The Fuji X Files

In my last few posts I've been preparing for my 'one lens, one camera' reduction to my photography kit. And finally, after only a few days, the wait is over. My 'new' Fujinon XF23mm f2 R WR arrived - all packaged up in its original box - safe and sound. The image on the left is of the actual lens, purchased off of an NZ Fujifilm Facebook group member (thanks Clint). I think it looks beautiful in all-silver to match my silver and black X-E2, although previously I would probably have been an all-black kinda guy. Having only ever used the XC lenses thus far on my Fujifilm cameras, I was immediately struck by the extra attention to detail on the 23mm f2, as well as the extra heft. Even though the XC16-50mm actually weighs a little more than the 23mm f2 (15 grams more to be exact), the prime ends up feeling a little heavier (or should that be more solid), because of its metal construction. Morning walk, Cobden. Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF23mm. f5.6 @ 1/750th, ISO 200 ...

It's been almost two weeks since my last post - a post where I outlined my likely 'upgrade' path of my X-E2 to the more SLR-styled X-T20. A lot can happen in two weeks - and indeed a lot has happened. More than enough to make me want to change my mind about my last post. Let me explain... Old School House, Okarito. Fujifilm X-E2 with XC16-50mm First, I should say that I don't disagree with anything I wrote in my last post here . I believe every word of it. If I was to 'upgrade' my X-E2 body, I would choose the X-T20 (considering present budget constraints). But I also said in my last post that I am not unhappy with my current X-E2, and that any upgrade was more for firmware/software reasons than any megapixel or performance update. Having established that, if I kept everything exactly as it was and simply swapped out the X-E2 for an X-T20, would I really notice a difference in my images? Seriously? After some fairly serious self-reflection and a very timely yo...

Is it just me, or is anyone else excited by the 'new' Fujinon 35mm f2 XC lens? Because I am. Very excited. And I'm thinking this may well be the next lens for my X-E2. For a couple of reasons. Firstly, I am a fan of the 50mm (53mm on the Fuji to be exact) 'normal' focal length. I grew up, photographically speaking, with a 50mm f1.8 lens of some description attached to my film camera. And have carried that through to my digital photography. The 'nifty fifty' fast prime lens has always found a home in my gear bag - and why not? They are fast, light, sharp and affordable (more on that soon) prime lenses with excellent IQ and versatility. When I was shooting weddings, the 50mm f1.8 (either Canon or Nikon depending on what system I was shooting at the time) was my 'go-to' bride-getting-ready lens, for its low-light performance and decent bokeh. Granted that was usually on APS-C sensor cameras (although I started with the Canon 5D full-frame), so the effec...

There's not a lot I don't like about my Fujifilm X-E2. The size, weight, form factor, ergonomics and IQ are all fantastic, and I adore the range-finderesque style of shooting (which is a complete surprise to me). There are, however, a couple of features (or lack of in one case) that I am not all that crazy about. First, which I wrote about last post, is the X-E2's inability to set individual white balance shifts for each custom film setting. To be fair, this isn't just an X-E2 issue, and was only recently fixed with the X-Pro 3 and X100V. Still, I wish the X-E2 had this ability. Second, due to its X-Trans II sensor, the X-E2 doesn't have the Acros film simulation, and nor does it have any Grain setting for the film recipes. If I am going to stick to shooting in Jpeg-only going forwards (which remains to be seen), these are two settings I would dearly love to have. As much as I adore the X-E2 in most other respects, these omissions have me seriously co...

I've fallen in love with the Fujifilm X cameras! Having recently purchased a used X-E1 to get a 'taste' of the system (to replace my Pen E-P3 as my mirrorless travel camera), I'm now gorging myself on all the x-trans Fujifilm goodness I can handle! Motukeikei Beach, West Coast.  Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f8 @ 1/140th, ISO 800. (RAF file processed in Lightroom) I'm definitely in the 'honeymoon' phase, willing to overlook any faults that the system may have (surely not), to focus instead on all the amazing positives. Of which, I believe, there are many. As I said earlier, and wrote about recently  here , the Fujifilm X-E1 is my 'toe in the water'. I've used it on a couple of landscape outings so far, and have been so amazed and impressed by the images it produces, that I've gone and got an X-E2! They are so cheap (relatively speaking) body-only, that I just couldn't say no - and to be honest, I was also curious...

Last post detailed my trip to the Stockton Opencast Mine, and eluded to the incredible vistas that you can see from the top of the Stockton plateau. These are some amazing views - too grand to simply capture with one image. So naturally, with my DSLR hat on, I immediately thought 'panorama'. Shoot a series of images, stitch them together in photoshop and bingo, you got yourself a pano. But, of course, I didn't have my DSLR with me. I had the Fuji X10. Which just happens to have a 'Panorama' mode in the 'Advanced' dial on the camera. Stockton Opencast Mine, Stockton Plateau Switching to the advanced mode and choosing 'Panorama', gives you several options. You can choose to shoot a 120, 180 or 360 degree panorama (by default it will start at 360). You can also choose to sweep the camera from left to right or right to left, up to down or down to up (for vertical panoramas). I started with the 360 degree panorama, but it was a bit 'too...

