Nov

12

Fujifilm X-E1 Review | PhotographyBLOG

Fuji X-E1 / Reviews / Sample Images / 0 comments

Smaller, lighter and significantly cheaper than the X-Pro1, whilst offering the same outstanding and image quality and impeccable handling, there’s certainly an awful lot to like about the new Fujifilm X-E1. The main sacrifice is the removal of the innovative Hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, replaced instead by one of the highest resolution and best electronic viewfinders currently available – indeed the X-E1′s viewfinder is so good that we hardly missed using the X-Pro1′s optical finder. Although not as fast as some compact system cameras (most notably the Olympus OM-D E-M5), the X-E1 is certainly responsive enough to capture most candid moments, although we’d probably stop short at out-and-out sports photography. The X-E1 delivers exactly the same excellent image quality as its big brother. Noise is noticeable only by its almost complete absence throughout the ISO range of 100-25,600, while the Dynamic Range function helps to boost contrast and detail. The new 18-55mm lens is also worthy of mention, with the fast maximum apertures making it easy to creatively throw the background out of focus, and delivering sharp results throughout the focal range. The X-E1 is certainly right up there with the best APS-C sensor cameras on the market, and some full-frame models too. The Fujifilm X-E1 feels even more like the natural interchangeable lens evolution of the incredibly popular X-100 camera than the X-Pro1 did, offering refined, intuitive handling, fantastic image quality, premium build quality and five high-quality lenses on launch. It addresses most of the key faults that afflicted the X-Pro1 when it was initially launched – slightly sluggish auto-focusing, slow write speeds, and the hybrid viewfinder which didn’t lend itself so well to interchangeable lenses – at a much more attractive price point. Retailing for £749 in the UK and $1000 in the US for the body-only, or £1149 / $1399 with the new 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS lens, means that you can buy the X-E1 with a great kit lens for less than the body-only launch price of the X-Pro1 (although obviously this is now significantly less). It also pits the X-E1 directly against the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and the Sony NEX-7, both of which are great cameras, but both of which are quite different in their approach. The Fujifilm X-E1 is so much more than just a cut-down, cheaper version of the X-Pro1 – it’s a compelling camera in its own right.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design: 4.5
Features: 4.5
Ease-of-use: 5
Image Quality: 5
Value for money: 4.5

See on www.photographyblog.com

Nov

12

Trees | Jan Fervers

Fuji X-Pro1 / Sample Images / 0 comments

Als ich ein kleines Kind war, haben Bäume eine spezielle Faszination auf mich ausgeübt. Ihre friedvollen, aber auch bedrohlichen Charaktere inspirierten, den ein oder anderen halluzinogenen Fiebertraum. Der Wald als Ort der Stille, mit seinem einmaligen Geruch und der Entwicklung fernab von allen technisiertem, ist für mich ein Gegengewicht zur digitalen Welt. Wenn ich meine Kamera auspacke, werde ich eingesogen. 20 Bilder, entstanden an einem Sonntagnachmittag.

Google Translater (ENG)

See on www.janfervers.com

Nov

12

Fujifilm X-E1 v X-Pro1 AF Speed Comparison | Matthew Maddock

Fuji X-E1 / Fuji X-Pro1 / 0 comments


I recently got my Fujifilm X-E1 body and was immediately very impressed with the AF speed, as was everyone else who tried it. It appeared snappier than the X-Pro1, but although I knew the X-Pro1 had improved lately with the new v2.0 firmware, I wanted to see if there was actually any difference between the two with the same lens attached. Wilkinson Cameras in Kendal kindly lent me a 2nd 35mm lens for the weekend so I could try out both cameras side-by-side with the same lens. Having the same lens was essential because the AF performance on these cameras depends greatly on the lens attached. I chose the 35mm as I thought that it is probably the lens most people own and use as their primary lens. It’s also the middle performer in terms of AF speed so we can get a good comparison out of it. The video of the comparison is posted below. I won’t ruin the result for you by telling you here – watch the video and see for yourself! I think most people will be quite surprised by the conclusion.

See on www.photomadd.com

Nov

12

Park in Fog | Jeff Seltzer

Fuji X-Pro1 / Sample Images / 0 comments

Where I live in Southern California (“The Valley”) it’s rare that we get really thick fog this far inland…it’s even more rare that we get really thick fog this far inland, and I’m not too lazy to wake-up and photograph. So, it was a rare occasion indeed last weekend that I got a chance to capture some images at the park around the corner. I love fog because it creates a clutter-free background with just about anything, which is important to me when I shoot. Early morning is also great at the park because there’s a relative lack of people getting in my way. Still, several runners stopped and just stared at me as I photographed, no doubt thinking, “what the hell is he taking a picture of??!” (which is a typical reaction for me). All images are taken with the Fuji X-Pro1 with 35mm lens.

