A Rainy Paris Walk
Paris in the rain is one of my favorite versions of Paris. While it can be challenging to walk all day trying to keep both myself and my gear dry, it often rewards the effort with unexpected moments.
The morning started with a gorgeous sunrise that lasted all of about five minutes before the sky quickly turned gray, shifted briefly to snow, and then settled into a steady rain for the rest of the day. After breakfast at my favorite local coffee joint in the 8th arrondissement, I jumped on Line 1 and hopped off at Palais Royal to start my walk.
I shot the day with my Sony RX10iv, which is not weather sealed, so the conditions definitely kept me on my toes. Despite its small sensor and the fact that it cannot quite match my Fuji gear, I still love how capable and versatile it is, especially when I want to stay light and keep moving.
After six miles in the cold and wet, and somehow not killing my camera, I was eventually satisfied with the day’s frames. I headed to one of my favorite Parisian pubs to warm up and reward myself with a tasty local pint.
I never tire of exploring this city. It just keeps giving. Some days you just have to suck it up and enjoy the rain.
Frames.
Frames. Every time I head out for a photo walkabout, I’m hopeful to catch one or two frames that really stand apart. Sometimes it’s the light, sometimes it’s the bustle of the city, and sometimes, like here, it all kinda comes together.
The lines of the building, the lone figure with an umbrella cutting across the scene all just worked. I’d just left my favorite too-hip-for-me Parisian coffee shop and was amped up on espresso after a nice post work nap. So I thankfully had the energy to stand in the rain and wait for the moment to develop.
Sometimes all it takes is one frame to remember why you keep walking.
Sony RX10iv
La Défense
I’ve been visiting Paris now for over 20 years and somehow haven’t made it west of the Seine River to explore the La Défense area. Well, the other day I finally decided to break that streak.
La Défense is a bit out of character with the rest of what folks view as typical Paris, a much more modern setting with skyscrapers, mall and corporate offices. But the really fun thing is the architecture of not only the Grand Arch itself but the somewhat brutalist architecture that sits just off the banks of the river. As you walk west, toward the Grand Arch the architecture changes from basically an homage to Blade Runner to proper 21st century buildings.
As usual, I had my trusty Sony RX10iv along for the job. It’s sort of the anti-camera for me with its all in one zoom lens, large body and jack of all trades features. But you know what? It gets the job done and allows some great flexibility in focal length. So alas, here’s a few favorites from the other day.
Eiffel
It’s been photographed more times that one could possibly count and many times by myself. Still, the Eiffel Tower always impresses during a stroll around Paris. This particular sunny day the clouds & sky made for a dramatic setting that caught my eye. As usual, my walk-around camera of choice was the Fuji X100T, always a solid go-to camera.
Paris, two primes and the Fuji X-T1
Imagine walking the streets of Paris, or any other city for that matter, with a light weight & compact camera system that is both subtle in looks and impressive in performance. Imagine being able to smartly & quickly change settings, blend in to the crowd and get the results you want. What does this camera look like? I'll cut right to the chase and state it's the Fuji X-T1.
Having recently switched from shooting Nikon DSLRs to Fuji mirrorless I was admittedly somewhat apprehensive taking a photo intensive trip without my trusty DSLR. I'd grown quite accustomed to shooting Nikon for nearly 10 years and wasn't quite comfortable yet with the X-T1 before hopping on our flight to Paris. This trip would be an excellent opportunity to both further my familiarity with the X-T1 and determine if it really is a replacement of the tried & true DSLR. I brought along two prime lenses, the Fuji XF 23mm f/1.4 and the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 for going wide. The simplicity and sharpness of shooting with only prime lenses would prove to be a great test of the camera's abilities.
There are several good reviews out there for the Fuji X-T1 so I won't spend time rehashing what you may have read already, listing boring specs or worry about pixel peeping. Instead I'll focus on what my main concerns are for real life shooting, favorite features and whether or not the X-T1 qualifies as 'professional' in my book. And perhaps more importantly, is it really the DSLR killer?
Handling & Aesthetics
Much of the hoopla and draw to the X-T1 has been its retro styling and more importantly its light weight, small size, and ease of use (actual dials on the outside!). The more rational side of a photographer of course should fancy the latter bit of qualities but I'm a sucker for good aesthetics and design. I must admit when I first got my hands on the X-T1 it was love at first sight. The mixture of superb design, metal body, and thoughtful use of the various metal dials felt like pure picture making magic in my hands.
It really is a beauty - iPhone 5S
From the ISO dial to the comfy grip to the programmable function buttons this camera invites the user to be confident and just take good photos. All this without the need to dig into complex menus for various settings which you hardly ever use.
Flippy Screen
Granted the 'flippy screen' has a technical name of 'tilting LCD', but I still like referring to it as the former. I was admittedly apprehensive and thought the flippy screen was a bit of a gimmick that was more deserving of a cheaper camera not of a pro-caliber camera. Well, I was wrong. The ability to rotate the LCD screen and use live view whether you are lifting the camera up high or down low to compose a shot is actually quite handy. Beyond handy actually, I'll call it superbly useful. Gone are the days of having to lie in a mud puddle to get that fresh perspective or grasping to a fence to get a better view and hoping you get the shot. Simply rotate the LCD screen the desired direction, frame your shot and take the picture. While not earth shattering or always useful I have really enjoyed using this feature.
