Bullies | Scott Kelby loses it on the X100.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 1:53 AM 
Bullies.
I sat down last night to watch Scott Kelby’s latest episode of The Grid and had the great privilege of watching bullies.
Teased on the RSS feed as “Catch the Fuji X100 Blues”, Kelby and Rafael Concepcion basically trash the camera. They don’t review it, just trash it. Because you see, the X100 apparently cannot focus consistently. Ever. And anyone who says it does is in-denial-and-is-a-big-fat-doodoo-with-ugly-pants-ha-ha-ha-oh-yeah-buuurnnnn!
Seriously. This is the most unprofessional thing I’ve seen in a heck of awhile. Not just the content but the tone and Kelby’s antics: “Right now you can put this on eBay and get a pretty decent amount of money back… Six months from now? $200? $175? Hahahaha!” “If you can wait 30 to 60 days, you’ll be able to buy these on eBay at a VERY reasonable price - HUNDREDS of them, always in stock!”
But hey, if you bought it because it just looks cool Kelby says “THAT makes sense!”
Gee, thanks Scott.
This goes on for 36 minutes. The guffaws, self-congratulatory high fives and inside jokes interspersed with Kelby reading from Twitter users calling the X100 “a turd”, or saying “it’s the camera that stops you from getting your pictures stolen from Google” a comment he simply can’t help but applaud. Yeah, applaud. Hahahaha!
When Concepcion tries to bring back a semblance of balance and mentions he can see where the camera can have its uses, Kelby cuts in: “But what are they? Do you like shallow depth of field where everything is out of focus? Hahahaha!”
Now, everyone’s entitled to an opinion. I just think the way you present it is pretty darn important. Not only do they not review the camera in any meaningful way, they actually mock it. And then they mock the users with a stupid Five Stages of X100 number, a crappy song where Kelby again manages to slip in eBay and a boatload of condescension. But it’s all tongue in cheek right? All in good fun – Hahahaha!
No, it’s not. It’s douchy.
When a user posts that he’s not having focusing problems they shrug him off. No applause for him apparently. When they talk about the fact that Zack Arias loves the camera and is taking amazing pictures with it, they chalk it up to his talent as a photographer. They’re right, he’s amazing. But here’s the thing: I’m not sure he’d have any patience for something that couldn’t focus properly. And neither would I.
Saying X100 users who love their camera are in denial because of the money they spent, trying to rationalize their purchase… Hey man, I wouldn’t use it if it wasn’t doing the job. I wouldn’t use it if I couldn’t get sharp pictures. I’d shut up and move on.
Their rationale for this whole bit is that they’re compensating for all the praise the camera has been getting. It’s a reality check see? But while I agree this isn’t a camera for everyone and it has its share of quirks, where’s the reality check when you basically describe it as nothing but a subpar point and shoot, never even mentioning that it uses an APS-C sensor? Or that it can shoot highly usable pictures at ISO 3200? Can your point and shoot do that Scott? Can that Walgreen’s disposable you compare it to do that as well?
Ahh… but it doesn’t matter: the X100 doesn’t focus. It really doesn’t. Case closed.
And their big finale and awesome revelation? We understand you made a mistake, just admit it, it’s ok, sell it on eBay.
Of course the comments are then filled with people who’ve never used it congratulating themselves on saving money, things like “you gotta be insane to pay $1200 for a point and shoot!!!”. Oh! Well played, jolly good… sigh.
It’s basically like a high school cafeteria mob. All hail the class clowns.
…
I know I’m probably going to come off as some sort of humourless fanboy. But I’m really not though. I just expect a little modesty, some accuracy and a modicum of class.
And I’ve never liked bullies.
Reader Comments (25)
What a pair of doucebags! I'm currently saving for my x100 because of all the good I've heard and your blog. I've read plenty of negatives about the camera but they have been presented in a constructive way not this mindless bullying!
Right On! Good for you to speak out.
I also watched this episode, enjoyed the discussion on G+. But found Scott's rant (on the X100) way overboard and totally lacking of professionalism for a person of his standing.
