miXed zone: Ultimate Urban Camera Bag :: a 200mm Prime Telephoto on a Fuji X-E2 & more about the X-series!

X-T10
USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama EU: AmazonDE / AmazonUK / AmazonFR / WexUK / PCHstore / AUS: Camerapro

Review at photolife / X-T1o: the best CSC of the year? at my-photo-school.com / Review at steves-digicams / Final Hands On Review after a few weeks of Shooting the Fujifilm X-T10 at ArtoftheImage youtube / Fuji X-T10 and Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 on vacation in the Aegean islands at macfilos / Review at expertreviews / Chinese X-T10 test at mobile01 (translation) /

Fujifilm X-T1

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By Damien Lovegrove: Melanie in Copenhagen: Fuji X-T1 with primes at prophotonut + Boudoir with Fuji X-T1 at prophotonut / Milky Way Hyperlapse Over Amelia Island, FL (Fuji X-T1 + Rokinon 8mm) at adamking / Fuji X-T1 Reviewed and purchased at scottsharman / Photographing Mount Rainier with the Fuji X-T1 at nicolesyblog /

X100/S/T + TCL/WCL

Fujifilm X100S: a street photographer hands on review at alexcoghe / The Fuji X100T at apertureaddict / Shooting with Fuji X100T at brendanose / Fuji x100t – ISO test at melissasnowprince / X100S: Mystery in Stone at floriansphotographs / Is the Fujifilm X100T the Ultimate Travel Camera? at captureoutdoors / Fuji x100t – TCL-X100 tele conversion lens at melissasnowprince / One day in London with the X100S at gaborimages / Fuji x100t Review at chrisjwilson / Streets of Philadelphia … A Visual Diary … Page 18 … Fuji X100s …Allows You to See You at streetshooter / Shooting still life with my Fuji X100T at aboutphotography-tomgrill / Fuji x100T First Frames at shifter.media /

other X-series cameras

Reflecting on the Fuji X M1 with a tripod and a cable release at garyksmithphotography / Fujifilm X-E2: Capturing the stories of our lives at stanleyleary / Making History with the Fuji X-E1 at effeleven /

Lenses

X-mount lenses

Some photos of Syrian migant travelling through Europe taken using an X-T1 and 56mm 1.2 at Vienna Westbahnhof station. See them at flickr here.

The Fuji XF 27mm Lens – Lets Do Pancakes at mirrorlessminutes / Capturing Hummingbirds with Fuji X-E2 with 55-200mm at stanleyleary / 18-55: Do you See a Problem here? at xshooters / Review : Fujifilm XF 16mm Wide Angle Lens at flixelpix / A Quick Test of the Fujinon XF23mm f1.4R at macleancomms / Ultimate Versatility: The Fujifilm XF 16-55mm at flixelpix / The Lenses I Used in China at andrewsgibson / My First Weekend with the Fujinon 14mm at photo.stjeanm / XF16 55mm F2.8 R LM WR Lens Review at lensvid /

other lenses

A 200mm Prime Telephoto on a Fuji X-E2! at findingrange / First Impression: Fujian 50 C-Mount (CCTV) Lens at rivalsvs / X-T1 + Samyang 135mm fF2.0 at fujistas (translation) / X-T10 + Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 at dc.watch (translation) /

Travel X

I’m outta Hea-ah…. The Gear reviewed at xshooters / The Fuji X-System in the French Alps at gambofoto / The Sunrise Country with Fujifilm at sebastianboatca

Jpeg / RAW / Converters

Go Light: Just JPEG & iPad – is it enough? at hendriximages / X-Trans Sensor and Capture One Pro; at thewanderinglensman Part II and Part III / Fujifilm X-Trans sensors hate red at shade-of-light /

Acessories / Bags

FOUND! Ultimate Urban Camera BAG. at ivanjoshualoh / 5 Accessories That Helped Jumpstart My Street Photography at rivalsvs /

a bit of everything

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Volume 2 of the all Fuji produced lifestyle magazine is now online for download and print sales. It’s grown to 90 pages of photography – including model photography, travel, sports and food.

Fuji Color: A Reputation Deserved at thephotofundamentalist / Personalise Your X-Series Camera Settings To Shoot The Way You Want at fujifilm.com.au / Fashionable Thoughts (With the Fuji X-Series) at effeleven / Photographing Paris – Part One at ianmacdonaldphotography /
Photography ‘Live and Uncut’ – Episode no 66 with Damien Lovegrove at Paul Griffiths youtube /

XF90mm reviews: “It’s Ultrasharp! – You’ll fall in love all over again with the bokeh, sharpness and consistent performance!”

 

XF90mmF2 WR
USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama EU: AmazonDE / AmazonUK / AmazonFR / WexUK  / PCHstore / AUS: Camerapro

Here are some XF90mm reviews… and yes… this is indeed Fuji’s best lens so far. No matter who reviews it, everybody Highly Recommends it!

1) Fujifilm 90mm review at phoblographer:

“When it comes to pure image quality, it’s tough to beat a Fujifilm X-Trans Sensor and the company’s lenses. But the 90mm f2 is something that many have been dreaming of for a while. Of all the portrait lenses that we’ve tested for the system, it’s by far the best. Yes, there is an f1.2 lens out there, but it can’t compare to the pure image quality that the 90mm f2 renders in the best of situations. You’ll fall in love all over again with the bokeh, sharpness and consistent performance that gives you very little reason to do any sort of editing to the images right out of the camera.”

