The Fuji X100s Testing Continues
- May 18th. 2013
- By Thomas Shue
The Fuji X100s Testing Continues
(Computer situation is not allowing me to upload images sorry see images here)
Hey there, thanks for taking time visit today. I have been testing the FujiFilm x100s for three days now and this camera is great but it has a few quirks. First off this thing eats batteries like no other. The good news is the batteries are cheap compared to a standard DSLR battery. I think the problem is the LCD and the EFV (electronic viewfinder) switch back and forth taking turns being on. There are several display modes that you can choose from, but one of the digital displays are always on, and this drains the battery. Also there is a standard and performance mode, in the performance mode this camera drinks power. Lastly the in camera metering system is constantly adjusting the aperture to read light (even in AV mode). The aperture movement in the x100s is known as aperture dancing, not only does it drain power, it can affect the time it takes to make a picture. Remember every camera has quirks and you have to learn to work around them.
Since the X100s was the only camera I brought with me on vacation. Also the fact I received it directly from FujiFilm the day before I left for vacation means I only have the single battery. I got about three hours of use before it was dead. I made 355 Raw+Jpeg images in high performance mode. The session started during our morning trip to the beach then on the San Diego Zoo before the batteries pooped out (about three hours). The batteries can be had from Fuji film for $59.00 or you can get aftermarket for $6-$10 bucks. These batteries do not have an information chip in them so they are way less than my Canon LP-E6′s. I think I am going to buy three extras so I am never run out of power again. I plan to keep one in the camera, two in my card wallet (they are tiny) and one on the charger (advice via David Hobby).
One last thing about the camera/battery issues. The fact that it drinks lots of power isn’t really a problem. What is a problem is when the low battery indicator shows up. You will be shooting and you’ll see a red low batt warning, it will have three bars on it, then all of a sudden the camera goes dead. I think this is something that Fuji should address via firmware.
I am very glad to own this camera. If you do your part, this camera will make some amazingly sharp images. Also the way it renders Depth of Field is wonderful. I find myself shooting manual focus which is amazing. There are manual three focus assist modes. I prefer the split prism, and sometimes the focus peaking. I do believe the focus peaking should not be a white overlay, it should be red. Another thing I love about this camera are the film modes. I have always loved Velvia film and this camera does a wonderful job when in the Velvia film mode.
So far it’s been a lot of fun working with this new tool. I am really loving the files it creates, they are basically noiseless images, and are super sharp. Below are just a few of the images I was able to make. Thanks for taking time to visit today. Sincerely, Thomas Shue