I have the X100 and love it but most of all I shoot with it everyday because I carry it with me everywhere, my Canon 1DsM3 stays in the studio. I agree with Zach, if Fuji offered a X100 with 90mm lens, I might buy that as well and sell all my Canon stuff.
And no mine will not be on eBay anytime soon.
Cheers...Dan
I totally agree with you and I felt basically the same way as you, when I watched it. It's really something....!
It seems their whole case is based on "can't focus". Even the price is referenced like "at this price you would expect it to focus". Well - news flash - it does focus. They should at least have asked some X100 owners what they think about it and the "focus issue" and then dial the results down a bit as there's always going to be some fanboys etc. who'll say "no issues, it's as good as my DSLR" etc., which of course is not the case. But it's certainly not the case either with how bad they make it sound.
My only (small) issue with the X100 autofocus is the speed. Accuracy - no problem. But speed, it's around the average point & shoot I'd say. Of course not as fast as DSLR - and how could it, they're two completely different autofocus systems.
Oh well, my X100 ain't going on eBay anytime soon either. Unless something better comes along and I can justify buying it, then I might sell it - but it would because something better came out, not because the X100 is bad.
I was recently asked about the X100 on Google+ and the photographer said it looked like the perfect camera. I replied I loved it but it was far from perfect and had several shortcomings that needed getting used to. The first post I wrote after purchasing it was entitled A Different Beast | how the X100 kicked my butt. It's not a camera for everyone. It's not the Jesus camera. But it DOES work. Come on.
Like I said, I don't mind them pointing out negatives or even concluding they hate it. That's perfectly fine. But you don't need to spend 36 minutes doing that and you certainly don't need to turn it into a joke or a bad imitation of Lord of the Flies. Dismissing anyone saying they don't have the same problems as deluded or all out liars is lazy and disrespectful. A little sad too considering the amazing amount of great work being created with this camera by photographers everywhere.
It's called jumping the shark.
I've only had my X100 for a little over a week, but I absolutely love it, and I agree with you that Scott seemed to take particular joy in criticizing it. Yes, it has a steep learning curve, and yes, there are some quirky things about it. At the end of the day, however, I think every camera has its faults (no matter what the price), and people who are able to use it despite those faults really end up enjoying it and making the most of it.
Wow. I'm really surprised that Kelby would be so completely, utterly, unprofessional…actually to the point of tacky.
Glad to see I'm not alone. The good news is that we must all be extremely talented photographers, being able to focus with such a problematic piece of gear… ;)
Kelby's video made me so sad. I really enjoy my X100 and haven't had focusing problems. You can't never ever find the perfect camera. So you just have to enjoy what you are using now.
It's about the photographer and not the camera. A good photographer can get a great photo from a crapy camera and a bad photographer can depend on gear. What does Kelby and Co's review (if you can call it that) say about their talent?
Take a look at the awesome X100 photography on the web, which starts right here on Patrick's blog. I've just came back from a short holiday where I took a Nikon D300, but never took it out of the bag. I've came back with street shots from the X100 that I really like and I'm more than happy to add to my blog next week. One thing I have noticed between the X100 and the D300 & D300s, you can crop a lot more with the X100.
I would be fine with a bad review of the X100 or any other camera, if it was a proper review. Why didn't they have somebody on that owns an X100 (like Zack Arias) to balance things up?
Can you imagine these guys if you put a Leica M9 in their hands...they'd spend a week looking for auto focus:-)
Their "review" was absurd and must have been driven by some ulterior motive. The X100 has been amazing, no focus issues and I'm a so so photographer. Your site has awesome shots that inspire me to get better and learn more. As for cost and returns, I had the Leica X1 for a week and had a lot of trouble getting good shots - I'm still learning - so I sold it on Ebay, and I'm loving the X100
Looking forward to your shots next week Derek...
I saw someone in Nîmes shooting with an X1 fitted with the viewfinder. Makes for a very strange looking contraption. As strong as the lure of Leica can be, the X100's OVF is probably its biggest asset for me. I just can't get used to an EVF, let alone no viewfinder at all.
