I noticed that I have been using more and more the Fujifilm Xpro-1 at weddings. It was fast becoming my go to camera for Black & White photos and detail shots. I have enjoyed the camera not only for its lightweight and rangefinder profile but also for its image quality. With a 400% Dynamic range option and a huge amount of latitude on the highlight and shadow tones I found very fast the detail it could record was much better than the Canon’s I had been using. The noise or grain in low light is very similar to that of film that I had really missed at high ASA (of film). I know many people have talked about whether the camera would be suitable for wedding work with regard to image quality and speed. So below are a few of my findings with this awesome little camera:
Quality – The Xpro-1 has incredibly sharp images straight out of the camera. I typically shot every image in raw with a JPG. I have found that the JPGs are awesome and very little tweaking is ever required from the Raw images. The sharp image quality is primarily due to the lack of the low pass filter. The low pass filter helps eliminate moire’ from a patterned array of pixels in traditional SLR cameras such as most Canon’s and Nikon’s. Fuji has a new pattern array which helps eliminate this patterning and ultimately the evidence of moire. Next, in wide apertures such as 1.4 there is no evidence of chromatic aberration (hugely evident in most of Canon’s lenses). While it is a 1.5 crop / APS-C sensor the print and image quality is very close if not better than my 5D Mark III.
Color – I have used several cameras over the years from Kodak’s, Nikon’s, Olympus, Fuji’s and Canon’s. Each were very good in many respects. The Fuji Xpro-1 is the first to nail color almost dead on every time. The image quality is very film like with respect to color and dynamic range, in my opinion.
Electronic Viewfinder – One of the features I have loved in this camera is the electronic viewfinder. If you are unfamiliar with this feature it is a small digital display of the image in the viewfinder rather than a pentaprism or reflected image you get from standard SLR cameras both film and digital. Why I love this is it displays the images you will be capturing prior to actually capturing it. The reason why I love this so much is when the image is captured it looks like what I was looking at through the viewfinder. Why I love this so much is I no longer have to look at the image on the back of the camera to check, not that I did that much but it has made the use of the camera much more analogue or film camera like feeling.
Speed – As many of you know I am focused on the emotional moments during a wedding day and speed is of the essence as these moments happen so quickly and then are gone. The Xpro-1’s focus speed is much slower than my Canon’s and therefore I typically am reaching for the 5DIII for the moments in between. If you have a few moments the Fuji works amazingly well.
That being said, at my last wedding with Adam & Lisa, I had the chance to work a few images and found the beauty in black and white:
Craig David Butler 
Gorgeous and dramatic black n white shots!!
The quality of the B&W is superb. Just out of interest which Post Processor do you use?
Excellent! What is your typical flash setup?
Hi Richard, Thanks for the comment, the original processing was done in lightroom 4.4 and finalized from photoshop CS6. Craig
Hi Carlo, With the Fuji Xpro-1 I do not use flash.
Beautiful work
Poor guy!
Saw your comments on fujirumors.com and thought I would check it out. Very nice work and some great moments captured. I agree with you about the EVF. I thought I would use the OVF on my X100S more but that has not been the case. The superb EVF of the X100S has made my transition from 35+years of SLR/DSLR cameras a breeze. Plus, as a primarily b&w shooter, I set the camera’s film simulation to b&w and that is what shows in the EVF. Again, it has made my transition from SLRs/DSLRs very smooth.
Beautifull pictures. I can’t wait to get my own Fujifilm X-Pro 1. Or will it be the X-E1. I’m not sure about the EVF. Will i mis the OVF? It would save me $500.
Hi Jean, I have tried the X-E1 and by far love the X-Pro1 more. Yes the X-E1 has a higher res EVF but outside of that the X-Pro1 just feels better. I seriously can’t wait for the update this month addressing the focusing. Craig
While your composition is nice I must say your post processing is quite heavy and sticks out in quite few pictures. I could just say your are great and leave you empty handed with a hollw comment but I thought I should give my honest opinions. I truly like your composition and the B&W approach but if I may point out the specifics about a few pictures as follows:
1053 almost looks like a jesus halo around the bride and grooms head
1057 too much gradient filter applied from the right with negative exposure compensation
1065 almost looks like a spot lighting on the bride and the groom while the rest of the picture is dark.
1072, 1075 and 1078 same issue of heavy selective exposure compensation done with a coarse brush.
1079 your best composition is ruined by the extreme exposure compensation brush used on the bride to the point she is glowing like a light bulb
If you can ease off a bit on the exposure comp or dodging whatever you are doing very selectively I think your pictures will look really natural.
Just my two cents, ignore if you want.
Best
Hi Bhul – Thanks for the comment you point out exactly what I was going for. The sensors amazing ability to render details in highlights and shadows allows for extreme manipulation.
Craig
What lenses are you using? I’m ready to dive in and buy a X-Pro 1, (I’m giving up on DSLR’s) so I was interested in what update you were writing about, can you elaborate?
Hi Franklin,
Thanks for the message. It is an awesome camera and system. I have been using the 35 1.4 and 60 2.4. I have the 18 but the resolving power isnt that great unless you are at a very low ISO. FYI focusing isn’t the greatest (looking forward to the update on July 23rd) but I have learned to love this camera typically bring it for personal stuff as well. I have tried the 18-55 but do not own it. I did notice focusing was much faster. I do plan on getting the 55-200. I also have used the fujifilm 42 flash which has worked very well and switched over my Pocket Wizards TT1 and TT2 to work with it and that has been awesome.
Craig
Hi Craig,
First, great photos.
You mentioned you are using PocketWizard TT1 and “TT5” (you said TT2 in your post) with the XP1. Is that the Nikon or Canon versions? Which flash are you using with it?
Hi Mike, Thanks for the note. Yes it is the TT1 and TT5 for Canon. But I believe any of the TT triggers can be programed for basic triggering.
On an additional note I have been using the XPRO-1 quite a bit when possible especially for details – the 60mm is by far the lens of choice – replacing the 5DMIII and the 85 f1.2. A huge weight difference. Yes I know I give up a little on the depth of field but overall the images are sharper and there is no fringing to deal with in post.
OK. Just to clarify, you’re NOT using them in TTL mode. You have them setup in basic trigger, manual mode. Therefore, no remote power adjustments from the camera. Just triggering. Correct?
Yes that is correct.