Fuji X-T1 Review

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Fuji X-T1 Highlights:

• 16.3MP APS-C Sensor
• 0.5" 2,360k-Dot 0.77x OLED Viewfinder (EVF)
• 3.0" 1,040k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor
• 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
• Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity for remote shooting, image download and geotagging
• Weather-Resistant Body Construction
• Continuous Shooting up to 8 fps with AF and subject tracking
• Intelligent Hybrid AF and Focus Peaking
• Includes EF-X8 Shoe-Mount Flash Unit

Fuji X-T1 Pro:

• Manual controls- Smart and fully functional dials and the aperture ring on lenses makes the camera fun to use
• Image quality - Excellent image quality - see high ISO shots in gallery below
• Feels great in the hand, well built with a good amount of customizable options
• The EVF or Electronic viewfinder is huge, bright and snappy - I am not typically a fan of EVFs but this one I could be happy using.
• Some excellent lenses and enough of them- including some affordable 3rd party manual focus only lenses

Fuji X-T1 Cons:

• Battery life - 300-400 shots, double that if you buy the battery grip
• Controls - Yes a pro and a con-  they are lovely when you have time but I found them difficult if not impossible to use one handed
• No in body image stabilization (like the Olympus) Some lenses, including the excellent kit lens do offer IS
• The EVF is beautiful but the eye-cup could be better, Fuji is starting to sell a deeper one that blocks the light better
• Wifi is finicky to connect at times. I found the remote option to work well, image transfer to usually take two tries to connect and geotagging via phone was mostly a fail
• Video mode OK and continuous AF is not impressive in this camera - even with face tracking on.

Buy the Fuji X-T1 from  B&H or Rent from Borrowlenses.comBuy the X-T1 Battery Grip from B&H  

Hands-on with the Fuji X-T1:

When I first got my hands on the Fuji X-T1 I immediately loved the look and the feel. I did have some initial confusion about mode dials(there aren't any) when I was not shooting full manual. It retrospect it is quite simple - rotate the dial controlling ISO, shutterspeed or Aperture(on lens) to A and the camera will take care of that variable. If you want aperture priority, set ISO and shutter speed on A and rotate the aperture dial as needed.   I did spend most of the time with this camera in full manual mode and that is how it feels like it should be used, except when I wanted to use the camera one handed. I have gotten used to one handed operation with my DSLRs and the Sony a7 - the camera can be up to my eye and with a dial spin and/or button press I change what I need.  Shooting with the X-T1 was a more deliberate and often premeditated affair but at the same time I appreciate the top down view of all my settings at a glance.The actual performance of the camera was excellent. Focus in normal to good light levels was fast and accurate. (watch my Fuji X-T1 tips for additional focus related tips) I do wish there was a dedicated button for focus point selection but with the 7 or so buttons that you can customize it does just add one click before you use the directional pad to move the point.  On high speed continuous it is easy to fire off multiple frames with focus and subject tracking .  The EVF was big, bright and beautiful- When looking through the viewfinder I felt like I was standing in the doorway or a really nice home theater room, where one whole wall is a beautiful screen.  Up till now I haven't been a fan of EVFs and I still wouldn't say I am a fan but I would be quite happy to use the X-T1s EVF.   (why not a fan of EVFs? The lag and the blackout when taking pics both of which the X-T1 handles nicely- the refresh rate is fast and you can turn off image review).Image quality? Superb.  First let me say that both lenses I used Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and the 18-55 f/2.8-4 were a joy to use and are sharp lenses, even wide open.  Pixel peeping on the hundreds of images I shot and the camera/lens combos made excellent images.  There is some weirdness with Fuji's RAW files, if you want to work on them in Lightroom they drop any of the film simulation but both JPEGS and RAWs had great detail even at very high ISOs (see samples below)I had the opportunity to use the Fuji for a low light dance party. Light levels were really low with just flashing DJ lights and some light spilling in from outside. My 70D and 5D Mark III was still capable of focusing- The Fuji really struggled and the when it did get focus it was hard to tell from the noise in the EVF- this is certainly a downside but I need to stress that it was very dark in the room.  The actual images, when in focus, were better than the 70D and on par with 5D Mark III. Again the image quality out of this little camera was excellent.Overall The Fuji X-T1 is an excellent little camera that produces beautiful images. If you don't mind a slightly slower approach to shooting and some negatives when the light levels get very low. Take away my wedding work and I would love to have this as my daily camera. Additional info coming soon.  Video samples and images including comparison vs 70D.

