Review of the Fuji x100s Shortcomings
x100s shortcoming: Of all the reviews that I consumed before purchasing the Fuji x100s, not one of them said a word about the insane drag time between shots when using the optical viewfinder in auto focus mode.
Why can’t someone just make a fucking camera that works right? It’s like EVERY camera has some fucked up bug. It must be intentional in order to keep people buying more shit… I’m gathering a pile of digital cameras that just don’t work smooth. At $500.00 to $1000.00 a pop, this isn’t a game that I’m wanting to play for very long.
I have image review off, and there is a lag, No excuse for a lag on a camera that is being billed as THE camera for street, journal, and doc photography.
The problem? One: Manufactures intentionally constructing products with major glitches so you have to buy more shit. Two: People who are NOT street, journal, or doc photographers making review videos.
[fvplayer src=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/gritstreet/videos/fuji.mp4″]
There is just no reason for this, the technology has been employed for some time now. I seriously think the manufactures do this so you have to buy more shit. I just wish people doing reviews would mention these things so I’m not surprised later, after I dumped a bunch of money. I could have ordered 100s of rolls of film for my Nikon F4.
I notice that a great deal of the “street photography” within the portfolios of the big names making review videos, primarily consist of shots of people walking past some sort of background. This is NOT serious street photography at all. If that’s the kind of photography one does, then this camera is perfect. If you do more serious work, don’t pawn your DSLR just yet.
UPDATE:
The fastest way to shoot with the Fuji x100s is by setting the focus to manual, while using the electronic rather then the optical viewfinder. While this is a huge power-drain on an already short lived battery life, the camera does seem to respond somewhat better in manual focus. However, the electronic viewfinder on the Fuji x100s isn’t nearly as realistic or as clean as a DSLR like the Sony a77.
Is the DSLR dead, Or is Zack Arias is full of shit? Fuji X100s vs 1971 Nikon F2
Is the DSLR dead? Zack Arias claims that the DSLR is dead. Keep in mind that Zack is a studio portrait photographer, NOT a street photographer, and he is CLUELESS when it comes to journalism and documentary photography. The Fuji x100s in NO WAY replaces a DSLR. The Fuji x100s is a toy compared to a DSLR. I’m regretting that I bought the x100s.
Designed for Consumerism: The Fuji X100s
Zack Arisis Camera Reviews- Fraud, Lack of Disclosure, and FTC Guidelines
I see people have been calling Zack Arias on his failure to disclose his relationship with Fuji. From what I see, I think he may actually be in violation of FTC law. Arias also has multiple videos where he explicitly states that he is NOT getting paid by Fuji.
[fvplayer src=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/gritstreet/videos/Fraud-disclosure-FTCandZackArisisCameraReviews.mp4″]
Also see – What the revised FTC guidelines mean to brands & bloggers
not sure if the issues go away: but at least some of the issues that the fuji-cameras have been fixed or at least improved with software updates, the x100s has been around for a while, so it may be worth a try… At least Fuji has been quite consistent with not abandoning older cameras.
Also not sure if things have improved with the x100t – people are only raving about the new EVF on this thing, which I personally still hate from trying it out and getting sea-sickness from the lag, I can’t see myself using something like this, I still prefer to see the world as it really is…
And you haven’t even gone into battery-life: Even those old, un-fancy DSLR’s can get you through a whole day of shooting when you leave the monitor off, those fancy new mirrorless often blow through a battery in half an hour: And here again, I don’t see myself switching the thing off and on all the time, this is just not practical… But I guess, actual being able to shoot with a camera doesn’t really sell it…
You are 100% correct. My old Sony a77 DSLR would go almost all day with one battery. I need five batteries for the x100s to make it through a day.
Hey Chuck, respect your opinion and passion. You made a good case for not owning the X100S, so…….are there any digital mirrorless camera’s under <$1,000 that you think are more suitable for street/docu photography? I have held back buying a new digital camera because, like you say, they all seem to be lacking in some key area, not one of them completely fits the bill.
Not that I know of. I’m really not willing to spend the cash just to test out the next camera. I’m just going back to shooting with a full-frame DSLR, and sticking with my film cameras. I’d say it will be several years before they make a small mirrorless camera that will work the way that i want it to work.
Try turning off “High Performance in the “Power Management” settings. No idea why it made such a difference but it did, for me. And the others I learned it from. There are a lot of people besides Zack Arias shooting a lot of high-speed street with the fujji’s
I think X100T and Xt1 ‘s auto focus is much better. X100s is really really slow. and for the new version of firmware upgrade xt1 may focus even better. although dslr ‘s focus is always better than mirrorless.
Interesting stuff.
Just sold my x100s and used the cash to buy a 35 1.4 for my D700.
I loved the Fuji to look at and hold…..taking pictures was a chore.
I’ve never found a camera that misses focus/hunts/backfocuses so much…..and as you say for quick,on the turn street work it was a total no no.
If the new one proves a lot better I will have to get one but for now my ton weight Nikon is firmly back on my shoulder.
On the subject of Fuji and street work check this fellow out.
Local to me and a great influence personally….he uses a Fuji x20 and loves it and he always gets the moment with it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/reversingmirror/sets/72157629427248427/