Thinking of buying X-E1 in Japan: need purchasing, handling advice!

[Vedfolnir]

Hello everyone, been aiming for this camera for quite a while and since the value of the yen vs SGD is dropping pretty nicely right now, I'm seriously considering getting it. I've never bought a camera outside of Singapore before though, so I'd like to ask a few questions and also try to solicit some advice from you guys. Also, since if I get the camera I'll be using it there and then without prior experience handling it (yeah it's a huge no-no, but what to do, great opportunity) any suggested settings, warning about performance will be very appreciated too.

Actual buying:

1. Where's the best places to buy cameras in Tokyo? This place called Map Camera seems to give pretty good discounts. With kit lens it's going for ￥115,200 there which coupled with the 5% tax return converted with today's rate, gives around SGD$1,450. I think here even if you want to buy second-hand you'd be lucky to get at this price.
2. Fuji cameras have international warranty right? So there's no issue if I have to (touch wood) send the camera for servicing back here?
3. Language should be changeable right? At least the international version seems to have quite a few languages.
4. Will the voltage difference between here and there be an issue i.e. charging back here will require me to get some kind of transformer, or will the adapter be able to do that by itself like some electrical appliances out there?

And for the handling aspect:

1. Heard that the ISO for X-E1 is actually a little generous i.e. an exposure that needs ISO 400 would actually need something higher for X-E1. Any real world consequence for this? On a related note, do you guys feel that the camera tends to over or under exposure?
2. Shooting modes: Velvia generally recommended only for specific situations since it's quite saturated, while Pro Neg Standard and Pro Neg Hi seem to be quite suited for "everyday" kind of shooting. Only plan to take the usual kind of tourist pictures of landscapes and buildings more than people though. Would love to hear your comments on this.
3. Still can't set minimum shutter right? I remember people complaining about how the camera goes to 1/focal length and you couldn't do anything about it even if you set the max iso much higher. So the solution is still to set to Shutter priority?
4. Autofocus speed can be further improved if we focus on a vertical element while holding the camera in landscape mode and horizontal element in portrait mode. True?
5. Some people also suggest just pressing the shutter down completely without going through the half-press focusing way. Does this work for you?
6. Battery life rated at 350 shots, although generally a fresh out of the box one will take a while to hit that rating. Have you guys found this to be accurate?
7. Heard that the rear dial has a knack for moving about easily so must be careful to check if the setting has been accidentally changed. True?

Seems like a pretty long list. Thanks in advance!

 

[5now5torm]

Hello everyone, been aiming for this camera for quite a while and since the value of the yen vs SGD is dropping pretty nicely right now, I'm seriously considering getting it. I've never bought a camera outside of Singapore before though, so I'd like to ask a few questions and also try to solicit some advice from you guys. Also, since if I get the camera I'll be using it there and then without prior experience handling it (yeah it's a huge no-no, but what to do, great opportunity) any suggested settings, warning about performance will be very appreciated too.

Actual buying:

1. Where's the best places to buy cameras in Tokyo? This place called Map Camera seems to give pretty good discounts. With kit lens it's going for ￥115,200 there which coupled with the 5% tax return converted with today's rate, gives around SGD$1,450. I think here even if you want to buy second-hand you'd be lucky to get at this price.
2. Fuji cameras have international warranty right? So there's no issue if I have to (touch wood) send the camera for servicing back here?
3. Language should be changeable right? At least the international version seems to have quite a few languages.
4. Will the voltage difference between here and there be an issue i.e. charging back here will require me to get some kind of transformer, or will the adapter be able to do that by itself like some electrical appliances out there?

