course, much, much larger. The trend to biggun up started after Japanese makers started dumping electronics into every nook and cranny they could. The more the merrier. The more complicated the better. The thicker the manual the better.
Today's SLRs aren't merely huge. They are confoundingly difficult to use. Simple people like me prefer simple devices. That is why I find the Leica M9 so refreshing to shoot. It is pure shooting: few and simple controls; only the necessities made it in. Everything else is out. Shoot and shoot again. It's a pleasure.
Fujifilm's X-Pro 1 harnesses some of that classic look. But its soul is something else. Its soul is crammed as much as is possible with electronic everything. It is nearly as complicated to operate as a contemporary SLR. And like car windows that go down only when you've got the key in, that all-electronic interfaces can be ridiculously obtuse. I love the X-Pro 1 but mainly as an idea or signpost. I hope that cameras will become simple and compact again, with focus on the OVF and precise lens action, not gizmos upon gizmos and a thirty-layered system menu.
The X-Pro 1's electronics slow it down. For everything beside the advancing of film, it takes longer to frame, focus, and shoot a single image than the Nikon FE or Canon P. Or, than any other mechanical 35mm film camera, ever. it is also much larger than most consumer SLR cameras were prior to their Japanification.
In order, from left to right: Fujifilm X-Pro 1, Leica M9. (NOTE: with the same Leica lens mounted, the X-Pro 1 and its adapter are larger than the M9. The combo is not, however, heavier than the Leica.)
But I love the X-Pro 1. I do. (And I must continue to remind myself of that as again that magnification function fails to trigger, as the camera again stalls, as again I'm met with an almost unusably choppy EVF.) It's the only non-Leica digital camera that is remotely fun to use. If only it had a good EVF or picture-in-picture focus assist functionality from the OVF, it would rock. That is, if it didn't stall, or go mum when I'm trying to magnify the view. If only it was better, I could imagine that with a good 35mm lens on its front it would sort of disappear. But it doesn't.
And this isn't the article for that. This article is just a size comparison between it and some favourites and the awful Nikon D5000.
BTW, these quick photos were taken with the not-at-all-fun-to-shoot-with Sony a7r. It takes lovely images. Everything else is completely Japanified.
In order, from left to right: Nikon FE, Leica M9
Tsukuba, Japan