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miXed zone: X100T Reviews, From Canon to Fuji, X-shooter Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead Star)… and more!

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ONE TICKET LEFT for the Rajasthan Photo Workshop 2015
SAVE $200 + charity

There is only one spot left. So don’t let it slide by if you are thinking about joining this Fuji-cyntric group at the Rajasthan (India) Photo Workshop in February 2015. The workshop is organized by X-photographers Matt Brandon and Piet Van den Eynde. As they are both X-shooters and love Fujirumors, they decided to offer a $200 discount, exclusively for Fujirumors readers. Futhermore, they decided to offer the last places with a $200 discount and additional $300 per sold ticket will be donated to Matt’s charity initiative that supports NGO’s, the OFMP. Check out the details of the workshop here.

Click here for a Podcast conversation on the Fujifilm X System with Piet Van den Eynde & Matt Brandon plus sample photos.

famous X-shooters

– Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead Star) is an X-shooter! There are 10 things he needs to survive a Zombie Apocalypse… and one of these is a Fuji camera. To see which one, check out this youtube video here.

X100T
USA: BHphoto / AmazonUS / Adorama / EUROPE: WexUK / WexDE / PCHstore / AUSTRALIA: CameraPro

MUST READ: Rico’s “Using the Fujiflm X100T” here

– X100T hands on review at lbk.com.sg ( Flickr / unboxing video) / X100T Full Review at ephotozine / Yes, I would love some T please! at pavels / The Fuji X100T and the difference at bsmitty’s youtube / X100T field test at the Spanish review site dslrmagazine (translation) / First Impressions of the New Fujifilm X100T at macleancomms /

Fujifilm X-T1 + Graphite X-T1
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– Fuji XT1 graphite silver: first images and impressions at wimarys / X-T1 and the XF23mm1.4 R trip to Helsinki at tobiashenn / Holidaying with X-T1 + 4 lenses at ivanjoshualoh / All Fuji X-T1 at pablosartor / Hocking Hills, Logan, Ohio X-T1 and the 10-24mm at mjrussellphotography / Fujifilm X-T1 & a few lenses at alexlagarejos /

Fujifilm X30
USA: BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS / BestBuy / EUROPE: wexUK / wexDE / PCHstore

– X30: Bigger, Faster, Better at randallcipriano / samples at imaging-resource / Review at eyalg (youtube) /

XF 18-135mm
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– First impressions at thephoblographer / Fuji XF18-135 F3.5-5.6 R OIS WR lens review (Part 1) at macfilos

X100/S + Converters
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– Simon Ashmore’s work with the Fujfilm X100S can be seen at simonashmore.com / The Gear that I Use- the Fujifilm TCL-X100 at henrysmithscottage / The X100s is a bit like Brian Clough at daveyoungfotografia / A week in San Francisco with the Fuji X100s at ianmacdonaldphotography / The ‘Lookaleica’ Fuji X100s Compared To The Leica That Doesn’t Look Like A Leica The T (Typ) 701 at soundimageplus / Fuji X100-S-T Travel Kit ianmacdonaldphotography /

other X-series cameras

– 12 Months With My Fuji X-Pro1 at daveyoungfotografia / A Day In The City at ucphoto / X-E1 & 14, 23 and 56mm: Beauty in Cuba at tjeerd.me / I love my Fuji X-E2 for my everyday camera with family at stanleyleary + Fuji X-E2 helped me to capture memories in Hawaii at stanleyleary /

lenses

– Spanish 55-200 review at quesabesde (translation) / Fuji 56mm V. Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5mm at joshmcleodphotography / Left to rot and desintegrate… at am-fotografie / Six Months with the Fujinon XF10-24mm f4R OIS at macleancomms / My 4 Favorite Lenses for The Fuji X Cameras at danbaileyphoto / Why the Fuji 55-200 is still a good choice at martincastein / Minimalism – A macro afternoon with the Zeiss Touit 50mm (X mount) at mirrorlessons / the Fuji 56mmf/1.2 and the city at gaborimages / Just one of those nights… [Elton John in Concert] with the 56mm at jonasjacobsson /

RAW-conversion

– AccuRaw supports the Fuji X100T, read more here /

Switch to the X… or mirrorless

– Why I Went Mirrorless and Switched from Canon to Fuji: A Detailed Exploration at petapixel /

a little bit of everything

– There is no final answer about the “best” custom settings for your Fuji. There are just suggestions. And here are some of them in Spanish at fuji-xperience (translation) / THE ‘IMAGE-FEEL’ OF X-TRANS at petebridgwood / How to buy kit that fills you with confidence and the art of packing a camera bag at inmybag / X-Signature | The Fuji camera people are asking me about at ideasandimages / Fujifilm X-Signature Cameras at photomadd /

miXed zone: X-T1 best mirrorless camera (thewirecutter), RAW-processing with DarkTable (Linux), 18-135 reviews and more

Fujifilm X-T1

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image courtesy: riflessifotografici (X-T1 + Zeiss 32mm). See more shots at riflessifotografici

– the X-T1 was rated best mirrorless camera at thewirecutter.com: “We researched 13 different mirrorless cameras and spent several days shooting with the top contenders to find the Fujifilm X-T1 is the best mirrorless camera you can buy right now. It has the best manual focus of any camera you can buy right now, plus an impressive 16MP APS-C sensor that produces clean, detailed images (even at high ISOs) that truly set it apart from the competition.”

– Jonas Jacobsson: “I would like to share with you (and the Fuji community) an amazing trip to Norway and Lofoten in particular. We bought an “Explore Norway” ticket with the airline Wideroe so we could travel within Norway for two weeks. Our main attraction was Lofoten, and it did certainly not disappoint. I went there with my Fuji X-T1, 14mm, 18-55mm, 35mm and 55-200mm and did my best to capture as much as I possibly could! It turned out quite well I must say and even good enough to impress official Fujifilm Sweden, who decided to feature my story as well! Very honored by this of course. You can see the story + photos over here https://jonasjacobsson.exposure.co/explore-norway-parttwo. If you just want to enjoy the photos you can do that over att my portfolio site right here http://www.jonasjacobsson.co/portfolio/travels/lofotennorway/.”

– Does your camera have a soul? That’s the question at justinnystrom and his article “Rediscovering Something Old in Something New: Thoughts About My New Fuji X-T1 and Life.” From the article: “”It looks like it is from the ’80s.” That was the first thing my wife said about my Fuji X-T1 as I excitedly handed it to her. She didn’t mean it as a compliment. The blow to my enthusiasm, coming as it did right after my post-unboxing high, was a little like deflating one of those hotdog shaped air packs with a pocket knife. “No, this is completely awesome,” I protested. But she was right. We were both right. The Fuji did look like a camera from the 1980s, and it was precisely one of the reasons I bought it.”

– Arlindo Namour Filho: “I shot this Bridal Editorial with my little Fuji X cameras (X-T1 and X-E2) and Fujinon lenses (23mm, 35mm, 56mm and 55-200mm) and would like to share with our Fuji Lovers. All in native BW, all the power of the X Trans sensor. Hope you like it.” www.ehnamour.com.

– Joe Ng Photography: “I am back from my vacation and just covered the Vancouver Tennis Open on last weekend with X-T1.  I was quite dispapointed with the AF-C but I managed to find a way out with AF-S.  Please find below the blog I shared my experience.” Read and see more here at joengphotography. From the article: “With the 55-200mm lens mounted on, acquiring its initial focus was slow even on a bright sunny day. Yes, I know this camera isn’t designed for professional sport photography but I presumed that it would be able to pick up some sporting shots like tennis since it isn’t as fast paced of a sport as something like hockey. The focus had an accuracy of around 40-50% using the AF-C mode. The challenge was that you wouldn’t know which 4 or 5 frames out of the 10 were in focus, so you just might miss a peak moment.”

– Chris: “I’ve just posted a new article on F-Sunny, showing 4 months of model portrait shooting with the X-T1 and X-Series Lenses.” Read and see  more at f-sunny: “Clients and models have been blown-away by the results from this ‘little camera’. They have plenty of other images to compare with, from every camera manufacturer you can imagine. But time and time again, they return to the Fuji X-Series images, and smile, and ask for more of the same please.”

– Life without a Mirror (continued) at joshmcleodphotography: ““I honestly believe Mirrorless Cameras are the future and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the DSLR become all but extinct in the not too distant future. As mirrorless cameras get better and better I can see no logical reason why DLSR’s will continue to exist. I earn my living and shoot 99% of my work with a mirrorless camera. The quality of the product that I deliver to my clients is as good, if not better, as its ever been. For me, there is no looking back, and life will, for the foreseeable, continue without a mirror!!!”

– The streets of Tokyo with the X-T1 and X100S at gaborimages: “I haven’t blogged for a while now, but loads of things happened in the last couple of months. Couple of photo shoots, weddings, holiday, new website and a new camera… What, new camera? Oh, yeah. I finally said good bye to my Canon kit and got an X-T1 with a 56mm lens to accompany my X-Pro1 and X100s. Wasn’t an easy decision, but time will tell. So far I’m loving it, but because I have plenty of editing to do, I haven’t spent huge amount of time with it.”

– Things I wish I would have known- Part 7 at vicsfujixblog: “I had already set up both my Fujifilm X-T1‘s with a minimum shutter speed of 1/160 sec and a high ISO of 3200. To tell you the truth I was so frustrated, hot and tired that I didn’t care. I set them both to auto and kept checking the viewfinder and it seemed to be working. This simple adjustment, which is made even more simple by the dial on the X-T1, really helped the rest of the time I was shooting. Now, I can really see the value of using Auto ISO at certain times.”

– The Fujifilm X-T1 in Iceland at photomadd: “I saw some fantastic photographs posted into my Facebook Fuji group along with a nice write-up of using his Fujifilm X-T1 on his trip to Iceland.  I asked Belfast based amateur photographer Mark Allen if he wouldn’t mind me sharing his thoughts on here and he was good enough to agree.  Mark is yet another photographer who would normally have been using his Full-Frame Nikon gear on a trip like this, but has made the switch to the lighter mirrorless system from Fuji.”

– Pleasures & Rewards of Using Fujifilm’s XT-1 for Stills Footage at planet5d: “I recommend the XT-1 and these two lenses [admin: 10-25 and 56] very highly indeed and look forward to trying out more Fujifilm and Fujinon X-series lenses and X-Trans-equipped cameras. I look forward to the day when Fujifilm will improve its X-series cameras’ moviemaking features too. Imagine shooting HD footage with Provia, Velvia or one of the other film simulations applied!