And for the handling aspect:

1. Heard that the ISO for X-E1 is actually a little generous i.e. an exposure that needs ISO 400 would actually need something higher for X-E1. Any real world consequence for this? On a related note, do you guys feel that the camera tends to over or under exposure?
2. Shooting modes: Velvia generally recommended only for specific situations since it's quite saturated, while Pro Neg Standard and Pro Neg Hi seem to be quite suited for "everyday" kind of shooting. Only plan to take the usual kind of tourist pictures of landscapes and buildings more than people though. Would love to hear your comments on this.
3. Still can't set minimum shutter right? I remember people complaining about how the camera goes to 1/focal length and you couldn't do anything about it even if you set the max iso much higher. So the solution is still to set to Shutter priority?
4. Autofocus speed can be further improved if we focus on a vertical element while holding the camera in landscape mode and horizontal element in portrait mode. True?
5. Some people also suggest just pressing the shutter down completely without going through the half-press focusing way. Does this work for you?
6. Battery life rated at 350 shots, although generally a fresh out of the box one will take a while to hit that rating. Have you guys found this to be accurate?
7. Heard that the rear dial has a knack for moving about easily so must be careful to check if the setting has been accidentally changed. True?

Seems like a pretty long list. Thanks in advance!

Handling:
1. Metering is spot on.
2. Depends on the individual. There is no "right" setting. What works for me may not work for you.
3. Auto ISO chooses the lowest possible Shutter speed. Have not updated to the latest firmware, so I don't know if there is a fix.
4. Never tried.
5. Never works. If you do get an in focus shot, you are just lucky.
6. Battery life isnt fantastic. Brand new batteries need a certain no. of charge cycles before they hit their maximum shots/charge. True for most rechargeable batteries.
7.Exposure comp dial moves easily.

 

[praktisch]

2. DPReview has a review of the film simulation settings here. Fujifilm X-E1: Digital Photography Review You can see the difference between all of them. Velvia is contrasty and punchy. But it still works rather well for some scenes. You can see the picture sharing thread. I prefer Std for most shots actually. Pro Neg High has contrast but little saturation. Pro Neg Std is the plainest I guess. Good for editing if you only want to shoot jpeg.

3. I set my camera for auto ISO 6400. The camera generally doesn't go below 1/30 until it reaches the ISO 6400 limit.

4. That's what they claim for contrast detection AFs. I never really noticed whether your tip works but the camera definitely has problem focusing on single coloured low contrast surfaces like walls etc. which is consistent with CDAF.

7. My rear exposure dial is rather stiff and doesn't move easily. If you are using the zoom lens, the aperture ring does move rather easily.

 

[stuck]

Handling:

1. No real world consequence at all. The auto iso bumps up the iso in line with my previous experience with dSLRs
2. Personal preference
3. I believe this have not been fixed yet
4. No real world impact as well - just look for high contrast surfaces to focus on
5. They call this the "shutter mash" - tried with mixed results. Works far better with the 18-55 (faster AF motor) than the relatively slow 35mm prime. Also works better with the continuous focus mode - possibly because the camera is already closer to the "correct" focal plane (read up more on Fuji's unique implementation of CF to understand why)
6. I seriously don't understand the obsession with battery life. Yes the battery does not last as long as most dSLR batts, but I find the battery life perfectly acceptable - only having to change batts every few days. Possibly because I don't machine gun the camera - only take the shot that you want to keep, don't spray and pray!
7.I believe you are talking about the rear exposure compensation dial - this may be slightly true depending on how you treat the camera. I usually just throw it into whatever bag I'm carrying for the day. Sometimes the dial comes out of the bag slightly out of position, but it's no biggy - I've learnt to check before I shoot.

Hope this helps.

 

[ziggy]

Buying from Japan - if language can be set to English and international warranty, then it should be fine, Just remember that you need to pay for postage and GST.

 

[clubgrit]

That Japanese price is good, you can sell it 2nd hand if it doesn't suit you.

I guess the answers below should help you. Like any camera, it has its foibles, but once familiar and accepted, it is one of the finest cameras in terms of image quality, properly used. If you think its quirks will prevent you from being a more efficient photo taker and cannot work around it, then maybe wait for the XE1s, if there will be one. I for sure will get the next one if it fixes its EVF lag in dim light, my major issue since I shoot manual most of the time, and in dim light. If they don't fix it, and they include focus peaking, I'll still probably spring for it, its IQ (colors and resolution) is worth it.

