NOTE: Recently at Adobe MAX, all attendees (including me) were given a Fuji X T10 mirrorless camera with an 18-55mm lens. At retail this set up goes for about $1,100 when not on sale.
Right now I’m in the market for a new camera. I’m borrowing a Lumix GX7 from a friend and I’ve played with various Sony cameras. To finally have my own mirrorless to play with is pretty awesome. I’m carrying this camera with me everywhere.
The Key Specs:
Lets get the specs out of the way.
- Shoots 16.3 megapixels
- Uses SD cards
- Shoots both JPEG and RAW
- ISO: 6400 and extended ISO 12800, 25600 and 51200
- Exposure: TTL 256-zone metering, Multi / Spot / Average
- Shutter speed:
- (Electronic Shutter mode) 1sec. to 1/32000sec. *3
- (P mode) 4sec. to 1/4000sec.,
- (All other modes) 30sec. to 1/4000sec.,
- Time 30sec. to 1/4000sec.,
- Bulb (max.60min.),
- Synchronized shutter speed for flash : 1/180sec. or slower
- Continuous shooting: Approx. 8.0 fps (JPEG : max. approx. 8 frames)
- Video:
- Movie File Format: MOV
- Movie Video Compression: H.264
- Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p / 50p / 30p / 25p / 24p, Continuous recording : up to approx. 14 min.
- HD 1280 x 720 60p / 50p / 30p / 25p / 24p, Continuous recording : up to approx. 27 min.
- Weight: Approx. 381g / 13.4 oz. (including battery and memory card)
- Battery life for still images Approx. 350 frames
The Bad
Right off the bat I had a frustrating time figuring out the camera app for my iPhone. I’ve figured out the process for the Sony and Lumix so I figured the Fuji would be the same. I went to the App store and downloaded what was said to be the Fuji camera app. However, nothing I would do allowed the camera and app to talk to each other. It was beyond frustrating.
I started searching forums and for two days just stumped. I then came across a post saying to make sure you have downloaded the Fuji remote app and not the Fuji camera app. Seriously Fuji?!? Once I downloaded the correct remote app, the wireless function worked as expected. Keep in mind that in order to send images to your phone via the app, they must be JPEG. This means I will shoot in both RAW and JPEG.
The Shooting Experience
Now for Shooting. Keep in mind like most of you, my owners manual is still sealed. I’m figuring this out by playing. Getting used to setting Shutter Speed on top of the camera was a breeze. I’m still working on figuring out how to change the ISO settings faster and the f/stop is easily changed using the wheels.
I do enjoy being able to set the aperture on the lens. There’s something organic about doing that. I LOVE that option.
Here’s a few pictures using just the kit lens:
Settings: ISO 160, f/2.8, SS 1/125 18mm
Settings: ISO 160, f/2.8, SS 1/60 18mm
Now I have to say because this camera is so light, I’ve been carrying it everywhere I go. I went out to dinner with friends and was going to leave the camera in the car but decided to carry it instead. I’m glad I did because having this camera so light means I’m always looking for an angle. I’m always looking for a fun cool picture. THIS is making photography fun again on a personal level. This is allowing me to continuously develop a stronger eye. This is helping me grow faster as a photographer. That night having this camera with me and by chance deciding to go see a local band, I got excited to see what I could get from crappy bar lighting.
In the following images, I used the in camera monochrome settings. Keep in mind, I’m also still just on the 18-55mm kit lens.
- ISO was between 3400-4000
- Shutter Speed was between 60-150
- Aperture was between 2.8-4
I was thrilled how crisp and clean these images came out to be. I even recorded some video. I played around with the in camera Film Simulation settings. There are several to choose from depending on the environment you are shooting in. The in camera calibrations of these settings are solid good. I encourage you to play around with them. If you are shooting RAW, you will get the RAW version in color when you load them into your computer. Since I planned to send these to my phone, the JPEG version monochrome was used. It won’t let you send RAW files to your phone.
Next thing I did was use the built in wifi and send these images to my phone. I did a quick mobile edit using Adobe Photoshop Express. Before the band was even done with their set, I had a couple images waiting for them on their phone.
My Conclusion
As I was sitting at the table in the bar, I saw a photographer walk in with a camera backpack and carrying a 70-200mm lens. I looked down at this small retro looking film camera and smiled. I realized, I’m 100% sold on shooting mirrorless.
If you have advice, tips and comments regarding your mirrorless, I’ve love to hear it.
(all the above images were edited using PS express on my iPhone)
Follow Pamela on IG & Twitter @pamelaannberry and view her other articles here: http://photofocus.com/author/pamelaannberry/
This Post Sponsored by:
Perfectly Clear for Photoshop or Lightroom is all about saving you time so you can focus on doing what you love best. Get a free trial of the award winning plug-in here.
Polarr photo editor made for everyone – yes everyone deserves high quality photo editing tools, regardless of the type of camera you use and level of skills, regardless the platform, no matter the place. Polarr makes it easy to edit photos any place online or offline. Get it free at https://www.polarr.co/
The HDR Learning Center. Check out new ways to use High Dynamic Range photography to make compelling images. Free tutorials and posts to get results. Produced in partnership with HDRsoft
Arizona Highways Photo Workshops. For more than 30 years, Arizona Highway Photo Workshops has been committed to helping photographers find inspiring destinations, quality education and spectacular images. Get more information (and enter our contest) at http://www.ahpw.org/FindIt/
Platypod Pro™– the world’s most compact camera support. Use it with your ballhead in place of a tripod. Click here for more info — http://bit.ly/platypodpro
Creative Cloud Photography plan. Take your best shot and make it even better with the Creative Cloud Photography plan. Get all the essential tools, including Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Photoshop, to craft incredible images every day, everywhere — whether you’re a beginner or a pro. It’s all your photography. All in one place.
lynda.com Learn photography anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace—from bite-sized tutorials to comprehensive courses. Try lynda.com free for 10 days by visiting lynda.com/Photofocus
Filed under: Adobe, Gear, Opinion, Photography, Reviews, Software Tagged: digital photography, fuji, Mirrorless, mobile, Pamela Ann Berry, Pamela Berry, photography, Photoshop, PS Express, review 
