Here's Very Big News From Fujifilm

But the very big news is not in a very big package - in fact it is more compact than you'd think.

The Fujifilm company has just released their Fujifilm X-Pro2 camera - the newest component of their award-winning mirror-less camera system. It joins the other fine cameras and derives from the original Fujifilm X-Pro1.

People familiar with the Fujifilm X-Pro1 know that it has a unique X-Trans sensor that delivers extreme sharpness and very rich colours. The New Fujifilm X-Pro2 continues this performance and improves upon it with 24 Megapixels resolution. The new sensor is referred to in the literature as the Trans CMOS III. It is paired with the X-Processor Pro digital engine to put out even better images.

Looks as though the designers at Fujifilm have looked into the past of camera design to see what features people really need and appreciate, and they have placed some of the controls of the new camera right where we always wanted them to be.

For example: The ISO setting for many film cameras was found as a small window dial in the shutter speed control. Fujifilm (and I...) think this was a great idea to eliminate one more menu control. Here it is back in the right spot with great precision. Yay!

Fujifilm (and I...) thought that photographers needed more of a grip on the right hand side of the camera. They put on a bigger grip. Yay!

Then they thought whether the Fujifilm users would like a small front control wheel just under the right forefinger - and we would. Yay, again!

The shape of the X-Pro1 is there - perhaps a tad sleeker - but the functionality hasn't been compromised a bit. Full TTL hot shoe operation? PC socket on the side for studio flash? Thumb button to steer the AF points about? Don't mind if I do! And I'm guessing the battery will be the W 126 so we don't have to swap things over. Yay, indeed!

Now we'll be having a lecture/demonstration/hands-on by a very famous press and journal photographer to let us see what this new camera can do. Adam Ferguson has had numerous covers and editorial pictures accepted for Time,The National Geographic, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and many others. He's exhibited his work in Houston, Los Angeles, Sydney and numerous other places. He's been shooting the shooting where the shooting is going on and knows how to do the photo business. When he comes to talk to us it will be well worth looking and listening.

Our Facebook and email contacts will be able to tell you when thus will be - the small press release doesn't nail it down yet. Suffice it to say this will be red-letter day for street shooters, portrait shooters, press shooters, and one old hot rod shooter.

And the wonderful thing about the Fujifilm X-System...? We don't have to get rid of any of our old gear! It all fits together seamlessly! But come in and buy a new Fujifilm X-Pro2 anyway - because Camera Electronic can do that! Yay!

* Heading Image: Delightful profile of new body and new lens.
* Tailing Image: Does the X- Trans sensor deliver the colour? Have a look. Pontiac LeMans.

Classic Chrome In The Sunshine

The Fujifilm Classic Chrome setting for their X-T1, X-T10, X-1oot and X-E2 cameras is something inside them that makes jpeg images look like a slide film that was first developed in upstate New York in the 1930's and later modified to have more colour fidelity and higher ASA. The resemblance is uncanny - I cannot help but think that the electronics wizards at Fujifilm may have done it deliberately....Ahem....

All that said, it works. The images on this post were taken at St. Patrick's school ground for the Father's Day hot rod show yesterday. They were shot in medium jpeg, fine setting , and with the CC turned on. At the same time, a duplicate set of files in RAW setting were taken, as detailed in the Friday post. I'm delighted to say that the jpegs so well fulfil my concept that the RAW files were ditched as soon as the computer processing was done.

If you detect a slight blue bias to the shadow areas and bouncing off the chrome of the cars, you can attribute that to the bright blue sky of Fremantle. It was part of the day, so it stays. The school ground is also blue - it's not your eyes...

Note for car show attendees - the sausage sizzle stall at St. Pat's is always worth a go. Their $ 5.00 hamburgers were better than any commercial product in town. there was also a coffee van in attendance, though not my personal favourite - Craig Maugher and the Bootlegger Coffee yellow pickup. Look out for it at the shows.

Next Size Up. Epson And Fujifilm.

I am going to revise what I say to people here in the shop - particularly in respect of the size of sensor and the size of picture one can make with it.

I base my opinions on what I have done...not on what I have read. Will Rogers would have laughed at me because I am the one who has to test out the electric fence for myself - but in some cases the shock s a pleasant one. So it was today with a trial print done here on our shop Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer. It has opened my eyes.

The file came as a large jpeg from my Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera and the standard Fujinon 35mm f:1.4 lens. It was taken in bright sunshine at Cusack Road this last Sunday - a little red Model A delivery van done as a mild hot rod. Red? Red as!

Up until now I have advised customers that the most they could expect from APS-C sensors on mirrorless cameras was an A3+-sized print. That indeed was my experience with the last system camera I used, and I accepted it as gospel. If someone wanted bigger prints I advised a bigger sensor.

