Before the switch to digital photography my 'analogue' years were spent using a Pentax ME Super which was a camera I loved and still do.
The change to digital was due more to the requirements of clients than a desire of my own as it meant that images could be supplied much more rapidly and the development and scanning costs (which the client took care of) could be avoided.
My first digital camera (a Canon 20D) did take a bit of getting used to, along with mastering the RAW file, but now many years and camera bodies later (I'm currently using a 5D MKII and a 7D) I find myself perfectly happy with digital.
I enjoy the control I have over the development of my images and without the old fear that my slides will come back from the repro house scratched or with a nice greasy fingerprint on them.
There was just one thing, every now and then when I took that faithful Pentax out of it's resting place I realised how much I missed how it felt in my hands, the size and weight of the camera, the turn of the aperture ring, the satisfying clunk of the shutter.
Perhaps, I thought, one day a digital camera would come along that would give me all the current benefits of digital that I'd come to know whilst being housed within a body that harked back to the 35mm SLR's of yesteryear? Well the people at Fuji had been thinking along the same lines and decided to bring out a camera that tried to deliver exactly that: the X100.
After reading various pre release reviews I was convinced enough and put in an order for one and for the record this is the only piece of camera equipment I have ever purchased without ever seeing in the flesh.
First off, yes, it is almost identical in size and weight to the average 35mm SLR and the design of the body is reassuringly familiar. The lens is the equivalent of a fixed 35mm lens with a maximum aperture of f2 which gives a nice short focal length.
As you can see from the image below it's design has a lot in common with the old ME Super:
Below are some of the initial images I shot with it, all images are straight JPEG conversions from RAW files with no post production or sharpening.
The lens gives great images with lots of contrast and the camera is a joy to shoot with, the viewfinder offers the choice of an electrical or optical viewfinder, the former showing you exactly what will be recorded to the sensor and the latter showing you the view through the rangefinder style window. There is a slight delay to the shutter and focusing at close distances can be a little hit and miss, I discovered that the way round this is to switch the camera into manual focusing and use the focus lock button to accurately focus on the subject. This is quite a big flaw in my opinion but hopefully it will be fixed in future firmware releases
The image quality is standout and I have never seen such clean RAW files at such high speeds, the image above was shot at 4000 ISO and the amount of noise in the image is minimal, really impressive from a camera without a full frame sensor.
The camera also boasts a 'sweep' panoramic mode that while taking a bit of getting used to can give really interesting results opening up a realm of shooting possibilities
My thoughts on the camera are that while it does have its faults, these are hugely outweighed by its significant benefits which include outstanding image quality in a camera which is a joy to hold.
I don't see that it will ever replace a Canon full frame body and 'L' series lenses but I'd definitely recommend it as a great addition to any documentary photographers kit, plus now that the list price has dropped after its initial launch it should make it all the more tempting.
More in depth reviews of the camera which I have found useful can be seen via the following links here, here and here
