Fujifilm X100T

Five years ago I hinted that the Fujifilm X100 might be the best fun travel camera for professional photographers.
Five years on and I haven't changed my mind. The new model is the X100T.
Its petite, tough as hell, sharp as a surgeon's scalpel and so quiet you can hear yourself blink.

Have a look at the Photography Workshops Dale Neill is running in the UWA Extension Summer School.

Fremantle International Portrait prize 2015

http://www.fipp2015.org

Fuji XE-2 versus Olympus OM-D E-M1

This week I had an enquiry from a photographer considering moving from a Canon DSLR  to a lightweight mirror-less camera. She referred to it as a downgrade but there are some who would say it is as an upgrade.

The shift to high-end compacts has been surging for the last 18 months.  High end compacts are capable of producing images equal to or better than many DSLRs. More photographers are taking advantage of the physical advantages afforded by smaller, lighter cameras with superb optics, especially for travel and street photography.

'I am looking at an Olympus OM-D E-M1 or the Fuji X-E2' my enquirer wrote.

My reply: 'The Olympus is a neat little package. One of my pro colleagues owns one and loves it. It also shoot very rapidly. Its not on my recommended list, mainly because of the sensor size.

Pic 1: Fujifilm XE-1 18-55 lens 1/4000 @ f4 250ISO 37mm

In brief, the Olympus weighs almost twice as much as the X-E2 but its sensor is little more than half the size of the Fuji. That just doesn't make sense.  Olympus  hasn't worked out the fundamentals as well as Fuji. I'm not saying the Olympus is a bad camera. Its not. But if image quality and weight are two important issues Fuji is clearly in front.'

My enquirer wrote back asking what lens I'd recommend for the Fuji XE-2.

Pic 2: Crop approx 5% of original image

'I think the Fuji 18-55 is a great all round travel lens affording you wide angle through to short telephoto. Its very sharp.

I have the XE-1 and thats the lens I use. If you want to be very clever you can buy an adapter further down the track and fit the Fuji with Leica lenses. The lens comes with a lens hood. The only extras you should consider is a a UV filter (Hoya)  and a camera case (Lowepro).  The XE-2 is lightweight with beautiful balance in your hand and good ergonomics so it should be a pleasure to use.'

oOo

Take a look at the wide array of  UWA photography workshops and get straight camera advice right from the horse's mouth - click HERE.

21 Tips for Street Photographers

'Please don't show me any more perfectly exposed, perfectly sharp, colour saturated photoshopped landscapes. Show me photographs of real people enjoying life and having fun.' 

1. Dress down
2. Avoid hunting in packs – alone or with 1 friend is best
3. Use a small, quiet camera (eg Fujifilm X100S)
4. Select a wide-angle, prime lens
5. The ‘2 sec’ rule – camera ready to shoot in less than 2 secs
6. Pre-set manual focus to 3m when zoning
7. Look for an interesting background
8. Check the lighting on people's clothes and faces
9. Separate subject from background using colour, focus and tone
10. Moving subjects – more space in front of subject
11. Camouflage 101 - fix gaze beyond subject – use a ‘screen’
12. Befriend your subject
13. Smile lots
14. Camouflage 102 - drink coffee, read the newspaper
15. Street performances – buskers and crowds
16. Major events – festivals and parades
17. Avoid looking at LCD until you have left location
18. Carry a pocket release (brief model release)
19. Be working on a ‘project’ in order to answer ‘why’
20. Vary camera height – from worm's to bird's eye view
21. Use cine approach – establishing shot, medium, close-up, macro.
    
    
    Note: All images shot in Fremantle, WA using a Fuji X100

'I don't know where I'm going from here but I promise it won't be boring'

David Bowie

On the Move: Travel and Street Photography Workshop 15/16 November 2014

Is the X100 the world's best small travel camera?

Depending on the destination and mode of travel I choose a different combination of cameras, lenses and accessories. A Nikon D700 with 70-400mm zoom may be right for shooting sand dunes in Siwa while the same camera with a 50mm f1.4 prime lens is ideal for aerial landscapes in Cappadoccia, Turkey.

