{"id":8435,"date":"2011-06-13T02:01:58","date_gmt":"2011-06-13T06:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=8435"},"modified":"2018-06-16T02:12:48","modified_gmt":"2018-06-16T06:12:48","slug":"review-fuji-x100-photographing-a-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/review-fuji-x100-photographing-a-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"review: Fuji X100 &#8211; photographing a wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2202-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/p>\n<h1>review: using a Fuji X100 for wedding photography<\/h1>\n<p>Being impressed so far with the image quality from the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/fuji-x100s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fuji X100<\/a><\/strong> (<em>affiliate<\/em>), based on <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/initial-impression-fuji-x100-not-quite-the-review-yet\/\">my initial impression of the camera<\/a>, I was tempted to put the camera to a real test. A test where we remove the luxury of using the camera just as a walk-about fun camera. Instead, I wanted to shoot an event where there are real expectations from the images. With that idea in mind, I asked around if any of my wedding photographer friends would consider using me as a freebie 2nd shooter, where I would use only the Fuji X100 as my camera.<\/p>\n<p>My good friend, John Arcara,\u00a0was kind enough to allow me to be Uncle Bob at a wedding he photographed this weekend. The couple, Megan and Joel, were quite cool with the idea as well.<\/p>\n<p>It was surreal walking up to the wedding reception venue on Saturday with only this tiny camera in my hand. I normally shoot weddings with two Nikon D3 bodies (each with a zoom lens and a flash) slung over my shoulders. I usually look like the Photo Terminator as I determinately stagger forward with all that gear. But not this day. Just the Fuji X100 in hand.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/fuji-x100s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/Fuji-X100.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"198\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I had the opportunity earlier this week to buy the brand-new <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/fuji-ef-42-flash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fuji EF-42 flashgun<\/a> (<em>affiliate<\/em>), but I decided against it. My intention with this camera is that I have a light-weight high-quality machine to take photos wherever I find myself. Adding a flashgun to this would make it that little bit less portable, and then I might as well go all the way and take a Nikon D3 as my carry-around camera &#8230; which I&#8217;ve been doing until now.<\/p>\n<p>So this is how I found myself <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/tips-for-2nd-shooting-weddings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">second-shooting a wedding<\/a> with only the Fuji X100. Not even a flash. Just a spare battery.<\/p>\n<p>And the verdict? I&#8217;m still very much in love with this camera, but frustrated by some short-comings.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[update: on June 26, 2011, Fuji announced a major <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dpreview.com\/articles\/7248153068\/fujix100firmware\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">firmware update for the Fuji X100<\/a>.<br \/>\nSome of the changes in ver 1.10 will affect some of my initial observations in this review, especially my criticism of how the X100 (under firmware 1.0) would retain the ISO setting per mode, instead of retaining an overall ISO setting. This has now been fixed! So please take note that some of the comments about the camera&#8217;s menu and behavior might have been affected since the time of the original review&#8217;s posting. Instead of continually updating the review with every firmware update in the future, I&#8217;m going to let this review stand as it originally appeared.]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>With this review of the Fuji X100, I wanted to show as many images <strong>straight out of the camera (sooc)<\/strong> as possible. But I also did some minor edits (mostly just a slight adjustment of levels), on some of the out-of-camera JPGs. I also edited some of the RAW files to give me B&amp;W images, or correct for unintentional over-exposure or WB problems. I will note with each image whether it is the sooc JPG, or is an edited JPG, or is a JPG generated from the RAW file.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Fuji X100 &#8211; a quick overview<\/h2>\n<p>A quick recap of the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/recommends\/fuji-x100s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fuji X100<\/a><\/strong> (<em>affiliate<\/em>) &#8211; it is a 12 megapixel auto-focus compact digital camera. It is styled along the lines of the old rangefinder cameras such as the Leica. Very stylish! Beautifully machined and manufactured. The control are silky smooth. It sports a 35mm-equivalent lens, with a wide f2 aperture.<\/p>\n<p>A mere description of the camera doesn&#8217;t tell you exactly how it feels in your hands, nor does it prepare you for the surprise when you look through the viewfinder the first time. Pretty much every wedding guest and groomsman geeking out over the camera, had a wow! or holycrap! in response to seeing the viewfinder. Especially when the image flipped away from the back of the camera and appeared inside the bright viewfinder. \u00a0But we&#8217;ll cover these details of the camera more thoroughly in a later review.<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, the image quality from this small camera is astonishing. The lens is crisp, even though it flares more easily than I am used to with my Nikon lenses. High-ISO noise is very well controlled. (More about this later on.) Fuji has a reputation for great skin tones from their cameras. (The Fuji S2 at one time was unbeatable!)<\/p>\n<p>I shot RAW + JPG throughout the entire day, and the Fuji X100 takes about 5 seconds to move a large JPG and RAW file through the buffer. In this time, you can still shoot, but you can&#8217;t preview images or change menu settings. So with these image settings, I really had to time my shots.<\/p>\n<p>But let&#8217;s look at a selection of images as the day unfolded &#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<p>I met up with Jon where he was photographing the bride&#8217;s preparation. I shot a few frames of Megan, trying to hang back as much as possible.