[rawr]

a zombie troll bait thread.

Pls explain.
People are not allowed to have opinions about the X-E1?
Or is it just because the OP seems to have vanished?

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

Or is it just because the OP seems to have vanished?

That was the "troll bait". The "zombie" is for resurrecting this thread one month later.

[michaelnorth]

I own both the K-5 iis and the X-E1

After several tests, I am deciding to keep the K-5 iis for these reasons:
-OVF
-Cleaner and easier to work with RAW files
-Faster and more reliable AF
-Battery life
-Deeper RAW buffer
-Faster continuous shooting,
-Extremely quiet shutter sound
-Weather sealing

RAW files: I know that Adobe has yet to perfect their compatibility with the X-Trans sensor pattern, but even with Silkypix, I wasn't able to get the same noise-free and still sharp images I was able to get with the K-5 iis in Lightroom. Both cameras seem to have the same amount of dynamic range, but when you try to bring back those shadows, the K-5 iis has a finer and less destructive noise pattern.

OVF vs EVF:
For some reason the EVF on the X-E1 is laggy and has a very low refresh rate until you focus. My Sony a77 never had this problem, so there is still hope for that.... maybe. Other than that, the main thing I don't like about EVF's is that they're not bright enough. No matter if they're LCD or OLED, if you go take pictures outside on a bright day, the EVF will look dark no matter how high you turn up the brightness. Once your eyes adjust to how bright it is outside, the EVF is not so great. On the other hand, EVF's are great for indoor photos because it makes things seem brighter than they are which makes manual focusing easier. But manual focusing indoors is no longer necessary with the K-5 iis's new AF system. Just make sure you set the AF fine adjustment if you need to correct front or back focusing. (I had to set it to -2 for my Sigma 17-50mm lens)

Autofocus:
The K-5iis is faster to focus, whereas the X-E1 has both slower focus and has trouble focusing in low contrast scenarios. (to the point where you have to try several times to focus on anything)

The Fuji X-E1 is a lightweight and visually attractive camera, and Fuji has optically amazing lenses. But they need to fix the EVF lag (and brightness IMO), AF accuracy/speed, RAW support/Sensor design, and battery life for them to charge this much money when there are so many better options for the same price or less.

That's my sense of my X-Pro1 exactly. Even with the latest 2.x firmware, the autofocus and lag issues are very frustrating. Yes, the image quality is great IF you can get the shot. But the fact is, you will miss the shot in many cases. Hate to admit that I made a bad call buying the Fuji, but it's not yet ready for prime time. I'm now seriously thinking of unloading my X-Pro1 and picking up the K-5 IIs.

[michaelnorth]

A simple test for the XE1. Set the camera to, say, f2.8, have someone walk toward you, pick up the camera and take a shot without hesitation. Is the person in focus? I still can't do that with my XP1 with current lenses and v2.0 firmware. Good for the street?

No way, I own the X-Pro1 -- it's too slow for this application.

[michaelnorth]

For street work i think the X-E1 is going to be hard to beat. The new firmware for the X-Pro 1 and the X-E1 has gotten really good reviews for AF and write speeds, but it has no been out long enough to know if the users agree. It appears that the new AF is as fast as the NEX-7, but not as fast as the OM-D.

You need to demo the X-series before committing. I have the X-Pro1 with the latest firmware and the AF is average at best, along with write speed. Not the camera for any type of action shooting.

[Winder]

Which AF camera did Henri Cartier-Bresson use? How fast was the AF?

[westmill]

I have the X E1 with the new 18-55 zoom which has the new linear motor. It is fairly fast and very quite. I will point out that the EX1 does not have CF as we know it. When in CF mode it does just that, constantly ! however.... when you take first presure, the focus locks ! I find it fast enough that you can genrally press the button all the way in and it will lock focus and take the shot of some one walking towards you. I tried it with success today when I tried it at a wedding. I took a few fast grab shots including a few with the bride and groom walking towards me. 100% success rate ! I have not tried this method with anything faster than a relatively slow walk though. Its no sports camera thats for sure but if used correctly it is very capable indeed.

[Medium FormatPro]

About the recent Fiji series…

Sad to see the idea of a very sound camera system that was not thought through completely. It makes the K-01 look like a fast focusing camera, and evenalmost all medium format cameras focus faster. Add to that, an extremely poor variety of lens'

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

Sad to see the idea of a very sound camera system that was not thought through completely.

Well, it's not completed yet either, so let's wait for the thought to be finished.

It makes the K-01 look like a fast focusing camera, and evenalmost all medium format cameras focus faster.

I'd be surprised if that is true after the last firmware update, if it ever was even before. Both AF and MF are reported to be significantly improved now.

Add to that, an extremely poor variety of lens'

Poor? It already has lenses that a system thought out over half a century (hint: Pentax K mount) cannot match today. For a system so young, its lens roadmap is one of the most ambitious and interesting. Sony and Samsung need to sit down and take some notes on what needs to be part of a high end lens lineup.

[deejjjaaaa]

Sony and Samsung need to sit down and take some notes on what needs to be part of a high end lens lineup.

Fuji, Sony, Samsung need to sit down and take some notes from m43... that's it.