This journal documents the days leading up to my purchase of the Fuji X-E1 and 35mm lens. I placed the order on Oct. 24, 2012 and the camera arrived on Nov. 2.

X-E1 On Back-order at Vistek

gear

Wed 24 Oct 2012 11:42:17 PM EDT

The Fuji X-E1 black body is back-ordered 4-6 weeks at Vistek. GGGAAAHHHH!

Deep breath.

Patience.

I'm sure I can find something to occupy my time in the meanwhile given that I recently taken delivery of Neil Turok's Massey Lectures, The Universe Within; the graphic novel, Grandville (got it for $9.20 in the Amazon Bargain Bin); Morris Bishop's The Middle Ages (also a bargain at $7.60; though I don't think it will match Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror) and The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics edited by Art Spiegelman ($19.90, 50% off Amazon Bargain).

Vistek has plenty of X-mount 35mm/1.4 lenses in stock and when I went to order one I noticed that the overview doesn't mention that they work with the X-E1. I emailed their sales guys, but haven't heard back; the first paragraph of the copy reads:

Designed specifically for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera with an APS-C sensor, this Fujifilm 35mm f/1.4 XF R Lens is a "normal" lens equivalent to 53mm in 35mm format. The exceptionally fast, bright f/1.4 maximum aperture makes shooting in very low light possible, and provides pleasing bokeh (the out-of-focus portion of a photo) with its 7-blade aperture design--ideal for dramatic portraits. This is a terrific all-in-one lens for everyday use.

Update Mon 29 Oct 2012 12:06:36 AM EDT: I heard back from Vistek thanking me for my email and that my comment would be forwarded to their purchasing and IT departments.

Minimum Requirements

philosophy

Thu 25 Oct 2012 09:38:44 PM EDT

The minimum requirements for a camera to replace my Canon 50D are listed below. Some of these needs stem from being vision impaired and lacking of any appreciable upper body strength:

I had originally placed an order for the Fuji X100 when it was announced, but ended up cancelling it (since it too was back-ordered) and later, I did not regret my decision to cancel my order when complaints of the slow autofocus and infuriating interface emerged, which, to their immense credit, Fuji engineers fixed when the X Pro-1 was released.

Lens Firmware Updates

firmware

Fri 26 Oct 2012 10:33:57 PM EDT

Fuji released firmware updates for three of their X-mount lenses; the 18mm, the 35mm and the 60mm macro, which improves AF performance, based on the article comments.

My Order Shipped

gear

Wed 31 Oct 2012 01:31:31 PM EDT

Wooo!

That was a pleasant surprise from the 4-6 week expected shipment. I don't have a tracking number yet. There was a 10¢ provincial recycling fee (category: "Image, Audio and Video Devices: Personal/Portable") added to my order. Is that really enough to cover the cost of recycling my camera and lens?

Update Thu 01 Nov 2012 01:28:46 PM EDT: I had to request a tracking number from Vistek (seriously, why couldn't it be available on my order page or in the shipping confirmation email I was sent) and when I got it, I found that the package was scheduled to be delivered this morning and of course, no one was home.

So right now, my camera and lens are going back to a warehouse and will wait there for personal pickup. Grrr.

Aside: I don't know why, in the 21st century, there isn't a service that can arrange for package delivery only when someone is home. Isn't it a waste to drive around the city attempting to deliver packages to houses where no one is home to receive them? We have email and text messaging and web sites where such arrangements can be easily be made. If I can order pizza or Chinese food and have it delivered when I'm home, why not my camera?

I noticed there's a new service called Bufferbox (Y-Combinator funded) where deliveries are made to storage containers at GO Stations and the recipient is sent an email with a PIN code to accesses the locker containing their package. This idea was tried once during the dot-com boom (c. 2000, there was a large bank of lockers in the basement of the Royal Bank building just outside the Union Station subway station) and it failed miserably. I don't see why it should succeed now. I predict that within a couple of years, the buffer boxes will be removed.

SD Card Ordered

gear

Thu 01 Nov 2012 01:25:09 PM EDT

I ordered a SanDisk Extreme 32 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 SD card, with a transfer rate of 45MB/s ($43, total with tax was $49) from Amazon. It should be delivered on Monday.

I'm not too upset about the missed delivery (see above) of the camera since I wouldn't have been able to take any photos without a storage medium. All I have at home are CF cards— all my cameras to date have only used that storage medium.

luis fernandes / elf@ee.ryerson.ca October 2012 Fuji X-E1 Journal