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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Aspects of Digital Photography focusing on the Fuji X-Pro 1, Fuji X-E1 and X100s - photographer, reviews, samples and more.
The most comprehensive Collection on Fuji X-Pro1 and X-E1 articles, reviews and X-Pro1 Photographer on the Web!
Curated by Thomas Menk
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Ever since I replaced my trusty old X100 with its newer incarnation, the X100S, I have been struggling with color rendition in Lightroom, which is my weapon of choice when editing RAW files. A while ago, Apple released an update to their Digital Camera RAW software (native RAW support in OS X) with support for the X100S and I found its color rendition of X100S RAW files much nicer right out of the box than what Adobe was offering me. For some time, I exported 16-bit TIF files from Apple’s Preview.app and imported them into Lightroom and continued to edit my photos in there, but this quickly became cumbersome and consumed quite a lot of extra disk space. I placed a request in the Adobe forums to address this bad rendition of X100S colors and got a reply from a fellow user that pointed out to me that this probably wasn’t Adobe’s fault to begin with, since they didn’t bundle a specific camera profile for the X100S, and that I could create my own profile using a standardized color checker, which would probably get the colors right. Enough said, I ordered one, made my own profile and here we are. Today I do not feel the need to do the detour through Apple’s Preview.app just in order to get a good starting point with colors and I can keep an undestructive workflow within Lightroom. Feel free to try it out, but keep in mind this profile was made for my camera and that custom profiles may differ a bit from camera to camera. I’ve also included a bunch of presets I use frequently together with the X100S......
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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An Fronleichnam ging es für 4 Tage nach Holland. Der erste große Test für meine kleine Fuji XE-1 auf Reisen.
Morgens um 7.00 Uhr war Abfahrt in Richtung Apeldoorn, unserem Zwischenstopp auf dem Weg zum Ijsselmeer. Bei trüben Wetter wurde durch die Stadt gebummelt, für die Kinder Gelegenheit zu shoppen, für mich ein wenig Zeit zum fotografieren. Sehr viel gab der Ort aber in der kürze der Zeit nicht her. Am Nachmittag sind wir dann in Workum, unserem Urlaubsort am Ijsselmeer angekommen und haben unser Zimmer in dem Hotel "Gast-Inn" direkt am Hafen von Workum bezogen. Ein sehr gemütliches Hotel mit einem sehr netten Eigentümer Ehepaar. Kann man ruhigen Gewissens empfehlen! ....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Before I start the Fujifilm X-Pro1 review I just want to explain that I get asked at least once a week about cameras from friends/family/strangers so I thought it was about time I start reviewing them. Now these won’t be as in depth and crazy as other reviews, I wont have crazy in depth details about the technology used to power the camera or charts comparing it with it’s competition. My reviews are going to be simply based off my experience with the camera and who should buy or not buy the camera, followed by a hand full of images taken with the camera being reviewed. Now with that being said, shall we begin?! First camera up is a beast of a camera and one of my most recent purchases, its the Fujifilm X-Pro1.....
So Who Should Buy This Camera? To be honest I would love to say everyone should buy this camera but that’s not true. The people who should buy this camera are camera enthusiasts, street photographers and or photographers who have a DSLR and want something smaller to carry around everyday with them. I would be brave enough to say that you can use this for fashion photography if you wanted. If your looking to capture fast moving action I suggest you stay away from this camera, unfortunately it’s not fast enough to capture those moments that need fast focusing......
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Suggested by
Jim Siano
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This morning I received the much anticipated Fuji 55-200mm zoom lens. Since I found out the delivery to Hong Kong was last night, I updated my firmware to 2.04 version, which is essential to take advantage of the autofocus system with this lens. The purpose of this review is to see what this lens can do in real life situations – no pixel peeping or technical gobly-gook information is here.
The lens was delivered to my place of work and I could not wait until lunch to take photos of street scenes. So I recruited willing staff to test out my new you.
