Fuji X-Pro1

Faces and Portraits in Black and White with Fuji X-Pro1 and Fujifilm Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R
by Stephan Geyer

A colleague of mine had been telling me about the new Sikh Temple that just opened in Dubai for a while, and unfortunately, our busy traveling schedules had not coincided until yesterday. It was quite a humbling experience to be able to enter a Gurdwara for the first time, as there was no awkwardness eventhough I clearly looked out of place there. We went upstairs during prayer, followed by a great meal in the downstairs area of the temple, where volunteers serve delicious vegetarian food to anyone that needs it, or visit the temple. Below are some photos I managed to take; did not want to take too many and upset someone!

dive in thorugh my lens.....

This year I am doubly honored and excited because I am participating in the Fuji X-Pro1 launch here. I’ve had the camera in my hand for about a week and I am loving it more each day. I’ll have a full post about that soon enough. Since I’m speaking at the event I figured I better get out in the real world and take some photos with it.

Conclusion:
Will I be buying this camera? No, but I do have a the newer FujiFilm X-E1 with the 18-55 f2.8/f4 zoom lens on order. This camera has exactly the same sensor as the X-1Pro and is even a bit smaller and lighter, due to the lack of the Optical viewfinder (OVF). By the way, on the X-1Pro, I did hardly use the OVF and really like how the Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) works. Will it replace my full frame Nikon D800? No of course not. For the moment there is clearly room for both. The X-E1 will go on my travels whenever I need to go light. I do however believe that the D800 might be the last DSLR body I bought. The future of the mirror-less is surely exciting and I sincerely believe they will eventually replace most if not all DSLR bodies.

Old Dubai images by Stephan Geyer. Camera: Fuji X-Pro1 35mm F1.4

Dubai is a city that is often criticised for being fake, unreal and "disney-land-like", and while this is true for many part of the city, if you venture to certain areas of town, you can experience what real Dubai feels like. One of these places is the Dubai Fish Market. When @FujifilmME asked on twitter what Landmark in Dubai is the best to take photos of, I thought immediately of it. Here are some photos, taken with my X-Pro1, from my last visit there....

All in all.. I’m completely loving this camera. It definitely has it’s quirks.. autofocus being one of my main concerns.. but I haven’t had the chance to test this camera out in a setting more prone to what I do.. weddings, engagements, and portraiture. I’m not usually one to just head out and shoot street photography.. but I did want to post some of my initial pictures with this camera. I get back from my travels with Joe McNally next week.. and I’m looking to really put the X-Pro 1 through the gauntlet! Stay tuned..