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF1971-raw-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/240 @ f2 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file processed in Bridge \/ ACR with a preset I created for a <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/a-little-less-gray\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warm B&amp;W image<\/a>.<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +1.66 exposure compensation for the bright background. I arrived at this with a few test shots.<\/p>\n<p>Since John Arcara had things well in hand here, I decided to roam around and met up with the groom and groomsmen where they were busy getting ready. (<a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/tips-for-2nd-shooting-weddings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">As a second shooter I have the obligation to not duplicate what the main photographer is already covering<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF1960-edit-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/450 @ f2 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG, with small Levels adjustment.<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.66 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF1988-raw-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/400 @ f2.8 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; JPG from the RAW file, to adjust for slight over-exposure<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.33 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF1952-sooc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"903\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/250 @ f2.8 @ 400 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>Catching the groom looking pensively out of the window, I shot a few frames and then asked him to look at the camera. Framing a portrait with a 35mm-equivalent lens is a challenge, since you can&#8217;t come in too close, or else you&#8217;ll get distortion. Now you have to look at your environment, and how to frame your subject within that environment.<\/p>\n<p>I then snuck up back to the bride&#8217;s room upstairs, and found her with the bridesmaids. They were busy attaching .. a lucky coin (?) to the bride&#8217;s shoe.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF1996-edit-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/140 @ f4 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG with a slight edit for over-exposure<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.66 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF1998-sooc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"903\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/150 @ f4 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.33 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2001-raw.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"903\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f4 @ 800 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file processed in Bridge \/ ACR<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>The bride was looking out the window at where the groom and groomsmen were gathering, waiting for her and the bridesmaids to come down for The First Look. <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wedding-photography-a-photo-journalistic-style-or-more-posed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This is one of those found moments which I slightly adjusted by guiding her, asking her to look more to her right<\/a>. Still a spontaneous moment, but with some direction from the photographer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2101-raw.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"903\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f5.6 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file processed in Bridge \/ ACR<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>We were fortunate on this day in having overcast weather, but with bright light. Much easier than dealing with hard sun!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2106-edit-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/250 @ f5.6 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG with a slight edit for over-exposure<br \/>\nManual exposure mode.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2134-raw-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f5.6 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file processed in Bridge \/ ACR<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>This shot I unashamedly cribbed from John Arcara. He set the couple up, and I thought &#8230; hmm, this looks good! So I snagged the image as well. But on the way to that spot, I saw a clump of reeds that I thought might make an interesting photo. But instead of asking the couple to wade into the reeds, I stood in the reeds, trying to frame them with greenery &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/D3S-3280-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2122-edit-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/550 @ f4 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG with a slight adjustment for exposure and color balance<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.66 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2063-raw.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"901\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f5.6 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file processed in Bridge \/ ACR to correct for exposure, and to even the sloping horizon!<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the catch of shooting with just the one focal length. While John Arcara was shooting the happy cluster of people there on the dock with a telephoto zoom, I had to improvise my composition to accommodate the much wider field of view of the Fuji X100. The shot works, but if I had to photograph the bridal party with this lens, I&#8217;d have to position them somewhere else to get closer images.<\/p>\n<p>I would so have loved to have had a Fuji X100 here with an 85mm f2 lens. That tighter perspective would&#8217;ve been a great complement to the 35mm-equivalent lens on the X100.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2091-raw-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f5.6 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file processed in Bridge \/ ACR to correct for over-exposure.<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>I was hanging over the edge of the dock to get this shot of the bridesmaids sitting there. My camera strap neatly wrapped around my wrist. No chances taken.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2160-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f4 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nManual exposure mode.