– X-T1 In-Progress review – conclusions at giannigalassi: “As for image quality, the Fuji X-T1 delivers awesome color files, rich in detail and resolution (even richer when using prime lenses), perfectly white-balanced (it’s definitely the best camera I have ever used in this regard), with the most natural and pleasant skin tones. Out-of-camera JPGs are so finely tuned that obtaining the same results from RAWs is a very difficult (if not impossible) task.”

–  Controlling a Fuji X-T1 with the Fujifilm Camera Remote WIFi APP at aboutphotography.

– Sony a7S Astrophotography Review (vs X-T1) at petapixel.

– Shaping The Light with Karl Bratby at richardhurstphotography.

– Fuji X-T1 Photographer Experience at neocamera: “This superb camera handles nearly all photographic opportunities well. It keeps managing to produce a high-ratio of keepers compared to other advanced digital cameras, proving that this mirrorless than can hold its own against modern DSLRs. The fact that the EVF is so large lets.”

– Sebastien Egger: “I’am a Swiss Photographer and a big fan of the Fuji’s XF system. I have a X100, X100’s, XPro1 and one XT1 with the 14mm, 21mm,56mm,fisheye Samyang 8mm and many more ;-) … I share my photographic work in this tumblr website: http://fujixpro.tumblr.com/

– Seam Marc Lee: “A simple cinemagraph test I made using the XT1 + 23mm – vimeo

– Why the Fuji X-T1 is NOT my Photoshop camera at glyndewis: “I totally LOVE the Fuji X-T1 and I know this will sound weird but I can think of no other way to explain it but … I feel it delivers 100% as a camera for Photography but not for Photoshop.”

– A Month in Italy with the Fuji X-T1 – What Worked and What Didn’t at daveburnsphoto.

– My work with the X-Pro1 & the X-T1 at fujixpro.

– “Back in the Spring I visited Italy with the family. It was my first big trip DSLR-free, traveling just with the Fuji X-T1 and X100s. It was so pleasant not lugging around heavy gear all trip.” Read and see more at rodneyboles.

– Review | 20 Countries with Fujifilm X-Series Cameras at blamethemonkey: “I’m very happy to be working with, not only the Fujifilm X-Series Cameras and XF lenses, but also the bright minded people who develop the technology. While I can’t share any specific details about the future product rollout, I can say for certain that I’m extremely excited about the future of Fujifilm cameras. With all the awesome advancements in camera technology on the horizon, it’s truly a wonderful time to be a photographer!”

– Fujifilm X-T1 Mirrorless Camera Review: Fast Shooter at tomsguide: “The Fujifilm X-T1 is a capable camera that, thanks to its weatherproofing, easily matches an outdoor lifestyle. Plus, this shooter is fast enough to capture at least moderate action for those who want a speedy but relatively compact camera with interchangeable lenses. However, you should look elsewhere if you want to shoot a lot of video, as quality is sub-par. Overall, though, we’re really taken with the X-T1’s still image quality, speed and low-light capabilities. For a broad range of shooting, in fair weather and foul, the X-T1 will serve you well.

– Josh McLeod: “Here is a link to the blog post/results from shooting with the Fuji X-T1 and various lenses:” Read it at joshmcleodphotography: “I mentioned in Part 1 that the MFT lens line up is one of the most mature and comprehensive of the mirrorless segment. The Fuji lens line up, although not as mature is still remarkably good. It has lenses for pretty much all shooting situations and Fuji are also continually developing new lenses. In terms of optics, the Fuji lenses would have be some of the best in the business. My favourite lens is the Fuji 1,2/56mm (85mm equivalent) which is perfect for my portrait work. With a max aperture of F/1,2 I am able to get pretty much the same DOF control as I would on a full frame DSLR. I regularly shoot wide open the images are spectacular. Its sharp wide open and the out of focus areas (or Bokeh) are smooth and creamy. This is one of my favourite lenses of all time.”

– Kaushik Parmar: “Hi! I did Time Lapse video with my X-T1” Watch it here. […] And also see new pictures which I clicked by my X-T1, this is my exclusive page wherin almost all photos are taken by Fujifilm X series cameras like X100, X100S and now newer pictures are with X-T1.”

– Enrique Meza: “Just wanted to share a recent personal project I worked on. It involved my office life it was shot on the XT1 using a C stand and the wifi feature of the camera.” See more here at mezafilms.

– Taking the X-T1 into the deep blue at fujifilmblog: “Overall, the X-T1 and 10-24mm set up exceeded my expectations. I knew it would follow subjects well but I thought that shooting through water would probably lower the hit rate. However, the only factor that affected this was human error. With a specifically designed underwater housing, this camera and lens set up would be a brilliant choice for any underwater photographer, with its small size, clear controls and superb image quality.”

– Wedding with the X-T1, X100S, 56 and 35 at jonasraskphotography. For his X-T1 review click here: “THE EVF IS SO AMAZINGLY GOOD IT MAKES MY WANT TO SHED A TEAR SOMETIMES!”

– Fuji X-T1 vs Fuji X-E1 at jwctp: “When I first turned on my X-T1, my mouth dropped when I experienced how fast the AF was. Then I realized I didn’t even have High Performance mode on. I didn’t even get the latest lens firmware to take advantage of the Phase Detection pixels! Once I did that, the AF became even faster. So if you have an older Fuji model, like the X-E1 or X-Pro 1, and are wondering if it’s worth it to upgrade to the X-T1, yes it is. It is absolutely worth it.”

XF 18-135mm

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– Review at admiringlight: “The Fuji 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR is the first super-zoom lens for the Fuji X-Mount, and the first Fuji lens to feature weather sealing.  When combined with the excellent close-focus ability, the lens has the versatility to serve as an all-in-one take anywhere sort of optic, and for the most part it succeeds here.  Fuji has put in an incredible image stabilizer that will get you close to 5 stops of extra handholdability, the range is incredibly useful, and it makes a perfect companion for the times you just don’t want to bother changing lenses.  The lens is also optically quite good, though it falls short of outstanding.  Color and contrast are fantastic, and even the bokeh is quite nice. The 18-135mm is capable of producing images with very good central sharpness as well, even wide open.  Where it falters is at the edges, especially near 18 and 135mm, where there’s softness that remains even after stopping down.

–  Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 Fujinon lens test (PART 2) at bjornmoerman: “As always is the case for a lens with a broad focal range like the 18-135, it is all about compromises; it does a lot of things OK, but nothing 100% perfect… No criticism but pure photography physics!  Is the 900,-USD price tag too high? Well one obviously is paying for the weather sealing, but a 600 to 700,-USD range would have put it more in line with the exciting zooms like the great 18-55 and 55-200. The fact that unlike other XF lenses, it is manufactured in China instead of Japan, doesn’t help to defend its somewhat higher price point neither…”

– The Japanese site mobile01 posted its review here (translation).

– A nostalgic trip to the Abbotsford Airshow with the Fujifilm X-T1 and the XF 18-135mm lens at kalejf: “The XF18-135mm lens worked wonderfully with the X-T1, and as you can see the image stabilization worked wonders in very low light situations.”

– Field Test Images at outbackphoto.

TCL-X100 / WCL-X100
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 – Okinawa with the Fuji TCL-X100 at thomasalanphoto: “Besides the slower focusing, the only negative for me is the way the camera feels in my hand now. The TCL does throw off the balance of the camera, so I’m not sure I would enjoy shooting with it for extended periods of time. This may just be me, however your mileage may vary. Is the Fuji TCL-X100 perfect? No. Focusing is sometimes slower depending on the environment. Does it deliver exceptional quality? Yes. I could not tell the difference in color or clarity compared to the built-in lens.”

 Rokinon (Samyang) 8mm Fisheye Version II / Samyang 12mm
pre-order: BHphoto

 – The Old Forge ~ Fuji X & Samyang 12mm F2.0 at surroundinglight: “I’ve got quite a few of these images to go through. I might add a few more to this post later. To finish with I have to re-iterate that the Samyang 12mm NCS CS F2.0 has worked tremendously well with my X-E1. The lens is a keeper and I would go as far as to say it’s better than some of the far more expensive wide angle lenses I’ve owned in the past. Sure it’s manual, and so there’s no autofocus, but on a 12mm I don’t think it’s an issue at all. The Nano-Crystal coating is helping to produce wonderful shots. It has been a revelation and I can’t wait to get out with it again!”

–  User Review: Samyang 12mm f/2.0 (Fuji X mount) at fotozones: “My verdict is that this is a keeper. I will take some interesting images over the next few days and add them to my impressions.”

 XF 56mm f/1.2
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 – Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R review at amateurphotographer: “Lenses with this sort of specification are usually very costly, including the Canon example for full-frame sensors, and Panasonic’s Nocticron for micro four thirds, and, at around £900, this X-series unit is too. It is, however, slightly less well endowed with specialist glasses, in possession of a less rounded iris and less rounded out-of-focus highlights – things that are important to photographers who like wide-aperture lenses. It is, though, a good portrait performer, decent value for money, and will keep X-Pro1 and X-T1 customers very happy for a long time. Now Fuji needs to introduce shorter top shutter speeds and lower ISO settings to cope with the amount of light this 56mm f/1.2 gathers, so we can use it wide open outside too!”

– Fuji 56mm f/1.2 at prometheus.med.utah: “Even if image quality were absolutely equal between the Canon 85mm f/1.2 and the Fuji 56mm f/1.2, this size and volume (Fuji lens is ~55% of the volume of the Canon) argument alone is a compelling reason to pick the Fuji lens.  For any traveling photographer, weight and volume are your enemy and the smaller your gear, the fewer hard decisions you have to make regarding gear to take with you, particularly when flying

– Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R – Little Review in German at gambajo (translation).

XF 10-24
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 – Review | The Fujifilm XF10-24mmF4 R OIS at leighmiller: “For stills there is some barrel distortion at the wide end but nothing severe. Most of that is easily handled in post processing, just leave a little room on framing if needed. This shot of my living room (impromtu photoshoot for a model, hence the mess) required very little work in Adobe Lightroom 5.5 to get things straight.”

– A visit to a Jacobean gem at paulmellingphotography: “So any niggles from my day out with the 10-24mm?  Only one and that relates to the lens hood which I find to be a bit loose. If it is not quite fitted right you get vignetting in the corner of the picture and I found it moved too easily.”

 X-E2
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 – Fuji X-E2 at ISO 25600 at stanleyleary: “If you even find yourself in situations where the room is so dark that you need to shoot at a high ISO, be sure your camera can go as high as the Fuji X-E2 which at ISO 25600 really made these photos possible.”