Sony a7 Review

This is a Full frame mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses from Sony. The a7 produces 24MP images, the Sony a7r shoot 36MP and the Sony a7s shoots 12MP targeted at videographers with the 4K recording capabilities and amazing low light capabilities.Pros of the Sony a7

• Image Quality is on par with the 5D Mark III- Does well at the high ISOs and detail and colors are excellent.
• The price - this is a professional level camera with professional features for photographers and videographers starting under than $1700!
• Feature packed - from the professional features like AF microadjust to fun panorama mode, scenes, effects etc.
• The video features - a whole host of features supporting manual focus, peaking and magnification and mic jack and headphone jack.
• Feature packed on the inside and outside - 9 customizable dials so you can set this camera up the way you want and a completely customizable feature menu.
• Weather sealed- although I don’t see rubber gaskets everywhere Sony does claim some level of weather/dust sealing.
• A7 offers hybrid focus of contrast and phase - this helps it be a little snappier with the focusing, certainly not as fast a a true DSLR but not bad. With the phase turned off it does get slower and not something I would want to try to use to capture action.
• Connectivity - smart phone NFC communication and wireless make easy image transfer and control of this camera a breeze

Cons of the Sony a7

• Lens selection is lacking. Sony plans to release more lenses soon but currently there are just a few. You can use older NEX lenses (made for crop sensors) and lose some resolution or you can throw on an adapter.  I recommend the Metabones E to EF mount adapter and this works beautiful - full lens control, even IS works but focus becomes even more slow, so it really is only suitable for landscapes or use manual focus.
• With the slower focus and a frame rate that isn't pro level you won't be capturing sports or faster action with this camera.
• Battery life - This small camera use a smallish Sony battery and you really only get around 300 shots. Buy a spare and an external charger.
• Outside in bright sun the LCD can be a little difficult to view, use the viewfinder and battery life actually decreases faster, blackout time in the viewfinder is a little long too.
• Record button is awkwardly placed and if you have big hands the overall size/layout of the camera can feel cramped.

Reader/Viewer Questions about the Sony a7

Q: How does the video focus compare to the Canon 70D?A: Canon's Dual Pixel AF is faster and when you add in the touch screen on the 70D you have some amazing abilties with touch to focus and the camera responding so smoothly. The Sony a7 is smooth but not as fast and lacks a touchscreen. You also don't have completely silent lenses from Sony although they really are quiet, just not silent.A few ISO Samples

Buy the Sony a7 from B&H Photo

Canon SL1(100D) Review

My Final Review of the Canon SL1 (100D)

SL1 Compared to Canon T5i/T4i | First Thoughts and Feature Tour of the Canon SL1Canon SL1(100D) World's Smallest DSLR

Canon SL1 (100D) Pros

• Great image and video quality - same sensor as other recent Rebels.
• Performance is good, the camera is quick to start up, the touchscreen is excellent and general operation including focus are responsive.
• Focus tracking during video seems to be improved especially at the outer edges but the focus speed is still the same.
• Physical buttons are excellent and camera feels nice in hand despite it’s small size, generally nice ergonomics.
• External stereo mic port and non-proprietary flash hot shoe(allows for a range of mic and lighting accessories that you don’t have the option of using with many of the smaller 4/3 cameras.
• Additional scene modes including miniature movie mode

Canon SL1 (100D) Cons

• It isn't that small and as soon as you attach any lens other than the 40mm you have a pretty bulky system that really doesn't offer much difference in size or weight from the t4i/t5i crowd.
• No articulated screen
• No wireless flash control and slower burst/smaller buffer.
• Battery life is shorter than t4i/t5i - really only noticeable if you are doing lots of video.

My Thoughts on the Canon SL1 (100D):

I think this camera is right for people who have a collection of Canon lenses and are willing to sacrifice a little performance for minor weight savings,  I know those people are out there, I have heard from them.  I also think this is a powerful little video recording device- interviewers, using the 40mm, stick an external mic on the hot shoe or wire in a lav and you are going to get gorgeous HD video and low light capabilities that still can’t be matched by most of the mirror-less or micro 4/3 crowd.

But that target audience is pretty small and the rest of us looking for a small camera with better than P&S quality have a fair number of options including the excellent Olympus Pens, the Panasonic GF series and the Sony NEX all of which offer smaller packages, many packed full of fun features and small lens systems that keep the size of the entire package smaller and lighter.

Despite everything I wrote I like this camera and would consider owning it as I am one of those with a collection of EF lenses and at time would like to travel light. I also think it will sell fairly well with the Canon name attached.

Support this site- Buy the Canon SL1 from Amazon. Not in the US? use the links at the bottom of this post.

 Sample Canon SL1 Images

Nikon D5200 HDR Samples

Sample images using the built in HDR function on the Nikon D5200 - Options are HDR OFF, Auto HDR,  Extra High, High, Norm, and Low.  In my testing there was often very little difference between auto, normal and low.    Notice the serious Halos around your higher contrast areas when HDR was set to Extra High.  Compare the options and results to the HDR feature built into the Canon T4i and it is clear that Nikon offers some real potential here but it still is not going to beat bracketing three shots on your own and combining in Photomatix or Photoshop.HDR OFF - Mouse over for HDR Extra High[himage][/himage]HDR OFF - Mouse over for HDR Auto[himage][/himage]Viewing tip - Open up the photos and use the arrow keys to navigate through - once you have been through all of the photos once you can use the arrow keys to easily pop back and forth to compare the HDR on and off.