<\/p>\n<p>While John continued to work with the couple, I decided to grab a few frames of the spirited bridesmaids.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2184-edit-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/200 @ f5.6 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG adjusted with Levels for slight over-exposure<br \/>\nManual exposure mode.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2202-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f5.0 @ 320 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nManual exposure mode.<\/p>\n<p>The sequence here of the bridesmaids is my favorite series of shots of the day. The bridesmaids had oodles of personality! I also love the skin tones and how the colors pop in this straight out of camera JPG.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2252-sooc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"903\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/250 @ f4 @ 320 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<h1>how the auto-focus of the Fuji X100 performed<\/h1>\n<p>The auto-focus capability of the Fuji X100 is &#8230; adequate. I&#8217;d love it to have been faster to grab focus. But then, my expectations might be too high. I am used to the Ferrari of cameras &#8211; the Nikon D3.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps it is inexperience with this new camera, combined with not allowing that extra bit of time for the camera to properly grab focus, but I lost a number of frames during the day when the camera would grab the background. This was especially pronounced when the background was brighter than the subjects. \u00a0Similarly, I found that when I work fairly close to my subject, the camera has more of a tendency to grab the background. Here I think a more subdued and deliberate technique would help overcome this. I do think that this is partially due to me not having adapted my technique yet to this camera. It needs a slightly more thoughtful approach than the Nikon D3 allows.<\/p>\n<p>What also didn&#8217;t help, was the camera taking so long to process the JPG+RAW files, leaving you unable to check focus accuracy immediately.<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2281-sooc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"903\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/180 @ f2 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +1.00 exposure compensation, to compensate for the strong light outside.<\/p>\n<p>This flowergirl was quite shy, and I wanted to get a few images of her. This is where the Fuji X100 helped I think, in that it is such a small non-intimidating camera. The quiet operation also helps. You can barely hear the shutter even with the camera held to your eye. It is super-quiet.<\/p>\n<p>On this topic, numerous guests asked me about the X100, asking me if it is a Leica or if it is a film camera. It definitely intrigued them. I happily showed the camera off, and everyone who held the camera, and held it up to their eye, were amazed.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing I found &#8211; with the Nikon D3 cameras and the big lenses, people react to me as if I am the wedding photographer. They will often stop what they are doing, and smile for the camera. But on this day, armed only with this small camera, I was able to freely roam amongst the guests, and it was far easier for me to get truly candid shots, even with me having to work in closer proximity to people.<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2354-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/480 @ f8 @ 200 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nAperture priority mode, with exposure compensation set to +0.33<\/p>\n<p>What impressed me here, is how well the Fuji X100 sensor handled the strong contrast. It kept the details in the high-lights but still show the detail in the shadows.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2382-sooc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"903\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/250 @ f2.8 @ 400 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nManual exposure mode &#8211; the only in-camera defense against such strong backlighting!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2389-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2391-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>both images:\u00a01\/250 @ f2.8 @ 400 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>I liked the idea of the first shot, getting a view of the groom&#8217;s parents and the guests, over the shoulders of the groomsmen. In working further with the idea, I wanted to shoot between them, framing the groom&#8217;s parents with the groomsmen on either side like this. But I had forgotten all about <strong>parallax error<\/strong>. While the Fuji X100&#8217;s optical viewfinder will adjust the framing to compensate for parallax error as you focus closer, it doesn&#8217;t quite show how objects in the foreground <strong>shift<\/strong> in position. Since the viewfinder and lens of the Fuji X100 aren&#8217;t on the same axis, you can get this kind of problem. For this, the best solution would&#8217;ve been to use the electronic viewfinder which would&#8217;ve given me the accurate angle of view. I just need to anticipate this in future. Lesson learnt.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2431-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/250 @ f4 @ 800 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nManual exposure mode &#8211; cranking the ISO higher to get more depth-of-field.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2495-raw-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/500 @ f4 @ 800 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file processed in Bridge \/ ACR to correct for over-exposure.<br \/>\nManual exposure mode<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2520-edit-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/80 @ f4 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG adjusted with Levels for slight over-exposure<br \/>\nAperture Priority mode; zero exposure compensation<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<h1>the macro mode of the Fuji X100<\/h1>\n<p>The Fuji X100 doesn&#8217;t focus particularly close. At around 2 feet away from your subject, you have to switch to Macro mode. You do this via the menu and a selection button on the back of the camera, and switching the manual focus. The camera goes to the electronic viewfinder display, giving you a real view of how sharp your focus is.<\/p>\n<p>It is a round-about way to work, and feels clumsy. The results are very good though.