REVIEW: Accessorise the X100

Over the past month I have been trying out the Fujifilm X100 in various situations and finding that the more I use this camera the more I find myself admiring the many features that Fuji have built into it.  However there are a couple of items that I've added to make the X100 a little more flexible and also found that some of the items that Fuji supply aren't all that useful.

The Fujifilm X100, WCL-X100 and EF-20 Flahgun

WCL-X100

I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago about the WCL-X100 wide angle converter and the non standard item I purchased for £15 from Hong Kong from eBay.  This was a poor choice as the image quality matched the price I paid and I have since purchased the official converter. And what a difference it makes! 

The WCL-X100 screws onto the existing lens on the camera and once fitted it looks seemless.  The converter turns the 23mm f2 (35mm in full frame terms) into a 19mm f2 (28mm) without any loss in quality. 

X100 with Standard 23mm f2 lens

X100 with WCL-X100 Wide Angle Converter added to the camera.

With the cheap lens the edges of the pictures were badly distorted but with the WCL-X100 the pictures are pin sharp edge to edge.  You have to upgrade the camera's firmware to 1.30 which includes a setting to use the converter but this is easy and painless via the Fuji website.

The front lens of the WCL-X100 also has a 49mm filter thread so the UV lens that comes with the 'Black' Limited Edition can be used to protect the front element.

Here are two images I took, one at 19mm (with the converter) and one at 23mm (without the converter) to show the difference in the field of view. 

Grantham, taken on the standard 23mm f2 Fujinon lens

Grantham, taken with the WCL-X100 fitted making the lens a 19mm f2.

For landscapes 28mm is a very useful focal length and the here is another sunset shot taken using the WCL-X100. 

Sunset over Grantham - X100 fitted with WCL-X100 converter

The WCL-X100 is a perfect match for this superb camera and increases the versatility of the X100 even further.

FUJIFILM EF-20 FLASH

While the X100 has an adequate onboard flash, it is quite low powered (Guide number of 6) and gives harsh shadows due to it being only usable straight onto the subject.  However the X100 does come with a hotshoe to fit external flashguns.  Fuji make two dedicated flashguns for the X100, the EF-20 and the EF-42. 

Being such a small camera, a normal flash gun would overwelm the X100 and while the EF-42 has a bigger guide number of 42, from the pictures I've seen, the flash does look a bit comical when fitted to the camera. 

X100 fitted with the EF-20 Flash, which is angled at 45 degrees in this shot

I decided to purchase the lower powered EF-20, which, as the name suggests, has a guide number of 20, which is adequate for most situations.  It is also quite small and comes with an intergral defuser, for softening the light output, and also the head swivels through 90 degrees so the light can be bounced off the ceiling, which can also improve the light output.

I haven't had much opportunity to test this little flash fully yet but already the EF-20 is a useful addition to the X100.  I will be attending the FIA Awards Gala in Istanbul on the 7th December and this is where the X100 and EF-20 will get their first serious test but here is a shot I took at the weekend using the EF-20.

OTHER ITEMS

The X100 Black Limited Edition comes with a number of extras, including a Fujifilm neck strap and a black leather retro camera case.  Both items look the part but in reality I have left them both in the original box for the following reasons.

CAMERA STRAPS
I found the neck strap that comes with the X100 simply gets in the way when using the camera.  I don't tend to have the camera around my neck and when taking pictures I found myself constantly pushing the camera strap out of the way of the viewfinder or the screen.  On a recommendation from another Fuji X Series user I purchased a black leather wrist strap, which I've found is a much better way of using the X100 securely.  

The 'Footprint' strap I decided on was handmade in the UK from the finest quality English bridle leather and I chose the black version to match the camera, though other colours are available.  This was an eBay purchase for £14.99 (+£1.99 P&P) and I can highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a top quality wrist strap.  More details HERE.

CAMERA CASE
The black leather retro case that comes with the camera is a quality item and goes perfectly with the look of the X100.  However I found it to be completely impractical.

The bottom half of the case can be used separately to protect the X100 but with it in place you cannot access the battery / memory card compartment, which is a pain.  The top half of the case will only fit the X100 properly if the lenshood is removed first and even with the 49mm filter and adapter ring in place the cover fails to sit properly.  This, for me, is a serious oversight by Fuji, the company should've provided the lens part of the case with more room to accomodate these extras.

My solution was to buy a padded camera case that has a belt loop or can be used with a should strap.  I also have a small shoulder bag that can accomodate the X100, the EF-20, WCL-X100, spare battery and memory cards, Gorilla Pod mini tripod and Cokin P Series ND grads and ND filters. 

CONCLUSION

There are plenty of accessories for the X100 and I've found some are useful and others not.  Just because I don't find something useful doesn't mean another photographer wont have the opposite reaction.  This blog is purely my own opinion on how I use the X100. 

All I can say is the X100 has taken my photography in a new direction since I bought it last month. I have even found myself questioning whether I need all Nikon DSLRs and associated lenses and started costing up the Fuji X-Pro1 (the X100s big brother with interchangable lenses).  The full frame Nikon is a superb tool for the two types of photography I love - landscape and wildlife - and it would be difficult for the X-Pro1 to replicate the flexibility of the Nikon in these two areas, especially wildlife. 

However the X100 is a superb travel / street / landscape camera and the addition of the WCL-X100 and EF-20 flash has improved this even further.  I will be on my travels once again, with business trips to Morocco, Istanbul and Paris  in the coming weeks. I will post further updates on the MacLean Photographic blog so please keep checking back.

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