However, the one travel camera I NEVER leave home without is the Fujifilm X100 (now superseded by the X100S). If you compare image quality to size and weight it probably ranks as the world's best small travel camera.

Here are five of my favourite photograhic travel locations:

X100: Brandenberg Gate: 1/1250@f2.8, 800ISO

1.     Terraced padi fields, Ubud, Bali
Just a  four hour flight from Australia, Bali has been a favourite holiday destination for Aussies for more than thirty years. Ubud is an hour's drive into the mountains where the air is cleaner and cooler. On the back roads between Ubud and Candi Desa the narrow roads wind between lush green padi fields which are best shot at sunset or sunrise.

2.     Boranup Forest, Margaret River, Western Australia
Ancient. towering Tuart trees, winding roads, quiet unsealed bush tracks make for idyllic forest landscapes. Here is one place where you have a chance of being the only person for miles. Tripods, overcast skies and maximum depth of field promise extraordinary forestscapes.  

3.     Sand dunes, Siwa, Great Sea of Sand, Egypt
Siwa is one of the most impressive dune locations in the world. Siwa is a small oasis on the edge of the Great Sea of Sand near the Libyan border. Its best to travel by 4WD into the dunes an hour before sunsrise and set-up. Tripods are essential and warm clothing recommended as it can be down to sub-zero temperatures.

The Bundestag, Berlin. Fuji X100 23mm fixed prime, 1/800s@f8, 1000ISO

4.     Aerial landscapes from hot air balloon, Cappadoccia, Turkey
The landforms and geomorphology of Cappadoccia are breathtaking and unique. The giant fairy chimneys are home to dwellings, boutique hotels as well as ancient hospitals and churches. This magnificent landscape is best viewed from a hot air balloon at sunrise. It is difficult not to get a stunning photograph. (Tip: Make sure you squeeze your body into one of the four corners of teh basket to ensure a 270 degree view).

5.     Architecture, Bundestag, Berlin, Germany
The Bundestag is the House of Parliament for the German Government. An impressive illustration of modern artistic architecture the building is home to an innovative sytem of rotating and cascading lenses which redirect light into the parliamentry chamber.
No visit to Berlin wouldn't be complete without a walk to the historic Brandenberg Gate which has become a symbol for a united Germany.

Check out my Travel and Street Photography workshop at UWA Extension.

Fuji X100 - In my top ten cameras of all time

Cycle track Germany. 1/110 sec f8 400 ISO 

Virtually every single time I pick up my three year old Fuji X100 people comment and ask me:

'Do you like the camera?'
'But it doesn't zoom, does it? 
'Its so small'
'Its so quiet'
Can you still get film for that camera?'

Yes its small, whisper quiet and it doesn't zoom. And it doesn't need film! It ranks as one of the ten best cameras I've ever owned and used in fifty years of photography. Its size, capacity and performance make it the 'Kylie Minogue' of cameras.

The one factor that makes onlookers screw up their noses is the fact that the Fuji X100 does not have a zoom lens. More than that, the lens is fixed to the body. You CANNOT change lenses. You CANNOT zoom. 'Oh, what a disadvantage' you say. In fact, just the opposite. The fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) wide-angle lens is as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel and gives the red dot camera a run for its money. By having a fixed lens rather than a zoom teaches a photographer to think. Yes, think. A practice that is rapidly vanishing from the modern photographer's skill regime.

Fujifilm X100. (Now superseded by the Fijifilm X100S)

The responsibility for framing is clearly thrown back on the photographer. Image size is now controlled by your distance to the subject. You may actually get a little exercise in moving closer to your subject. You may even get to talk to your subject.

1/2200 sec @ f8. 1250 ISO. Near Dresden Germany. 8 Oct 2011. 6.42pm

The one thing the Fuji X100 will never do is intimidate the person you are photographing. In fact, just the opposite. Men and women are intrigued by the styling and are attracted to being photographed by a camera so quiet and unobtrusive.

Last week I upgraded the firmware on my three year old X100 and its now running faster than ever. And its still as quiet as a Rolls Royce.