See on jeffseltzerphotography.com

Nov

12

On burning roofs with Fuji X-pro1 | Daniel Feidal

Fuji X-Pro1 / 0 comments

Test of the fujifilm X-pro1. Unfortunately the camera has no full manual mode. So the ISO gets ajusted automatically.

Check www.danielfeidal.com for nice pictures!

See on www.youtube.com

Nov

11

Breaking the Rules | Thomas Park on Digital Photography Review

Aspects of Digital Photography / 0 comments

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs – Ansel Adams

In a previous article, I discussed several so-called ‘rules of composition’. Compositional rules, however, can be polarizing and divisive. Is this because as artists, we prize independence and don’t like to, ‘color in between the lines’? Or is it because we’ve all experienced disappointment when slavish application of the Golden Ratio still produces drab and lifeless images? Certainly, great works of art have been produced throughout history that paid no heed to pre-determined compositional rules. You may ask then, if compelling art is not created by simply following rules, what’s the point of learning the rules in the first place? That’s a great question.

Now this is not going to be an article suggesting that all compositional rules are ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’. Instead, what follows is a look at the rationale behind some established compositional rules. I’d argue that by understanding the intent behind a rule, we can subvert or break the rule to create drama or focus the viewer’s attention in creative and novel ways. Let’s begin with an example from another visual medium: drawing.
A story about eyes

Many years ago, my great-uncle – an accomplished painter and sculptor – was teaching me how to draw portraits. He suggested placing the eyes at the vertical midway point of the head. This ‘rule’ won’t be surprising for anyone with a drawing background, but for many people, the idea that the eyes are halfway down the face is unintuitive – it seems too low! I recently had a conversation with a friend who received the same advice from his father, despite the fact that he and I grew up in different countries. The fact that two artists from opposite sides of the planet were taught the same ‘rule of eyes’ points to one source of artistic rules: observations about the natural world. In reality, are everybody’s eyes exactly halfway down their face? No, but it’s a good starting point that is visually pleasing and conforms to our expectations of illustrated portraits. In fact, a distinguishing feature of children’s drawings of people is that the eyes are placed ‘too high up’ on the face. This is a simple rule that helps us to draw a more realistic portrait. Just as importantly, however, understanding this rule allows us to make deliberate choices. We can draw a face with the eyes in the middle of the face for a natural look. We can instead place the eyes above the midway mark to give the drawing a more child-like quality. Or we can place the eyes below the midway mark to make the drawing look furtive or comical.

See on www.dpreview.com

Nov

11

R-Space : Memory of Yarn (Fuji X-E1 and 18-55mm lens) | David Cleland

Fuji X-E1 / Fuji X-Pro1 / Sample Images / 0 comments

I paid a visit to R-Space with the X-E1 and 18-55mm lens to experiment in a different type of photographic environment. The R-Space Gallery was home of the ‘Mak-9 Things that fall in between exhibition‘ and currently houses the work of brilliantly talented Rachel Gomme a solo performance artist who uses knitting as a metaphor. Rachel was knitting constantly from 11am to 4pm and presented a year long knitting experience, a visual timeline in yarn throughout 2010. Today was the opening performance that offered visitors a chance to learn and take part in the creation of ‘the memory of yarn’ with tutors on hand to teach a number of different techniques. It was great to revisit this brilliant, creative space and catch up with what Anthea and Robert have planned for the months ahead. As well as visual installation each exhibit in R-Space is accompanied by a series of workshops and artists talks. It is a gallery worth following on Facebook. There were still some remnants of the Mak9 exhibition left from last June, this really is a striking location. Lotus Dewit’s amazing insects still remain on the old toilet. Scarily real, this is a place where time has stood still. A house filled with history is a perfect location for a creative space focusing on craft and visual arts and the R-Space team really maximise its potential. All photos were taken with the Fujifilm X-E1 with 18-55mm zoom lens.

