mikeosbornphoto

For years I’ve been a loyal user of Lumix cameras and have become very familiar with their workings and have often been pleased with the results.

The time has come to graduate to a more sophisticated machine, and after considerable deliberation I’ve taken delivery of a Fujifilm X-E1 system, which is an exciting yet daunting move after knowing my trusty TZ-20 with its nifty Leica zoom so well. The Fuji has a range of available lenses with the zoom primed to manual operation.

After studying reviews and asking friends on Twitter, the Fuji prevailed with its excellent combination of old school styling encasing and up to the minute technology and features. You can set the shutter speed with a tactile metal knob, or perform this function with a digital menu.

There is a familiar small screen on the back of the camera and an electronic viewfinder which activates when you place your eye next to it. On the face of it, this is a sophisticated package which should expose the limitations of my old camera.

First impressions

I spent hours with my new camera simply trying to become accustomed with all the functions and their location. And today I went out for the first time to put the system through its paces.

Feeling physically comfortable with your camera is very important to me, and my first port of call was to buy a small shoulder bag for my Fuji to live in – having that amount of costly camera around my neck didn’t feel right. The Lumix slides straight into my coat pocket.

When it came to taking the first shots, I decided to use shutter selection mode, letting the camera choose the aperture. This felt familiar, having always used my Lumix in manual mode. Choosing other settings is handily available through a quick menu.

Having a viewfinder again is peculiar – my instinct is to use the back screen, but I’ll have to retrain myself. While I’m now used to handling the heft of my vintage Soviet camera, the Fuji is a bigger beast than the little Lumix. I kept catching one of the control buttons and was scared of dropping it. Turning the camera for lengthways shots will also require a little practice.

As for the first photographs, I’ve yet to edit them. I would expect punchier, clearer shots and have already found myself using higher ISO levels which the Lumix struggled with. I’ll share them soon and in the meantime show you some more pictures of the X-E1.

Click the first image to launch the gallery