David Hobby on the X100s

As far as I am concerned, the only way to consume information, be it on the internet or elsewhere, is to develop your own BS filter. It forms the basis of any good research: check for context, check for relevance, check for potential bias, check for references, check for credentials, check for corroborating evidence, etc, etc. That's just called being discerning about information that tends to be very subjective. No source of information is the absolute truth, no source of information is totally worthless, and some of them are just a fun read either way.
 
But would something else work as well or better? I don't know, which obviously doesn't matter. But does he? Because when you're calling something the best camera you've ever owned, its probably worth knowing what else you've owned!

He's pretty upfront on his website about the fact he shoots Canon FF, Phase One Medium Format, and Fuji. Seems like he has Medium Format, Full Frame, and APSC with Fuji covered. I'm not sure how many other cameras he needs to use. My guess is he just uses what gets the job done so he can feed his wife and kids. Since he doesn't charge for his reviews nor advertise on his site, I'm not sure he considers himself a "professional reviewer." He included a disclaimer about his relationship with Fuji, I'm not sure what else anyone should expect. It's a blog and as such he has the right to discuss whatever gear he wants in whatever manner he deems acceptable. But that's just my take on it. However not charging for his "expertise in gear wanking" sort of absolves him of the responsibility of testing and rating and comparing. Now if I paid someone to tell me what camera I should use then I might expect that sort of tedium. All that said, he does probably consider himself a professional photographer as do his clients something I'm guessing the normal gear comparing experts have in short supply.

And..hey...he did include a wall chart test with a squirrel that had a fake diamond encrusted $. Let's see Luminous Landscape or DPR top that! :)

As aside, Fuji (and I'm sure Canon and Nikon do this) hired quite a few photographers to try out their cameras. Perhaps they are wanting to see what they can do to improve them. I'm certainly not a good candidate for that but I bet a professional photographer is. I would say from having used the X100S the last two days, they have made some improvements. I might also add that he had quite a few complaints about the original X100 and X Pro.
 
He's pretty upfront on his website about the fact he shoots Canon FF, Phase One Medium Format, and Fuji. Seems like he has Medium Format, Full Frame, and APSC with Fuji covered. I'm not sure how many other cameras he needs to use. My guess is he just uses what gets the job done so he can feed his wife and kids. Since he doesn't charge for his reviews nor advertise on his site, I'm not sure he considers himself a "professional reviewer." He included a disclaimer about his relationship with Fuji, I'm not sure what else anyone should expect. It's a blog and as such he has the right to discuss whatever gear he wants in whatever manner he deems acceptable. But that's just my take on it. However not charging for his "expertise in gear wanking" sort of absolves him of the responsibility of testing and rating and comparing. Now if I paid someone to tell me what camera I should use then I might expect that sort of tedium. All that said, he does probably consider himself a professional photographer as do his clients something I'm guessing the normal gear comparing experts have in short supply.

And..hey...he did include a wall chart test with a squirrel that had a fake diamond encrusted $. Let's see Luminous Landscape or DPR top that! :)

As aside, Fuji (and I'm sure Canon and Nikon do this) hired quite a few photographers to try out their cameras. Perhaps they are wanting to see what they can do to improve them. I'm certainly not a good candidate for that but I bet a professional photographer is. I would say from having used the X100S the last two days, they have made some improvements. I might also add that he had quite a few complaints about the original X100 and X Pro.

Fair points.
Perhaps it comes down to what people are looking for. My preference is for someone of broad competence and a degree of humility to use a new piece of gear as they would their existing gear, and then let me know how it works. I don't know how much more upfront Arias can be. He also spends time with some other well known photographers, and I feel reasonably sure they talk about and share gear. I think it's a very bumpy stretch to suggest his experience with cameras is limited. As you point out it seems that his other cameras allow at least some perspective and expertise.

In any case, the afore-linked video illustrates his skill and knowledge.

Most of all I simply appreciate hearing about a camera in use, and how it helps someone achieve their goals - or not. What a refreshing change from the introspective 'expertise' that stalks the online world; full of words, and shaped to justify self-importance.
 
