Fuji X-Pro1 and Olympus O-MD E-5M

Both Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Olympus OM-D E-5M are available for some time now, and a number of reviews were published. Thom Hogan recently have published very useful X-Pro1 review by  on his Sans Mirror site. He has a quite lengthy section on new filter mask/array used by Fuji and good example of color smearing attributed to complex demosaic process on Fuji X-Pro1. Quite a few reviews are available for the Olympus OM-D E-M5 including one from the dpreview where the camera got a GOLD AWARD (aka highly recommended). I also like ongoing commentary on the Olympus E-5M and m4/3 system in general by Melbourne photographer Gary Ayton. Note that this link is to his blog, and in the future the top/first posts will be different.

It seems that Fuji X-Pro1 has the best image quality with some minor drawbacks (the autofocus is not as fast as in some other mirrorless cameras, occasional color smearing). It is very expensive (unless you compare it to Leica).

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is a big improvement over previous Olympus models, and it does look like a very good addition to m4/3 system. It is not cheap camera but the price is in the range of "upper" models from several other companies (Panasonic GH2, Sony NEX-7, Samsung NX20(?)). Well, Samsung NX20 is not yet listed in any mainstream camera shops in Australia but the recommended street price is available for a couple days, and it is just a little bit above 1000AUD.

In Australia the buying into OM-D E-M5 will give you the latest 4/3 adapter if you pay before the end of June but better check the official Olympus Australia site for promotions.  

Red with Fuji X10

Poinsettias near the Old Museum building at Herston / Bowen Hill, Brisbane.
Fuji X10, iso 100, f5.0, 1/950 sec, exposure compensation -0.3

Red is very tricky color for many cameras including Fuji X10. The red channel can be easily oversaturated / clipped. I am more or less satisfied with the photo above but less so with the image below. Anyway, checking the histogram is a good idea if you have red color in your image.    

The photo below was taken at iso 200, f2.8, 1/750 sec. The "red flowers" are in fact modified leaves called bracts. The plant is originated from Central America but now it is quite popular around the world. It is known under different names such as Poinsettia, Flor de Noche Buene or Ataturk Flower (in Turkey).

Remarkably, the US has National Poinsettia Day (December 12) established by an Act of Congress to mark the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett.

Depth of field on Fuji X10

Fuji X10, max focal length (112mm eqv), f2.8, 1/950 sec

Fuji X10 is a compact camera with small sensor, and the shallow depth of field is problematic. Still, it is possible to separate the main object from the background to some extent at maximal focal length and open aperture. The photo was resized and unsharpen mask was applied locally after the resizing.

The Fuji X10  is the first camera that I use mainly with a rear screen, not a viewfinder. The proper word would be "exclusively"... It turned out that the camera does not shake much with that style of shooting. At least, it is not big issue for me. Tilting screen would be very handy, especially in bright sun. Also, the higher shutter speed in Aperture priority mode at with open aperture would be really handy. Very often the camera give me a warning with shutter speed over 1/1000 sec. It is possible to close the aperture and get shorter exposure, but I suspect the diffraction might be an issue. At f4 the shutter can go to about 1/2000 sec but the depth of filed will be bigger, too. Neutral density filter might be useful.