Loving The X-Pro Range: Eighty Five Thousand and Some of my Favs!

Some where in this week’s article the word count for the whole shebang will go over 85,000.

That’s a lot folks…. I mean like a PHD Thesis lot (according to google anyway)

I suspect this makes my missive the longest camera review/opinion piece on the internet, just a hunch of course, I can’t verify that… but either way – it’s a lot of writing.

So I think for this week, I’ll take stock and recap, and maybe even add a little introspection.

So on that note – let me rather bizarrely ask myself some questions and give some answers!

Q: 85K? Do you not have a wife/kid/life?

A: A girlfriend, one child and yes thanks!

Q: So where do you find the time?

A: Late nights/early mornings, lunch times.

Q: Any tips on writing?

A: Sure, when you have an idea for something to write, act immediately, it just flows when it’s fresh, it hurts when it’s not!

Q: But what if you’re busy and have an idea?

A: Make a note that captures the idea, I use One Note (since Evernote stopped supporting multiple devices for free), that way it syncs between all my devices

Q: What’s been the highlight of all this hard work?

A: You lot. For sure I’d write this anyway, but the positive response has been humbling

Q: OK Adam, I think that’s all the questions, thanks for your time.

A: Dude, this is getting weird now, get on with the article.

Seriously though… I do find myself asking why and what? Just why and what is it about the X-Pro range that I’m so enamoured with?

Well I think it’s a truly unique product (X100 range excepted)

I think it’s a special product, capable of turning its hand to an awful lot, without really letting itself down in any area.

Of course some of the other Fuji cameras are better spec’d, but also they’re a lot closer to standardised industry prosumer products. What’s considered to be the best spec’d EVF only, mirrorless camera changes every few months or so, swaps back and forth in fact between the big players.

But the X-Pro range continues to offer it’s unique hybrid viewfinder and gets on with its job of offering a user experience that no one else can quite match!

Regrets or disappointments?

The X-Pro2 eyecup will be a subject of a future post for sure…. There’s a few things I’d personally like to see addressed in future FW releases… But we all have those.

I’ve noticed that my posts about pictures are less popular than the pure camera ones… But I think that’s normal enough.

But equally I own my Fuji to shoot with it, so you’ll just have to sit tight on the photo weeks!

I’ve few more lens based articles in the pipeline….

I’d like to TRY and write something about the two XF35s, but I know that can be contentious… not that that’ll stop me 🙂

I think from all the current glass that Fuji has… That I’ve settled on my own personal trinity.

But another time.

So I think, if you’ll forgive the indulgence…. I’ll wrap up the 85,000 with some of my personally ‘meaningful’ X-Pro1/2 shots, and why I like them and what I felt the X-Pro range did to help make them.

One of my early shots from the first X-Pro1 I owned. Nothing special per se, but I really fell for the tones and colours of the Fuji. I hated the AF though! I flipped it pretty quick for a X-T1

I “re-kindled” my love of street/reportage/documentary photography when I got the X-Pro1 the second time around, and it’s a love that continues to grow

Of course you can engage in a documentary style of photography at home, this SOOC X-Pro1 Jpeg is a little moment of our home life! It also scored a runner up spot in a competition and will be featured in an upcoming book about photography with Fujifilm X series cameras. All quite pleasing for a shot I snapped as my morning coffee cooled! I find this with the X-Pro cameras, I tend to have them close to hand.

I had the idea for this shot way before I took it (like weeks) I kept waiting for it and looking for it… then it came along. The X-Pro range changed how I approached photography. The X-Pro1 made me think more because it’s slow and I only used it in manual focus mode. The X-Pro2 is fast, yet I still tend to use it only in manual focus mode.

I took that X-Pro1 to some dark places, places people said I should be careful of. I’m so glad I did… I probably wouldn’t have with a DSLR

Eventually I was able to justify the purchase of the X-Pro2, and that was a good thing to do. I kept my personal X-Pro1 Modus Operandi but it had the power in it to do so much more when I needed it too.

I became a lot more comfortable and bolder using the X-Pro2 to shoot street, the extra speed gave a new life to my older XF lenses (not as bold as this guy though!)

SOOC Acros was a revelation… I’m not much of a mono guy (no offence intended if you are) but Acros SOOC was a whole new way for me

People use words to describe images like “micro-contrast” and “3D Pop” then other people come along and claim those terms are all bunkum. So I won’t use them. I’ll say this though – the 3rd generation of the X-Trans sensor has a colour depth and acuity that simply was not there in APSC cameras a few years ago.

The sealing on the X-Pro2 gives me a little more piece of mind to get to scenes and relax about possible contaminates, I mean I’m still REALLY careful, but a sealed camera is good. (Yes I know that the XF35F1.4 I used for this isn’t sealed, but it’s also not going to cost me over a thousand sheets to replace it, if I eff it up, so I’m more ok with the risk on that)

The X-Pro2 helps me with street portraits… Something I’d fancied doing, but had always been afraid to ask… These lads saw my camera and ASKED to be shot. This opened a new avenue for me and other people that I’ve asked to shoot have ended up asking about the camera. The X-Pro range is a little unusual to ‘Joe Public’ and that can be a great ice breaker!

I suspect that’s your pictorial patience limit!!

But hopefully I’ve been able to impart just what I like about the little Fuji X-Pro range, both today and across the whole 85,000 words (and counting)

Same time same place next week?

Cheers

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The X-Pro Series Content: Referenced and All In One Place

The X-Pro Series Content: A Contents Page with Page Numbers and a Brief Description