The strangest thing about this "review" is the total lack of curiosity. Given the number of positive reviews the camera has gotten over the last months, the resulting images that have come out of it, shouldn't there at least be some sort of questioning on their part beyond this ridiculous unequivocal verdict? When someone mentions the settings for parallax compensation and their response is "So you have to TELL IT not to suck!"...
They would be absolutely right in warning casual users that this isn't a camera for everyone. It IS a very targeted camera, it doesn't do Program or Scenes and a mainstream SLR will indeed be a better choice for most users. I don't think anyone here would argue with that. Even Fuji wouldn't argue with that. But why is this a problem? Does everything always have to be dumbed down for Joe Public?
From what I understand Kelby spent very little time with the X100. To dismiss it entirely and in such a childish fashion based on so little experience... I just don't get it.
This week RC started following me on Twitter and I'm now following back. Not sure if he's read this or if it's just a coincidence. I'd certainly welcome any further discussion about the show. I got a sense that Kelby was the one hellbent on the bashing...
Sitting thru Scott Kelby's dribble was as bad as trying to get thru his mediocre books on Photoshop.
The Fuji x100 is a GREAT camera and just because Kelby can't figure out a camera from a box of Kleenex,he trashes it.
I think a class action suit is in order for anyone who wants their 90 minutes back from watching that joke of a webcast.
My guess is he wanted one but maybe Fuji would not give him one ????
Such a childish rant on his part I won't be watching him again,reading his books,or signing up anything to do with him...
Fujix100 star :-)
I have high respect with this guy named Scott Kelby, being an icon of Photoshop. But after watching that show with the Fuji x100 thing,I can't figure it out how the hell he made comments like that. Very unprofessional, something like he hates the camera so much.Whew!! Now I have the reason not to buy any of his books and so on.., and tell my friends about it. People of Japan will surely hit this guy on his face. Hehehe..
I can't help but think Mr Kelby's attack on the X100 was personal. I admire the man for his opinions and he was usual spot-on in his other 'rants'. How can he get this completely wrong, is just beyond me. The X100 had definitely brought back joy in my photography, and in the end of the day, it is a niche product after all. Just because Mr Kelby took a dislike on the camera, it does not mean that it was a bad camera. Far from it. And Patrick, well done for showing restraint in your write-up :)
Note to self, don't take offense if Patrick does not follow me back on twitter
Did I show restraint? ;)
Unless someone never or rarely tweets about photography, I usually follow back. But I'm a little behind on follows right now — sorry if I haven't added you yet!
Just read the above without having seen the Scott Kelby video and have never heard of Mr Kelby until now. I bought an X100 for my summer holidays, thus avoiding the heavy D3S or D3X that I normally use for work. Family stuff and perhaps some street photography in Barcelona, that was the plan. The way you describe Kelby's video is in line with my personal experience. It's sad, because the camera has amazing potential: good finish, practical size and good image quality, especially at high ISO. But for me, the camera was useless. I ended up shooting with the Hipstamatic.
It's probably not nice to watch some guys taking the p.... out of the camera that you've just bought and that you happen to like. And I don't want to offend anyone on this blog with my own comments. I've used the Fuji GX680 with film magazines for years - a bulky but amazing camera with good Fujinon glass. My second digital camera was the S3 Pro: slow, unintuitive, but good image quality. Fujifilm is a huge company, and I find it incredible that it could release such a camera with so many flaws.
From your comments, it seems like the guys on "The Grid" went completely overboard. Perhaps. But my hope is that Fujifilm will take Scott's ranting (or at least some of the other, more serious complaints) seriously.
Nicolas,
Thanks for sharing your experience — I'm certain no one here will be offended by such a rational and well thought out response. I'm curious to know what specific issues you had with it.
Sometimes I can't help but wonder if there aren't defective units out there that may be causing such a wide chasm between shooters. It's as though we're not all using the same camera.
When I first bought the X100 last April it coincided with an entire weekend in Boston, away from the family, getting to know the camera. I'd purchased it specifically for our planned trip to France in June and needed it to feel just as familiar in my hand as my DSLRs. Although I came back with shots that immediately sold it to me, it took a while to get a feel for it. But I can assure you I never, ever would've left for Paris with a camera that couldn't do the job. I made sure of that in the months ahead. And it did. That trip would've been ruined otherwise. Believe me, I would've returned it to the store had I not been confident in its abilities and performance.