See David on Flickr

See on www.flixelpix.com

Nov

10

A few X-E1 18-55mm Examples | David Cleland

Fuji X-E1 / Lenses and Accessoires / Lenses and Accessoires / Sample Images / 0 comments


A few X-E1 18-55mm Examples by David Cleland (Flixelpix)

Visit David’s Website:
http://www.flixelpix.com/

See on www.flickr.com

Nov

10

First date with the Fuji X-Pro1 | Pete Bridgwood

Fuji X-Pro1 / Reviews / Sample Images / 0 comments

My first serious camera was a Russian made Zenith EM in the late 1970′s. It was a joy to use, completely manual in operation, delightfully tactile and it did what it said on the tin. Now, over 30 years later, using high-end Fuji Compact System Cameras (CSCs) has re-ignited a passion. Over the last 2 years, when not shooting fine-art landscapes I’ve enjoyed the occasional dalliance with street photography using the Fuji X100. This is a wonderful camera to use, a superb ‘carry around’, and the fixed focal length lens is ideally suited to street photography. Far from feeling restricted by having a fixed focal length lens, it is unexpectedly liberating to be forced into using a set focal length. For an old-hand like me who spent years wet-processing and working exclusively in black & white, the X100 is an epiphany. How refreshing to use a camera with manual selection of shutter speed and aperture using traditional dials, rather than having to suffer the modern distraction of interfacing with electronics. Of course, under the bonnet, there are all the advantages of modern electronics and digital alchemy; it’s just nicely hidden for most of the time. Couple this fantastic experience of image gathering with state of the art creative black & white processing algorithms found in Nik’s Silver Efex Pro, and you have a winner. Miles of enjoyment walking the streets, black & white creative heaven. Despite the life-changing qualities of the X100 for street-photography (it’s quite possibly still the finest street-photography camera available bar none), for other genres there are obvious advantages in having interchangeable lenses. When I first held a Fuji X-Pro1 I was smitten. This was a camera that surpassed the already amazing X100 in specification, with the important addition of interchangeable lenses. The X-Pro1 has an improved APS-C sized X-Trans sensor that mimics the structure of silver halide film and lacks an anti-alias filter to provide the sharpest possible results. Fuji have kept the hybrid viewfinder that allows switching between the more traditional optical or electronic function, similar to that found on the X100….

See more on www.petebridgwood.com

Nov

10

Review : The Fujifilm X-E1 & 18-55mm Zoom Lens | David Cleland

Fuji X-E1 / Lenses and Accessoires / Reviews / Sample Images / 0 comments

When Fujifilm announced the new X-E1 camera I couldn’t help wonder where it sat in relation to the fantastic X-Pro1 that I had now grown to know and love. The X-E1 features all the power of the X-Pro1 but in a streamlined, reduced specification package and at its current price point is going to have a lot of photographers particularly excited. Both the X-E1 and X-Pro1 share the same software engine and stunning 16.3 megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor. Both cameras offer the amazing low light quality we are used to and although they have remarkable similarities they also have some key differences that will attract different photographers depending on their specific needs and style.

Fujifilm have continued with the successful retro styling of the X range cameras it is as visually stunning as it is powerful. I will look at the differences between the cameras later. I opted for the silver option as I love the look of the X100 and view the X-E1 firmly as a replacement to the my first experience with the Fuji’s mirrorless camera range. The X-E1 is perfect for the shooter who doesn’t quite need all the features of the X-Pro1 and who wants to break into the interchangeable lens setup. Because the X-E1 uses the same sensor as the X-Pro1 the image quality is nothing short of amazing and it means the camera is already supported by Adobe Lightroom 4. I frequently receive emails asking how I find Lightroom for processing of X-Pro1 files and although I have read many photographers struggling with the format I still find shooting RAW and LR4 perfectly acceptable. To be honest if I had any major issue with the RAW files I would have moved back to shooting JPG. I have no doubt Adobe will improve their support for the X-Trans sensor in upcoming updates but at least there is support, Aperture users are still, sadly lagging well behind on support for the X-Pro1. Over the last year I have really got to the know the sensor and how Lightroom processes the files so much so I’ve created a number of Lightroom presets designed for using with the X-Trans sensor, see FlixelPix Grit and FlixelPix Mono……

Conclusion:
Although I love shooting at a fixed focal length with the 35mm XF being my favourite lens I foresee the 18-55mm will see a large amount of use for general day to day shooting. The 18mm-55mm zoom lens offers my favourite 23mm and 35mm focal lengths at the twist of a lens barrel and with the added four stop Image Stablisation I am not sure you could ask for more. If you are currently an X-Pro1 owner and are looking at the X-E1 as a second body then the kit deal that includes 18-55mm lens might be worth considering. As for the X-E1 it is everything you would expect from Fujifilm, a variation on a theme it offers an affordable version on the brilliant X-Pro1 with a slightly different specification perfect. Photographers looking for a good value, high quality replacement to their DSLR should look no further. Did I mention the photo output is stunning? Check the flickr set for larger versions of the photos in this post.

See more on www.flixelpix.com

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