Fuji X-Pro1 Brief Comments
See my previous comments on the X-Pro1, as well as the examples in my review and the exposure of JPEG vs RAW.
I’m finding that the dynamic range is excellent with the Fuji X-Pro1.
But the sharpness is inexplicably poor with some images even at f/5.6 and in focus, and then perfectly good with other images. Without ACR (Adobe Camera RAW) support, I can’t say whether this is the Silky Pix converter, or the camera, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the X-Pro1 funky sensor design is not capable of the sharp images possible with a conventional design as in the Leica M9. Nothing I’m seeing from the X-Pro1 makes sense (sharpness). And sharpening, even aggressively, does not cure the issue.
Color has also proven to be frustrating under outdoor conditions. I’ve had to work hard to get half-way acceptable color. Wildly gyrating auto white balance, varying color casts under the same lighting all are confusing to work with and tedious to deal with en-masse with Silky Pix. The image below is one of those that was reasonably easy to deal with in terms of white balance, and yet I am not satisfied with it.
I think it’s fair to say that the Fuji X-Pro1 is no Leica M alternative. Not even close. Which is not to say its overall build and design are unappealing; I’d sure like to see some of its features in an M body. And the Fuji 35/1.4 has a dreamy bokeh that some will adore. Assuming better RAW support, it might yet emerge as a winner, but at this point it’s not going to become part of my field-camera toolkit.
See my Compact cameras gear page for availability status.