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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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The X100, X-Pro1 and X-E1 are famous for their low-light, high-ISO capabilities, but sometimes a touch of flash can make an image pop where is could be flat otherwise. This is especially true in bright sunlight where harsh shadows and bright backgrounds can often lead to subjects not being properly exposed, or having harsh and ugly shadows across their faces. A fill-in flash can make all the difference. If used properly, flash can enhance a scene and allow you to use a lower ISO to get better image quality without the caught-in-the-headlights look so often associated with it. That’s another topic though, but I came to the realisation that with the correct use of flash I could enhance my images, so I started looking for the best way to add an external flash to my X-Series cameras. The X-Pro1 doesn’t have an on-board flash, so I initially bought the Fujifilm EF-20 flash as it was half the price of the X-Series EF-X20 version of what was seemingly basically the same flash in a different body! I didn’t see the point of buying the “X” version. I was happy enough with the EF-20, it worked well and was nice and compact for the X100 and X-Pro1, although it does hang a little far forwards....
Summary of the differences between the EF-20 and the EF-X20: - Both flashes work in TTL with the X-Pro1, X-E1, X100, X100s, X20, X10 and X-S1 cameras and I believe they work with some of the Fujifilm bridge cameras as well. - Both flashes have a Guide Number of 20, which is significantly more than the on-board flashes, though that reduces to 12 with the wide-angle option on the EF-X20. - The EF-20 can tilt 90 degrees up to allow you to bounce flash whereas the EF-X20 is fixed facing forwards. - The EF-X20 can operate as a slave, which means it can be used off camera wirelessly. - The EF-X20 has +/-EV controls as a simple dial and full manual control down to 1/64th. The EF-20 is purely TTL. - The EF-20 uses 2xAA batteries where the EF-X20 uses 2xAAA batteries. - The EF-20 retails for around £80 where the EF-X20 retails around £170. ....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my flash off-camera on my X-Series cameras but still retain TTL function for a while now. I’ve asked around everywhere but either nobody knows, or nobody seems to agree how to get it done. Fuji don’t produce a TTL flash cable themselves, and there are no 3rd party solutions either for the Fujifilm X-Series cameras. I have a radio flash sync system, which is fine when I’m taking photos in a studio type situation where TTL metering doesn’t matter, but I wanted something to get the flash off the camera when I was out and about, an easy TTL solution that meant I didn’t have to try too hard for quick snaps. Sometimes by the time you’ve got the flash power right the moment has gone. I’ve been using the EF-20 and EFX-20 flashes with the X100 off-camera by activating the on-camera flash and firing the EFX-20 flash as a slave (the EF-20 doesn’t have a slave mode). This works well in many situations but has a few disadvantages. Firstly, you might not want the on-camera flash to fire – you may only want light from your main flash. Secondly, it’s not always 100% reliable, and finally, it doesn’t work on the X-Pro1 as it doesn’t have an on-board flash! I’ve been doing a lot of work improving my flash techniques recently (a long post will be coming up about that soon) and really wanted this sorted out so I decided to take matters into my own hands! I tried out a supposedly universal cable in-store that said it worked with Nikon, Canon and Fujifilm, but it didn’t work at all. I wondered if one of the cables from another main manufacturer would work on the X-Series cameras. The two candidates being Nikon and Canon of course. Given the historic connection Fuji had with Nikon producing the S2 and S5 DSLRs I thought that a Nikon lead would be the obvious choice, but having had a look at the two, the connection pin placements on the Canon cables seemed to match better with the pins on the Fuji hot-shoe. With the genuine Canon cables around £50 I just couldn’t justify buying one on the off-chance that it worked, but after a search around I found a 3rd party Canon compatible cable by Pixel on Amazon at £16.99 – at that price it was worth a shot! This is the cable I bought - Pixel FC311/s Compact TTL Sync Cord for Canon....
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Today I received the Fujifilm EF-X20 flash for my Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera. I really love this little flash unit which has a guide number of 20 and a built-in diffusor that makes it work with wide-angle lenses down to 20mm (in 35mm format). It is made from premium metal materials and the finish really complement the metal finish on the X-Pro1 and X100 cameras.
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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The EF-X20's metal body features a physical exposure dial on the top deck, and weighs just 100 grams without batteries. Dimensions are 2.3 x 2.0 x 1.4 inches (59.5 x 50 x 36mm). The exposure dial provides access to TTL Auto exposure compensation from +1 to -1 EV, as well as manual flash output control from 1/32 to full power.
