Oppss.. I did it again..

Ok so I've been bitten by the "Gear Acquisition Syndrome".. I got myself another camera (2nd hand, and shamefully on installment) which is the Fuji X100.

Yes, I know Fuji X100s came out a few months ago.. But with the high price tag (RM3,500) I just can't make that purchase.

As such, I settled with the predecessor, the Fuji X100.

I spent my Labor Day at a camera shop and playing with the X100 and X100s. While the X100s is a beauty with lovely improvements over the X100, I thought to myself, "can live with the X100 shortcomings". And thus, a local shop was selling the X100 with installment, and so I got myself one.

But wait.. There was a problem with it. That camera was plagued with the Sticky Aperture Syndrome (or SAB as the internet calls it) and wouldn't step down (i.e. go to smaller apertures) when it was required to. I was devastated. Sure the shop was willing to refund but I really like the camera and for the bargain price, I decided to send it over to my friends at Fuji.

I have made several friends in Fuji due to the problem my X10 was experiencing previously. They helped sort it out and I was sure they could've helped me on the X100. Sure enough, despite the warranty period being over, they would repair the camera for me. All I had to do was wait for a week.

I'm amazed at their effort to keep their customers. Fuji isn't one of the big giants in the photographic world, since they don't have a huge array of products on their shelves. However, I've always loved the feel of their cameras and the image quality it produces, and decided to become a loyal customer to them. This has proven to be fruitful as their customer support is bar none.

Anyways the camera is coming next week, so I can't wait to play with the "new" old toy.

Anyways just to show how good the image quality can get:-



a photo from an Olympus E-PM1 (belongs to office). F4 @ ISO 2500. See how grainy it is with all the noise..





a photo from the Fuji X100 at f4 @ ISO 2500, with full crop... Where's the *&^*#&%#*% noise??


Besides from sensor size playing a huge factor (m4/3 is 40% smaller than an APS-C sensor), the Fuji X100, like the X10, uses a different sensor than other sensors in the market. That means it interprets light different and handles noise differently. The image from the X100 is grainy, but noise is hardly present and the grain is like film grain.

That being said.. I know I did the right thing to let go of all my m4/3 lens and body to get a fixed focal camera. Will it be limiting? Yes, but only to a certain extent. It will ensure I approach photography in a different manner, like those during my days of film cameras.

Just waiting patiently for the camera to come back!