Check out Dale Neill's photography workshops at UWA Extension by clicking HERE.

Barcelona

In the past ten months I've led photography tours to Colombia, Galapagos, Pilbara and Karijini, Turkey and Spain. I'm using my beloved Nikon D700s less and less and my Fuji X100 more and more.

Now please note, there is absolutely nothing wrong with my two D700s. They are superb professional work cameras for portraits  and studio work. But for travelling, I just love the freedom and inspiration afforded by the small, lightweight Fuji X100.

I was at a Barcelona Information Centre awaiting the start of a Barcelona Gourmet Walking Tour when I noticed the escalators and the specular reflections on the handrails. All through the tour I've been encouraging participants to look for the 'shiny' bits in their pictures.

Join me for my three day UWA Travel Workshop and learn about the best cameras for travel and street photography and lots more.

If you Value Your Exposure check out my Intermediate Digital Workshop on 3/7 Nov 2013, where you will learn how to use the manual and creative controls on your camera. The night exercise shows you how easy it is to get great images of lightning and fireworks.

How good is the Fuji X100S?

Is it worth upgrading your Fuji X100 to a 100S?
Click HERE for a review.

X100 at the WAPPAs 2013

I wonder how many pro photographers submitted entries this week taken on compact cameras? Well, I'm coming clean. One of my entries was taken on my Fuji X100 and it ended being awarded a Silver Award in the Travel Section.

I liked the Fuji X100 (recently superseded by Fuji's X100s) right from the moment I first picked it up a year or two back. Since that first meeting I've grown to enjoy this remarkable little camera. But its not for everyone. I think you need to have an individual, old-school philosophy to develop a meaningful relationship with the X100, especially with the fixed, 23mm wide-angle lens.

However, I'm yet to find another compact that can match the sensor quality and high-ISO performance of this retro-styled camera.

The shot was taken earlier this year in Cartagene, Colombia. I wandered into the town square before breakfast one morning and spotted a local lovingly polishing his favourite statue. (For the technical buffs I shot the image on 1.500@f4 using 800ISO.)

Footnote: The Colombia tour was a photographic tour led my Peter Lambert and myself. Our next tour is in Feb 2014 on roads less travelled in Southern India and beyond. If you'd like a copy of the itinerary and prices for Images of India please email India@wildheart.com.au

The 'X' Factor

The elves have been working the midnight shift at Fuji.

 In the last there years Fuji has come out with

• Fuji X100
• Fuji X10
• Fuji X1-Pro
• Fuji XE

and the new X100s will be released in Australia any day now.

Now Fuji's not alone in producing a  bagful of new camera models; most of the other big manufacturers  have been taking the same midnight pills. What makes Fuji different is that they were coming up with innovative new concepts and designs in each of the X series.

The X100 and X-Pro 1's ability to shoot in low light is, in my humble opinion, unsurpassed in compact cameras. In fact, it beats most DSLRs as well. There is almost no noise at all, even shooting at 1600 and 2000 ISO.

 In low-light performance the X100 and X1-Pro perform better than Leica. Now that's a big call I know but I've field tested them alongside the Leica ME type 220. In average sunlight the results were comparable but the moment the sun dipped below the horizon it was like chalk and cheese. The Leica could not match it with the Fuji X100.

At the same time that Fuji was bringing out new cameras the Fuji lens department was rattling out a dozen new lenses. I'm always wary of any company that produces so many new lenses so quickly. How good was the research? How much field testing was being carried out?

The lenses are understated but their performance is exemplary with sharpness, detail and good tonal range. The level of detail using the X Pro-1 and Fuji lenses is as good as or better than most DSLR's on the market. Indeed, the devil is in the detail!

Learn how to conduct accurate lens sharpness tests at home in Advanced Digital Photography with Dale Neill at UWA Extension. (Take advantage of a discount in this course by using the code ENTHUSE when you enrol.)

Ferrari of Compacts - the new X100S

Over fifty years I've purchased about 40 cameras for professional use and pleasure. All forty were capable of producing sharp, high quality images. If they couldn't do that I wouldn't have bought them in the first place!

