Michael Reichman has a Fuji X Pro1 Review

Harry Lime said:
There is only one problem with that logic. Aside from compact size etc, what really is at the heart of the rangefinder approach to shooting is zone focusing and to a certain extent fast and accurate manual focusing. And by all accounts the X-1 delivers a mediocre performance in this respect. It was mainly designed to be an autofocus camera, which requires an entirely different approach to how you shoot. Shooting with an AF system is very different from how you approach taking a picture with an RF camera. In that respect the X-1 is no different than any mirrorless AF compact or an SLR with AF lenses. The is a gulf of a difference between the shooting technique used with an AF camera and something like an M9 or even a monster Speed Graphic.
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As someone who actually owns the camera and has used both MF and AF modes - it's not as "clear cut" as you would like to make it seem. Firstly the manual focus is, granted, "not nearly the same" as any other camera I've ever used but I don't find it "mediocre" however YMMV.

Is it meant to be used for AF? Yes, it's built that way but, as Kipon has already done and Fuji has said they will do, there will be mounts for M-lenses - the concern of course is "how" will it focus manually - if it follows the same method as it does with the current AF lenses, * I'll * have no problem with it - some folks probably will.

Now, is it a "rangefinder" - there is no rangefinder patch, no double image to align, and, to me, that's all that's required to be a rangefinder - so no it's not a rangefinder but it is "rangefinder like" - just as the Contax G series is "rangefinder like" and yet is still called a rangefinder by many.

As far as shooting technique is concerned, I shoot this the same way I shot my Leica M7s.. no different in that respect - OTHER than the AF which, naturally compensates for the fact that I don't necessarily have to stop down, zone focus, and then frame and then shoot - so it's slightly faster.

Cheers,
Dave
 
I actually use zone focusing more often than focusing through RF which x 1 pro seems to be perfectly capable of, hence making a perfect street shooter (that plus clean high ISO).

BTW do we classify Leica M1 and MD as "rangefinder like" cameras? : )
 
The M1 and MD don't have rangefinders, thus they are not rangefinders. They're scale focus M cameras, just like the Bessa L.

It's not "pedantic" to call something by its correct name. I would never correct someone in person if they called the M1 or X-Pro a rangefinder, but when it happens in a major review, it's worth pointing out.

But ultimately it may be pointless, because the term "rangefinder" is very quickly losing all meaning. I've seen the Canon S90 called a rangefinder, and now any camera with a built-in viewfinder is a "rangefinder." It's only a matter of time until the big manufacturers create boxy DSLRs and market them as rangefinders.
 
bensyverson said:
It's not "pedantic" to call something by its correct name. I would never correct someone in person if they called the M1 or X-Pro a rangefinder, but when it happens in a major review, it's worth pointing out.
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Yes, thank you. It was a careless error, surprising on a reputable photography site. Camera types have names because those names tell us something important about them. So, for example, we don't call every camera an "SLR" just because we feel like it.
 
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