Trust no one.

Seriously, glean the information, but cast aside the opinions. There are no professional reviewers I completely trust, whatever the subject matter.
 
Trust no one.

Seriously, glean the information, but cast aside the opinions. There are no professional reviewers I completely trust, whatever the subject matter.

That wouldn't make sense for me, especially as far as Arias is concerned. He is not a professional reviewer. He is a photographer. I'd be more inclined to Nic's approach. If all I wanted was the information I would not need reviewers at all. It's the opinions I find useful - primarily when based on real working knowledge and proven skills.
 
Of course if you find a blogger/reviewer with the same or similar tastes as you then you're set. I don't really identify with any one in particular so I just pick up bits and pieces of interest from as many sources as I can find.
 
I'll reiterate - I really like the guy's work and have huge respect for him as a photographer. But based on what he's used, it seems like the X100 was the first smaller camera of any quality he'd really spent time with (Kai's video aside!). And he was flabbergasted at how good it was and how much he could do with it. And I agree with all if that. But having tried a LOT of gear in this emerging "smaller camera" market, I just don't see some huge gap between Fuji and PanSonyLympusSigRic. There are a LOT of really good small cameras out there today, Fuji's are a wonderful example of that. And I'm just wondering whether Zack has checked the others out? Great that he can make the Fuji work so well for his purposes - with his skill I suspect he would have done the same with nearly any if them! So that's part of what I don't trust about some of the over the top statements. I'm sure he does like Fuji as much as he says. But a lot of folks have shot with all of this stuff and their comparisons seem more useful than someone who married his high school sweetheart and holds her above all other women as the most amazing. It's wonderful he feels that way! Really! But I'd maybe rather hear the wisdom gleaned from someone of lesser moral character who's been around the block a few times!

-Ray
 
I think Zack is coming from a valid personal perspective, which seems to boil down to the fact that that the combination of retro style, old school controls, and built in OVF of the Leica and Fuji cameras move him in a way that NEX and MFT cameras do not.

It's analogous to all the folks who got super excited about the OMD. There was a backlash of folks questioning that enthusiasm, saying that most of the stuff in the OMD was only new for Olympus while Panasonic cameras had it for a while now. While that too was a valid perspective, it doesn't change the fact that something about those Panasonic cameras caused a bunch of people not to give them a second look, and something about the OMD did.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
 
I think Zack is coming from a valid personal perspective, which seems to boil down to the fact that that the combination of retro style, old school controls, and built in OVF of the Leica and Fuji cameras move him in a way that NEX and MFT cameras do not.
I don't doubt it even a little bit. I just think it would be more valid to other's perspectives if he'd talked a little about which other comparable cameras he'd shot with and how the various Fuji models were better or worse than those for the specifics of how he shot. Maybe he's spent time with a lot of smaller cameras and systems, in which case I'd love to hear his perspective on some of the competing strengths, weaknesses, tradeoffs, etc. But if he just tried a Fuji and liked it and now writes about how great it is, its entertaining, but not as useful as it could be. But it does get the point across that this camera gets over the threshold of being worthy for professional work, and that ain't nothing! OTOH, its not really unusual for smaller cameras today either...

I don't have a problem with this stuff as marketing as long as that's what it is. As it appears to me to be. Everybody makes hyperbolic marketing claims and calls their camera "the best ever".

-Ray
 
I'll reiterate - I really like the guy's work and have huge respect for him as a photographer. But based on what he's used, it seems like the X100 was the first smaller camera of any quality he'd really spent time with (Kai's video aside!). And he was flabbergasted at how good it was and how much he could do with it. And I agree with all if that. But having tried a LOT of gear in this emerging "smaller camera" market, I just don't see some huge gap between Fuji and PanSonyLympusSigRic. There are a LOT of really good small cameras out there today, Fuji's are a wonderful example of that. And I'm just wondering whether Zack has checked the others out? Great that he can make the Fuji work so well for his purposes - with his skill I suspect he would have done the same with nearly any if them! So that's part of what I don't trust about some of the over the top statements. I'm sure he does like Fuji as much as he says. But a lot of folks have shot with all of this stuff and their comparisons seem more useful than someone who married his high school sweetheart and holds her above all other women as the most amazing. It's wonderful he feels that way! Really! But I'd maybe rather hear the wisdom gleaned from someone of lesser moral character who's been around the block a few times!