2) Review at findingrange:… here are some PROs and CONs

Fuji XF 90mm F2 LM WR Lens Pros:

  • Autofocus is reliable, fast and quiet.
  • Optically near perfect.
  • Superb image quality: simply some of the best I’ve seen from Fuji.
  • One of the sharpest lenses from Fuji.
  • Bokeh is some of the best I’ve seen.
  • At the list price, this lens is a steal – this is one of the best lenses that I’ve used so far.

Fuji XF 90mm F2 LM WR Lens Cons:

  • One of the largest primes in the Fuji X Series system.
  • Slight “clunk” noise when there’s no power to the XF 90mm.
  • No OIS.

3) Review at kenrockwell:

“The Fuji XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR is optically perfect. As shot on Fuji’s cameras which compensate for everything, it’s as perfect as I can measure. It’s ultrasharp and has no falloff or distortion at any setting, and is also made extremely well.”

4) French review at focus-numerique (translation).

Nikon i-TTL on Fujifilm Cameras? Check out RoboSHOOTs’ review by Mehrdad!

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Serene Automation has just announced support for select Nikon Speedlights, off-camera, with full TTL. Plus, for a short time, you can use your Nikon Speedlight with your X-series camera for about the same price of a new Fujifilm Flash! Check out their website for details, including which SB units are supported.

In his review Mehrdad Samak-Abedi said “I have a very positive experience with the RoboSHOOTs. Everybody who looks for wireless TTL flash for their Fuji X-system should have a close look at the MX/RX line.” Most of us in the X community know and respect Mehrdad’s work and contributions, including his interview in Fujifilm Magazine here.

Be sure to take a look at Mehrdad ’s great review of the RoboSHOOT system at www.qimago.de

Fuji Fun Vs. Sony Specs…. a Story about my 3 days Flirt with the Sony A7rII and why I now Love Fujifilm even more!

I guess it’s my time to say something about the SonyA7rII. I was reluctant to write anything about it, even though I’ve tried the Sony A7rII for several days.

But today I could not resist for two reasons:

  1. I have a bit of spare time & and I’m slightly drunk at home after an X-T1 Vs. Canon M3 shootout with Steve of CanonWatch.
  2. I’ve read a very interesting article at Fujifilm X World.

You’ll read about the Canon M3 at CanonWatch later on, so let’s go directly to point 2, the Fuji X World post, which was the real trigger for this article.

“Image quality” over “Specs”

The article is about one of the most loved lenses amongst us X-shooters: the XF 35mmF1.4. It shows Fuji’s approach when they design a new lens, which can be summed up in this sentence:  “Image quality” over “Specs“

And it’s not just a good sounding slogan, it’s Fuji’s philosophy. Go and read it here… I’ll just quickly come to the point of the article:

When Fuji designed the XF 35mmF1.4 they had 2 choices: create the lens in a way that it will perfectly match the test criteria used for MTF charts, or don’t care about specs & charts and design the lens thinking at the real life use… and Fuji went for the latter one.

That’s why, today, looking at the MTF charts, the XF 35mm doesn’t seem much of a lens, but looking at the pictures X-shooters (including me) take with it every day, it’s pretty clear that Fuji has created a hell of a lens! Because, as Fujifilm said:

“There is something more than just the catalog spec.”

And that brings me to the Sony A7rII.

Fuji (X-T1) Vs. Sony (A7rII)

Prologue

These are just my very personal considerations. People with different ways of shooting, priorities & workflow will come to completely different conclusions… and that’s good so.

I don’t want to sound like a Sony hater, so let me say it clearly: the Sony A7rII has terrific specs, it’s a good camera, and overall I absolutely like the innovation Sony brings to the digital camera technology. They make the arguably best & most innovative sensors out there (sorry Canon)!

But today I won’t join the A7rII siren songs of the internet, and since I can’t cover every single spec (that would mean writing a book, not a blog post), I’ll focus on those aspects that I prefer on Fujifilm and try to explain why I’ve quickly lost my interest in the A7rII.

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Battle of the Portrait Lenses: X-T1 + 56mmF1.2 Vs. A7II + Zeiss Batis 85mmF1.8 … “The Fuji Colors Shine”

 

Admiringlight compares the X-T1 + Fuji XF 56mmF1.2 and the A7II + Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (with the Contax G 90mm thrown in for fun)!

Admiringlight says, that these are all “stellar” optics and there is no clear winner (“we’re sort of splitting hairs at this level“). Here are some of hits findings:

Both, the Fuji 56 and the Zeiss Batis 85 are “exceptional” lenses. Thanks to the X-Trans sensor, the samples taken with the 56mm show less moire. Wide open the Batis is sharper in the corners. And what about the bokeh:

“Well, I think the Fuji’s bokeh looks nicer here. It’s subtle, but it’s smoother and the lower contrast is very pleasing, and the Fuji colors shine.”

XF 56mmF1.2 APD (save $300): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 56mmF1.2 (save $100): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline

NEW FUJIFILM lens & camera rebates

CAMERAS

X-T1 + 18-55 (save $100): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
X-T1 Black Body (save $100): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
X-T1 Graphite Body (save $100): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline

LENSES

XF 16mmF1.4 WR (save $150): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 56mmF1.2 APD (save $300): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 56mmF1.2 (save $100): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 14mmF2.8 (save $200): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 23mmF1.4 (save $150): AmazonUS  / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 50-140mmF2.8 WR (save $150):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 10-24mmF4 (save $150):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 35mmF1.4 (save $200):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 16-55mmF2.8 WR (save $150):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 27mmF2.8 (save $200): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 18mm (save $150): AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 60mm (save $200):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 18-135mm (save $150):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 55-200mm (save $150):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline
XF 18-55mm (save $100):  AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline