I’ve had a crush on the  Fuji X T 1 for while now..admiring it from a far, gazing at it longingly through Calumets shop window, though never quiet succumbing to temptation. Yet last month I finally gave in and like any first date I had my butterflies along with a whole array of mix emotions ranging from extreme doubt to high hopes…

The first thing that caught my eye was the difference in design to the Fuji X pro 1, this subconsciously suggested to me that Fuji had finally something to shout about since all over models succeeding the X Pro 1, like the Fuji X E1 and XE2 have been almost identical in design, albeit a slight difference in size and a few button shifts. The XT 1 is just as physically attractive as the X pro 1 and  keeps in with the retro ilk but overall it has a more solid, sturdy look to it. Though this is somewhat of an optical illusion as despite it’s weather sealed body (something the X pro 1 lacks) the X T1 is surprisingly small and weights actually 10g lighter than the X pro 1. This however ticked a box for me as one of my main reasons for falling in love with the X pro 1 was it lightweight design.

Another design feature added is the ISO, Drive, shutter speed and metering dials which not only look good but saves having to fiddle through the LCD menu another box ticked. It also features a tilted LCD display and despite not having the X pro 1 optical viewfinder it does possess a spectacular electronic viewfinder with a diopter adjustment dial and a resolution that is around around 40% higher than the X pro 1

 

As I’m hoping on the XT1 being long term rather than just a fling the setting for our first date was my home/studio and underground communal garage. I wanted to see if it could cut the mustard in the various different photography areas I work in. .i.e. Portrait, fashion, beauty, commercial and documentary

Accompanying us on our date was the lovely Angie from models 1, Viktor Charles on make up/styling and Tayla Rutter on hair.

 Portrait:

 

 

As the improvement

As there is much buzz around the XT1 intelligent hybrid auto focus (The new system uses both contrast and phase-detect autofocus) allegedly making it’s speed and accuracy on a par with that of a DSLR. I obviously wanted to test this out, so in the above two shots I asked Angie to move around a bit to test the AF. Ironically the one shot through a pane of glass seemed to do a better job than the one directly above where you can see the Af has focused on her hand rather than her eyes. Both the X pro 1 and X T 1 have 49 focus points though  I can notice a considerable improvement from the X pro 1 I still think my DSLR has the upper hand in regards to auto focus.

Studio:

Next I took our date to the studio; The below images were both originally  long shots using the  Fujinon XF35mm lens though I cropped in to see if it retained it’s image quality and sharp focus. As you can see it’s done a pretty good job!

 

 

 Fashion 

 

Now to the basement….I have to admit to having the guilty pleasure of watching the current trend of apocalyptic type TV drama’s in particular the walking dead and 12 monkeys, though it was the moody lighting and colour scheme of the latter that inspired the lighting in this set….

 

 

Beauty:

Love that at an ISO setting of 1000 you can still shot beauty with little or no noise

…and still at an ISO of 800 with an aperture wide open at ƒ/2.4 the picture quality is outstanding: the transition from the mask detail to the bohek  by the ear is effortless.

Editorial:

 

Campaign:

Above was the real test as usually whenever I’ve shoot a campaign I’ve always used my Canon mainly due to it supporting tethered shooting for the clients but now as the XT1 supports tethered shooting (and WI-FI) I though I would see if it could handle this sort of production quality, even when shot in jpeg…win!

 Documentary:

 

The above shot is more of a behind the scenes out take, it was taken between shots as a reflection through the studio window.  Again the sharpness of the lens endures.

Verdict:

Well I guess you could say the Fuji X pro 1 was my first love and will always have a special place in my heart, but often first love does not endure, as we mature our needs change and The Fuji X T1 offers more then just the lust factor. It somehow feels more solid, more stable… With the X pro 1 I found myself frequently awaiting the firmware up dates hoping that they could somehow save all it’s foibles. Not only is it an vast improvement on Auto Focusing, but it proves I can now use it for the bigger jobs.

I still have yet to try out the external kit flash or how it fairs in harsh weather with the Fujion XF18 – 135 mm zoom. I will save this for another blog….

 

Photography and post production: Michelle George 

Make up and Wardrobe Styling: Viktor Charles

Hair: Tayla Rutter

Model: Angie Cricq at Models 1