– ON to 2014 — relocation & my new Fuji XE-2 Mirrorless camera at jackgrahamphoto: “Listen, there are still needs for Nikon D800’s, Canon 5DMKIII etc. — don’t get me wrong. And for some events and locations, I’ll still shoot my Nikon. But the Fuji XE-2 mirrorless will (for me) be more than I need for about 80% of my work … and now my camera bag is almost the same weight as my tripod and ball head!”

X100S
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image courtesy: jeremeytheronkirby

– Fuji X100S samples at jeremeytheronkirby.

– Fuji X100s Proves Jimi Hendrix Wrong (more ramblings from the street) at streetshooter.

. Fuji x100s How I love to hate thee at sebimagery: “If you think you’re in the market for an x100s…I say don’t hesitate.  But understand what you’re getting into.  Don’t expect it to be a 1DX, or D800E.  Regardless of what you read online….it won’t make you a better photographer.  It’s not the DSLR killer some say it is.  It’s not a Leica.  It is what it is, it has many flaws, and it might not be for you.  For me it’s still the only camera I’ve truly lo

– Shooting on 6th Street: Comparing the Fujifilm X100S to the Leica M at atmtxphoto: “The Fuji is now my primary camera, until, inevitably, I get another. For now it’s working great and as you can see, more than capable of creating late night urban photographs.

– Magnum Photographer David Alan Harvey in the streets of Korea with the Fuji X100 (not the “S”) at iso1200.

X-E1
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 – Iceland with the Fuji XE1 / Fuji Travel Photography at colinnichollsphotography: “All the photos here were shot on 2 Fuji XE-1’s the size and weight of these cameras make them great for travel and the image quality is just incredible, at no point did I feel the need for anything more that the gear I had and would be happy to travel anywhere in the world with just this small bag of gear.” For his article “Geek Night” / Fuji X-E1 & X100 Event Photography in Manchester click here.

– Street Photography Pairs with the Fuji X-E1 at thomasfitzgeraldphotography.

– Streetphotography with the X-E1 in China at am-fotografie: “This year I had the great pleasure of spending 3 weeks in China. Not sticking to one place, but travelling through this vast and beautiful country. As I wanted to travel light I opted for the Fuji X-E1 with the 18-55mm, backed-up by the Fuji X100s. Anyhow, I took a lot of pictures of the locals and here is a brief B&W selection. Some of them are shy, others are happy, some are young and some are old. Others are painfully poor…but does it mean it should not be recorded?

– Fuji X System Hands-on : The Fuji X-E1 at antonionunes: “I must say that Fuji has an incredible implementation for an APS-C sensor camera. Noise is on par with my full frame cameras; and much, much better than the APS-C DSLRs I’ve used.”

X-PRO1
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– X-PRO1 vs. D800E vs. DP2M at vkphotoblog: “After reviewing hundreds of files all I can say that image quality is less dependant on the modern sensor size but rather on a good lens, shooting discipline (tripod!) and post processing skills. Another observation was that Sigma DP2M is yes, a “one trick pony”, but if you know what you are doing you will be rewarded with mind blowing IQ.”

– Fuji X-Pro 1 with Helios 44M 58mm f2 M42 Lens at damianbrownphotography: “Well check the shots out… look for the out of focus areas in particular, the bokeh. That’s the point of this lens!”

–  X Pro1 in Chettinad – a liftstyle lost in time at pbase.

– The Streets of London with the Fuji X-Pro1 at timdobbsphotography.

IBELUX 40mm f/0.85

BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUS

IBELUX review at lensrentals: “This is a unique bit of glass. Okay, it’s not a “bit,” it’s a huge chunk of glass. My negative expectations have been completely discounted by a little objective testing. It’s built better than I expected. It’s optically better than I expected. It has far less variation than I expected. My hat is off to the designers at IB/E Optics and the manufacturers at Shanghai Transvision. Very nicely played, gentleman. Very nicely played, indeed.”

lenses

– Review of the 55-200 at photozone: “The Fujinon XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS is a very harmonious offering. It may not excel in quality but it has only few weaknesses. The Fujinon is pretty sharp across the zoom range and entire image field – even at max. aperture. The low amount of lateral CAs also contribute to the subjective quality perception. Due to the system’s image auto-correction, neither distortion nor vignetting are relevant to the average user. Under the (RAW-)hood these two characteristics are not as quite as perfect though. The quality of the bokeh is just average for a lens in this class.”

– Fujinon XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS – Review / Lens Test Report at photozone: “The Fujinon XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6-7 OIS is a good performer in relation to its price level. The results are mostly sharp in the image center. The corners aren’t quite as snappy in the upper range but let’s be fair – you don’t tend to place the main subject of your scene into the extreme corners anyway. The level of CAs is pretty good at the extreme ends with a weak spot (135mm) in between. Distortions and vignetting are taken care of by the automatic image correction. However, the original characteristics are quite a bit worse though – especially in terms of light falloff.”

– Vancouver and the Fujinon XF 27mm at stephenip: “In all honesty, I didn’t really miss the X100S (which my wife was using) during our trip. On a few occasions, I would’ve liked to have the built in ND filter on the X100S or to be able to shoot at f/2. But in general, the X-T1 and XF 27mm worked out very well as my light, general purpose, walkaround kit.

– Fuji XF 27mm a great little guy at ledesmaphotography: “A few days ago, I scooped up an XF 27mm 2.8 (silver) to pair of with the XE2 and I couldn’t be more delighted. Initially, I had wondered if it would give me the same experience as I had with my previous X100/s and I most say, it does. The XF 27mm transform your Fuji XE2/1/XT1/XPRO1 into an X100/s like experience.”

– Review | Fuji’s XF 23mm f/1.4. With A 35mm Full Frame FOV, Is It A Rival For The X100S? at slrlounge: “It [X100S] has the same focal length, sure, at f/2 it’s a stop slower, and by all accounts the lens performance isn’t as spectacular as the dedicated 23mm 1.4, but then again this lens is around 75% of the price of an X100s. And with the X100s, it’s an entire camera, with a significantly smaller profile, that’s ideal for the streets. It also has a leaf shutter, built-in ND filter, and given how close the lens elements are to the sensor, is likely to give far greater macro capabilities. I suspect, however, you wouldn’t go wrong either way

– Fuji XC 50-230mm lens at paulsamolukphotography: “The Fuji XC 55-230 mm lens is really a thing of beauty when you consider the value for the money. This is especially true if you can pick one up on sale like I did. The image quality is great, build quality is ok (definitely not cheap feeling) and it is a great addition to your Fuji X system. One of the biggest benefits for me was the weight of this lens. It makes it a breeze to carry with you on longer hikes and you will not sacrifice the image quality. So should you buy one? If you are looking for a long lens for your fuji x system camera, i can’t help but to recommend this lens as a great choice.”

RAW-processing

 – Steve Gahm: “I do a fair amount of my image processing on Linux and my favorite application for this has been DarkTable.  Unfortunately, Darktable does not support X-Trans images and has stated for that they will not be adding X-Trans support given they are a small team and do not have the resources to dedicate to it.  Therefore I purchased Photo Ninja to process my X-Trans files.  I still use Darktable for an old Nikon E5400. But, now DarkTable has just recently added an experimental branch to support X-Trans.  Here is the link.
http://www.darktable.org/2014/08/using-x-trans-cameras-with-darktable/. Darktable runs on most Linux/Unix system and Apple OS-X.  Chyeck the “Install” page to see what systems they support.”

– “Hello, I’m Alexander Svet – professional photographer and Phase One Certified Professional. I and my team have created Film Styles Set for Capture One. This is a set of 100 color and b&w styles for Capture One. We had worked on this styles more than two years, it was “long run”, but we have very good reviews from our customers. You can find all the details and sample images at http://captureonestyles.com.”

– Adobe has released a guide for moving from Aperture to Lightroom here.

– Processing Fuji X-Trans RAW files with Adobe Lightroom 5.4 video at youtube. (spotted by lepidi-photo)

 Acessories

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– New soft-release buttons for Fuji X-T1 at lolumina.

– New compagnon-bag for mirrorless cameras here.

– All Thumbs: The Lensmate Thumbrest for Fujifilm X100s at thepalinode.

– Review: Handgriff MHG-XE für Fujifilm X-E2/X-E1 at oz50 (translation): “The MHG-XE handle Fujifilm for the X-E2 is very well done and for me one of the most useful accessories to the camera. The camera is significantly more stringent and is thus better for longer shootings. The feel is greatly enhanced by the metal and the handle adjusts to the rest of the design, without attracting unpleasant. The handle is approximately 100 euros not a bargain, but the investment is worthwhile in my opinion.”

Switch to the X

– New system in my bag at fotografiainc: “So what I did, I traded one medium priced (I said ONE) Leica tele lens that was not selling fast enough for Fuji X-pro1 and two prime lenses (14mm/2.8 and 35mm/1.4) and some essential accessories… Basically got the core of my new system for a great deal. Two lenses are equivalent of my usual focal lengths (21mm and 50mm). Getting used to field of view with new Fuji X glass was no brainier. Quality is there and then some! I have to say, I don’t miss Leica glass…”

– Johnny shot an entire wedding with Fuji gear… “and it was an amazing experience“. See the shots at johnbogannam.

– Paul Schlemmer is a very young and talented photographer that earns his money from photography. He chose the Fuji X system. Read why at inmybag.net: “So why Fuji you ask? Don McCullin said “I only use a camrea like I use a tootbrush. It does the job” and I like the analogy very much. For me, Fujifilm cameras are like a Curaprox of the camera industry: (editors note: curaprox is a company making superb quality swiss toothbrushes & aren’t as well known as Paul thinks, so the analogy doesn’t work that well ;-) ) Sexy and playful. It’s easy to have relationship with them on both sides. They are made be people who really gives a sh*t about industry and about us. That’s why I love them as much as a man can love his, ehm, tool.” You can also read Paul’s other article there: “25 amazing photographs and how they were lit

– One year after switching to Fuji at nguyn: “Working with Fuji has totally changed my vision of how I see things and how I shoot them. It’s not only about specs, neither its image quality nor its design, Fuji cameras have something more, « un je ne sais quoi ». There’s a kind of magic in it, a real soul. You’re not only taking a picture, you feel it, and also, you’re not only a witness of the moment, you’re part of.

– 22 photographers explain why they went mirrorless at mirrorlessons. Many chose the X-system for their switch.

– Reasons to Stick to Your DSLR Over Mirrorless Camera at thephoblographer.

a little bit of everything

– “Hello. I just wanted to share with your readers a new facebook group I started. The group is called “Mirroless Portrait and Wedding Photographers”. I know there are a number of working professional photographers who have made the switch completely to mirrorless. This is a place where working mirrorless pro’s can share information about their work and the challenges associated with being an early adopter of mirrorless camera systems. The group is new and I would love if you would be able to share it with your readers. Thanks Eric Williams” facebook group mirrorlessportraitwedding.

