Fuji Fuji X-M1 now for real!

It looks really nice, especially with the new pancake. I love working with both a 35mm or 40mm field of view and the Fuji 27mm gives you the latter. But, just playing devil's advocate here for a moment: How do we think it stacks up against, say, the Sony NEX 6, which is roughly the same price, also has an APS-C-sized sensor and even has an EVF?
 
It looks really nice, especially with the new pancake. I love working with both a 35mm or 40mm field of view and the Fuji 27mm gives you the latter. But, just playing devil's advocate here for a moment: How do we think it stacks up against, say, the Sony NEX 6, which is roughly the same price, also has an APS-C-sized sensor and even has an EVF?
That would be my question too. The XM-1 is actually still a quite bit bigger than the NEX-6. This shows the 18-55 but the XC 16-50 is not massively smaller:
Compact Camera Meter
 
I see it as maybe a second body for XE-1 or Pro-1 owners - just attach a lens that you don't use as much, or that doesn't suffer from using the LCD to compose (eg. a wide angle?) and have instant access to two bodies/lenses in still-light cameras. I am finding I use my X2 as an almost-wide angle lens on many shoots with my Pentax system - the X2 is lighter than many lenses and is always accessible. Kudos to Fuji for continuing to build their X system.
 
I see it as maybe a second body for XE-1 or Pro-1 owners - just attach a lens that you don't use as much, or that doesn't suffer from using the LCD to compose (eg. a wide angle?) and have instant access to two bodies/lenses in still-light cameras. I am finding I use my X2 as an almost-wide angle lens on many shoots with my Pentax system - the X2 is lighter than many lenses and is always accessible. Kudos to Fuji for continuing to build their X system.
Exactly my plan. Put the 18 or the 27mm on it and it's effectively a large P&S. And I often find myself shooting with the LCD with my XPro when I've got a wide lens mounted, so this would be better.
 
After finally shooting with my scratch and dent XE1 for a bit with the 14mm, I'm intrigued with the flip screen, but I don't think I'd want to give up the EVF for it. And with the lenses I'll likely be using with the Fuji from here out, there's no point in a smaller camera because the 14mm is not small and the 10-24 will probably be larger, and any zoom I might ever get won't be small either. So I'll probably wait and see if the updated X-E2 (or whatever they end up calling it) will have a flip screen too. I love shooting wide angles from down low and a flip screen would be useful, but not enough to give up the EVF... I sort of miss the X-Pro and shooting with the OVF, but I just don't see myself getting back into those mid focal length lenses with the Fuji that the OVF really works with. Its barely useable with the 14, won't be with the 10-24, and I don't think I'd like it with a zoom, if I ever get a zoom for this system.

-Ray
 
It's always good for me to read the why's and wherefore's of what goes into other people's decisions, as it helps me think about things more clearly.

I really have no business even thinking about another camera...but you all know how it is.;)

I also keep looking at that new RX100 II...and wondering.
 
I'm surprised there's not more talk on here about this camera...but perhaps it's because Rico is writing about it over on FujiXspot: X-M1 and new lenses SOOC JPEG samples I like the idea of the smallness, the less expensiveness while still having great lenses and, of course, the inherent "x-iness".;)

"The inherent x-iness" - I think we should establish this as a formal metric when considering all Fuji cameras in the future. Perhaps even all cameras. I can see it now, right next to the numerical final score and the gold or silver award at the conclusion of DPReview's tests. "The NEX 8 is a fine camera - and we enjoyed shooting with it. But, despite its rating of 78, it only garners a silver, rather than gold, award on account of its x-iness score of only 2." :tongue:
 
I's funny, because many people really seem to think about the X series as a retro series. Obviously, it is not, see X-S1 and XF1, which aren't really retro. Of course, people tend to ignore what doesn't fit into their view of things, so many equal the "X factor" with how much a camera looks and behaves like an X100.

It is clear that even though the X100 was successful as a niche product, it was, is and always will be a niche product. Apple sells more iPhones in a day than Fuji has sold X100 and X100S since their introduction. So this X factor is also some kind of niche factor, meaning X cameras may be popular, but only to a specific set of customers with specific tastes and needs.

So once Fuji wants to expand towards the mainstream, the X factor has to be reduced in favor of more mainstream features and design desicions. Of course, this is no guarantee that it will work, because once Fuji goes mainstream, it automatically competes with all the other mainstream offerings that may be better or at least be perceived to be better by the mainstream customer, who is often influenced by soft factors like advertising, brand image, general popularity (eveybody has a Canikon, so why don' I?) and general availability and display frequency at physical dealerships (mainstream people buy what they see at Costco). In short: Mainstream customers tend to buy what other mainstream customers have already bought. If everybody has it, it can't be bad, right? If nobody else seems to have it, it looks like a risky buy. There must be a reason why nobody is buying it, right? Mainstream customers do not like taking risks, so lets wait and see how well Fuji will be doing with the X-M1.
 
I think as long as Fuji continues its truly niche X cameras, it can please its core customers while experimenting with more-mainstream products. As in products that are inspired by the "real" X's yet don't require mainstream customers to alter their way of thinking and taking photos. As long as Fuji doesn't bring out too many of these at once, the risk may be acceptable and they can always fine-tune their strategy as needed.
 
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