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Curious about how the Fuji X series camera actually stores in the RAW (RAF) file, and how Fuji's DR mode affects the RAW file, I decided to dig into the RAW file a bit to see what I could discover. My tests here were produced using my FujiFilm XE-1, but the results should be identical to the other Fuji X cameras including the X-Pro1, X100, and X100s. The measured values and histograms were produced using RawDigger....
An important observation here is that even though stops of light are logarithmic (one stop is a doubling of light) the CMOS sensor measure light in a linear fashion and the RAW file records those values in a linear value scale. The effect is that tones in the upper-most stop of light can be described by nearly 1500 different variations, whereas tones in the lowest measured stop of light can only be described by two possible values - on or off. Because there are so many variations in the upper stops of light they can be described as "creamy" with smooth transitions from one color to another, whereas colors deep in the shadows with few variations can be describe as "crunchy."....
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Suggested by
Roel
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... I took my X100 everywhere with me – including to Antarctica and China. It was a camera that really made me think about composition, exposure and lighting – it was made for “intentful” shooting and thus it allowed me to create some of my best images. I vowed to never, ever sell this camera as I really loved using it. Then I did the unthinkable: I sold it.
Why, you might ask? I had just acquired a second X-Pro1 camera body and given that Fujifilm had announced several new lenses for this system, I felt that my X100 was not going to see much use in the future. I already had the XF 18mm f/2 (28mm equivalent) prime lens which I thought would be a good substitute for the X100′s 23mm f/2 lens (until Fujifilm released its upcoming 23mm f/1.4 lens). It seemed like a good idea at the time, hence why I sold the X100.
It turned out to be a decision I came to regret – a lot.....
One thing though – someone asked me recently if I was planning to purchase the upcoming XF Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 lens to use with my X-Pro1 now that I own the X100S. The short answer is, “no.” The way I view the X100S is that it is an excellent 23mm f/2 lens with a great camera attached to it – which now has a permanent place in my bag.
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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An appalling pun and my final conclusion is probably a little more balanced with respect to the subject of this post, the Zeiss Touit 12mm. Its equivalent focal length is 18mm, which is very wide indeed. High level, this is a very good lens and if you like 18mm equivalent you should consider buying it for your Fuji X camera. I haven’t tried the NEX version (having sold all my NEX gear) but I would be willing to bet it looks good in a similar manner on the 16mp sensors and not so good on the NEX-7. Those who have seen my previous post will realise I was very happy with the results from the 32mm. I wasn’t sure about my initial results with the 12mm but it’s grown on me significantly. Readers hopefully realise that I’m a WA lens addict and I love to play with perspectives. None of the shots here are corrected for perspective/keystone issues and I’m happy with that (though I might not be for a different subject)! ....
.... The only reason this lens doesn’t deserve superlatives left and right is the existence of the Fuji 14mm. If the Fuji didn’t exist or was a little bit more average, the 12mm would be a must buy lens, as it is it’s a very good lens that’s not as good primarily because of variations in sharpness in the corners. However there is no question in my mind that a person wanting the widest lens available shouldn’t hesitate in buying the Zeiss instead of the Fuji 14.
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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I have been DSLR free for about two months and all is well. During the past two months I’ve been to Cuba, New York (x2), and Arizona. I feel I have hit just about every type, and kind, of job I do and my little Fujis have performed flawlessly. I really relied on them in Arizona where I was shooting for Land Rover. I shot that job with a mix of Fujis and the Phase One. Everything else has been Fuji only. I have no clue how many miles I have put on my Think Tank Airport Security roller bag. I love that bag and it has been everywhere with me for four or five years as my main camera bag. For the past two months I’ve mainly been living out of the Think Tank Airport Essentials backpack. Here’s a fully packed bag that fits under the seat in coach. I never have to worry about it getting gate checked. Packed in there is a Fuji X-Pro1, X-E1, x100s (x2), a Fuji 60, 35, 14, and the new 55-200, Kung Pao (Yongnuo) 560, an external battery pack for the Kung Pao (JJC), Fuji EF-X20 flash, Wein Safe Sync IR transmitter, an OCF Gear 5 meter Canon cord, a Rainbow Imaging intervalometer and remote release controller (for the X-E1), a Fuji M mount adapter, Macbook Air, external drive, and misc other bits and bobs. Strapped to the side is a Phottix 36″ double fold umbrella, and a one foot length of 1/2″ copper pipe with a small swivel adapter. That’s A LOT of gear in a small bag......