Fujifilm HS50 EXR

 Fujifilm FinePix HS50 EXR Review at photographic-central:Without hesitation my opinion is that the Fujifilm FinePix HS50 EXR is the best superzoom in its category that is on the current market. Other cameras in this class may offer you unique advantages (especially Panasonic’s’ FZ200 w/constant aperture), and, perhaps those are wholly worthwhile to you alone to purchase them. But when you’re objectively looking at an all in one package, I don’t think this one can be beat today.”

Instax Share SP-1 Printer
[purhcase here]

Sharing The Joy of Photography at fstoplounge: “No matter how many times I’ve printed with this device, I’m still very excited about seeing the print developing by itself. It’s an even more magical experience for the people you are giving it to, who are most probably going to see this for the first time.”

X-T1, 56 and 10-24 roundup: more awards, light leake and more!

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X-T1 body only ($1,299): USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / EU: wexDE / wexUK / PCHstore /
X-T1 with 18-55 ($1,699): USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / EU: wexDE / wexUK / PCHstore /

_ _ _

bokeh-monster posted the X-T1 review here and 56mm review here:

“[X-T1 review] The gap between optical and electronic view finders has finally been closed! The massive view finder on the XT1 even puts my old Canon 5D mrk iii to shame, bright and detailed with almost nonexistent low light flicker, it is capable of turning night into day and tackles manual focusing with ease. […]”

[XF 56mm review] Everyone who is familiar with large aperture lenses will know there are tradeoffs, nothing comes for free! Typically these lenses when shot at their maximum aperture (sucking in as much light as possible, hence helping make exposures in dim surroundings), 1) Do not have the best centre sharpness (corners of the frame are typically even softer) 2) Exhibit low contrast throughout the frame 3) Suffer from bad CA (chromatic aberrations)… Examining one of the street portraits captured with this lens […] illustrates perfectly how the wizards at FUJINON have overcome some colossal challenges. […]. The 56mm at F1.2 has maintained beautiful blacks and brilliant sharpness throughout the frame at the same time rendering true to life skin tones.

– Fuji X-T1, XF 10-24mm F4 OIS & XF 56mm F1.2 reviews at work at olafphotoblog here: “We have already started shooting with this gear. […] Stay tuned for full reviews of the X-T1, XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS and bitingly sharp XF 56mm R F1.2. In the meantime, here are our first images shot with the Fuji X-T1 and the XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS.”

– How fast is a SDHC UHS-II card in a Fuji X-T1 at aboutphotography here: “My older SanDisk Extreme rated at 80MB/s took 15.46 seconds to write the images to disc. The newer SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-II did the same thing in 8:49 seconds – almost twice as fast.” [The UHS-II SD-cards are now available at BHphoto here and Adorama here.]

– Shared on FR-twitter: “This camera is amazing, it really is, FUJI hit it out the park with this one. it was really a joy to shoot with, its light weight, unobtrusive and completely gets out the way and help you make beautiful photos, all these are just my first day impressions of this camera.” Read more at itsneilb here.

– Fuji or Olympus? joshmcleodphotography has the answer here: “…the Fuji X-T1 is almost the perfect camera (for my needs). Shooting with it is an absolute pleasure… it is small, lightweight, inconspicuous, feels great in hand, extremely well built, has a great lens line up and is capable of producing beautiful images. I am so confident in the Fuij X-T1 that I believe it will meet if, not exceed, nearly every photographic need/expectation I can throw at it. Even if some say that the price is a little on the high side I think the Fuji X-T1 actually represents good value. In my opinion you have to spend a lot more money to get a camera that offers any real advantage in terms of Image quality, build quality and overall shooting enjoyment.”

Here is what lighttraveler thinks of the X-T1: “Fuji have changed the way I think about my craft and taken me back over 40 years and made me want to start all over again.They have given me my passion back by putting all the passion they have for photography and film in to these little cameras. At last a company that are doing things for the right reasons and not just mass producing cameras for profit.”

phoblographer X-T1 review here (and another award for the X-T1): “What the X-T1 really does is make the case for mirrorless cameras as worthy options for serious photographers. There have been strong mirrorless options before the X-T1, but none have looked so good. Sony’s done well with its NEX-now-alpha line, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Fujifilm in terms of design. Fujifilm pays just as much at to the outside of the camera as it does the inside. […] The X-T1 can bend to nearly any photographic need in my estimation, save for sports and wildlife photography due to Fujifilm’s lack of fast telephoto lenses.

admiringlight full review here: “The X-T1 is an immensely enjoyable camera to shoot with.  The grip is comfortable, the major exposure controls are all easily accessed and constantly visible.  The EVF is, in my opinion, the best on the market currently (though the one in the Olympus E-M1 is close).  Fuji has also made the X-T1 a responsive camera.  Everything reacts quickly, write speeds are blazing and all the delays that plagued early X-series cameras are now gone.  The X-T1′s continuous autofocus is something for Fuji to be proud of.

trustedreviews full X-T1 test here: “The X-T1 combines excellent design with a specification that makes it great value even at its circa-£1000 price tag. Above all, it produces breathtaking images and can be relied upon whatever the conditions, making it perhaps the best CSC on the market.”

Fujifilm X-T1 Review: Feast for the Eyes, Frustration for the Fingers at gizmodo here: “LIKE: Looks can take a camera further than most photographers are willing to admit, and the X-T1 is exquisitely beautiful. It’s an all-around speedy camera in AF, startup time, and burst rate. Image quality is terrific and the lens selection is becoming more robust with high-quality options. The great build quality and weather sealing will keep the camera safe from jostles and the elements. NO LIKE: The controls on the X-T1 are a mess. They go too far into analogue nostalgia at the expense of simplicity and speed. The EVF, while big, is very noisy in low light.”

– X-T1 review at flixelpix here: “Does the X-T1 deserve the hype? Definitely. The X-T1 is a powerhouse that delivers stunning, pin sharp images with the almost breathtaking dynamic range we have grown to associate with the Fujfilm X-Range. I struggle to find fault and I hope you understand what I mean when I say I could look at it for hours, it is a remarkable piece of technology. The controls are extremely accessible on the body of the camera and there isn’t hardly an aspect of the device that isn’t customisable or adjustable. The viewfinder and LCD screens are stunning and if that isn’t enough you can even control the camera via live view on a mobile device

Fuji X-T1, Nkon 50mm f/1.4G, Metabones Speed Booster – Is this the answer to low light shooting? at soundimageplus here.

– First Impressions at thewanderinglensman here: “The “four-way” buttons that surround the menu/enter button aren’t very well designed.  I almost have to use my fingernail in order to push them.”

– Doring: “Here is a little piece on the pixel-level file quality from the new Fujifilm X-T1. It may be of interest to those who depend on good per-pixel quality for largish prints.” Read it at doeringphoto here.

– Review at fotodesign here: “Well, it’s fairly simple to summarize my findings about the X-T1. In the end it’s rather an evolution of the X-E2, wrapped in a different body, than a game changer taking over the camera world. For me, the biggest advantage is the new high-res viewfinder, which I would love to see in a X-E3. The autofocus is improved, but still lacks responsiveness compared to the competition. This might not be true for AF-C performance, but that is something I don’t care much about. The image quality hasn’t changed at all and is still very good. Video quality is still poor, so nothing has changed there either.”

– first impressions at photomadd here: “Yes!  I think it would be hard to argue that this was a bad camera.  It is a very good camera.  I’m not convinced that it is the revolution many were billing it as though.  I think a lot of people missed out on just how good the X-E2 really is with their bias still in place from the X-Pro1 and X-E1 with the early firmware.  The reality is that the X-T1 is an X-E2 bundled up differently to make it look like something else, but same sensor, same processor, with just a few tweaks and natural improvements here and there to give it better dSLR style AF tracking and a faster frame rate.”

– Further toughts at luminous-landscape here: “Fujifilm’s X-T1 has been a very eagerly awaited device. I know that I was eagerly waiting to get my hands on one ever size I saw its first announcement. Why? Because it appeared to offer the design ethos of another era. A look at the top panel tells the story. Nice solid mechanical wheels and levers for all of the cameras major functions; ISO, focus mode, metering mode, shutter speed and exposure compensation. And, if you have a lens with an aperture ring, such as one of Fuji’s XF primes, you even have direct manual control of that.”

– Should I sell all my Nikon gear for a X-T1? at ohm-image here: “I am ecstatic about the X-T1. It shows Fujifilm improving on most things. But the X-T1 is in no way a replacement for a DSLR in the arenas where DSLRs reign supreme. A great mirrorless camera is still a not equal to a great DSLR of any stripe unless weight, size, lens selection (this refers to APS-C DSLRs), are the deciding factors.”

– “I noticed a light leak on the new FUJI X-T1.  When using the cable release during long exposures I had a streak of light enter the sensor.  The light leaks when using long exposures and light hits the microphone jack and the HDMI ports“. Check it out on youtube here. Trenton suggested the following temporary solution for this problem in the comments: “use mobile app to trip the shutter by WiFi, without exposing the ports. Oh, and it would be fantastic if Fuji updates the app with timers and intervalometers.” Rico said: “Those who are affected by this light leak might want to have their cameras serviced by Fujifilm. Fuji knows about the issue, and a service directive has been in place for several weeks. It’s an easy fix.”

– first impressions at peterlangfelder here: “Overall, it is lightweight and super-fun to use

– high ISO performance test at f8blog here.

– Fujifilm BLC-XT1 Leather Case for Fujifilm X-T1 at larsauthen here: “I’m not 100% percent happy with this leather case. It doesn’t fit as tight as I would like it. And it’s a bit unpractical to unscrew the bottom screw to remove it when you need to change memory cards. Of course, it’s nice to be able to change the batteries when needed with the case still on.”

focus-numerique full review here (translation).

– Had a fantastic weekend up in the dales with a friend putting my new Fuji XT1 through its landscape paces and checking the area out for one of my up and coming landscape walking tutorial days. […] Here are a few photos from the weekend.” See more at lightgazer here.

XF 56mm f/1.2
USA AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / – EUROPE: wexUK / wexDE / PCHstore / DigitalRev

– XF 56mm test at pchome here (translation): “[google translated:] Maximum aperture edge quality is slightly lower compared to the center of some of the meat received significantly enhance the rate after F1.4, F4.0 and F5.6 until it reaches the maximum value. A conclusion can be: the overall level of sharpness and excellent performance of the central portion, and the edge portion of the central portion so although not eye-catching, but within the acceptable range.”

