For more than a year now I've been using the Fuji x100s as my primary camera and really enjoying it.
However the more I've shot with the x100s the more I've felt like I could be using the camera more efficiently.
Fuji x100s optical viewfinder in autofocus mode.
While the x100s is wonderful - small, light, fast and sharp - the autofocus is not perfect. It's quick and almost as fast as my 5D mkii, but sometimes it can be difficult to make sure you are getting the right subject in focus when using the optical viewfinder (example to the right). The x100s is a digital rangefinder, and true to form, when using the optical viewfinder you are not looking through the cameras lens itself. This is called a parallax viewfinder. To borrow a definition from Camerapedia, "Parallax is an effect in photography where the image seen in the viewfinder is not framed the same as the image seen through the lens, because the viewfinder is in a slightly different position to the lens." (source)
Film rangefinders cope with parallax by presenting the photographer with a small square featuring a doubled image in the centre of the viewfinder. When the images overlap you have found the range, thus focus. This is apparently more tricky to replicate in the digital world as Fuji has opted for several different manual focus options supported by the electronic view finders (EVF). However the EVF on the x100s is laggy, therefore not really suited for fast action and focusing on the fly.
Having suffered many autofocus fails and errors in the last 12 months, I have wanted to move to the manual focusing on the x100s but have not been confident I could continue to produce good work.
That is until I watched a review of the x100s from kick ass street photographer Eric Kim.
In his review Eric suggested using zone focusing when shooting. The technique gets the photographer to prefocus a comfortable distance in front of them and whenever a subject comes into the zone of focus an image can be made much faster as focusing is already complete. While I was perviously aware of this technique I was nervous about using it with the x100s. Eric's review made me confident I could make it work for me and I really appreciate his suggestions.
I have customized my settings a little differently than what Eric suggests, but the fact remains zone focusing is working great and already improving my images.
Moreover it has increased my boldness. Since making the switch I've found myself pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone farther and farther, truly challenging myself to get the images I have wanted to be taking since I began doing street photography.
