Its's Not The Camera: Fuji X100 vs Canon S95

It's not the camera....... actually it may be the camera.

I have always thought that the camera was just another tool. A camera is there to capture the exposure and its up to the person behind the camera to properly compose and execute the shot and hence my expression, "It's Not the Camera...".

BUT, after switching from a compact P&S, albeit a top of the line compact P&S in the Canon S95, to the Fujifilm X100, I might have to change that line a little.

I have always shied away from DSLR's. I'm not a big fan of their bulky form factor's and I never like the 'obviousness' of a DSLR as everyone has one and all of them think that suddenly with armed with a DSLR that they are suddenly photographers.

I have seen DSLR user's use their pop-up flashes to photograph landscape scenes at night, firing their flash while trying to take a picture through a glass window, use a massive zoom to take a portrait of someone sitting just the other side of the table.... etc. etc. All I can say is, "Learn to use your camera!".

As I didn't like conforming with the majority, I fell in love with the Fujifilm X100 when it was first launched. Here was an APS-C sized camera with a fast f2.0 lens from my favorite manufacturer in a rangefinder form factor. I couldn't resist and bought one even though I stubbornly believed that it wasn't the camera and that my old Canon S95 with its f2.0 lens would also do the job.

I have taken some awesome shots with my S95 and I absolutely love it.

Would the X100 make any difference?

I would say that a crappy photo would be transformed into a nicer looking crappy photo with the X100 but I was certainly blown away with the difference between a small compact sensor S95 and the APS-C sized sensor X100. I'm not really one for understanding about Dynamic Range, tonal response, highlight/shadow recovery, etc. etc. but the resulting pictures are so much sharper with lovely Fuji color and more depth to them.

Just for fun I took pictures of the same scene with both cameras but on different days.

First up, Canon S95...

Fuji X100...

The X100 is MUCH, MUCH sharper especially when viewed at 100% magnification. The Fuji colors are awesome (both camera's shot in JPEG. Can't be bothered with PP on RAW). The dynamic range is much greater on the X100 also giving the picture more depth to it as well.

Overall, no contest as can be expected.

Does the camera matter? Yes it does but a crap picture is still a crap picture irrespective of which camera you use....

ps. Bring on the Fuji X-Pro1! :-)