XF 10-24
USA. AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / DigitalRev / EUROPE: DigitalRev / PCHstore / WexDE / WexUK

michaelrcruz tested the XF 10-24. Read his impressions here: “I really had a great time using this lens. This is the lens that I always wanted for my X-series system. The focal length is very useful for photographers who shoots landscapes, architecture and even street photography.  I don’t really have any negative comment about this lens, I know others would have wanted a 2.8 lens but it might have made this lens bigger and I think, the current size is just perfect for the X-Series cameras.  And to be honest in landscape or architecture photography which this lens will be most used, you will use high aperture values anyways and at f4.0 it is by no means a slow lens.”

– X-T1 and the 10-24mm Lens impressions at getdpi here: “I personally think it’s a great performance at its widest angle. Please note there was a million people around me and I was just snapping away so I could look at the overall quality and distortion control. In a couple of photos, the Fuji staff member looks a little distorted but for the most part, I’d be happy with these images in regards to distortion.”

miXed zone: X-T1, why DSLRs sell better than mirrorless systems and more

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As you know, a new source told me a while ago here, that the new tele converter lens (TCL) for the X100/S will be available in late April / May. Now it is already listed at BHphoto’s website here. There is still no information about the price and release, yet.

With the [shoplink 12893]WCL-X100 ($300)[/shoplink] and TCL, X100/s owner will have a three-lens mini system (28mm, 35mm and 50mm) with leaf shutter, fast aperture and terrific IQ.

X-T1

– fuji x-t1 review #1: body & controls at f8blog here: “My first impressions are as positive as I anticipated they would be. Fuji has done a fine job designing this camera. The camera controls are very logical, and since there is a dedicated knob/switch for everything, you hardly need to dive into the menu at all.”

– Fuji X-T1 Review: 8 Hours Later at danielkcheung here: “Having now fumbled my way with the Fuji X-T1 at a wedding, I have a much better understanding of the X-T1′s strengths and weaknesses as per to the context of my specific experiences and usage of camera equipment. My main gripe is with the 4-direction pad and ISO dial locking mechanism. With time, I will overcome these I suppose. […] I’m not ready to say that the Fuji X-T1 is ideal for wedding photography; it is still early days. But I am happy to say that with more practice, I will get used to the quirks of the Fuji X-T1. I may make some modifications to the rear 4-direction pad. I will probably invest in faster memory cards. I also will need to wait for my XF14mm and XF56mm to arrive to do a thorough wedding test with a complete X-series camera set up. For now, I am satisfied.

XF 56mm f/1.2
USA AmazonUS / BHphoto / AdoramaDigitalRev / – EUROPE: wexUK / wexDE / PCHstore / DigitalRev

– Review at dcfever here (translation).

XF 10-24
USA. AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / DigitalRev / EUROPE: DigitalRev / PCHstore / WexDE / WexUK

– First Impressions Fujinon XF10-24mmF4 R OIS Lens at bertstephani here: “Great lens and I wouldn’t hesitate to highly recommend it to Fuji shooters who like it really wide. I’ll probably stick to the 14mm but that has nothing to do with the quality of the 10-24. It’s just that I don’t shoot a lot of wide angle pictures and for the few that I do, the 14mm is a better choice to me because it takes up less space and weight in my bag. But if I shot a lot of wide angle work, I would definitely add this lens to my collection.”

X-E2
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– Read trustedreviews‘ review here: “The X-E2 doesn’t succeed in every area, failing to match competing models in terms of AF speed and Wi-fi performance. However, if you’re looking for a retro rangefinder-type CSC that delivers in terms of design and image quality, the X-E2 is a pleasure to use and one of the best on the market.”

– Duncan Foster: “You sometimes publish reviews of newer Fuji cameras. If you want another one of the X-E2 on a trip in Belize, the review is here. And more photos from the trip (all taken with the X-E2) are here.”

– Fujifilm X-E2 review at trustedreviews here: “The X-E2 doesn’t succeed in every area, failing to match competing models in terms of AF speed and Wi-fi performance. However, if you’re looking for a retro rangefinder-type CSC that delivers in terms of design and image quality, the X-E2 is a pleasure to use and one of the best on the market.”

– AF speed comparison X-E1 vs X-E2 on youtube here.

– Harland and Wolff at Night with the X-E2 at flixelpix here: “I packed the Fujifilm X-E2 and the 14mm and 23mm lenses. I suspected that I would concentrate on shooting with the 23mm f/1.4 to capture the lights from the rig whilst trying to keep the sky as dark as possible (which isn’t easy in any city). After a number of captures with the 23mm I discovered a rather large puddle so decided to employ the 14mm to try and capture the rig, the cranes as well as their reflection.”

Fuji X-E2 – Voigtlander 20mm – Fuji 55-200 – More beauty and the beast at soundimageplus here.

– Fuji X-E2 with XF 55-200mm vs Nikon D4 with 28-300mm at stanleyleary here: “If you are used to being able to shoot sports as I have with a auto focus system as quick as the Nikon D4, then you will be a little disappointed in the Fuji. However if you never shot with the best Nikon systems, then you might be OK and not notice the delay.” For his other post “Fuji X-E2 is great for meetings click here.

X100S
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– NYC Long Exposures with the Fujinon [shoplink 12893]WCL-X100[/shoplink] at stephenip here: “The good thing about the conversion lens is that the filter thread is the same size as the X100S. This meant that I didn’t have to buy an additional step up ring to use my ND filter. The bad thing is that you need to tell the camera the lens is mounted to get the right Exif data. Not a huge deal, but I did find myself constantly forgetting to switch this setting on and off during our trip.”

– Settings for Great Black and White with the Fuji X100s – Part II at outdoorimagesfineart here: “It’s a long time coming, but I wanted too finish the discussion I started about using black and white with the Fuji X100s. I extend this now to really include all the Fuji X series, including the X-Pro1 and the X-E2. If you recall from the first part I tried what others have used by increasing contrast using the red filter option. However, I didn’t like the grey rendering for some colors.”

– Food photography with Fujifilm X100s at pavels here: “Again, zero experience with paid food photography and Fujifilm X100s as my only workhorse camera.”

– One Week in the Field with the Fuji X100s at photographytricks here: “Put simply, the Fuji X100s made shooting with a DSLR seem soulless and disconnected. For the first time in a long time, I am using a camera that seems a part of me, yet connects me seamlessly to my subject.

– Wedding Photography with the Fujifilm X100S at rogerspictures here: “One of the things I love about using this tiny camera is the fast f/2.0 fixed 23mm lens. Because the sensor is smaller than a traditional 35mm DSLR, the equivalent focal length is 35mm, and the images have slightly more depth of field than a f/2.0 lens would have on it’s larger cousin. But for a camera this small, the shallow depth of field is still almost unique. I use that feature a lot in my compositions, framing the subject with natural elements, the depth of field drawing the viewers attention to the subject with less distraction.”

– review at michaelkircher here: “This is in no way the most comprehensive review of this camera you can find. For that you should check out David Hobby and Zack Arias and Kai Wong. What follows is simply a first impression type of review after a few days usage. No pixel peeping or tech talk is used…well, not excessively anyway.”

X-E1
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– A Dabble in Commercial Shooting with My X-E1 at adrielhenderson here: “My personal photography kit consists of a Fuji X-E1 paired with the XF 35mm f/1.4 and XF18-55 lenses, four cheap YN-560 speed lights, triggers, an off-brand soft box, a handful of umbrellas and stands. Add to that my DIY collection: a pile of homemade ghetto sandbags, a staples-and-felt soft box grid, and best yet, my flower-pot-turned-beauty-dish! Quite the circus, really.”

– Hemanshu Narsana: “Hi Patrick, Since you keep featuring photographers and are extremely passionate about the Fuji series, I thought I’d share some photos I recently took with the XE-1 and8mm Rokinon. I am based out of India, and I don’t see many Fuji photographers here, so I thought I could try and provide an Indian perspective on the Fuji scene. Everyone who sees my XE-1 or my X100s is beginning to wonder what they are missing out on! Keep up the good work. I check your site every day for updates! Thank you for doing that for us!” Read and see his post “Fuji XE-1 with the 8mm Rokinon on my trip to Pondicherry” here at yougotlittup.

– A Vintage Alternative With Fuji X-E1 by Meng Yeap at findingrange here: “The quality that is produced from the Helios 44m is awesome. The lens is sharp wide open at f/2. For me, it is sharp enough especially, when I am shooting portrait with it. But if you want to get tack sharp photos, do shoot it at f/4 and above. The bokeh produced is also very smooth and shooting it at wide open f/2, it is definitely bokehlicious.”

X-PRO1
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– The Owl Sanctuary (Barrow in Furness) – Fuji X-Pro1 / XF 60mm 2.4 R Macro at roblowephoto here: “Up until recently, my two favourite macro lenses were always the Ricoh A12 50mm 2.5 or the Fujifilm XF 60mm 2.4 – both 1:2 (half-size) macros.”

– February 17th, 2014 ….. Fuji XP1 & 15mm Heliar ….. Ideal Street Combo! at streetshooter here.

– Marrakech summer trip with the Fuji X-Pro1 at fullframeboy here.

– Fuji X-Pro1 Shoots The Moon at prometheus here: “I’ve been exploring astrophotography a bit more with the Fuji X-Pro1 and have been tremendously happy shooting the moon at least.  The next step in the evolution of astrophotography with this camera is to start shooting more deep sky objects.”

– Fuji X-Pro1 camera test at markboltonphotography here: “My most recent camera acquisition, before the X-Pro1, was the Sony RX100… I kept it for 4 months before getting rid of it… The X-Pro 1 is obviously a different beast entirely, but I can assure you that it will still be in my camera bag for a while to come!”

– A camera build to endure klutzes: the Fuji X-Pro1 at charlenewinfred here: “The fact that my X-Pro 1 still working is a testament to how solidly this baby was built. Against all odds, despite the slew of delicious new offerings from Fuji, I’m hoping it will be a companion for many more years.”

X-A1
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– X-A1 review at pcmag here: “The Fujifilm X-A1 is the least expensive X-series camera that Fuji sells; while it doesn’t feature the company’s unique X-Trans image sensor, it’s still a solid performer.”

X-M1
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X-M1 review at neocamera here: “People looking for great image-quality at an affordable price have a good deal to like about the Fuji X-M1. This mirrorless itself is also relatively compact and saves weight compared to a DSLR. While Fuji’s lenses are not the smallest, most offer impressive image-quality which allow the X-Trans sensor to show its full potential.”

lenses

Fuji 55-200mm review at thephotofrontier here: “If you are looking for long lens with great image quality, a pro build, and very functional image stabilization…well, this is it!”

Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 (Fujifilm) – Review / Test Report Lens Reviews – Fujifilm X-Pro at photozone here: “The Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 is capable of delivering the high quality results that we associate with this brand. The images are sharp straight from the max. aperture and the center quality is even stunning when stopping down.

– A Very Brief Review of the Fujinon XF 35mm 1.4 lens at colinnichollsphotography here: “Peoples main love of this lens comes from its outstanding sharpness, I’m not going to make tests and charts, but show two examples of just how good it is, even wide open, which is how I shoot this lens most of the time.”

– Hands On with Fuji’s Premium X-Series Long Lens at macleancomms here: “Well the image and build quality are on a par with the other X-Series XF lenses and despite the variable aperture, the images are sharp across all focal lengths and at all apertures.  Even with the aperture wide open and the lens zoomed out to 200mm, the results are really impressive.”

XC 50-230mm review at photographyblog here: “Priced at £379 / $399, we probably wouldn’t rush out and buy one, but the Fujifilm XC 50-230mm F4.5-6.7 OIS is definitely a cut above the usual cheap telephoto lenses. If you can’t stretch to the better-performing and better-built Fujifilm XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS, or can’t wait for the upcoming XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R OIS WR, then this affordable telephoto lens is still worth adding to your X-series system.

Speed Booster:
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– Metabones Nikon F to Fuji X adapters at fujixtras here: “Looking at the Speed Booster, the resulting images come very close to the “experience” obtained with a full-frame camera, and the image quality of the attached lens is largely preserved. The extra f-stop is a welcome addition to that. The Speed Booster helps to fill gaps in Fujifilm’s current XF lens line-up, at least until new lenses are added to the roadmap and become available (and the extra cash is spent).”

RAW-conversion / Jpeg vs RAW

– Hank: “Patrick, I just published an article that attempts to discover whether there have been any meaningful improvements in processing X Trans files in the new ACR release. As always it can be found at henrysmithscottage.com. Thanks!” – Later versions of ACR are much better than the early versions. I’m not sure if there is much improvement in detail with the newest release. I’ll use it though.

– JPG vs RAW at arihallami here (translation): “Yet another story for Fujifilm shooters. This time it’s about how to scale your images to have a filmy look and why not to shoot JPG with high ISO. Google translate will probably make a mess with translation, but the images will tell you the obvious.

– A first look at the Fujifilm Film Simulation modes with Adobe Camera Raw 8.4 at mirrorlessons here: “[…] the update remains interesting as it gives you a starting point to build upon in the recreation of your Fujifilm OOC JPGs taken with the in-camera film simulation modes. The rendering may not be identical but at least you aren’t creating something out of nothing as you would be if you were working the RAF files without the Camera Raw update.”

– Dan Bailey: “Here’s another- shooting RAW with the X-T1 and seeing how much information is actually preserved in the X-Trans sensor on the X-T1.” Read more at danbaileyphoto here. “As much confidence as I have in the Fuji JPEGs, sometimes RAW is necessary if you want to preserve the maximum level of sharpness, exposure and color info in your image, especially in tricky light. Seeing how well the 16MP X-Trans sensor handles RAW gives me even more confidence to use the X-T1 in any kind of situation.”

– Film Candy for Lightroom Now Available at thomasfitzgeraldphotography here: “After over a year of going back and forth trying to port my Film Candy presets to Lightroom, I’m delighted to say that they’re finally available. Film candy for Lightroom is a set of Develop Module that I designed to create a stylised image based on the look of expired and instant film.

–  Optimal Sharp and Optimal Snap a good combination for Fuji X-T1 Images at outbackphoto here.

a little bit of everything

– Why Do DSLRs Still Sell Better Than Mirrorless Systems? at amateurphotographer here (via CanonWatch via MirrorlessRumors).

– Another Fuji manager says: “Full Frame? First complete the APS-C line, and then maybe… we are investigating!” Read more at the Spanish site dslrmagazine here (tranlsation).

– Fujifilm 2014 Rajasthan Photo Trek at thedigitaltrekker here: “It is always difficult to find even a few moments to post photos and updates when leading a workshop. But we have made it to Pushkar and that means for the participants of the Fujifilm Rajasthan Photo Trek a day of rest.”

– My Mirrorless Choice(s) – Fuji X-E2 and/or Fuji X-M1 and/or Sony A7 and/or Panasonic GX7 – Part 4 – Fuji X – Beauty and the Beast at soundimageplus here.

– V Opoku: “Hey Patrick, I just returned back from shooting a wedding in Jamaica. I shared my thoughts with Fujifilm UK on using their cameras for wedding photography, and it ended up as an interview blog post on their site (read it here). Just thought I will share the post with you and I hope that it is helpful for any  wedding photographers who are interested in the Fujifilm X-Series, especially with the newly announced XT1 looking pretty good. Here is the link to the wedding.

. Mat: ” […] Fujifilm is going to discontinue the best medium format instant film, the 3×4 FB-3000b. This saddens me and about 11.000 customers who signed a petiton. I guess there is a way to stop Fuji from stop production: selling directly from Fuji’s sites? Producing after a great global order placement? In marketing terms, it is important for Fuji itself to keep a strong connection with instant analogue artists and enthusiasts. It would be great if you could make some room in your blog for this petition: https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-discontinuation-of-fuji-3000b-instant-film-by-fujifilm. I’m not a native english speaker so, please, forgive my mistakes. Thank you Patrick. Kind regards, Mat, Milan

– A FR-reader wrote me: “Have you ever seen the site Pixel Peeper? Well Fujifilm has seven (7) lenses in the top 20 most popular and the 35mm f1.4 is in the top spot under mirrorless lenses.

miXed zone: 23mm, Photo Ninja, reviews, artifacts, lens turbo, Nikon vs Fuji, X-E1 give away and more

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Fujinon XF 23mm

USA: eBay / AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / Pictureline / DigitalRevEUROPE: AmazonUK (via DR) / eBay / DigitalRevwexcamerasDE / wexphotographicUK / PCHstore

– At therealsphotographersforum you can read a review of the XF 23mm: “The new Fuji 23mm lens is a beast – as fast as the excellent Fuji 35mm lens (at f/1.4), but with the latest AF drive and pull focus ring from the 14mm. The build quality feels superb – this lens is a chunky guy, with some reasonable heft, and a rather impressive girth. […] the smoothness of the bokeh is really impressive.”

yodobashi.com shared his impressions and beautiful pics of the 23mm here (google translation): “It may be said that is the size that a strong presence as a little lens of single focus of APS-C for but, given the stunning image quality and value of open F1.4, to be rather small and light.”

X-rayed by Dag

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FR-reader Dag analized an image Bert Stefani shot in his recent visit to Tokyo with three more X-photographers in order to present Fujifilm their own suggestions to make the X-series even better and more complete. Now here are Dag’s findings… and what do you see?

“This is unconfirmed , but take a look at this picture. http://confessionsxl.com

Is the x70 the black camera on the table? Or the silver one beside it? The silver one is NOT a X100S. Also. Look at the two cameras on the left side. If you look at the writing on the lens and the depth of the lenses it may look like they have different lenses. Is a X100S with a different focal length lens on the cards. X100S(andard), X100T(ele), X100W(ide)?

The lenses on the right side are also interesting. There is a pancake lens with aperture ring … Maybe a 35mm 2(.8)? Pure speculation. The lens in the middle looks a lot like a 35mm 1.4 with manual focus clutch?

And last but not least. Zack, David and co. reported that they got to present a wish list for upcoming lenses for the X-system. If you look at the board on the left side it clearly states: “from x-photographers”. Beneath not much i clear other then the first lens is a variable aperture (zoom) with maximum aperture of 5.6 on the long end … A longer lens then the 55-200mm?

The next three lenses have a aperture that ends on 8. So either 1.8 or 2.8. The last of these have “macro” written behind the aperture. If i should take a calculated guess a 23mm 2.8, a long tele 2.8 and longer macro lens then the 60mm?

The last lens on the board is interesting. It is clearly marked with II behind. So of the lenses that are out today the 35mm and 60mm are the two lenses that is most “in need” of redesigning with “quick AF” as stated. I would guess 35mm since the AF on the 60mm is slow since it is a macro lens.

The is also something about 18-55mm on the right side of the board, but can’t read it. Maybe a “firm” aperture ring with stops?

Maybe i want to see more in the picture then there is?”

Photo Ninja

FR-reader Mehrdad is very pleased by the results of the RAW-converter Photo Ninja and wrote a German review here (translation). According to hin it’s worth abbandon LR finally!

win a X-E1 + 18-55 lens

Hello, Patrick. I have one more piece of news for you – we at Photography Life were very impressed with the X-E1 and started a giveaway contest of the camera body + the 18-55mm XF zoom lens kit. Perhaps you would like to share this on your website, we would be very grateful. Thanks! http://photographylife.com/fuji-x-e1-giveaway

X100S

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Here is a fun little look at the X100S of Fernando Gros: “Time for a confession right up front. I suck at writing camera reviews. When I’ve written camera reviews in the past I often get hit with the kinds of questions most regular camera reviews spend a lot of time answering; stuff like sharpness, lens distortion and every little detail lurking in the camera’s menus. But, to the be honest, the only thing that interests me is “can I make the kind of photographs I like, with this camera?”

– X100S review at disneyphotographyblog here: “Imagine a camera that is liberating, light, powerful, and most importantly has fantastic image quality. Do you want to take that camera to the parks and shoot with it? I know I did, and that is why I rented the Fujifilm X100S recently.”

–  Florian wrote a comprehensive review about his new toy, the X100S, here: “I needed something more portable, especially for work trips. I considered switching to a more portable camera system – the Fuji X system comes to mind – but again this involves compromises (not to mention expenditure) that I don’t want make right now: An ideal camera (1) has excellent image quality, (2) is very portable and (3) is highly flexible. Again, pick two! My solution is to keep my DSLR system [(1) & (3)] and get a second, portable camera [(1) & (2)]. The X100s fits the bill perfectly. Moreover, it is very pretty, so even my finance minister approved of the purchase.

– For a first look at the X100S check eoshd.com here: “Dynamic range is comparable to full frame on the X100S and it certainly gives the Sony RX1′s full frame sensor a run for it’s money at a considerably smaller price. The Zeiss lens is better on the RX1 but image quality is right up there between the two and the X100′s sensor also  does a great job in low light.”

X-E1

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– Dan Bailey shared on my FR-twitter page his blog post “Shooting Cyclocross with a Nikon DSLR and Fuji X-E1 here: “In my mind, the Fuji X-E1 held up well, and I’d use again with confidence for shooting action.”