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Custom settings can be an extension of the film simulations, adding another layer to your jpgs, or they can be set up to give you the best preview of your RAW files, enabling you to make better exposure decisions. I show you how to set them up, use them effectively and some of my favourite settings for your Fuji X cameras....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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This weekend we fled to the country, trying to escape another dreary, drizzle/cloud fest. Don’t get me started… I sometimes feel this blog is becoming some sort of weather watch (!). I brought the X-Pro1 and X100 with me but spent most of my time shooting the Pro with the Fujinon 55–200mm zoom. In fact it pretty much stayed glued to the camera. This is still the same pre-production unit Fujifilm sent me a few weeks ago, but I feel perfectly confident in its abilities to provide great image quality so I’m not at all concerned about using it. No stories today, no semi-poetics… Just four sequences, each one comprised of five images. Four sequences to illustrate four moments. All shot with the 55–200 zoom.....
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Suggested by
dturbo
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I haven’t been back to Japan in over 7 years so when I was given the opportunity to go again, I didn’t hesitate. It was time to put my X100s to the test and see what it could do in the busy streets of Tokyo. I’m not much of a street photographer, mostly because I’m shy and don’t wanna seem creepy, but if i see a shot, I’m more than willing to suck it up and go for it. All photos were taken with the fujifilm X100s, uploaded onto my Ipad 2, edited on Snapseed, and presented here. There was something really fulfilling about spending the afternoon taking photos with a camera that excites me as much as the fujifilm x100s does, and then spending the evening in a coffee shop uploading and editing the photos. It’s something that really inspired me and I truly enjoyed the entire experience. The Fujifilm x100s is a gorgeous camera. It’s physically beautiful and the results are even better. This camera has the “it” factor. There’s just something about it that just works for a lot of fuji users. The simplicity of it is just right. All the controls are at my fingertips which I absolutely love. This camera makes me want to take photos. Unlike my DSLR which sits on a shelf until its time for a gig, the x100s makes me want to be a better photographer. It inspires me to get out there and shoot some damn photos! It was an absolute joy to use during my two week stay in Japan. Having travelled all across Europe with my DSLR and lenses, this was such a welcomed change in terms of size, weight, and simplicity.....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Bei der Carl Zeiss AG in Oberkochen hat man wohl entschieden, anstelle der Marke «Carl Zeiss» bei neuen Produkten nur «Zeiss» als Marke zu nutzen. Die erste Produktfamilie, die davon offensichtlich betroffen ist, scheint die im vergangenen Monat vorgestellte Touit-Objektivreihemit Sony-Nex- und Fujifilm-X-Anschlüssen zu sein.
