Some street with the X-E1

Nothing much to this one other than a folly. The folly in question was thinking that a day on which it was merely sunny would be good for photography. As it happened the conditions were terrible, the wind was howling and the temperature near freezing. That’ll learn me.

Again I came across these locks, which apparently symbolise love, locked to the Millenium bridge. I couldn’t help but wonder if the people who attach these know that they are cut off with bolt cutters every two weeks or so…

I don’t know if it was because I was shaking or my subjects were moving so fast but I really struggled to get shots focused today.

I had to laugh when I saw this tour group, they looked like they were huddling for warmth!

The shot above is one I really liked – I didn’t feel like it was exploitative of the homeless chap begging on the bridge but more served to illustrate how the lunchtime joggers fly through the same space as those less fortunate as if the cares and travails of the world were something they could run from or past..

I wanted to give a few thoughts on the X-E1 now I’ve had it for a bit longer. It’s very much a similar camera image quality wise to the X-pro1 and the differences arid from the size and the use of an all electronic VF. The size is both a blessing and a curse. I’ll be honest, the X-Pro1 is big, as big as my M9 whereas the X-E1 has some of the size advantage enjoyed by users of M43s and NEX cameras. The X-E1 has the full manual controls which were so popular on both the X100 and the X-Pro1 (and loses the hated shutter speed dial lock button of the X-pro1). There is no doubt, in contrasty conditions like we had today, that the EVF on the X-E1 does struggle and the OVF of the X-Pro1 would have been superior. In addition, the EVF of the X-Pro1, which is less detailed but also less contrasty and dark than the X-E1 VF would have been better. The build quality of the X-E1 is also noticeably cheaper than the X-Pro1.

All of that aside, the X-E1 is a cracking camera for use on the fly. Smaller, lighter but still solid enough and with the same image quality, I think it shines with either the 18-55 or the 14 mounted. The 18-55 does make the X-E1 very large (a little like the NEX-7 with the Zeiss 24 mounted) but it offers such versatility and relatively high image quality it is difficult to bring yourself to take it off the camera. So all in all I’m happy with my second X body (particularly as a refurb that I got cheap). If Fujifilm were reading this I would ask whether it were possible to reduce the contrast of the EVF, which I think would help enormously, by way of a firmware update. I guess it seems unlikely but it would be nice.