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Suggested by
Mehrdad Abedi
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Ich gebe zu die Fuji x-pro ist für mich vor allem auch eine Kamera mit der ich vornehmlich available-light-Fotografie betreibe. Die sehr guten Ergebnisse, auch bei ISO 6400, machen den Blitzeinsatz meist unnötig. Dennoch, ich bin ein Freund von Blitzlicht, demnach war es nur eine Frage der Zeit bis ich mich mit der Blitzlichtfotografie und der x-pro 1 auseinandersetze. Der erste Punkt der mir etwas Kopfzerbrechen machte war: Welchen Blitz soll ich nehmen? Natürlich wollte ich ungern auf TTL verzichten, wodurch meine Auswahl sich zunächst auf die Fujiblitze beschränkte. Fuji bietet derzeit drei Blitzgeräte an. Den ef-42, den ef-20 und den Formschönen und kleinen ef-x20. Der ef-42 kam für mich wegen der Grösse nicht in Frage. Wie ich schon mehrfach erwähnte liebe ich kleines und leichtes Equipment. Idealerweise habe ich mein nötiges Equipment in meiner kleinen ThinkTank retrospective 10 Fototasche. Der ef-20 und der ef-x20 sind von der Leitzahl im gleich, unterscheiden sich aber in ein paar Features. Der ef-20 ist um einiges grösser als der ef-x20, hat aber den Vorteil das er zumindest das Bouncen beherrscht (wenn auch nur an die Decke z.B.). Er hat leider kein Drehgelenk. Auf der x-pro wirkt er optisch irgendwie deplatziert. Aber das ist für mich kein Hauptkaufkriterium. Er besteht aus Plastik und fühlt sich von der Wertigkeit (ein ganz subjektives Kriterium übrigens) okay an. An der x-pro, x-e1 und/oder der x100 unterstützt er genauso TTL wie die anderen zwei Fuji-Blitze. Gut ist das der ef-20 2 AA’s als Energiequelle benötigt. Google Translater (ENG) http://bit.ly/QXlnRB
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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I always enjoyed the New York Halloween parade on Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village. I made a resolution this year to go again and photograph the creative costumery. Even though the XP1 is wonderful in low light, at ISO 6400 there won't be enough light to get great shots, so I sprung for the Fuji EF20 flash. It's a neat little package, not a very high guide number - I think 20 at ISO 100 - but it will be fine for my close up shooting style. Flash photography doesn't come naturally or intuitively to me. I really have to think about everything I'm doing, and it requires special settings on the camera. I've played with the flash around my house, but there's nothing like a live field test, so I took the camera and flash out on the streets of New York with me this afternoon. The sun was bright and the sky a brilliant blue, which gave me an excellent opportunity to do some fill-flash shooting. I walked around the Chelsea/Meatpacking district of Manhattan - near the lower end of the Highline on Tenth Avenue. I sat on a wood bench under an overhang, and as people walked by I tried to get a flash shot of them in the shadows with the bright sun in the background. I was moderately successful, as I said - flash photography doesn't come naturally to me. I had a conversation with this gentleman who introduced himself to me as an attorney, not a photographer - even though he was carrying a Nikon DSLR and was out for the day to shoot. He took a photo of me, and reciprocated by being very patient while I tried several different settings for the flash. The shot was with the 35mm lens set at f8. The only post processing was in Lightroom to crop a little, fix the white and black clipping, and adjust the clarity ever so slightly. The flash was off camera, tethered with a dedicated sync cable. I like being able to make the light come in a bit from the side, rather than directly forward just above the lens. My only problem with that is that I have to always hold the flash in my left hand, and I haven't yet figured out how to make the light come in from the right. In any case, I think the flash and camera did an admirable job in balancing the light between the very bright blue sky and the details on his face. The sync speed of the XP1 is 1/160th second, which I think is a little slow, so sometimes moving things got a little blurred. I'm sure part of that had to do with my lack of experience using the combo, but that's what practice is for. The spot I chose to sit in was a constant parade of very interesting people, lots of very pretty and stylishly dressed women. A few actually gave me a present of a beautiful smile. Converting flash photos to b/w is a bit more complicated than my usual processing. It's going to take some investigation.
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Suggested by
Mark Hilliard
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"Being Small in a Large World.." A long blog post exploring the pros and cons of the Fuji X Pro 1 system for true macro photography using ALL of the Fuji system flashes! This includes several high quality image examples to demonstrate each of the system flash units: EF-20, EF-X20 and the EF-42.
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Scooped by
Thomas Menk
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Compact, lightweight, with exceptional flash performance! The special external flash (GN20) is designed to match the distinctive body styling of the X Serief while ensuring natural shooting. One dial lets you choose between two modes. Auto automatically optimizes flash for both outdoor daylight and dark indoor shots, while manual is perfect for hands on control. When using a wide angle lens, easy one-touch operation lets you take advantage of the built-in flash diffuser.
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