The usefulness of the 'flippy screen' shined for this composition as I had to reach above a fence to make this shot. Fuji X-T1, XF 23mm
Image Quality & Performance
The ability (or lack thereof) of the Fuji X-T1 to keep up with traditional DSLRs was one of my biggest questions going into this transition. Could it replace a Nikon or Canon DSLR (full frame or APS-C) for my style of shooting? Like many before me, my journey of learning who I am as a photographer has spanned many genres of making photos. I've shot cycling races, various action sports, weddings, portraits, landscapes, travel etc. Nowadays I fancy myself a pretty decent landscape & travel photographer that is focused and ready to make good on my past experience. So does the X-T1 meet the criteria I need?
Music in the Metro | Fuji X-T1, XF 23mm
In short, yes. The ISO performance is nothing short of amazing up to 6400 (who really needs more?). The RAW files have the detail and depth I need to push & pull shadows/highlights or print big. The in camera JPEGs (when exposed properly) are simply amazing straight out of the camera. I no longer have any reservations and image quality and overall performance for my needs. Professional level indeed.
Weather Sealing
I'll keep this section short, but the fact this this camera is so very well sealed is a nod to Fuji's engineers & attention to detail. Combine this with one of the Fuji weather sealed lenses and you can operate in some gnarly conditions without worrying too much about ruining your gear. This camera is apparently so well sealed that projects such as shooting in the Oneonta Gorge in Oregon could be done quite comfortably. I wouldn't dunk it or shoot in a heavy rain storm but it should hold up well in most situations.
WIFI Connectivity
Along with the the aforementioned 'flippy screen' I wondered why or when I might utilize such a feature before trying it out. Turns out, it is darn handy. Fuji's iOS app is well thought out with the ability to remotely capture pictures and change multiple settings with ease. I do wish that it could function in bulb mode, though that should be a fairly easy software/firmware update down the road. Otherwise I can imagine myself working on a new set of street candids while operating the shutter from my phone vs. being behind the camera itself. Not to mention you can wirelessly transfer images from the camera to your mobile device to quickly share on whatever social media platform you choose.
A pleasant picture of a Mini taken with my 'mini' X-T1, assisted by using the in-camera level grid - XF 23mm
Nitpicks/Wishlist
As you can likely surmise to this point, I'm a fan of this camera. Yet I do need to point out a few flaws that should be addressed in the next flagship iteration:
- The D-pad on the back of the camera honestly sucks. Others have pointed this out and I agree. The buttons are too small and not easy to utilize. Especially with gloves on. I haven't used the X-100T but from what I hear Fuji should have stuck with that setup. Why they changed it I have no idea.
- The sensor. To this point I'm impressed and ecstatic on the performance Fuji has squeezed out of a 16MP crop sensor. Though I wouldn't complain about more performance to be honest. Fuji is rumored to be working on pushing the X-Trans sensor to higher performance while not necessarily going full frame. I'm ok with this, in fact excited that Fuji isn't resting on their laurels and not caught up in full frame mania.
- Autofocus is actually very good, though it remains a bit below top end DSLR performance. If you are shooting sports or weddings you might still want a DSLR setup though several working pros are having great success with the X-T1 in these areas. All of my sports shooting now is geared more toward environmental type shots where the athlete is a part of the scene and not dominant in the frame therefore I don't need hyper-speed focusing. Simply using pre-focus is always an option with X-T1 if you are having trouble shooting fast moving subjects.
- Battery life is fairly short, but simply carry an extra battery or two and you should be set for most daily shoots. I do hope Fuji refines the battery meter at some point as once it starts to go downhill you get little warning.
View from the Sacré-Cœur of the Eiffel Tower | Fuji X-T1, 12mm Rokinon
The small stature of the X-T1 helped me look like a hapless tourist more so than a 'photographer' to capture this candid shot. Fuji X-T1, XF 23mm
Charlie Hebdo | Fuji XT-1, Rokinon 12mm
On the Metro | Fuji XT-1, XF 23mm
Final Thoughts
So it the DSLR killer as I'd hoped? Mostly yes and just a wee bit of no.
Yes, to the point that for my needs & desires it fits the bill and then some. For landscape, street and travel photography I have yet to feel I need 'more' camera. Sure, higher megapixels on a full frame could help in printing huge images but few working photographers actually need such a thing. My own work consists of images for magazines, printed fine art and digital media. You can easily push a Fuji RAW file to over 50MB for some impressive viewing results & sharpness if needed. There are many other goodies that I didn't cover such as the Q menu, film simulation modes, countdown timer for long exposures, amazing EVF, phenomenal auto white balance, the list goes on.
No, to the point that it wouldn't quite be my go to camera for shooting sports on the sidelines or working a big bike race. Also Fuji's lens lineup isn't quite 'mature' yet though it's getting very close. Once the XF100-400mm and XF120mm Macro come out later this year the lineup will nearly be complete for most professional and amateur photographers alike.
If you've been hesitating to make the switch to the X-T1 or purchase one to supplement your DSLR setup, hesitate no longer. You might even find your DSLR spends more time on the shelf than you ever thought possible. Professional level indeed.