<\/p>\n<p>Then I noticed that if I have strong back-lighting in macro mode, I get a beautiful glowing haze to the images. Quite romantic! I loved it, and played around with this idea, while photographing the details in the reception room.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2283-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/320 @ f2 @ 800 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +1.00 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2286-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/350 @ f2 @ 800 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.66 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2292-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/170 @ f5.6 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.66 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2578-edit-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/300 @ f2 @ 1600 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; sooc JPG, with Levels adjustment to bring the exposure up<br \/>\nAperture Priority, with +0.33 exposure compensation<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<h1>high-ISO image quality of the Fuji X100<\/h1>\n<p>Now since I didn&#8217;t have a flash with me, my first reaction was to take the ISO as high as I could &#8230; and I checked my camera preview how good the noise looked, and it looked impressively good even at 6400 ISO. So this is where I was for the rest of the evening!<\/p>\n<p>Here is a test shot of John, shot at 6400 ISO &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2605-sooc-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>But instead of just taking my word for it, here is <a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2605-sooc.jpg\">the straight-out-of-camera full-resolution 6400 ISO JPG<\/a>. (right-click and save-as if you want to have a look. It is nearly 5Mb in size though.)<\/p>\n<p>You will notice that there is some loss of detail with the aggressive noise-reduction implemented by the camera. To my eye though, this is truly exceptional quality for 6400 ISO.<\/p>\n<p>This camera easily handles 1600 ISO. In the same way, you can happily go to 3200 ISO &#8230; and if need be, go to 6400 ISO.\u00a0<strong>Truly remarkable<\/strong>, especially for an APS-C sized sensor!<\/p>\n<div id=\"divider1\"><\/div>\n<p>With the reception starting as the light outside was fading, I could shoot with just the available light initially.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2667-raw.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"678\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/160 @ f2 @ 6400 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file adjusted for WB. The AWB image is on the left.<br \/>\nManual exposure mode.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2671-raw-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/125 @ f2 @ 6400 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file adjusted for WB.<br \/>\nManual exposure mode.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>From here on it became ever more difficult since the light levels became even lower, and people were dancing. <strong>Not<\/strong> a slow-shutter speed situation if you want images that should be crisp enough to use. The Fuji X100 was also struggling with focus in the low light &#8230; but then, nearly all cameras would&#8217;ve had a hard time here.<\/p>\n<p>Since I didn&#8217;t have a flash with me, I resorted to using John&#8217;s video light. Holding the light aloft in my left hand, I was able to continue working at this high ISO. A higher and more consistent success rate would&#8217;ve meant a flash though.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/camera\/fuji-x100\/wedding-x100\/DSCF2708-raw-900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"599\" \/><\/p>\n<p>1\/125 @ f2 @ 6400 ISO; Auto WB<br \/>\nimage &#8211; RAW file adjusted for WB.<br \/>\nManual exposure mode.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Final summary: Fuji X100<\/h2>\n<p>There is reason why this camera is getting so much attention and all the buzz surround it. It has the sleek retro styling that appeals to the eye &#8230; and to top it all, the image quality is remarkable. The outward handling of the camera is excellent as well. It truly is an aficionado&#8217;s camera.<\/p>\n<p>Where the Fuji X100 stumbles, is with the less-than-intuitive menu controls. And for heaven&#8217;s sake Fuji, fix the ISO \/ exposure mode thing!<\/p>\n<p>If I have to sum the Fuji X100 up, it would be as a flawed modern classic. It is an exceptional camera hampered by some software design flaws. Hopefully most of these will be sorted out with future firmware updates.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>related articles<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/review-fuji-x100-camera-photo-shoot-with-a-model\/\">Fuji X100 review: photo shoot with a model<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/initial-impression-fuji-x100-not-quite-the-review-yet\/\">Fuji X100 &#8211; my initial impressions<\/a><\/li>\n<li>more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/category\/equipment-reviews-fuji\/\">reviews and articles about Fuji gear<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>review: using a Fuji X100 for wedding photography Being impressed so far with the image quality from the Fuji X100 (affiliate), based on my initial impression of the camera, I was tempted to put the camera to a real test. A test where we remove the luxury of using the camera just as a walk-about&nbsp;<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/review-fuji-x100-photographing-a-wedding\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read more inside&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13,704,679,220,10945,1,45],"tags":[221,235,236],"yst_prominent_words":[10967,5055,10966,2910,2907,10964,6299,9532,2911,6311,6293,6334,6324,6337,6295,4127,10965,6319,6306,6329],"class_list":{"0":"post-8435","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-equipment-review","8":"category-equipment-reviews-fuji","9":"category-fuji","10":"category-fuji-x100","11":"category-mirrorless-cameras","12":"category-uncategorized","13":"category-wedding-photography","14":"tag-fuji-x100-2","15":"tag-fuji-x100-review","16":"tag-review-fuji-x100","17":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8435"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8435"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40666,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8435\/revisions\/40666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8435"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}