However, about six of those cameras were special, especially camera numero uno  - my Hanimex X35 I bought in 1959. Then there was the Nikon F2 Photomomic, the Yashica 124G black box, The Nikon F100, my tank the Pentax 67, the Nikon D700 and now the Fujifilm X100. I'm not sure whether I fell in love with them or they fell in  love with me. It doesn't matter. But these cameras fire me full of passion for photography.

These cameras felt like an extension of myself as a photographer. Those special cameras had intuitive logic in their design (easy to learn to use and operate), they felt good in your hand and they never let you down.

Author and long-time student Helen Bareham in FACEZ studio. Both X100 officinados!






















Fujifilm's X100 slips comfortably into my list of top cameras I have ever owned. When i first used teh X100 I was delighhted with it and predicted it would become a cult camera. Its one camear I would never ever sell.

However, the X100 is neither perfect or faultless, a bit like the owner! There were some initial problems with over expsore at small apertures (now solved) and lack of RAW conversion software but the superior image quality more than compenasted for that. Its retro design, high-efficiency functionality and magnificent performance at high ISO make it a leader in compact cameras.


Fujifilm are shortly to release the replacement for the X100 - the X100S. The exterior will look much the same but inside there's a new sensor - the Fujifilm-designed 16.3MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS II. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Fuji make the best sensors available - particularly in relation to the reproduction of skin tones.

There's a new engine under the bonnet - the EXR Processor II image processor. I've heard on the grapevine that shutter lag has been reduced to a Billy the Kid gunslinger time of 0.08 sec. You can read an expanded review of the new Fujifilm X100S at  www.dpreview.com 

If you want to learn about cameras, photography and how to use light creatively join me in one of my structured, sequential UWA workshops in 2013.

• Beginners
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• Creative Flash
• Portraits - Memories Forever

About Dale Neill

Advanced use of Fujifilm X10

If you are interested in RAW, dynamic range and optimizing the performance of your Fuji X10 click here.

Fujifilm X10 Review

One could suspect Fuji of being a French company rather than a Japanese company. Fuji really are employing  'vive la difference' in their design of high end compacts. In the past two years they have surged ahead with a stable of high quality, uniquely designed compact cameras - the 'X' series:

• X100
• X10
• X1-pro (and 11 lenses)
• X-E1 (with interchangeable lenses)

The X10 is the 'baby' of the 'X' series. Its the smallest, lightest and most compact, weighing in at just 350g including the battery. But Baby X packs a punch and is a veritable pocket rocket. The X10isn't  not perfect (I'm still searching for that camera!) but its very, very good.
Fuji know how to build solid cameras. The magnesium alloy body feels good in your hands and impresses with its retro design.

The X10 goes against the trends of some other high end compacts by keeping many of the main controls on the outside of the camera body, reducing key strokes to a minimum.

The on-off switch is unique and a mystery for the first-time user. Rotating the 28-122mm zoom lens also switches the X10 on. Even the operation of the zoom reflects extremely high quality build and a far smoother and more precise in operation than many medium to high level zooms on DSLRs. The whole feel and operation is one of professional quality.

The X10 has a top mounted flash bracket, master control switch and a very handy exposure control dial running across the top. I like cameras that can modify exposure in a one-step operation. The X 10 does this and earns extra brownie points.

The function (Fn) button is programmed to bring up ISO on the screen so changing ISO is simple requiring just 2 keystrokes.

A coveniently located and precise thumbsweel on the back allows lightning fast changes of aperture and shutter speed in M, A and S modes.

The master control allows you to store and call up your custom settings in one keystroke. That better than almost all DSLRs,

Turn the Master control to ADV and you immediately access one of the best features on the X10 - the Panorama function.



You can choose between a 120, 180 and 360 degree panaorama which stitches all the shots together seamlessly with just one press of the button. The main danger here is using 360 degrees, getting dizzy and falling off a cliff! You have the options of doinga L-R or a R-L pano. It even has an aviation-type artificial horizon to keep your image on the straight and level.