-Ray

While he's been clear that he is newish to street shooting, I'm not aware of any indication that he has not used other smaller cameras. Just because he doesn't indulge in comparisons doesn't mean they aren't part of his thinking. In my view most reviewer comparisons are worse than useless. They are not photographers, and they have the cameras for a few weeks at most. Which is why the reviews end up being like gadget reviews. There is very little 'in-action' reporting that would help a potential purchaser. Thus we end up with discussions about features, not benefits.

One of the main attractions of the mirror less segment is quality in a smaller package. Arias deals directly with that. He also deals with interface and controls in action. He has used lots of other cameras, and still does.
 
I'm just gonna have to agree with myself to see it differently... :cool:

But its not the end of the world either way.

I'm thinking when I get ahold of an X100s and write it up, I may have to start in a bar....

-Ray
 
I don't have a problem with this stuff as marketing as long as that's what it is. As it appears to me to be. Everybody makes hyperbolic marketing claims and calls their camera "the best ever".

I'm just gonna have to agree with myself to see it differently... :cool:

I hear you, Ray, and you may be right. It doesn't strike me as marketing, but who knows...

To try one more analogy, it's like an Apple fan who writes glowingly of a new Apple product. They may never have tried a competing product from a non-Apple competitor, and that would make their review less useful to someone considering all options. But to another Apple fan who finds non-Appleness to be a non-starter, it isn't an issue. Zach strikes me as someone with distinct wants, in terms of styles and features, thus comfortably sweeping aside a lot of cameras that you and I think are great. On the other hand, we don't really know what tune he'd sing if Sony hired him to shoot with an RX1 the way Fuji hired him to shoot with their cameras :hmmm::drama::rolleyes:.
 
I hear you, Ray, and you may be right. It doesn't strike me as marketing, but who knows...

To try one more analogy, it's like an Apple fan who writes glowingly of a new Apple product. They may never have tried a competing product from a non-Apple competitor, and that would make their review less useful to someone considering all options. But to another Apple fan who finds non-Appleness to be a non-starter, it isn't an issue. Zach strikes me as someone with distinct wants, in terms of styles and features, thus comfortably sweeping aside a lot of cameras that you and I think are great. On the other hand, we don't really know what tune he'd sing if Sony hired him to shoot with an RX1 the way Fuji hired him to shoot with their cameras :hmmm::drama::rolleyes:.

Sure.

What does fascinate me is the focus on the headlines - the Leica thing etc.

I'm more interested in the detail of the review. This is a guy who shoots for a living, and his description of the camera in action (as with his other gear posts) is something I fine very useful. It's how a camera will behave when actually used, as opposed to tested, and used by someone who knows their way around a camera and a photograph. His comments on the camera's behaviour are indeed specific to his needs, but also don't contradict what others are saying. If it is marketing, Fuji have managed to bribe a lot of the right people with the right amount, and have covered gadgeteers and photographers.
 
I'm just gonna have to agree with myself to see it differently... :cool:

But its not the end of the world either way.

I'm thinking when I get ahold of an X100s and write it up, I may have to start in a bar....

-Ray

Often, I find it difficult to agree with myself. (Meds help) Writing in a bar used to be my pastime and vocation.

Gary
 
This made me laugh:

"And while the advanced filters are not themselves stackable, the different settings are. Meaning I can shoot wide-open fuzzy-background flash in full daylight with a square format and a Holga look applied to it, all in-camera.

Somewhere in Brooklyn, a hipster's head just exploded."
 
This made me laugh:

"And while the advanced filters are not themselves stackable, the different settings are. Meaning I can shoot wide-open fuzzy-background flash in full daylight with a square format and a Holga look applied to it, all in-camera.

Somewhere in Brooklyn, a hipster's head just exploded."

The most expensive $30 camera effect?
 
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