X100s - It Arrives

It is no secret that I have been patiently waiting on the sidelines watching and waiting to see what Fuji does and doesn't do.  I shot with the Sony NEX series as my travel cameras for the last 2 years but finally tired of their consumer electronics mindset v. a photographic one.  So,... after all this time, I have jumped in and purchased one of the little Fuji X100s cameras.   

Totally unavailable, but the gods smiled down on me and with one random phone call to a totally random camera store, I found one and had it delivered in two days.  Yes, I know, this is all on top of the little V1 arrival, but that camera is for a very specific purpose.  With the Fuji's, I am looking for something that will allow me to travel in peace without taking my Nikon and Zeiss kit.  I am spoiled with the IQ and usability of the Nikon/Zeiss combo, but the reality is that it is expensive to travel with (on a bike) and very, very heavy, when trying to travel light. 

Therefore I decided to jump in to the Fuji world and see what it is all about.  I personally believe that XE-1 and XPro-1 camera replacements are right on the horizon so I thought it best to start with the X100s and simply rent the XE-1.  For my upcoming Lost Coast bikepacking trip, I have the XE-1 coming courtesy of LensRentals.com.  Along with the body, I have the 35 and the 60 to test.  Between the 100s and the 35/60 combo, I cover the focal length that I normally travel with. 

There are a ton of detailed reviews out their on all of this kit, so for me, I am simply focused on sharing usability and IQ as it relates to travel photography, especially adventure based travel photography.   As I delve into the gear I will post sample images and random thoughts and opinions.  With the update to Face Book terms of service, I will no longer post images there, instead relying on this site and  my Flickr account, so follow along as the shooting begins.

Fist Thoughts: 

Ok, so this thing actually looks, feels and acts like a camera versus a consumer electronics device.  While it has its share of buttons and displays, I can say without hesitation that I love the way it feels.  Metal construction and a heft that feels good in your hands.  The viewfinder is awesome with its dual personality and the aperture ring is very sweet.  Not so sure I like the way it does 1/3 increments, but I am sure I will get used to it. 

I took the camera out of the box this AM, shot some Jpegs in color and B&W and then a few in Raw.  My goal was simply to play and get acquainted with the way things worked.  A couple of neat features stood out.  There is a 'Film Mode' bracket feature which lets you define up to 3 different film modes and then for each shot, the images are processed for each of the 3 modes.  Set it up for Velvia, B&W and B&W with a Filter, shooting Raw + Jpeg, and you have the ability to select from 3 different images to post WITHOUT having to edit them on a tablet on computer.  Man, I am super stoked about this feature. 

More to come, but here are three images shot this AM.  Two JPEGs and one Raw processed.