The X10 has the capability of shooting both RAW and JPEG and is simple to switch onto auto-bracket allowing enthusiasts to capture imnages for HDR processing. I'm a fan of auto-bracketing and am impressed where the feature is built into compacts. Its particularly advantageous when shooting children, animals or any fast moving subject where exposure is a little unpredictable.



The Fujinon f2.8 lens is very sharp with precise auto-focus and a brilliant macro switch for flower and inset shots. Although the 2/3" sensor is smaller than its brothers in the X range its still marginally bigger than its competitors the Nikon P7700 and the Canon Powershot G15.

The X10 has another quite stunning feature called 'best frame capture' where it will shoot 10 frames in approx 2 secs. The downside here is that you have to wait about 15-20 secs for the images to be processed and stored. This feature would be ideal

 for capturing the finish of a race or a sportsperson in action.


Ther are few negatives with the X10. Under cerain conditions the start up time is hesitant and a litte slow. I think Fuji could be more heplful in providing access to RAW processing software. Fortunately, these are relatively minor items and can be recified with firmware upgrades and DNG converters.






Overall, Fuifilm's X10 is an ideal choice for the photography enthusiast who wants a a small, professional-build camera with a swag of interesting, useful features. Its small size and low weight make it an easy choice to take everywhere you go -  you certainly won't come back from your next trip away with a pain in your neck.

X10 in Low Light

Most modern compact cameras perform reasonably well until they are used in low light conditions. However, when ISO reaches 800, 1600 or higher the inevitable 'noise' rears its ugly head. Here's where Fuji seems to have come up with a solution, and, asa result, created a significant advantage over its competitors. All Fuji X cameras show little noise in low light, even the baby X10. This has real advantages to the photographer because, by using higher ISO, the photographer can achieve higher shutter speeds and therefore sharper images.

Sydney: Fuji X10 1/5 sec @ f4 1000 ISO

Fuji X-Pro1 Camera Reviews

If you want a spread of views on the X-Pro1 look at these:
http://reviews.1001noisycameras.com/tag/fuji-x-pro1/

My Best Little Portrait Camera?

http://www.prophotonut.com/2011/07/16/fujifilm-x100-settings-and-review/

Seven New Lenses for X-Pro1

Fuji have announced they will release seven new lenses for the X-Pro1. Two are to be released late 2012 and a further five lenses by mid 2013 making a total of ten lenses for the X-Pro1.

They include:

1. 14mm f2.8 prime (21mm equivalent)
2. 18-55mm zoom (27mm-84mm equivalent)
3. 56mm f1.4 prime (84mm equivalent)
4. 27mm pancake (41mm equivalent)
5. 23mm prime f1.4 (35 mmequivalent)
6. 55-200mm zoom (83mm-300mm equivalent)
7. 10-24mm wide angle zoom (15mm-36mm equivalent)

X100 on caffeine

A feature of the X series Fuji's is the sheer ease with which they shoot under low-light conditions. What's even more remarkable is the complete lack of noise in the images. I called into Tasty Express in South Fremantle for my Long Machiato and a croissant earlier today - friendliest best coffee shop in Fremantle.

Tasty Express Belles - Brina & Zoe

Fuji X100, 1250 ISO. 1/80f2, fl 23mm, hand held, no PS

Fuji X Pro1 at Karijini

I am impressed with the colour the Fuji produces.  These are jpeg images as I didn't have the latest lightroom when I was processing them on our return from Karijini.  So not a lot of processing at all.

Dales Gorge Karijini

Kalamina Gorge Karijini

Lone Tree at Karijini

                                                             
                                                                Weano Gorge Karijini

Karijini with Fuji X-Pro1

I had the Fuji X Pro1 for about a week prior to our photographic Gem Camera Club Kalamunda's workshop to Karijini.  Having been using the Canon 3D Mark 2 I found the Fuji remarkably easy to use.  It is certainly a very user friendly camera and changing from still image to panorama to video is so simple.
Ok there were times when I would have liked my Canon but to have a light camera when clambering up and down gorges was a definite plus.  I should have used the video more and possibly the panorama more.

Taken at the evening shoot at Mt Bruce

This one I should lighten the fore ground the dusk colours came out well though

Mt Bruce in the setting sun.