Canon 5D V. Fuji Pro X1

[bennito42]

Over the last 5 years or so, I have built up a collection of Canon gear including 5D body & battery grip, 17-40 L Zoom, 24-105 L Zoom, 4.5-5.6 70-300 Zoom, F2.5 50mm Macro, 580EX ll Flash together with Canon G12 and 270 EX Flash..... UV , polarising and graduated filters .... and batteries (6) for the 5D and (2) for the G12.

Due to continued ill-health I find that the 5D together with the range of lens is becoming too cumbersome to carry , plus the fact that I'm not hiking to those "out of the way places" to capture a lot of landscape photos.

My dilemma is whether to sell this gear and go for something a lot lighter and more compact to carry. :(


I am interested in the new released Fuji Pro X1, but do not want to buy the three (soon to be) available prime lens, but would much prefer one prime and a zoom. I am wondering if I'll notice any difference in image quality between the two cameras. Are there any rumours going around as to what zoom Fuji may be adding to this range ?

With the release of the Canon 5D Mark 111, I don't want to leave my decision too long as I can see the price for a second hand 5D will drop remarkably, if it already hasn't.

I would much prefer to sell this gear as one outfit, but it's probably not a practical way of doing things.... maybe it would be best to sell the items individually, leaving the 5D body and the 24-105 lens to last.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Bennymiata]

There is a report on it here http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6126592906/first-impressions-using-the-fujifilm-x-pro1 and I'm sure there are other reports on other sites too.
I think that there are only 3 prime lenses available for this camera at present.

While it doesn't have removeable lenses, have you considered the new Canon G1X?
The picture quality is pretty good, and it's smaller and lighter, as well as a LOT cheaper than the Fuji, and you can still use your flashes with it.
It is a big step up from the G12 in performance, as the sensor is about 6 times larger, ad from what I've read, the lens is also excellent.

You'd probaly be best to split up the lenses and sell them seperately, but putting the 24-105 with the camera and grip may work out OK for you.

While the image quality between the 5D and the Fuji, and the G1X won't be miles apart, the focussing speed will be as the mirrorless cameras are nowhere near as fast to focus as the 5D.

[mikec]

Another one to consider is the Sony NEX7, pretty similar to the Pro X1.

Apparently there this is a leaked road map (http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/01/10/Fujifilm_Roadmap)for the X Pro 1, Fuji confirmed it was "close"

It's a good looking system, but it's $$$

[Arg]

How about upgrade to the 5D III, and take only the 24-105 L on longer hikes?

It would be more capable than the Fuji even with the 3 prime lenses. And I reckon a 24-105 can cover a LOT of landscape photography.

[bennito42]

Thanks for your reply....... I thought of the 5D Mark 111.....but it's $$$'s more to put in as I don't think I'd get much more than $800 for my 5D and Battery grip.

[imagemonger]

I have similar Canon gear and now find myself using the Canon G1X as well as the Fuji Pro X 1. I hardly ever pick up a DSLR now unless I need really fast focusing and rapid shooting. There not welcome in many places now days. The Fuji is a great camera, a little slow focusing and maybe a bit pricy but apart from that it gives you all you want and more. Image quality is great. I have seen some amazing enlargements, including some at High ISO's. Not sure what zooms are being released but I heard they should be available around September this year.

[I @ M]

I hardly ever pick up a DSLR now unless I need really fast focusing and rapid shooting. There not welcome in many places now days.


Interesting observation.
Where in particular do you find that DSLRs are not welcome?

[Arg]

I was accosted by a stallholder at the Pt Adelaide indoor stall market one Sunday afternoon, shooting a few indoor scenes with a dslr. She started talking obliquely about pedophiles then more directly about needing management approval to take photos.

It was pretty clear she suspected me of being a pedophile.

I decided to stand my ground (actually I was a bit upset about it) and pointed at someone also taking photos but with a 'little' camera. She couldn't care less about them (even though they would surely have had more zoom power than my 100mm macro and hood) and said my camera is 'powerful' and can take closeups of individuals, then wandered off trying to hail the security guards. At which point I put the camera away just to avoid the fuss.

Does that count as 'DSLR not being welcome'?

[TOM]

The Fuji is going to allow you to take better images than a 5D or 5D Mark III in certain instances, particularly street or candid photography. It doesn't have an AA filter, and the IQ is reportedly high. The dynamic range is better than anything Canon produce, so if landscapes are something you like, then that should be important to you.

Don't know much about the zoom lens' coming, but the primes for the Fuji are of course all standard lenses, so they're small and sharp from corner to corner. I've been meaning to look at some sample pics of these lenses, as I'm not sure how render OOF areas. Hopefully not too harsh, like many of the modern lenses with aspherical elements. Also, almost any lens will be able to be mounted to the Fuji once adaptors are released.

[I @ M]

I was accosted by a stallholder at the Pt Adelaide indoor stall market one Sunday afternoon, about needing management approval to take photos.

Does that count as 'DSLR not being welcome'?

With a few snips from your post Arg, a few things rear their heads.

Market = more than likely private property. You don't really have any right to record anything there unless you have specific permission to do so.
Market stall holders = (sometimes) very shy about "their merchandise" being photographed especially brand name shoes and DVDs :D

I regard their attitude to your camera as being fairly normal and just because you waved something "big" in front of their face and caught their attention is not symptomatic of DSLR unfriendliness but merely suggests that you were doing something that you really shouldn't have been doing in the first place and you now have your nose out of joint because others got away with it. :rolleyes:

- - - Updated - - -


I am wondering if I'll notice any difference in image quality between the two cameras.

I reckon the answer depends on the final output of the file from the camera.
If you intend to keep plenty of hard drive copies and share web resolution images then both will do a great job. If you want to print images especially at large sizes then I feel that the DSLR will provide you with more satisfactory results.

[Arg]

You're way off track I @ M, I wasn't discussing whether I had a right to take photographs, I was answering your question about whether a dslr gets different treatment to a small camera in terms of 'friendliness'.

Of course the market was private property, but no-one was concerned about small camera photographers. No market stall holder shyness towards P&S users. Nobody talking about pedophiles to small camera users.

FYI it's not against the law to take photographs on private property. It's just that you have to leave if the owner or his agent asks you to leave.

Anyway, I ventured off topic to engage with your off topic question. Enough said.

[I @ M]

Arg,
OK, you seem to think I am off track but to me Bennito has asked about the difference between a small body format and a DSLR with reference to portability and landscape shots in hard to reach areas.

Imagemonger replied that he thought DSLRs were not welcome in many places and I sort of wondered why they might be unwelcome in places where you had to hike to and had to carry heavy gear as that was what Bennito was originally asking about.

You responded with your experience in a suburban market, I'm not denying that one of them might be a long hike and hard to get to carrying heavy camera gear so I responded and am still wondering about the landscape aspect that a suburban market offers.

Mind you, I did take Bennito's suggestion that
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. and responded to imagemonger's comment about DSLRs being unfriendly and to yours about alleged paedophilia in suburban markets.

Now where was it we got off topic actually? :rolleyes:

[welly]

Can't speak for the Canon 5D as I was previously a Nikon D700 owner and am now a Fuji X-Pro1 owner.

Image quality - absolutely comparable. The Fuji X-Pro1 produces incredible quality images for a cropped sensor. Low light performance is pretty much as good. At ISO 6400, the Fuji does pretty much match the D700.

Lenses - I only have the 35mm f1.4 but I LOVE this lens. Images it produces at f1.4 have this real 3d pop to them. It's hard to describe but the image really jumps out. You look at the colour and it's just superb.

General use - it's not as fast as a DSLR. Not close. Focusing is slower, general navigation throughout the camera is slower. But it is useable, very useable. I've been shooting with a loaned Canon 450d and I'm not sure if it's representative of Canon but I find that very difficult and unintuitive to use but that could be my Nikon background where everything was where I expected it to be. I find the Fuji much more useable than the Canon I've been shooting with.

It's almost silent in use. There is hardly a sound from the shutter - not as quiet as the Fuji X100 perhaps but it's very, very quiet. I love the manual controls and it just generally feels (and looks) like a "real" camera. There is a lot you wouldn't be able to shoot with this camera as opposed to your Canon 5D and you will have to change how you shoot but if you're happy to do this then I heartily recommend it.