Photo of the week - February 23, 2016

Photo of the week - February 16, 2016

Photo of the week - November 17, 2015

At the Tate Modern in London. Fuji X-Pro1 with 14mm lens.

Photo of the week - November 10, 2015

Tourists checking out the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum. Fuji X-Pro1 with 35mm lens.

Photo of the week - August 5, 2014

The Remarkables; New Zealand near Queenstown. Fuji X-Pro1 with 55-200mm lens @ 200mm, f/7.1.

Photo of the week - July 29, 2014

New Zealand, near Waimangu Volcanic Valley Park on Okaro Rd. Fuji X-Pro1 with 10-24mm lens @ 10mm, f/18.

Photo of the week - July 8, 2014

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Fuji X-Pro1 with 10-24mm lens, @ f/13, 10mm. Processed in Snapseed.

Photo of the week - June 24, 2014

A view of Philadelphia, looking south. Fuji X-Pro1 with 10-24mm lens, @ f/4, 10mm.

Photo of the week - June 17, 2014

Photo of the week - June 10, 2014

Photo of the week - June 3, 2014

West Philadelphia Orchestra at Underground Arts, May 16, 2014. Fuji X-Pro1 with 18mm lens @f/2, 1/90.

Photo of the week - May 27, 2014

Photo of the week - May 20, 2014

(Almost) All in with Fuji

With the school year coming to a close and summer travels just around the corner, I've been doing some reevaluation of my camera gear. I haven't shot with my Nikon D90 in about 10 months, while my X-Pro1 has become my favorite travel and concert companion (everything in my 2013 albums and 2014 albums, to date, other than the Philly Cycling Classic and most of the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival photos, was with the X-Pro1).

With the new 10-24mm lens, and last year's 55-200mm zoom, Fuji now covers a great range for travel. My favorite travel lens for Europe on my D90 was the excellent Tokina 11-16mm super-wide lens. The Fuji 10-24mm is a stop slower, but has a more useful range. I'd been waffling on whether I should get the 10-24mm, mostly because I was worried it would be too large/heavy and defeat the purpose of traveling with a smaller system. But after getting my hands on one, it's manageble. Ditto on the 55-200mm; Fuji now has a credible telephoto zoom. Those two lenses and a couple of normal/fast primes makes for a nice travel kit.

On the flip side, in the last year my Nikon hasn't seen much action with the Tokina 11-16mm and 35mm f/1.8 DX; that's the range where the Fuji system excels (especially now the that 10-24mm has been released). So those, and Jen's D3100 and 18-105mm DX (since she's moving to a Fuji X-E1), found new homes to raise funds for the 10-24mm. Plus I just got a nice paycheck from some extra work I recently completed (the academic version of "consulting"), so the new 56mm f/1.2 arrived. This will be a great lens for concerts; I've been using the 60mm f/2.4 and it's okay for this, but being two stops faster and (hopefully) quicker to focus will make it a perfect concert photography lens.

It appears that I've officially moved over to the mirrorless camp, except for specific situations where the Nikon system still has Fuji beat (e.g., shooting cycling and macro). I did keep a handful of Nikon lenses; at some point I may step up to FX/full-frame and so I kept a few of my favorite lenses for that: the 105mm macro, 85mm f/1.4D, and 135 f/2 DC. The 135mm and 85mm may make for good lenses to use with a converter with the Fuji system (I shot the Aimee Mann concert with the 135mm on the X-Pro1 last spring). I also kept the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6; I wouldn't say that this is one of my favorite lenses, but I've found it to be okay for shooting cycling (at least since I don't have the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8). The only DX Nikon lens I kept was the 10.5mm fisheye. With a converter, this is a fun lens on the Fuji (and the only fisheyes available for the Fuji system are manual focus, so there's not a better option than my Nikon 10.5mm).

What's Old is What's New

It's been over a month since I've had time to post anything here. Work has been busy, the weather has sucked, and I've been sick so I haven't had time to get out to take any pictures. But there is some news on the photography (gear) front. With summer travel plans starting to come together, the opportunity to pick up a new camera body and lens couldn't be passed up!

Given my increasing infatuation with the Fujifilm X-series system, you're probably thinking I sprung for the new X-T1 or X-E2 (both of which look like an excellent cameras) or the forthcoming 10-24mm f/4 or 56mm f/1.2 lenses (both are on my wishlist). But no, I'm going old school. And by "old" I mean the one-year old X-E1, which has be replaced by the X-E2 i nthe Fuji lineup. Why would I spend money on a camera that has been discontinued? Because they are giving them away for $30.

The X-E1 originally sold for $1400 with the 18-55mm "kit" lens (which gets great ratings). A year after its release it has been replaced in the Fuji lineup with the X-E2 (which sells for $1300, with lens) and the remaining X-E1 stock is being discounted. I just found it for $729, including the lens. The lens goes for $699 when sold alone. So, if you were going to buy that lens, you can get the X-E1 for an additional $30 by buying the kit. Buying just a spare battery for my X-Pro1 (which uses the same battery as the X-E1) would cost more that $30!

Why do I need an X-E1 body. First, it will make a good backup body. When I'm traveling (alone) this summer, it will be nice to have a second, lightweight body to throw in my bag, and I can use it when I don't want to change lenses. Second, when Jen and I are traveling together, it will make a great camera for her. Although the Nikon D3100 she's been using takes nice pictures, it is comparatively bulky. And if I'm shooting with my X-Pro1, when we'd be carrying batteries, lenses, etc for two systems. The X-E1 is smaller and will fit her well, and can share all of the other gear I'd be taking anyways.

Photo of the week - January 21, 2014

Suzanne Vega at WXPN's Free at Noon, January 17th, 2014. Fuji X-Pro1 with 60mm lens @ f/2/4. See more photos from this show here.

Photo of the week - January 7, 2014

Fuji X-Pro1 with 35mm lens @ f/1.4.

Photo of the week - December 31, 2013

F-Stop Micro ICU + Fuji X system

In a previous post I showed my F-Stop Small Pro ICU filled with Nikon gear in a Loka pack. I've been travelling more with my Fuji X-Pro1 kit recently, and the Small Pro ICU is overkill for my needs with that gear, so I picked up the Micro ICU (8/8/14 update...this is not the same as the Micro Tiny that is currently available. It looks like the version of the Micro that I have isn't currently available.). The Micro is the same width and height as the Small Pro, but it's a full 3" less deep (i.e., there's more room behind the ICU for other gear in the pack). Here's a shot of the Micro ICU loaded up in the Loka with the following Fuji X gear: 

1. 55-200 lens + reversed hood
2. 14mm lens + reversed hood
3. X-Pro1 with mounted 35mm lens + hood
4. 18mm lens + hood
5. 60mm lens (no hood)

Photo of the week - December 3, 2013

A woman from the audience joins Rosanne Cash on stage at WXPN (Free at Noon concert; November 29, 2013). Fuji X-Pro1 w/ 60mm lens @ f/2.4. Converted to black and white with Snapseed on a Mac. A few more shots from this show are posted here.