The X-Pro1: Back, Caught You Looking for the Same Thing

Continuing the blog serialisation of my popular X-Pro Series lust/hate/love story:

Part 77: The X-Pro1: Back, Caught You Looking for the Same Thing

Back, caught you looking for the same thing.

So rapped Public Enemy on their Don’t Believe the Hype track.

Well back and indeed looking for the same thing, I’ve acquired another X-Pro1

Yes – you read that right.

As I wrote last week – I’d spent a while going through my old X-Pro1 images and I saw many that I liked.

I then saw an X-Pro1 and well… what can I say?

How’s that saying go? Third time’s the charm!

In many ways, there’s probably not much for me to say about the X-Pro1, I think I’ve mentioned it once or twice on the site already 🙂 (check the link to the contents page at the bottom for all of the various articles I’ve written.)

I can’t see this camera replacing my X-Pro2. But it’s nice to have it back. This is a back up body (ok it’s just GAS really!!!)

I can see myself wanting to get my X-Pro2 images to be a little closer to the (so called) organic charm of the original.

I’ll be sharing that with you as I progress.

But for now – here’s a quick recap; the X-Pro1 was a camera I’d lusted after for a while, finally bought – hated, then missed and re-acquired, then I had to sell it to pay for the X-Pro2 😦 and now (one year later) I just got another one!

There was a definite feeling of a home coming as I set it up to be used how I liked.

There was a dim muscle memory as I held it and used it.

Within no time at all everything was completely familiar – well bar the back button focus (AF/AE-L) button, which on the X-Pro2 I’ve swapped with the AE-L button, which means on the X-Pro1 I change view mode a lot when I want to focus 🙂 – because that button is about in the same place as the AE-L button on the X-Pro2

Nothing’s changed! The OVF is still more legible than the X-Pro2 one, the shutter still has that satisfying ‘thunk’ the buttons are all nice to press (by contrast the Q/AF-L buttons are too recessed on the X-Pro2, but I much prefer the X-Pro2 button layout though), the X-Pro1 also really brings home just how much I do actually use the X-Pro2 joystick! There’s no denying just how much more ergonomically usable the second generation X-Pro camera is.

The menu now seems very basic, the EV dial is still never where you left it, the rear scroll wheel still rattles 🙂

But none of that matters – what I most wanted, was to go and shoot with it.

So here’s some shots, all taken recently and all with my latest (which ironically is the oldest serial numbered one I’ve had – but also the cheapest at least!) X-Pro1

The X-Pro1 always did have a way of making an image look, sort of bright and dark at the same time

Pixel peeping (which you can’t do here) does show up the acuity differences between the MK1 and MK3 X-Trans sensors. But there’s an awful lot more to life than pixel peeping and overall the images still have pop and charm, despite a 5 year old sensor!

This is a place I visit quite a lot, it’s kind of my DR and fine detail test shot. I have to say what the X-Pro1 loses on the outright test score (ie variable data) it regains in a highly subjective ‘pleasing to the eye’ score (attribute data)

As a documentary guy with an urban/street eye, I’ve always liked the X-Pro range out on the streets. The X-Pro1 works well out there, you just have to plan your shot slightly more ahead of time compared to the X-Pro2

One area where the X-Trans III sensor is miles ahead is shadow recovery. By today’s standards the 12-bit lossey RAFs of the X-Pro1 show both their age and the fact they’re not 100% ISO invariant sensor if you want to push hard in post.

Luckily some shots just work better with a lot of black in them really!

Not surprisingly… Nothing’s really changed and I’ve already written a lot about this camera.

I’ll be comparing the sensor output in future articles, trying to port over what I like from the X-Pro1 images into the X-Pro2 ones, and vice-versa.

The X-Pro2 remains a serious tool, but perhaps a little like catching up with an ex, with whom you split up amicably and finding that all the you things you liked about them are still intact – it’s very nice to have some quality time again with the X-Pro1

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