Fujifilm Week Day Four - The Model T

Well, you have to forgive me some whimsy - I have finally reached one of the core cameras of the Fujifilm line and I am going to make the most of it.

Actually, I have been making the most of it for some time - I own the first model of the X -100 series  cameras and have had several years to get used to it and make it do as I wanted. Since that first design there have been two later models released, and I am going compare the new one - the X-100T -  to the X-100.

If it is just a matter of hefting them, I doubt I could tell them apart. There is a little different knurling on the focus ring and speed knob, and they've shuffled the buttons about, but the operation and feel is identical.

You'll note that I have tricked out my X-100 with a cradle grip to match it to a tripod and a flash holder and have opted for a comfortable cloth neck strap, but that's just for my own convenience - the same could be transferred to the new X-100T easily. The Fujifilm LH-100 lens hood is a good idea and I would recommend that everyone buy one for the 100 series. That cradle grip is good protection but heavy - when I travel with the camera I sometimes leave it at home.

Okay - Fujifilm kept the same lens  - 23mm f:2  - on both cameras and sealed the thing tight so that you don't interchange lenses. The X-100 uses a 12 megapixel sensor - the X-100T has 16 megapixels to play with. The new one peaks up higher in ISO settings. It includes a new JPEG film simulation mode - " Classic Chrome". And it has a little secondary screen inside the viewfinder that lets you see what you have in focus if you are doing it manually. That's a bigger and more detailed LCD screen back there.

All good things. I cannot say how helpful other new items inside there are; the intervalometer, the WiFi, and the optional electronic shutter that goes up to 1/32000 sec. I shoot at about 5 minute intervals, I rarely Fi a Wi anywhere in the house, and anything faster than 1/125 of a second makes my hat blow off...but there are those who will find these new capabilities invaluable.

What I can comment on is the sterling performance of that lens on that sensor. I always knew it was detailed and sharp out to the edges because I could see it on the files, but an experiment proved how closely Fujifilm have matched the thing.

My recent computer failure, replacement, and selection of new programs finally brought me to Lightroom 6. While I am still learning, I was guided by a client of the store in how to apply distortion correction to images based upon their pre-recorded profiles. The Adobe people have obviously measured the X-100 and the Fujinon lens and included the data in there program. Well, I opened raw files from a weekend shoot ( Hot Rods, yeah...) and passed them through the correction funnel. While the program did make sure there was no light fall off at the edges, it had very, very little to do with the centre of the images. This same experiment applied to other images taken with other cameras and other lenses showed some massive pixel-shifting needed.

So, with the X-100T, what you see is what you get. It does have the convenient little Q menu at the back so you can specify 16 different criteria that are important to you. You can shift the function of the buttons to your pleasure, rather than learning new ergonomic patterns. You can make videos. The battery life vs shots taken has been increased, while using the same NP-95 battery as the two previous models. You can still clap the same wide-angle or tele supplementary lenses on the front.

And you can still take it on holiday in a retro ever-ready case as your one and only piece of photo  gear and be confident of bringing professional images back.

PS: If you ever fancy going Henri Cartier-Bressoning, this is the camera to do it with.