The Sentimental Bloke

f8,shutter 1/160 sec, ISO 400

Some backyards just grow on you. There’s a certain out of control beauty here…but maybe its just the light or perhaps the camera.

I think the foremost ingredients for making a good photo is the light and what the shadows are doing. Without these, a photo will be pretty flat and uninteresting.

Colour is, perhaps my next consideration.

The recent post on the Fuji X-100 S skimmed over the other camera that I have in the Fuji stable, the Fuji X-Pro 1.

This is the camera I have been using a lot lately and I am loving it for many reasons.

I have had it now for about six months and while a lot of photos taken with it haven’t appeared on these pages, I have put a few of the more recent ones in the Overflow section of this website.

f14, Shutter 1/1100 sec, ISO 800

Workmen bringing down the big top at the Circus de Soleil in Adelaide some time ago.

It is the first professional level mirrorless camera from Fuji and like the X100 and the 100S, the X-Pro 1 has outstanding image quality which is the prime consideration for me. It has sharp focus and has easy accessible controls. It is not bulky so even though it is a DSLR camera it is easy to tote around.

Despite its relatively small size it is sturdily built.

Both the above photos were take with the f 1.4, 35mm prime lens which, with the sensor size, equates to about a 54 mm lens. I am totally hooked on this lens. It’s fast, it’s sharp and I could happily leave it on the camera permanently.

All of the pix in this article have been shot with the 35mm.

The sensor itself is a 16 megapixel unit with a unique Fuji designed chip that renders colours so well and works wonders in low light.

f2.0, shutter 1/320 sec, ISO 3200

Take for example the photo of this dude. In my humble opinion low light rendition and colour are awesome.

The same goes for this unusual sunset sky shot at f16, shutter 1/50 sec, ISO 400

The X-Pro isn’t without its faults though.

The thing that irks me the most is the length of time it takes to buffer a shot. After taking a shot, I have to wait for what seems an eternity till I can see it on the back screen. I guess it is a good cure for “chimping”.

I also can’t get much joy from its manual focus. I don’t use it much so my opinion is unlikely to objective.

I tend to steer clear of manual focus. It’s too fiddley (is that a word?) and anyway auto focus in “Single” not “Continuous” mode is fast enough and accurate.

f2.8, shutter 1/125 sec, ISO 2000

I have no vested interest in writing this review. I purchase these cameras at my local camera store and apart from a 10% discount ’cause I buy a lot of my gear there, including the Fuji 100 S, I receive no freebies.

My camera purchases are pretty limited. I am more interested in making pictures than the technical aspects of the gear, so I have not included much technical information here. There’s plenty of sites on the web for that and I’ve mentioned a couple of them before.

My purchases of cameras, lenses and other equipment are carefully considered as they are bought with the intention of having them for a long time.

I tend to let the pictures do the talking but throughout this website I have included plenty of information about the cameras and lenses, both Canon and Fuji, that I use.

The bottom line though is that the X Pro-1 and the X100 S have both added a whole new level of excitement to my photograph and I am still getting a real buzz out the results.

f4, shutter 1/170 sec, ISO 800

Would I use it on an assignment – you bet? I have used the X-Pro-1 at a reception (not quite a wedding but tough enough) and while it is not something that I would use for the dance floor or boisterous kids, it worked a treat in most scenarios.

A few weeks ago I shelled out some hard earned cash and bought Fuji’s latest camera in the X series….the X-100S.
Here’s my impressions after giving it a bit of a workout.

f56.6, Shutter 1/340 sec, ISO 1,250

If you have been following this site for a while you might have seen several posts about the first model, the X100 which I had been using for over a year.

I originally bought the Fuji because I found that apart from my field trips I wasn’t using my Canon cameras for everyday use.

There will always be a Canon in my life for landscape work, magazines and commissions But they are bulky.

You don’t mind throwing the X100S into the car or a case when you are on the move.

The Fuji X100S is small, unobtrusive, sturdy and stylish yet with 16.3 megapixels its about the ideal size ( More is not necessarily better when it comes to the pixel count)

It has got a fixed 23mm lens and all the dials you need for making a picture are on the outside.

The makers have come up with another unique feature – a hybrid viewfinder operated by a lever on the front of the camera where you can switch from optical to electronic operation.

This is outstanding for a range-finder style camera.

f2.8, shutter 1/30 sec, ISO 3,200

While the x100S doesn’t look much different on the outside from its predecessor, the standout new feature is the unique X-Trans sensor which has increased image resolution by about 25% and even better low light performance.

The photos above and below as well as the first one demonstrate low light performance and the dynamic range of the sensor.

Its auto focus capabilities are really fast and the sharpness of the pictures seems better than my Canon 5D Mk III.

The manual focus actually works now with 2 systems to select from for focussing manually.

The manual focus was something that I never used on the X100 because it was hopeless.

f2.8, shutter 1/80 sec, ISO 3,200

Fuji have obviously listened to consumers and all of the issues that were apparent have been fixed in the X100s. That makes it, for me, the perfect camera for some of the photography I want to do.

It is a bit pricey but that probably will come down as time goes by. Having enjoyed the portability, image quality and amazing low light performance of the earlier model, the upgrade for me was an easy decision.

The X100S is likely to be with me for years to come, so in that sense it is a good investment. I have a Fiji X-Pro with interchangeable lens that I am also finding really useful, but more on that later.

f5.6, shutter 1/160 sec, ISO 800

There are so many cameras on the market these days, it is a minefield for the uninitiated. There is lots of review sites too…. ome good, some bad. You can go crazy looking at all the gizmos and whizz-bangs offered by Sony, Panasonic, NIkon, Canon, Samsung and more.

I read one of the more reputable but detailed reviewers, The Digital Resource and an amusing yet hands-on review by photographer Zack Arias but the clincher was Steve, in the camera shop in the Adelaide market who has been selling all sorts of cameras for years. He has actually bought and uses both X100 and the X-Pro.

f5.6, Shutter 1/250 sec, ISO 400

There’s more photos from the X100S and the X100 in the ‘Overflow” section of this site which can be found on the heading line at the top of the page or going to http://thesentimentalbloke.com/category/the-overflow/