Fujifilm Xt-1 unboxing + hands on!

Fujifilm XT-1, the king of the Mount Fuji! (get it?)

Alright I'm just kidding.

Finally got a call today to collect my pre-order package for fuji's latest camera XT-1! A pretty good timing since I've just completed my first draft for my dissertation and I've got a little time to do some hands-on the camera!

Here are the unboxing pictures! 

All wrapped up nicely in the box

Plan view to see the dials

From the back!

From top left: Charger + cable, neck strap + metal connecting clips, 18-55mm R kit lens, XT-1 body, NP-W126 battery + the add-on flash (weird thing but guess what at least it there's a flash).

Really nicely designed.

Crappy front shot

First impressions:
Wow I have to say, this camera scores big on looks and feel. Body feels light, yet really compact. It feels fully metallic with no cheap plasticky feeling which is really nice, since it didn't actually add on to the weight! Compared to my d800, this camera feels like a feather. 
The rubbery grip feels solid, but somehow it feels a little small to hold tightly, probably not the most secure grip which I probably will be adding a battery grip or hand grip to improve the overall hold. Everything else seems pretty okay, except for the buttons at the back that kinda feels mushy without a solid click and tactile feedback (which is present in the x100s).
Once you turn it on though, the magic begins. You'll be greeted by a really nice tilting 3" 1.04mil dots LCD screen, and when you put your eye to the viewfinder, you start to understanding what's the big fuss with the latest EVF from Fuji.

It's really good. (I still can't decide if I like OVF better though)

It's like peering into a FHD mini screen inside. And Fuji has reduced lag on this unit to just 0.05s (1/10th of previous Fuji models). I can't quite tell what's the difference though, just feels pretty snappy anyways.

EVF has the advantage of being able to display a hell lot of information real time, like your history etc while you're shooting which can be pretty nifty. It reflects real time changes as you switch your aperture and exposure compensation which is really nice too. However when it gets a little dark, it kinda looks smudgy with a lot of noise and grain which you don't get on the OVF (but then again, in the OVF it's just dark and you barely see anything haha.)

How does it shoot some of you may ask. Well I only had the X100s for comparison, and if you want to compare to that, then XT-1 is without a doubt, extremely fast. Autofocus on the X100s is decent, but not really mind-blowingly fast though, I actually get moments where everyone's just waiting for me to lock on the focus. I've only had a moment with the 18-55mm kit lens, which has been rated pretty good and we all know focus speeds depends on the lens too so it's probably not a great comparison between a digital rangefinder and a mirrorless system.

Feels exciting so far, can't wait to try it out for a longer period of time. Key features that's really interesting for me so far:

1. In-built wifi with a fully featured app. You can change settings, view it on live mode, do interval shooting without having to use a clunky wired remote, change focus points and many other things. Now this beats many of the other clunky wifi cameras/cards I've seen and used.

2. Hugeass EVF! I can now put 2 screens inside the viewfinder that's gonna allow me to do manual focusing with so much more ease. X100s has already proven itself to be a real joy and experience to use with its focus peaking  features.

3. Overall handling. Just look at how sexy (in a geek way) it is, with its small but substantial size, along with a fully featured weather sealed magnesium alloy body (the whole thing!), it sure seems really promising! So far, it just screams of premium quality to me. Lol.

4. Image quality. Latest sensor (same as the X100s) from Fuji? Checked. I've used the X100s and boy the image quality (I've shown u guys a picture didn't I?) is really good for something so small. I'll be posting up an amateur review of the camera with the lenses when I've taken it for a good test drive.

My apologies to the all you cool kids out there but this post is filled to the brim with geeky goodness. Hope you've leveled up in your geekness with this post and maybe you can join league of geek gods in time to come! Thanks for reading =)

P.S. I promise a non geek post the next time alright!

Dissertation is a wonderous phenomenon that makes you feel like many things. (Fujifilm XT-1 included)

It makes you feel like a sloth, seeking only to sleep the moment you wake up and start staring at your 15 inch black box.
It makes you feel like days and months ceases to exist, and the only end goal is to churn out your dissertation before you hit the deadline.
It makes me feel so fat and sedentary I am starting to feel pregnant with my crummy tummy.

On the bright side, it makes me feel like going out there into the sun and spend a whole day running around and have fun.

Well, returning back to my original promise of a tech geek blog. Here's a posting of my latest impending camera review.

I had the privilege to get my hands on one of the pre-launch orders for the latest Fujifilm XT-1, the latest highly anticipated mirrorless Compact System Camera (CSC) of 2014.

Now some of you might be wondering what the heck that is. Well. In the current camera market, there are the compact cameras with slim bodies and the inability to switch lenses. They're definitely the most portable out there, although with the poorest sensor capabilities.

