Interview with Detroit Street Photographer Brian Day and Review of the Fujifilm X-Pro 1

Had some time to catch up with my good friend Brian Day, a street photography local in Detroit. We chatted about shooting street photography in Detroit (the pros and the cons) as well as his new Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – which is a fantastic camera – with its quirks (like every other camera out there).

As discussed in the video, apparently the Fujifilm 35mm F1.4 Lens gets “aperture chatter” which is pretty damn annoying when in broad sunlight. If you are interested in getting the X-Pro 1, I’d probably get the Fujifilm 18mm F2.0 Lens which is roughly a ~28mm full-frame equivalent that supposedly doesn’t get “aperture chatter”.

However some of the pros of the camera mentioned include the ridiculously clean high-ISO (I shot at ISO 12,800 in JPEG and it looked better than my old Canon 5D at 3200 ISO) as well as the great image quality. However considering that the body is starting at around $1,699 – the camera isn’t cheap. If having an optical viewfinder is important to you, I’d get the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 and the Fujifilm 18mm F2.0 Lens and stick it in manual focus (1.2 meters) and zone-focus at f/8-f/16 all-day.

If you want a camera that is a bit more affordable, has incredibly-fast auto-focus, as well as great image quality + high-ISO – check out the new Olympus OM-D with the Olympus 12mm f/2 lens. The great thing about the 12mm lens is that it has “real manual-focus” on the lens, as well as hyperfocal marks for zone-focusing. Not a big fan of the Electric Viewfinder (the refresh rate is apparently twice as fast as the old model) but I prefer optical viewfinders.

Both are great cameras, but remember not to get sucked too much into GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)! If you already have a Fujifilm X-100 or any other Micro 4/3rds, I wouldn’t upgrade. But if you own a DSLR and want less weight and bulk when you are out shooting on the streets, both cameras mentioned above are great cameras.

Also make sure to check out Brian Day’s recent interview on Vesper Magazine for his “Time Traveler” series.

For those of you who have the new Fujifilm X-Pro 1- have you experienced this “aperture chatter” and what is your take on the camera? Share your thoughts in the comments below!