Michael,
I have to say that I'm personally very pleased you've discovered the X-Pro1. When I read your original blog entry you were considering one, I thought about dropping you a personal note recommending it.
For the me, the X-Pro1 is absolutely my definitive camera of character. I bought my X-Pro1 and the wonderful 35 mm/1.4 prime last November, having become smitten with the X-series after taking my sweet little X10 to Utah for landscape photography in October, and having it
consistently smoke my old warhorse Canon 1D MkII for image quality, resolution, color, dynamic range, signal/noise and all-around experience of use. I got mine almost exactly when firmware version 2.0 came out, which made a dramatic improvement of autofocus performance compared to versions 1.0 and 1.3. Version 2.03 of the firmware has taken this performance even further. Fuji is clearly listening to customers and consistently making improvements for us. What a nice change fro the norm as far as some other manufacturers.
Using the X-Pro1 takes me back to the days when I learned the craft of photography using my completely manual Olympus OM-1s. I think that some of the wonderful qualities of the X-series cameras is that they force you to intellectually and physically re-engage with the process of making images, an experience I had not realized I had been missing using my Canon dSLRs until I got my X10. Personally, I love the "hands-on" experience of the X-Pro1, where you have to use your hands on the camera body (and lens) to made exposure and focus adjustments. And it has a real, wonderful, bright, clear optical viewfinder! The optical viewfinder is a revelation. Like you, I've never liked EVFs, so for me, the fact the X-Pro1 (and the X10, for that matter) had an optical viewfinder was a very compelling feature. The electronic hybrid overlay was merely icing on the cake. I would estimate that use the optical viewfinder 99% of the time.
I rented the 18-55 zoom recently, and was so impressed with it, that ordered it and just received mine yesterday. As much as I love the image quality from the 35mm prime, my guess is the 18-55 will be on the camera most of the time. I agree with you that the image quality of the 18-55 is excellent. Personally, I am really waiting for the 23mm prime to ship as it will then turn my X-Pro1 into an X100S-equivalent.
What I am most impressed with the X-Pro1, though, is the image quality. The detail, resolution, low noise, dynamic range, and those Fuji colors! Gasp! This camera also, as Sean Reid describes it, "draws" in black and white absolutely beautifully.
So, Michael, I sincerely hope you'll enjoy yours as much as I love mine, but I am confident you will. This camera makes me want to pick it up, get out and generate work with it, and, at the end of the day, that's what it's all about.
Some pics from the X-Pro1:
Regards,
Stephen Scharf