Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/06/16

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Subject: [Leica] Fuji Xpro vs Olympus OMD
From: henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff)
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 13:01:58 -0700
References: <1339846542.22383.YahooMailClassic@web126003.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

I just got an OM-D. I've not had it long, but it looks good. In any case, 
I've handled but am not interested in the Fuji, because I have an M9 and 
focussing and shooting with the M9 is a lot easier and pleasanter for me. Of 
course, if I had a Fuji I'm sure I'd start to get used to it but I can't say 
I'm delighted with the viewfinder/focussing setup. Also, the range of lenses 
available is not really going to make me happy at this point. I know that 
many more are supposed to come, but.....

I've had m43 for a while, and the OM-D definitely has the best image 
quality. Is it up to the Fuji? Not quite. Is the Fuji's quality up to FF, as 
they advertised? Not quite. It's still a matter of size, and FF trumps APS-C 
trumps m43. What is amazing about the OM-D is the dynamic range which is 
greater than that of almost all APS-C cameras, and the fact that the files 
are more forgiving than those of the Panasonics and earlier Olympuses. With 
the OM-D, I also have as backups the Panasonics.

As for high ISO quality, the Fuji has about a stop on the OM-D, but then I 
have faster lenses for the OM-D than Fuji has available at present for the 
most and the OM-D has first class stabilization. For my purposes the OM-D 
wins in the low light area, and especially with the lenses I have vs. those 
I could get for the Fuji. Lens quality for the m43 format is at least up to 
the level of the Fuji's, which are certainly very good.

As for colour accuracy, Olympus has been at the very pinnacle of colour 
accuracy for a long time, with their larger 4/3 cameras as well as their m43 
offerings. In any case, I profile all my cameras so it becomes a non-issue. 
Processing for the web by various people is definitely an issue, and making 
comparisons on the web for colour is not going to actually get you anywhere. 
Do your own tests. Or profile everything; that's the only answer in the end.

Bokeh is of course rather subjective, but that quality is in fact rather 
similar between the Fuji lenses and the majority of the m43 prime lenses I 
have (or tried). It seems a lot of companies are now paying attention to 
this.

Resolution/detail differences can be seen on the web at 100% if things are 
processed optimally. The Fuji should have a slight advantage here, nearly to 
the extent of the difference of a 13x19 print compared with an 11x17 print. 
I haven't made this comparison, nor am I likely to, but to this point some 
13x19 OM-D prints I've seen look fine. I'm unlikely to print larger than 
11x14 myself, so I would have a little room for cropping. If I really intend 
to print larger, I'll use a larger sensor or stitch

Summarized, my opinion is this: If you don't have m43 or an M9 and would 
like something 'M-like', have a look at the Fuji and see if you can get 
along with it. It's no M9, both in a good and bad sense, just different 
enough so that it really should be judged on its own.

If you have any m43 items or would like immediate access to a fairly well 
developed system, don't hesitate about the OM-D. The issues you raised 
aren't real issues; only with respect to resolution can Fuji be said to have 
an advantage, and it's not really that big a one. Handling, features, size, 
price, how it fits in with your other cameras and a lot of other things are 
a log bigger factors.

Finally, get the one you like! and go our and shoot!

Henning


On 2012-06-16, at 4:35 AM, Douglas Nygren wrote:

> I've been studying the picture posted on the web and the lug taken with 
> the Fuji Xpro and comparing them with others taken with the new Olympus 
> OMD.
> The Fuji looks better. The colors look better, the bokeh looks better, the 
> images are sharper.
> What have you all noted, if you have compared the two?
> Gru?--Doug
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 


Henning Wulff
henningw at archiphoto.com






Replies: Reply from digiratidoc at gmail.com (James Laird) ([Leica] Fuji Xpro vs Olympus OMD)
In reply to: Message from douglasnygren at yahoo.com (Douglas Nygren) ([Leica] Fuji Xpro vs Olympus OMD)