What a cutie eh?^

On the other spectrum, you have the DSLRs, big black sexy chunky things that I have lots of fun with. They are still pretty much one of the best you can get in terms of image quality, handling, autofocus speed etc. Not to mention you can only get full frame sensors on DSLRs (with the except of the sony A7/r). However, they are huge, heavy and with a good lens like the 24-70 or the 70-200, you're lugging 2-3kg worth of weight. Definitely not what you would call portable, though some hardcore camera warriors might beg to differ.

Yup that's a beast right there

So what is this mirrorless business then? Well, in the industry now, more companies are pushing out cameras that no longer relies on the pentaprism, which requires to have a mirror in your shutter like the traditional DSLRs. There are many advantages to it, like lesser vibrations from the shutter and stuff, but it's still a pretty new technology compared to the dslr, although many say it's the camera tech of the future. Examples include the well known micro 4/3rds, the Sony APSC Nex (or recently known as the rebranded alpha series), and more notably in our example, the Fujifilm APSC sized X series. So mirrorless cameras have started to fill the gap between compact cameras and full sized Dslr cameras, and their capabilities have grown so much that now it is starting to be possible that these lightweight medium sized cameras can take images with qualities on par with Dslr. 

Imagine, awesome images without the back breaking weight? Real sexy.

So what's a Fujifilm XT-1 you guys may wonder. If you haven't heard, it's their latest addition to their recent but outstanding X series. 

It was the camera series that sparked the recent craze over all the retro looking compact cameras ranging from the Nikon Df, gx7  etc etc.

So why is the XT-1 so exciting? Take a look for yourself.

It's Fujifilm's first foray into an SLR like body with a crazy huge and bright EVF and a WEATHER SEALED BODY all decked out in manual controls.

That means you no longer have to handle clunky stupid menus on a touch screen and jog dial that gets you to the iso menu only after 1980523 moves. Yes I'm looking at you Sony.

Fuji's main weakness throughout their first generation X series cameras like the XE-1 and XM-1 is always about their autofocus system. Fortunately the company is known to continuously improve on their cameras even after release (which boosts consumer confidence) and you'll be surprised, no other camera company really bothers. However the XT-1 is rumoured to boast of the latest 'predictive AF' system that is like the AF-C of the DSLR that actually works! At least I hope so. Now that would open up the world of sports and wildlife photography to many photographers out there.

Another thing I really like, is how Fujifilm has built a system of outstanding lenses from scratch so quickly. Have you tried any of their amazing lenses? The 56mm f/1.2R, 23mm f/1.4 R, 35mm f/1.4R, 18-55mm. Unlike most companies, Fuji's kit lens, the 18-55 f/2.8-4, is no joke at all, it's well built, sharp and compact. Only thing it costs $900+ brand new. That's insane coming from the fact I bought sigma 17-50 f/2.8 OS at only 600+ for my d7000 back then. Prices are definitely not cheap, but their lenses are definitely of fantastic quality.

Check out their roadmap, how many camera companies actually bother to publish a clear roadmap so you can save up your cash for it?

It's my first go at a CSC apart from the X100s, which gave fantastic image quality that honestly shocked me when compared to my nikon D800 full frame. Here's an example of my lovely girlfriend shot by the X100s.

I shan't bore you with all the technical details of the XT-1. But if you're interested, check out the following websites for more information.

Fuji global site

After my dreaded dissertation is over, I'll be posting up unboxing videos of the XT-1 and maybe a little review of it. So stay tuned, folks!

And so it begins.

Today marks the first post ever in my hopefully illustrious journey of a tech loving geek blogger. Now be ready world, cause it's gonna get real badass.

Yup. I wish I was that cute but unfortunately I actually look way less badass and maybe on the retarded-esque side.

Well ain't that a cutie. 

Well some of you might be wondering why my blog is called monocle barnacle. A monocle's pretty much the kind of old one sided lens geeks wore back in the early days. 

Cute huh ;)

Just kidding. I actually meant it more on the astronomy side. A monocle is actually one side of a pair of binoculars. 

And it also kind of resembles one of my favorite things on earth.

No prize for guessing what it is lol

So yup inspiration hit me and I decided to call my blog a monocle barnacle. Doesn't that just sound sexy? A hunky thing with a rock hard body toting a camera with a 'monocle' on it.

Check out this badass sexy barnacle (trust me, I tried to find something sexier). Heh.

Well, nonsense aside. I'm going to start writing about daily musings and of course, going to start doing some chillax reviews on a whole load of random geeky gadgets I just can't wait to get my hands in. Till then!