– Check out photographylife’s X-E1 review here. From the conclusions: “Yes, the Fuji X-E1 is a camera that I want to pick up and shoot. I don’t know what it is – ergonomics, its looks, its feel, the noise of its shutter…it is hard to express why this camera just lures me into picking it up. To date, I have not enjoyed photography as much as I have with the X-E1. It feels just perfect in hands. […] I have been taking the Fuji equipment to every shoot with me so far and I have to say, I would not hesitate to shoot weddings and other portrait sessions with it (you can probably see why I am so excited about the upcoming 56mm f/1.2). […] In summary, the X-E1 is a phenomenal camera. I don’t think there is anything else to add to that.”

– Oh yes, he did it. Colin shot a whole wedding with the X-E1. Read more here: “I am happy with the results from this day, however I’m still holding on and using the 5Dii +100mm lens for my own assignments but I believe the way is paved for an all fuji kit bag, Im thinking a pair of XE1’s: 23mm/1.4 lens on one and the 56mm/1.2 on the other, with the 35mm being in the bag for backup. Can you imagine that? It would be such a light kit and all fit in one small bag, only downside is I would need about ten batteries, not even joking here I used 4 in one day recently.”

– The Fuji X-E1 & Fuji X-Pro1 and why I love mine at johnbarclayphotography here: “These cameras have made photography fun again!  I love the look and feel and their size allows me to always have one with me.”

– X-E1 article at henrysmithcottage here: “This was the first vacation, probably in a decade, where I have not taken an SLR as part of my kit. Instead on his trip, I brought instead 3 “X series” Fujifilm cameras:  my X 100s, my X Pro 1, and a brand new  E Bay acquisition, a silver XE 1.  I definitely had some concern over this. After all, I have some wonderful Nikon bodies and lenses. Would the Fuji’s suffice? […]

– “In the hands using the Fuji X-E1 and 35mm for me is a more photographic experience. I engage far more in the moment. I take more care before squeezing the shutter release and hearing the shutter control the light momentarily to the sensor creating the image. I love the detail with the narrow apertures too, street and landscape provide good opportunities to work at this end if the lens range.” Read Fuji X-E1 joined me on walk about at Simon Peckham here.

X-PRO1

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– X-PRO1, New York and street photography. See some shots here at rodneyboles.com.

– The Fuji Xpro 1 loves the Badlands (First field test) at tonysweet here: “I thoroughly enjoy using the Fuji X Pro 1 and it’s one of the few cameras that feels so good in your hands (after adding the aforementioned accessories), that it actually makes you want to get out there and take pictures! BONUS: Being a rangefinder, there no need for a tripod for general shooting in average light, although mounting on a tripod is always a good idea for best image quality in lower light and/or when using high apertures. BONUS2: The high ISOs are outstanding!”

– X-Wow: Initial Shots from the Fujifilm X-Pro1 at kevinbuchananphoto here: “‘I’ve been shooting with the X-Pro1 and the 35mm (equivalent to a 50mm on a full-frame camera) f/1.4 lens now for several days, and have been continually blown away by the photos I’ve been getting from it.  I’ve thrown it into several different situations – portraits, street, concerts, etc. – and have been learning how it behaves and responds.  It’s everything I loved about the X100, taken to a new level.”

– Alternative close-up photography with the Fuji X-Pro1 and X-E1 at aboutphotography here: “Sometimes, however, I like to break the mold and move into some more innovative ways of shooting close-ups. The procedure is simple, but the results can often be visually interesting and, for me, more exciting creatively.”

X-M1

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– Giovanni: “Hi, I’ve tested, for a few hours, both the (old) X-E1 and the (newer) X-M1. Here’s my reflections; the post is in italian, but you can read it also in english, or any other languages, thanks to “google translate“. Ciao

– photoreview posted its X-M1 review here: “[…] the X-M1 plus 16-50mm kit lens will suit photographers who enjoy shooting general subjects, such  as landscapes and portraits. It’s small enough to be an attractive traveller’s camera and makes a reasonably good choice for photographing children and pets, although you’ll need a longer lens if you want to photograph sports action or wildlife.”

photographylife‘s X-M2 review can be read here: “Overall, the X-M1 is an excellent camera that is very intuitive and easy to use, with superb image quality. Despite the fact that it lacks an electronic viewfinder, it is still equally as addictive as other X-series cameras from Fuji.”

X20

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Cameralabs X20 review here: “Despite its smaller sensor, the Fujifilm X20’s wider f2.8 aperture produces a slightly better result at the telephoto end of the zoom range. The worst of the bunch [[shoplink 12884 ebay]X20[/shoplink], [shoplink 15087 ebay]Sony RX100 II[/shoplink], [shoplink 13071 ebay]Nikon A[/shoplink]] is the Nikon A. Its 28mm fixed lens not only renders the background almost as sharp as the subject, the wide angle perspective makes for particularly unflattering portraits.”

– Nowadays compact cameras deliver great results, as the [shoplink 12884]X20[/shoplink] or the [shoplink 15087]Sony RX100II[/shoplink]. Read more at mirrorlessons here.

artifacts

– “I would like to have your opinion about some TERRIBLE false outlines that I’m encounting on Lightroom and Silkypix when simulating a Red filter on BN, on the blue channel. I can’t believe that I’m the first to deal with this artefact, but I can’t find any discussion about this on the web. I decided to email you after trying to recreate the same artefact on other cameras like Olympus OMD and Canon G-15, both of them don’t show a false outline like this. I can confirm that it is in both of jpeg and RAF, and you can put every other parameter to default or automatic and you won’t remove this outline anyway. Look at the sky… Please help me :D Greetings from Rome, M“. Check Massimo‘s post here. To be honest, I’ve never experienced something like this, but feel free to drop your opinion in the comments. In any case, I’ve talked with Massimo and he told me that he found a solution in the meantime. So stay tuned on his blog, in case you experienced the same problem, he will tell you the solution in this post here!

Fuji X100

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The Fuji X100 in Florida with Massimo Cristaldi here. It’s his last trip with the X100 before replacing it with his X100S.

Lens Turbo

admiringlight posted its lens turbo review (Minolta MD to Fuji X) here: “If you planned to shoot with the Lens Turbo for a large portion of your work or for professional work, I’d recommend spending the extra money on a SpeedBooster (provided they make it for the mount you’d like to convert), but for occasional use when you want that full-frame depth of field, it’s useful.  I don’t often need the depth of field provided by ultra-fast lenses on full frame, as the depth of field from faster lenses on APS-C and Micro 4/3 provides plenty of isolation while keeping the subject sharp. However, for those times I want that super shallow look (especially in the normal focal range), I can grab this and get a decent shot. Ultimately, the Lens Turbo provides usable images with that full-frame look at a relatively low price.  It’s not a great buy, and it’s not a perfect set of optics, but it’s not a bad buy either.  The current $130 price range on eBay is right about where I’d put the worth on the Lens Turbo – if it were more expensive, the cons to image quality would be much harder to ignore.”

[shoplink 17130 ebay]Lens Turbo[/shoplink] / [shoplink 16275 ebay]Speed Booster[/shoplink]

lenses
Fuji XF 27mm: [shopcountry 13829] Zeiss Touit 2.8/12: [shopcountry 13645] Fuji XF 55-200mm: [shopcountry 12892] Fuji XC 16-50: [shopcountry 17197] Fuji XF35mm: [shopcountry 12889]

– Some more images of the 23mm can be seen here.

– “Patrick – I just completed a hands on review of the Fuji 27mm pancake lens. This lens is a real winner as you can read in my post here. As always, I included downloadable samples so readers can judge for themselves. The lens looks particularly great on an X-E1 as this photo shows. Thought your readers migh enjoy the post. Thanks.  – Tom

– Lenstip tested also the XF 27mm here. The PROS: “small and neat casing, excellent image quality in the frame centre, negligible chromatic aberration, well corrected spherical aberration, low astigmatism, fast and accurate autofocus.” CONS: “high vignetting, weak image quality on the edge of the frame near the maximum relative aperture, exorbitant price.”

– Read stockografie‘s Zeiss Touit 2.8/12mm review in English here (German here): “Color rendition, sharpness and even corner sharpness is handled very well. You can even achieve a little bit of bokeh with this ultra wide angle lens. Choose f/2.8 and get real close to your subject and you can manage this bokeh. Not bad for this ultra wide angle lens used on an APS-C sensor.”

– photoreview‘s XC16-50 review can be read here: “Covering a wide enough focal length range for everyday picture-taking and as a single lens for travellers, this lens is better suited to landscape and portrait photography than shooting sports action or wildlife. Optical image stabilisation promises up to four f-stops of shutter speed compensation. Extensive use of plastic means the build quality has been slightly compromised to keep its weight down. However, this makes it a travel friendly combination with the X-M1 body we used for our tests.

35mm review at picturebeast here: “Fact Number one –  this lens gets rave reviews both by the professionals and by the budding enthusiats and semi professionals that can be found hanging around the vignetted corners of the virtual WordPress world […]. Fact number two – this lens has a thrilling F1.4, which guarantees gorgeous bokeh

Don Craig‘s review of the 55-200 can be read here: “I was impressed. Thank you image stabilization! The OIS works really well. That, combined with the X-trans sensor’s superior image quality and amazing high ISO performance, meant that I was happily shooting an event with the XP1 and a Fujinon lens which previously required me to use a DSLR and a giant zoom lens.”

– XF 55-200 review at hossedia here: “Another great use of longer focal length lenses is creating the optical illusion of compression. The idea is to stand back from your subject, and use the longest focal length you can. This will result in visual elements appearing closer together than they are (kind of like your rear view mirror). The 55-200 does a brilliant job of this!

image courtesy: hossedia

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How to shoot a wedding with the Fujis

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image courtesy: confessionsxl

I want cameras that don’t scream “I’m the hired photographer!” but still give me the best possible image quality. Another reason for keeping my bag small and light is simply physical. I don’t shoot my best work when I’m tired or when my back hurts.  Here’s what’s in my camera bag:” Read more at confessionsxl here.

miXed zone: Kaizen, reviews and some tips

Talk about the X + Kaizen

– X-Photographers David Hobby and Zack Arias talk about their experience with the X-series here. These two photographers were part of the expedition invited to Tokyo from Fujifilm in order to give them honest feedback about the X-series. The other two X-photographers were Bert Stefani and Kevin Mullins. I’ve already shared the 23mm first impressions of Bert (here) and David (here) on Fujirumors (for a great first look at the 23mm check Rico’s X-pert corner post here). Now it’s time to read what Kevin Mullins thinks about Fuji’s Kaizen spirit (read his article here):

“See the guys in the blue shirts?  These are the people that design, manufacture, make, forge and breathe life into the X-Series of cameras. You know what they are doing here?  They are listening feedback from “us”.   The guys that actually build the systems, design the software and produce the cameras that we use on a day to day basis are listening to our feedback.  Feedback that all four of us took to them from many hundreds of photographers.”