Inzwischen sind die ersten Distagon-2,8/12-mm-Objektive im Handel aufgetaucht, bei welchen der Name Carl fehlt. Die Touit-Objektive der ersten Produktions-Charge, die noch den traditionellen Markennamen tragen, könnten sich schon bald zu gesuchten Sammlerstücken entwickeln.....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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With apologies to Dr. Seuss, this is exactly what a street photographer must do. And if you are walking the streets of Calcutta you might not need to “turn minnows into whales” for you will have “a story that NO ONE could beat!” This was my second visit to Calcutta, also known by its newer and more politically correct name Kolkata. I spent all of last week in this city for work and pleasure, though I had very little time to myself. When I did get a few minutes, I spent them with a local friend and we prowled the city’s streets photographing. The days were unusually cool, overcast, rainy and gray. In other words, perfect for street photography. The city has a grittiness to it. It seemed less friendly than last time I visited and more like the big city it is. Perhaps because I had so little time to spend with the people who actually live there, which always tends to make one feel more welcome. Because of this emotion I processed these photos with the idea of communicating that same feeling. I processed the Fujifilm RAW .RAF files in Lightroom and then put the “HDRish,” grunge effect using onOne Perfect Effects 4. I photographed all images using my Fujifilm X-Pro1. And even though I took my 35 mm f/1.4 with me, most of the time it stayed in my pocket (literally in my back pocket!). For whatever reason–be it close quarters, the intimacy of my subjects, I am not sure why, but my 14 mm seemed to be glued to my camera.....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Today we are reviewing the Fuji x100s a very cool retro style compact camera that packs a punch on the inside. The x100s also sports a 23mm (35mm equivalent) f/2 fixed prime lens, the same as the x100. They have made quite a few improvements from its predecessor the Fuji x100, the manual focus is now very responsive and…works! and the auto focus is so much faster and accurate due to the On-sensor phase detection… I know that’s geek talk but believe me it is soooo much better. They also moved the AF button from left side to the right top button wheel and add a “Q” button that brings up a quick menu that allows you to change common settings quickly without fumbling around in the menu. This camera handles great in low light situations as well and for me the images were usable to ISO6400. For those of you wanting video, it has full 1080 HD video at 60fps. The thing I love about this camera the most is that it is compact, has a cool retro look and is silent when taking photos. It’s not bulky nor does it attract attention to you like your DSLR and big lenses but functions and controls just as good. I also love that there is a hot shoe so that I can still use my triggers for off camera flash. In the video we used the Cheetah CL-180 system on Cheetah Stands to produce some awesome results. The shutter speed can go as fast as 1/4000 sec but as I said in the video, the best flash sync speed for off camera flash is 1/1000th sec to get the full flash burst. The Fuji x100s is definitely the ultimate walk around camera at this time, I highly recommend it.....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Yes, the new Fuji 55-200mm lens arrived for my fuji camera systems! I am currently shooting with a color X-E1, a color X Pro 1 and a IR converted (720nm) X Pro 1. I know how well the 55-200 works on the color bodies but what I really needed to know how did it work with the IR system! Would it give hot spots as so many of the Fuji lenses do? This post is the report of my findings. The final verdict is that it works very well and as long as you do not go higher than f/16 there are no hot spots to worry about at any zoom range! To me this is a really big deal. So far only the 14mm and 35mm Fuji lenses are usable in infrared. So the addition of another lens really helps. I am going to give you some examples of how this lens actually does at both the wide and long ends of the zoom range wide open and closed down so that you can get a feel of the usable Infrared range that you can use. Next week I will do a posting using the lens for color work only.
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Suggested by
Adrian Seah
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The loud incessant clanging of cymbals and banging of drums startled me from my afternoon siesta. Momentarily disorientated, my drowsy head took a moment before it registered where I was, our recent spate of bus journeys had blurred the lines between the cities and towns we’ve stayed in. Sucre. La ciudad blanca, The White City. We had arrived a couple of days prior, intending to make this a longer than usual stop to fit in another week of Spanish lessons. The cultural capital of Bolivia and named after revolutionary leader Antonio José de Sucre, the city of Sucre is chock full of colonial architecture and a is rightfully a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Perched high up at an elevation of 2810m, the altitude blesses the city with a cool temperate climate all year round. I shock off the remnants of sleep and wandered over to the window, where the celebratory marching band could be heard just round the corner. Not having a clue what the whole thing was about but not wanting to miss anything, I grabbed my camera and ran out the door. What greeted me was an absolute riot of colour and costumes, a huge parade of people dancing with multiple marching bands, each trying to outdo each other. Little old ladies in sequins and flashy costumes, men in mythical monster outfits, everyone was just dancing and waltzing their way across town. A lady standing beside me noticed my fascination and offered, “La fiesta de San Juan de Dios” Saint John of God, a 16th century Spanish/Portuguese saint and inspiration behind the worldwide charity Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, formed by his followers after his death to care for the sick and suffering everywhere, and in particular, those afflicted with mental illnesses, was having his feast day celebrated in Sucre, to great aplomb. We followed the procession up Calle Junin and towards Plaza Alto de la Alianza, walking though a part of town we hadn’t yet visited. Like a noisy river of gyrating and swaying glitter, the procession flowed uptown with huge crowds of people following alongside. The dark clouds above threatened above but not a drop fell.
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Well it is here, Adobe have released version 5 of their brilliant Photoshop Lightroom photo management and editing software.
I have been using Lightroom from the initial beta and have watched it grow from strength to strength. Just over a year ago I celebrated the release of Lightroom 4 which brought with it considerable improvement in image quality, especially when it comes down to image noise.
Lightroom 5 brings a strong focus on the photographer’s workflow and some of the new tools really are brilliant, I suspect even less time in Photoshop as a result of the ‘advanced healing brush’ alone.
It is now possible to paint out larger areas of an image for correction but the big bonus is the fact you can be much more accurate. For example in this image I had to use a large circle to remove a bird yet the new brush means I can create a smaller circle and heal only the pixels necessary.
The vertical straightening tool is particularly intelligent in auto mode. This image was taken at the bottom of a waterfall at a slightly skewed angle to ensure all of the fall is in the shot. Lightroom was able to bring the wall forward to correct the vertical perspective.....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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A couple of weeks ago I posted my impressions of the Zeiss 32mm Touit lens for NEX cameras, based on a copy loaned to me by Zeiss, USA. Now that we have our own copies I can be, shall we say, a bit more aggressive in examining the lens. Not to mention getting an opportunity to continue my string of aggressively bad pun titles (which Drew absolutely hates). But, hey, don’t blame me. I didn’t pick the name. I just do what has to be done. I have yet begun to pun. Anyway, given that a lens with electronic autofocus and aperture control was something new in the Zeiss consumer lineup, Aaron and I couldn’t wait to take a look inside and see how things were put together. Once we got a look inside, we found there was more Touit than we expected (don’t say I didn’t warn you). The lens is put together solidly in typical Zeiss fashion....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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HIGH QUALITY EXTRA SOFT PORPORA RED SUEDE LEATHER FOR INNER FINISHING
Tripod screw already inclusive for ALL cases without any price surcharge !!
AVALAIBLE IN THE FOLLOWING COLORS:
Foxy Brown Waxed:A very aged dark brown color,tonalities goes from foxy brown to dark brown,one of the model more succesfull in our collection, it is done with one of the best leather. This new type is also waxed on the surface, giving better tonalities and saturation of colours.
Each leather is worked by tannery for us following our requests, a process which last not less than 15 days for each leather, using the same traditional methods for hundreds years (all vegetable tanned, no chemicals at all). Our leather is very thick (up to 3mm) and was received by natural ageing process to fit Leica owners' taste.
Hand made by some of the most skilled italian artisans with more then 30 years of experience in this field. Each half case requires one day of work, all process is carefully handmade, the bottom of the case is stitched by hands (not glued to the upper part)
The case is adjusted to fit like a glove to the camera body. The case also features a grip on the front part to aid ergonomical camera handling. A removable LCD protector has been included too.....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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No Fuji X100s, X-E1 oder X-Pro1 support! :-( - only Fuji X10
Microsoft has announced a Raw compatibility update for Windows Vista, 7 and 8, adding support for 22 cameras. This includes the previous generation of Canon Rebel cameras, along with the Pentax K-01, Sony RX100 and the Fujifilm X10. It also adds support for the Canon EOS 6D and Nikon D600, along with 'richer' support for images shot in AdobeRGB. Windows 8 users can find the update using the Windows Update system (Update KB2836187), while Vista and Windows 7 customers will need to visit the Microsoft Download Center.