Last weekend I had the opportunity to play the 'tourist', when my stepfather invited the family along on a tour of the Stockton Open Cast Mine. I was excited not only by the prospect of seeing the mine in operation, but also of taking the X10 out on its first big adventure, to see how it would perform. Stockton Aerial Coal Bins. We started the day at the end of the process, at the Stockton Incline where the coal is delivered off the plateau in coal bins. These bins run 24/7, delivering coal down to the township where it is then sent by train off to Lyttleton for export. I kept the X10 in 'A' (Aperture) mode for most of the day, shooting at a safe 5.6 to f8 aperture, on my standard RAW + Jpeg at DR400. I also very quickly settled in to 'tourist' mode, composing in live view from the back of the camera (much to my surprise). Work gear drying after a shift. We started up at the Stockton Mine itself by getting a quick tour of the facilities - starting ...

As well as delving into the technical aspects of shooting with the X10,  I also want this blog to be a visual feast. Photography is, after all, about the images we take (isn't it?). "The Duke" 250th @ f7 Above is an example of the kind of image I can make when I always have the camera with me. Part of the reasoning behind switching from a full DLSR kit, to a compact like the X10, is so that I would actually carry the camera with me more often, and be ready for a photographic opportunity that I would normally pass by. This is an example of just that kind of shot. It's a building I pass almost every day on my way to work, and I knew that around noon on a sunny day there would be some interesting shadows move cross the side of the building. Plus it's a really cool colour and I knew it would make a great photo. "Keep Calm" 320th @ f5.6 And this is an image I shot today, during my lunch break at work. I saw this all morning, literally outside my...

As a wedding/portrait photographer, I spend a lot of time shooting at wide open apertures. My favorite two lenses for the APS-C digital cameras are the 50mm f1.8 and the 85mm f1.8 - generally shot either wide open or at around f2.8. Even with a 'fast' lens that goes from f2 to f2.8, I know that the Fuji X10 isn't going to give me the creamy smooth 'bokeh' I'm used to from my prime lenses on the D90. But can it get close? I took my ever-patient model/daughter Emily out to the Brunner Mine Site to test the X10's portrait abilities. Bokeh at 112mm @ f2.8 ISO 100 To help the Fuji X10 focus, I switched to 'Face Detection' and checked the lcd on the back for the first few minutes just to make sure the focus was tracking on Emily's face correctly. It was, so I then switched to my normal 'info' mode on the lcd and let the camera do all the work. With the camera at f2.8, zoomed all the way out to 112mm, the resulting 'bokeh' ca...

I suspect, like a lot of X10 shooters, I am not alone in having already shot with its 'bigger' brother - the Fuji X100. It has, after all, been out for a couple of years now, and is (not surprisingly) a very popular camera for those looking for a solid performer in a retro compact(ish) body. I had the opportunity to shoot with one about 6 months ago - albeit very briefly - just long enough to enjoy the experience and spark my interest in actually owning my own Fuji compact camera. Just not the X100. And why not? Fuji X100 shot in jpeg, Velvia film simulation I'm not going to beat around the bush - it's the lens. No, there's nothing wrong with the lens - it's a beautiful, sharp, fast 35mm optic. But for me, that's just the problem. It's only a fixed 35mm optic. And I'm not a fixed 35mm kind of guy. When Fuji first talked about the X100, they set up a website to get customer feedback (yeah, I know, on a camera they hadn't even released ye...

Weekends are busy around the Lorimer household, with chores, gardens and lawns to keep up with. We've had an amazingly long, dry, hot summer here in New Zealand, and the warm weather continues - but I've been itching to get out with the Fuji X10 and have a 'play'.  I finally got my chance late yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, so I headed to a local mining site to start to get to grips with my new camera. Brunner was the site of a major mining disaster on the Coast last century, and is well worth the visit. Lots of old relics and cool industrial objects to photograph. What I really wanted to test at the start was the X10's sharpness as a landscape camera, because I'd taken a few quick photos earlier and had been slightly disappointed with the results. The whole middle section seemed slightly 'unsharp' to me, surprisingly given that is where the focus point should be at its sharpest? So first off, a few landscape shots.... The new bridge at the Brunner ...

I had a chance over the weekend to download the trial version of Lightroom 4.3 from Adobe's website. I'm looking at RAW Conversion software for the tricky X10 RAW files (Fuji call them RAF files), and had hit a brick wall with all of the options I personally owned (see last post). Except for a very brief stint several years ago, I've never been a Lightroom user - choosing Aperture instead. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and maybe Apple wasn't the way to go, but they were the first to come out with a 'Pro' RAW conversion application, and I was an early adopter. So I've stayed with them all the way through. But now it seems that they have lagged too far behind, offering no RAW support for the X10 (and an apparently inferior RAW processing engine, depending on who you listen to)? So I downloaded Lightoom, to see if it offers better support for the X10. Lightroom and Fuji RAF files - a beautiful thing. The above image speaks volumes! Finally, RAW suc...