It IS however a deliberate camera. It slows me down. I don't use it the same way I use an SLR. I tried shooting the kids on our Easter egg hunt a few weeks after getting it and it clobbered me. Not fast enough by any means — and I wrote about it. Not just on AF but, coming from a D300, in overall operation. I do however shoot street in all kinds of ways, often from the hip or just walking by without stopping (sometimes driving) and while it's not always 100% accurate, the X100 isn't cramping my style at all. Certainly not due to focusing issues.
In the end it's doing the job I bought it for. It's very personal but it isn't rationalization on my part - just a simple fact. And I can totally understand this not being the case for everybody. But again, I do not have focusing issues with mine and I know from this and other blogs that I'm not the only one. I also know a lot of photographers visit this site and they wouldn't stand for something as defective as this so-called review painted it to be. There has to be something else at play.
When I look at the new Fuji X10 I see a lot of emphasis in the promotional material on its overall speed. I'm sure they were aware of the X100’s shortcomings in that area and have responded accordingly. Nature of the beast I guess.
I'm truly sorry to hear about your experience. I'd love to see your Hipstamatic shots though :)
Hi Patrick. I was only joking of course. Take care and keep up the great work.
I just got my X100 yesterday, a bit behind the curve, as usual. I sat down with a cup of tea and my iPad and read the crappy PDF manual. Not much seemed to make sense so I looked online and found a work around for close focussing, pre-focussing, auto ISO to name just a few. I'm now very happy, a totally useable camera that does just what I want, plenty of pixels in a compact(ish) package. Perfect! It just takes a bit of research and experimentation to get the best out of it. I'm looking forward to the journey : )
p.s. anyone managed to get a duff exposure out of this thing yet? It just seems to "be there" every time and if in doubt the EVF makes life a breeze.
Cool :)
Yeah the manual isn't much help and the camera really begs to be experimented with. Exposure pretty much depends on the conditions for me, but I've come to anticipate what it'll do so I'm usually in the ballpark. Exp Comp is a friend…
Looking forward to your shots Graham!
I saw Kelby's and RC's episode in The Grid and was surprised by their lack of professionalism. The worst part for me was when Kelby produced a Nikon D5000 and put it side by side with the X100. I could't help noticing how ugly the Nikon looked sitting next to the X100. And my first thought was that the X100's bashing was orchestrated to prop up Nikon cameras. It was as obvious as it was sad. I've been shooting with a D300 and very happy for it. I was going to Paris for 3 weeks and took an X100 with me. Left my D300 at home. I spend my weekends in Paris walking around and shooting street scenes. I love the quality of the images I got from the X100. I even put the camera in silent mode and did quite a bit of photos in the metro. I love the stealth abilities of this little camera. It works differently than an SLR and it is slower. But there are several advantages: image quality is superb, good quality images even at high ISO. It is small and weighs much less than the D300 plus lenses, extra battery pack, etc. And it is a very good looking camera.
Scott Kelby is really a much better businessman than he is a photographer.
Guillermo,
Funny: I also chose the X100 over a D300 for a trip to Paris last summer... Completely agree with your take.
I had read a lot of reviews, looked at the photos and finally made the purchase. It came with the latest firmware and I went out to play with it. First event (a friends wedding but as a regular guest) I took a lot of photos. Initially I had turned photo review off and so when looking at things in aperture I found some inconsistencies with focus. I was also amazed by its ability to deal with low light without a flash...
After playing with it for a while, I can say that for close range < about 2 meters, you have to use the EVF to guarantee focus. Close up, the OVF isn't 100% consistent with focus but EVF is fast and spot on... If you are wondering around, then use EVF with AF-S, however with a subject, probably the best way to work will be manual focus, with the AFL as needed (its right under your phumb) but use EVF rather than OVF for anything less than 2-3 meters away...
Hope this helps - am loving the x100. People don't shy away from it like they do with a big SLR
PB