X100S does Thanksgiving
jmphotocraft
Registered Users Posts: 2,987 Major grins
Really enjoying the stealth factor of this camera.
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-Jack
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
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I just got an x100s and used it for the first time for thanksgiving. My results were a resounding "meh". Slow AF in low light. You have to be very careful to keep the subject centered or you can get some serious distortion with the wide angle lens. I find that type of composition quite boring and amateurish. I do like the nice jpegs that come right out of the camera. The jury is still out for me.
http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/
AF, yeah well it's no DSLR. I've had better luck since reducing the size of the AF box. But I found that casually holding the X100S in one hand away and down from my face was much less off-putting to my family than my big 5D3, so I'll take the tradeoff.
Distortion - this camera is not good for tight portraits, but what 35mm lens is? I think I've got several sufficiently off-center subjects above and I don't find the distortion objectionable.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
That's pretty much standard with any 35 mm lens when used for portrait work. You need to put the subject in the center or back away for full body shots.
True, but that also means I need to train my eye to compose differently when I pick up this camera vs. my DSLR.
http://clearwaterphotography.smugmug.com/
Huh? I have an S100, the X100S blows it away. (at 35mm anyway!)
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
I do not understand the attraction of a single-focal-length fixed lens camera these days. That being said, I do like the "stealth" aspect of a smaller, less intimidating camera. Two days before Thanksgiving, I took delivery of a Fujifilm X-E2. Holy smokes, am I impressed. I'll probably start a new thread at some point about this remarkable camera, but here's one of MY T'gvg shots. Shot JPG, cropped, otherwise SOOC.
If you're of a mind to pixel peep, have at it.
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
Thanks!
It's a major trade-off for sure. I wouldn't recommend the X100S as an only camera. For me I wanted DSLR-quality in a pocketable form. I especially wanted this as we had our first and probably only trip to Disney approaching. As far as I can tell the X100S is the only reasonable option other than maybe the new Ricoh GR, but I wanted 35mm instead of 28mm.
So I think of it as a compliment to my 5D3 system, kind of like a 35mm prime. It's great for when I want to bring a nice camera somewhere but I don't want to lug my big DSLR, or any camera that has to go in a bag for that matter. It's also much more discrete and less off-putting to family and friends, and especially my kids who are now cognizant of the dork-factor of the DSLR.
I find 35mm to be very versatile. It's wide enough to include a good amount of context and tell a story, but not so wide that your subjects are tiny or distorted (well, you don't want to try to take a tight portrait with it). It can masquerade as 50mm by cropping, and in a pinch for more WA you can stitch.
Whenever I know I'm going to want more focal length options I bring the DSLR, of course. But for casual outings the X100S is often all I need.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
It's a compliment to my D300, not a replacement but since it's so stealth and easy to carry, I'm much more likely to use it. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you. As an example, here's a shot of a friend at the CrossFit gym I go to. Straight from the camera, only a tiny bit of cropping. I was very impressed with the way it handled the light in the gym and how clear the facial expression is.
http://zone99.smugmug.com
Nikon D300
Nikkor 18-70 DX
Nikkor 80-200 f2.8 ED
Nikon SB-600 Speedlight
Couple o' other lenses I never use!