Details: The release has richer support for images shot in the AdobeRGB color space for all supported cameras. Support was added for 22 additional cameras: - Canon: EOS 650D, EOS1100D, EOS 6D, EOS Kiss X5, EOS Kiss X6i, EOS Rebel T4i, PowerShot SX50 HD - Fujifilm: X10 - Nikon: 1 V2, D600, D5200 - Olympus: E-600, PEN E-PL1s, PEN-P3 - Panasonic: Lumix DMX-FZ40, Lumix DMX-G2, Lumix DMX-GX1 - Pentax: K-01 - Samsung: EX2F - Sony: Alpha NEX-F3, Alpha SLT-A37, Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Fujifilm and Panasonic have announced the joint development of a sensor technology that combines a light-sensitive coating on top of a CMOS chip. The companies claim higher dynamic range and sensitivity than current CMOS sensors, along with the ability to receive light at steeper angles - making it easier to design cameras with wide-angle lenses and allowing lenses to be mounted nearer to the sensor. The announcement extends from the work Fujifilm has been conducting on organic (carbon-based) photo-senstive materials and combines it with CMOS underpinnings developed by Panasonic. The result is a chip that uses CMOS technology only for circuitry - with the organic layer taking over the role of converting light into electrons. Although the companies don't detail a timeline for production, the joint presentation made at the VLSI Technology show in Japan shows images of pixel designs on the 0.9μm and 3μm scales. The smaller pixel would allow the creation of a 20MP sensor for mobile phones, while the larger one would result in a 41MP APS-C sensor.....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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If you have read my Fujifilm X-Pro1 review (which, by now, you should have), you’ll know that I was very impressed. So going into this review, and knowing what I knew of the camera, I was somewhat sceptical of the X-E1 living up to my demands. (SPOILER ALERT!) Sadly, I have to confess that my fears were not completely unfounded. In short, the X-E1 is not the camera for me. I’d rather just pony-up the extra $400 to get the X-Pro1. To me, the X-E1 is missing of bit of the magic that the X-Pro1 has. While a little quirky, the X-Pro1 is a splendid camera to use. The saving-grace of the X-Pro1 is its brilliant hybrid viewfinder. It makes every other minor quibble…well, minor. But, without the hybrid viewfinder, I found the overall experience of the X-E1 less to my liking......
Conclusion While I might not love the X-E1 like I do the X-Pro1, it’s hard not to at least like it. After all, it performs like a champ, uses the same great range of Fujinon XF lenses as the X-Pro1, is small and light-weight, and looks like a million bucks! For some people, I think the X-E1 is probably the perfect compromise It has most of the same professional features as the X-Pro1, but is a smaller, lighter, more consumer-friendly package, and would certainly be a welcome gift by any photo enthusiast.....
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Suggested by
Karim Haddad
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A week ago at this time, I was on a train heading to New York. I was going on business and unfortunately, I was only staying for two days. Despite being off Sunday through Tuesday, I had to rush back for a Saturday shift that none of my colleagues were willing or able to pick up. I would have loved to stay in NYC for a few more days. Although I’ve been recently trying my hand at street photography, I wouldn’t call myself a street photographer. I prefer landscapes and other subjects. Perhaps a big part of that is the city that I’ve done most of my urban photography in – Washington, DC. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that after 20+ years, I’ve had enough of this place. I’m long overdue for a change and hope to end up in a ‘new’ and colorful city very soon. The next chapter of my life likely won’t be played out in New York City. But being on the streets there with my Fuji X-Pro1 – even if only for a few rushed hours – was a real pleasure. I could see myself indulging in street photography everyday if I lived there. A marvelous stage with a plethora of various characters. I must go back soon.....
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Suggested by
laroquephoto
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I've spent a few hours with friends I haven't seen in decades. The air hangs thick as freshly poured asphalt — Montreal can get as hot as it can be cold. I walk back to the car amidst throngs of tourists, under an impending storm, the sky flickering and flashing nervously, a low menacing rumble in the distance. I barely make it. I pick up the camera and aim haphazardly at the world outside my bubble — a hand on the wheel, an eye on the screen....
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