Outstanding AWB, excellent EVF in good light, very good high ISO, good dynamic range (change NR to -2), beautiful jpegs (RAW for sharpest of course), superb native lenses ...

Battery life is good enough, 2 can last long even in a marathon session, and good 3rd party batteries are available, Fuji did not code their batteries. On my Sigma DPM, one battery is like 30 to 40 shots, a world record I think :bsmilie:, I have to carry 4 small batteries (each half the size of a Fuji battery).

Hello everyone, been aiming for this camera for quite a while and since the value of the yen vs SGD is dropping pretty nicely right now, I'm seriously considering getting it. I've never bought a camera outside of Singapore before though, so I'd like to ask a few questions and also try to solicit some advice from you guys. Also, since if I get the camera I'll be using it there and then without prior experience handling it (yeah it's a huge no-no, but what to do, great opportunity) any suggested settings, warning about performance will be very appreciated too.

Actual buying:

1. Where's the best places to buy cameras in Tokyo? This place called Map Camera seems to give pretty good discounts. With kit lens it's going for ￥115,200 there which coupled with the 5% tax return converted with today's rate, gives around SGD$1,450. I think here even if you want to buy second-hand you'd be lucky to get at this price.
2. Fuji cameras have international warranty right? So there's no issue if I have to (touch wood) send the camera for servicing back here?
3. Language should be changeable right? At least the international version seems to have quite a few languages.
4. Will the voltage difference between here and there be an issue i.e. charging back here will require me to get some kind of transformer, or will the adapter be able to do that by itself like some electrical appliances out there?

And for the handling aspect:

1. Heard that the ISO for X-E1 is actually a little generous i.e. an exposure that needs ISO 400 would actually need something higher for X-E1. Any real world consequence for this? On a related note, do you guys feel that the camera tends to over or under exposure?
2. Shooting modes: Velvia generally recommended only for specific situations since it's quite saturated, while Pro Neg Standard and Pro Neg Hi seem to be quite suited for "everyday" kind of shooting. Only plan to take the usual kind of tourist pictures of landscapes and buildings more than people though. Would love to hear your comments on this.
3. Still can't set minimum shutter right? I remember people complaining about how the camera goes to 1/focal length and you couldn't do anything about it even if you set the max iso much higher. So the solution is still to set to Shutter priority?
4. Autofocus speed can be further improved if we focus on a vertical element while holding the camera in landscape mode and horizontal element in portrait mode. True?
5. Some people also suggest just pressing the shutter down completely without going through the half-press focusing way. Does this work for you?
6. Battery life rated at 350 shots, although generally a fresh out of the box one will take a while to hit that rating. Have you guys found this to be accurate?
7. Heard that the rear dial has a knack for moving about easily so must be careful to check if the setting has been accidentally changed. True?

Seems like a pretty long list. Thanks in advance!

 

[Vedfolnir]

Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone! Something about dynamic range that clubgrit mentioned, so I should set the noise reduction lower and if I want even more dynamic range use the DR100/200 modes right?

 

[clubgrit]

Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone! Something about dynamic range that clubgrit mentioned, so I should set the noise reduction lower and if I want even more dynamic range use the DR100/200 modes right?

NR -2 is a tweak to help prevent blowing up highlights too early, and of course results also in a sharper image at the expense of some noise (which can be cleaned up later, if necessary).

For more info on dynamic range, check out the Xpert Corner for Fuji :

How to Expand Dynamic Range | Fuji Rumors

You can skip to the section for more info on the DR settings :

Let your camera do all the work for you


This one is helpful too, on ISO : - avoid ISO 100

How to Use Extended ISO | Fuji Rumors


.

 

[Vedfolnir]

Nice, thanks again!