Mastering the Fujifilm X-Pro 1

If anyone out there wants to learn how to write superbly about how to get the best and most out of some technological product — camera, computer, smartphone, drone, etc. — study this or another book by Rico Pfirstinger. He's got it down to a slick, smooth, class act. For starters, Pfirstinger knows these cameras forward, backward and inside out. He's learned them, used them and communicated with the people who made them. He's thought of everything necessary to get you comfortably and knowledgeably beyond the cut-and-dried contents of the cameras' official manuals. Tips, advice, explanations and useful insights — he's left no nugget of useful, interesting knowhow unturned. Pfirstinger's prose is comfortably conversational and unerringly clear as a bell. While my review headline says "camera-specific book," note this: If you happen to have another model Fujifilm X-camera, there's still much you can learn from this book. And, as I indicated, if you want to write about some other camera or tech gadget, you'd do well to study how Pfirstinger does it. I've read more than one or two such books, and none of them impressed me the way this one has.

The X-Pro 1 is a camera that comes with a very limited manual and this book certainly brings additional valuable information, especially for autofocus, dynamic range and ISO settings, presenting tips and solutions in a clear and practical manner. The X-Pro 1 owners that haven't taken the time to look for all this additional information in the internet will appreciate it. But if, like me, you've been waiting for this book since it was announced last summer and in the meantime have been looking for information in the numerous Fuji internet forums, the book will not bring you too many new things. Besides, the camera firmware has been updated several times and some of the book information is not updated.

Excellent reference and guide to these cameras.

This book is well written, well researched, accurate and was extremely helpful to me. This is not a re-hash of any manual. It takes you through each setting on the camera - explains what it is supposed to do, when you should and should not use it - and any trade offs for using it. I read the book from cover to cover refer back to if often. I real feel like I 'own' my camera and all it's setting now. Excellent book my any measure. Congrats to the author.

This book lives up to it's title and more. It's well written and handles a technical topic in "simple speak", is fully illustrated, that enables a layman to easily grasp concepts. For example understanding how a camera produces increased dynamic range gives a better understanding in what situations it will be beneficial in improving the image quality. The book is well constructed, following a logical sequence and easy to later reference. If you've ever had difficulty capturing a shot exactly the way you wanted to, then this is the book for you.

This is a good book on the X-Pro 1, better than the Fuji manual. However, it not an easy to understand explanation or an easy to access illustration of the camera's abilities and how to utilize them. It takes some careful reading to get the information - which is there, but on multiple pages and not in bullet point format on the various subjects covered. Very narrative as opposed to illustrative. Maybe it's the prose in translation, but it's not an easy to understand guide. Good information for those who are looking for an in depth explanation, as opposed to a concise " How To " book.

I have an xe1 and obviously have the manual but this publication goes through all the lenses fairly objectively with some examples.The author also has included instructions on loading firmware and sites on the web that provide information more current .Its handy to have and available as a download as well . Nothing groundbreaking inside but it's nice to have large print and simple examples for those of us that are less technically minded but still want to learn and improve.The price has also dropped which makes it even more worthwhile to purchase.

I purchased the Kindle version. Having a Fuji X100s, I recently bought the X-E1. Based on past camera purchases, the provided user manuals are confusing because they are typically written by engineers and not photographers. Hence, I bought this book to help me with my new XE1. This book has excellent information. However, it is written to cover two Fuji cameras, the Pro1 and the XE1. Additionally, the writer is very familiar with a third Fuji camera, the X100. This family of cameras share much in common but there are some distinct differences in certain areas of operation between the three. The writer presents much of the information in a confused manner because I think he forgets which camera is is describing. For example, he describes focus peaking in a manner that makes the reader believe the X-E1 has focus peaking. It does not ! I assume that the Pro1 has it.I got the impression that the author was insufficiently familiar with the XE1 to understand that the two cameras are different in operation sometimes. Additionally, the description of Flash use is very confusing, again because the author is confused himself about which camera he is describing. However, if the reader uses his camera's operator manual in tandem with this book, the reader can sort it all out. Unfortunately, it is a pity that the author failed to properly proof read his own book before it was put into print. There are portions of the book that present lengthy descriptions of topics that are only tangentially related to the two cameras. For example, too much space is devoted to sensor cleaning. The information is useful but readily available on the internet. One would get the impression that the Fuji cameras are especially susceptible to dusty sensors, or that this is one of the author's favorite areas of interest. In conclusion, many of the self-help type books for photographers are poorly written and are cryptic . This book is better than most but is flawed. Would I buy the book again ? Yes. As a Kindle purchase it was not too expensive. I place blame for the flaws in this book on the publisher, not the writer . Poor oversight and editing are to blame. But this seems to be the norm. These are my opinions and others may draw other conclusions.

Quite comprehensive and easy to follow

Clear and concise, in an english easy to understand for a non-native speaker. Gives a very good insight on the inner workings, full of tips. Only surprise: no images at all - but thanklfully the author's words are powerful enough. The fact that this book covers xe-1 and X-T1 is not a problem as the difference are clearly laid out. I would even recommend it as pre-purchase and with it you'll know everything there is to know on both bodies

Con un estudio a fondo de esta dos cámara fujifilm,tambien informa de accesorios de otras marcas compatibles con los flahses de la marca como difusores, cables etc. que faltan en esta marca por la novedad de la misma.

This what a camera manual should be! Plain and simple, no hidden instructions between warnings. Written in a simple to understand manner. My only regret is not to have founded before.

Un libro molto completo, che va oltre al tipico manuale di istruzioni. Vi si possono trovare mille consigli ed istruzioni su come utilizzare le due macchine fotografiche, anche con gli accessori più disparati ed al meglio delle loro possibilità. Peccato che non si trovi la traduzione in italiano.