– Also photographylife (click here) admires Fujifilms devotion to its customers and says:”Fuji has quickly become a manufacturer that feels involved with its clients more than any other camera maker no matter how well-known or popular. It feels as if they want to do good by their customers, as if you are using gear that real people design and improve, rather than a faceless company.”

PhotoLive

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Can you change your mental mindset and be a better photographer?  Come along to PhotoLive and sign up from a selection of over 200 seminars from 35 Pro Photographers and see what interesting tips can be picked up!!” If you are interested to learn from great photographers as Dave Kai-Piper then consider to participate to this seminar in London on the 26 and 27 of October. You can also profit from a discount. Dave Kai-Piper will tell you more about it here.

X-M1

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Bert Stefani’s X-M1/16-50 review and lot of beautiful samples can be seen here: “So far this compromise, make the X-M1 the perfect companion for people on a budget who are looking for a small camera system with great image quality. But there’s more, the X-M1 is not all compromise, it has two features that none of the other X-cams have: a tilting screen and build-in wifi. […] having the same sensor as my main camera, the X-Pro1, it is well suited as a backup camera. The extra functionality with the tilt screen and wifi, gives me extra options that my current backup camera, the X-E1, doesn’t offer. […] About the 16-50 lens […] if you take the low price into account, I believe it’s not a bad deal at all. The image quality is surprisingly good. It’s a great starting all-round zoom for photographers on a tight budget. And if you add some better, more expensive lenses over time, it’s still a good backup lens. […] Despite my initial reservations about the X-M1 I’ve decided to give it a permanent place in my bag where it will replace my hardly used X-E1 as my backup camera. ”

steves-digicams.com published an X-M1 review. From the conclusions:  “[…] The biggest drawback to the X-M1 is its high starting price of about $800 with the kit lens. You’ll be able to find more powerful and more feature-rich DSLRs and ILCs for well under that price range. However many of those models cannot match the stylish look and feel of the Fujifilm X-M1. The X-M1 is small enough to be used comfortably one-handed, yet the camera has a sturdy build. It’s a comfortable model to use, and even though the camera body is small, the buttons are of a good size and are easy to reach and press. This camera’s image quality and performance levels are pretty good too versus other entry-level ILCs, although those aspects of the X-M1 aren’t quite as impressive when compared to all models in its price range. You can shoot in RAW or JPEG with this camera, which is a feature that doesn’t appear in every ILC model. The X-M1 does a very nice job with low light photos too, thanks to its popup flash and good performance at high ISO settings, as well as a large APS-C sized CMOS image sensor. […]”

X100S

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– “In episode #3 of All About the Gear, Doug Kaye and I dive into the famed Fuji x100s camera. Find out if this little beastie lives up to all the hype, and if it’s actually the perfect walk-around camera.” See the episode here.

– Mike Kobal: “Yup, I was just as surprised as you probably are, I rarely find moiré to be an issue and here we have a good example, from the Fuji X100s, nonetheless. 100% moiré crop after the break.” See the image here.

X-PRO1

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– Comparing X-PRO1 and X-E1 at Tom Grill’s website here.

photgraphylife’s in depth review of the X-PRO1 can be read here: “I have to praise Fuji engineers for going back and reworking the autofocus system of the Fuji X-Pro1 and fixing most of the issues via firmware updates. And I am happy to report that as of firmware 3.01, the Fuji X-Pro1 is a whole different camera compared to what it used to be. I was so frustrated with the autofocus system, that I practically disliked the camera just because of those issues. Autofocus speed has improved dramatically and AF accuracy has gotten a world better, even in low light situations.”

– The Fujifilm X-Pro1 for Landscape Photography at stephenip.com. A great camera for landscape photography combined with the [shoplink 12888 ebay]14mm[/shoplink] but “there is one thing about the X-Pro1 however, that I really, really don’t like. The location of the tripod mount. For some reason, Fuji decided that it’s unnecessary to access the battery or memory card when a tripod plate is mounted onto the camera. As someone that uses a tripod often, having to remove the tripod plate every time I want to charge the battery or download my images is extremely annoying. For a company that did so many things right in the usability department with the X Series cameras, an oversight like this is quite surprising.

– “X-Pro1, my take on it” at neillsoden.co.za:”I just love this camera, and can’t state it enough. This camera and most of Fuji’s cameras have been reviewed to death. This model has also been out for over a year, but I am going to add to it nonetheless. When I show it to people, their first response is always that they can get a DSLR for cheaper. Yes, it’s more expensive than the entry to medium range of DSLR and a lot of them think that DSLR has better image quality and looks more professional.”

– A wedding and more thoughts about the X-PRO1 at louwit.blogspot.dk

– A review of Fuji X-Pro 1 (ver 3.0) with 14mm lens can be read here at bigheadtaco: “If it’s all about the image, then you will not be very happy with the Fuji X-Pro 1. Combine this with great ergonomics, the industry only hybrid viewfinder, and super sharp legendary Fujinon XF lenses, I think you have a winner.”

– Shooting Beauty Portraits – Fuji X-Pro1 vs Canon 5D Mk2 Review at roughly365 here: “The more I use the Fuji, especially with the 35mm f1.4 lens, the more impressed I am with it, I love it. But, as I have stated in previous posts, I personally wouldn’t have it as my main camera, but its the best second camera I can think of.”

lenses

Fuji XF 27mm: [shopcountry 13829]

XF 27mm review at the Polish site optyczne here (translation).

dc.watch  took some shots with the XC 16-50. See them here (tranlsation).

… and some tips

– At thephoblographer you can read the “7 Tips for Photographing Strangers”: 1) start with a complimet… to be continued here.

– “5 questions you should ask yourself to become a better photographer” over here at photographytalk.com. 1) Where is the light coming from. 2) Why am I shooting this… and more.

lightroomkillertips explains how the previous button works in this video.

– 3 Ways to Improve Your Images With Composition at digital-photography-school.com:  1. Rule of Thirds / 2. Second Point of Interest / 3. Room for Copy Space

– Understanding your Cameras Histogram at ephotozine here.

– Architectural Photography Tips at photographytuts here.

83%: X-M1 overall score at the Cameralabs review

Camberalabs posted a comprehensive X-M1 review. They compared also the AF (“the X-M1 AF is responsive and accurate. In terms of speed it’s not quite up to the standards of the PEN E-P5 or the Lumix G6, both of which where marginally quicker“) resolution, noise, RAW’s etc. to that of the [shoplink 13800]Olympus PEN E-P5[/shoplink] and the [shoplink 14918]Panasonic GF6[/shoplink]. So there is a lot to read and to see at the Cameralabs review here. From the final verdict:

“[…] if Fujifilm wants to widen the appeal of its X-series to consumers I think it has a bit more work to do if it’s to compete with the likes of Olympus and Panasonic, not to mention Sony, Nikon, Samsung and even Canon. Once again there’s no touchscreen, no auto-panoramas, no built-in timelapse shooting, and you can’t apply effects, like the miniature mode, to movies. And while the built-in Wifi may let you transfer images to your phone, you won’t be remote controlling the camera with it and the geo-tagging implementation is odd to say the least. The absence of these features may or may not be deal-breakers for you personally, but it is unusual not to have them on a camera aimed at consumers.

Basic feature-set aside though, the X-M1 is a solid performer that remains fun to shoot with and won’t let you down – it’s also the cheapest way to enjoy the superb X-Trans sensor and the small but high quality range of X-mount lenses. But aside from picture quality there isn’t really any one area in which it sparkles, no one feature that’s new and innovative. More than anything, the X-M1 leaves me wondering what Fujifilm has lined up for its second mid-range X-Series system camera. In the meantime, purely on the grounds of its excellent image quality and high ISO noise performance and not forgetting its excellent handling, the Fujifilm X-M1 is a model Cameralabs is happy to recommend, but for the reasons noted above it falls short of our highest award.”

PRE-ORDER

X-M1 (body only or with 16-50mm)USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline EUROPE: DigitalRev / WexUK / PCHstore / AmazonITA / AmazonDE

XF 27mm – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline EUROPE: AmazonDE / DigitalRev / WexUK / PCHstore / AmazonITA XC 16-50: WexUK / PCHstore

techradar X-M1 hands on review (and pre-order at AmazonDE)

 

Comfortable in the hand, the buttons and dials have a high-quality feel, the LCD “doesn’t seem to suffer excessively from reflections or ghosting.” About the AF techradar says:

“We were only able to use the pre-production sample Fuji X-M1 in the confines of an office with relatively low, flat light, which doesn’t do the contrast detection autofocus system any favours. Nevertheless the camera managed to focus the lens on every subject we pointed at and with reasonable, although not super-quick, speed.”

They also tested the X-M1 in their labs so you can check out the resolution and sensitivity results. They compared the [shoplink 13828]X-M1[/shoplink] with the [shoplink 14916]Sony NEX-3N[/shoplink], [shoplink 12881]Fuji X-E1[/shoplink], [shoplink 14917]Olympus E-PM2[/shoplink] and [shoplink 14918]Panasonic GF6[/shoplink].

Check the graphs, see the samples and read the hands on review here at techradar.com.

PRE-ORDER

And as I told you in a note of the firmware-post (continue to share your experience with the new firmware there) German FR-readers can now pre-order also the X-M1 kit (or body only) here at AmazonDE.

X-M1 (body only or with 16-50mm)USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline EUROPE: DigitalRev / WexUK / PCHstore / AmazonITA / AmazonDE

XF 27mm – USA: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / DigitalRev / Pictureline EUROPE: AmazonDE / DigitalRev / WexUK / PCHstore / AmazonITA XC 16-50: WexUK / PCHstore

X100s full size samples and X20 manual

 photo manual_zpscd8865a0.png

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The users manual for X20 can be download from fujifilm.eu at this link here. (thanks Leo)

… the X100s manual is available here.

And for the X100s JPEG sample shots go to Fuji’s webiste here!

X100s: AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama / AmazonUK / AmazonDE /

X20: AmazonUS (blacksilver) / BHphoto (blacksilver) / Adorama (blacksilver) / AmazonUK (blacksilver) / ebayITA /  / AmazonDE / AmazonITA /

X100s sample shot at Fuji’s website