Aug 6, 2011

100X100 – episode 10

On-line reviews of the Fujifilm X100 are often critical of its image quality with close-up shots. Some reviewers don’t seem willing to accept that the optical viewfinder (OVF) is not suited for nearby framing, to start because of the unavoidable parallax. Switching to the electronic viewfinder (EVF) let’s you focus a lot closer, and the (somewhat overstated) macro mode takes you even further.

True, the 23mm f/2.0 lens does not show all of its otherwise excellent optical performance shooting at wide apertures and at close distances. Fuji themselves recommend stopping down to at least f/4.0 in macro mode. So how good or bad is it then?

DSCF0211wf/2.0, 1/750sec, ISO800

DSCF0181wf/8.0, 1/220sec, ISO400

I find the smooth softness at f/2.0 and f/2.8 quite appealing for creating interesting pictures with a special mood. So I do not hesitate to move in close with these apertures at all. And there’s always the built-in 3-stop ND filter to get rid off excess light when needed.

DSCF0205-Editwf/2.0, 1/170sec, ISO800

DSCF0576wf/2.0, 1/640sec, ISO800

DSCF0547wf/2.0, 1/280sec, ISO400

All shots were made handheld, hence the higher ISO settings: another thing I do not shy away from!

Gear notes: Fujifilm X100

Click on the image(s) to see a larger version

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