Not no more. The red Model A picture that came off the Epson this morning is a full A2 size. It's printed on Ilford Smooth Pearl and it is brilliant. Of course part of the secret is that it was taken in RAW on the X-Pro1 and converted through the Silkypix program to a big  jpeg. but there is no reason on another occasion not to use the large/fine jpeg setting on the camera itself and just go from there. This would give X-trans users of some of the unique film simulation modes as well

The Big Blue Blanket - A Day At the Races

Did goe to the drag races yesterday and was greatley entertained. The event was far too busy and far too many colourful cars were seen to be reported here - if you wish to see what transpired you must go to:

hrhoa.wordpress.com

The blog is " Here All Week" and there will be a stream of posts regarding the races and car show emanating from it during the coming weeks. The blog you're reading right now is the work one that sells cameras so we must keep on topic...

Big Blue Blanket. Look it up in the history of WWII and see what it meant. In my case it is the perpetually surprising sky here in Western Australia - the clear blue bowl that overbears us all.

I don't see it, though it is there all round. I go out on a bright day - to the car races, say - and set my Fujifilm X-pro1 to Auto White balance...or to the daylight icon...or to 5500º Kelvin. I shoot away with the old Metz 45 flash to fill in the shadows. I bring the images back on the SD card and bang them into the computer and am confronted with - the Big Blue Blanket.

Every surface that has been illuminated by the sky - and it is all around - and is at all reflective - and remember these are hot rods with chrome parts - is blue. Sometimes it is light blue, sometimes it is bright blue. I fail to see it when I am shooting because my mind filters it out, but the camera's sensor is a faithful observer.

The answer to removing the blue is complex - I can trick the camera by lying to it that I am really in overcast or shade. There will be some artificial colours elsewhere in the jpegs, though. I can take the whole thing in RAW and fiddle the white balance later in Lightroom, Aperture, or Silkypix. I can hire a zeppelin painted 18% grey to hover over the cars as I photograph them to hide the sky.

This is difficult, as the zeppelin is not always available - this week it is off bombing Lowestoft.

Easiest idea so far has proved to be shooting the hot rods in Melbourne. They only have blue skies for a very small amount of time and frequently this is at night...

The next time I go to the Kwinana Motorplex on one of these bright blue infinite days, I shall try the effect of a circular polariser. Logic tells me that it will do something but quite what remains to be seen.

Uncle Dick

Analog Drag Racing For Digital Photographers - Buy More Batteries

Okay. If you can remember Californian Poppy and Chiko rolls - favourably - you can appreciate this.

The Cranksters are going to hold a swap meet and drag race meeting called Nostalgia Drags at the Kwinana Motorplex this coming Sunday - 19th of April.

Their swap meet section costs $ 5 and you can then get that off the price of admission to the main drag races. There will also apparently be dirt track racing as well. I'm not sure what stuff will be on offer at the swap meet but if you like to troll the Workshop Camera Club's Photographic Markets every so often, you'll probably find something of interest. I'm looking for a new big end.

The drags should be a fairly smokey affair so if you are into car action this would be a good opportunity to get a zoom on the camera, a fast card inside it, and a couple of spare batteries. ( of which we have a lot right now come in and buy rahrahrah...). Unlike European formula racing, with most drag races the cars do not come off sideways and squash the spectators. There is still the occasional explosion in the bell housing or fire under the bonnet but then you can get that in Coles car park round our house any weekend.

I plan to take the Fujifilm X-pro 1 and the 55-200 for the races, but a fixed 18mm for the parked cars. Also the Metz-0-blindness flash unit in case that will help. Walking around an event it is good to have what you need to cover the thing, but it is also good not to haul the entire studio stock of lenses while you are doing it.

PS: I am hoping for Texas BBQ buns and hot rod coffee food vans but  will settle for a bottle of water and a Chiko roll.

PPS: If your lenses do not have UV protection filters on them, do not go anywhere near a dirt track race...We sell Hoya HD filters for all sizes, so be warned.

Coffee Rod

Life at 230 Stirling Street has highlights. One of them occurred yesterday when we had a visit from a coffee-filled hot rod truck. That is a wonderful combination of words, particularly considering the management here bought us all a free brew.

Bootlegger Coffee Company in under the charge of Craig Maurer who refers to himself as the head bootician. We are inclined to agree. He is either a hero or a madman to be out on a hot day under the full sun in an airless carpark boiling coffee.

The truck is a classic 50's Ford pickup - brought in from North America, as the LHD steering position would indicate. The coffee fit-out in the back makes it an entirely different kettle of caffeine from what it might have been in 1955.

It also has all the classic attributes we love  - wild paint job, pinstriping, chrome hubcaps and beauty rings. Plus a custom plate.

Note, as well, the accessories in the front bench seat. I don't know if this would get him the best of show at the Hot Rod Spectacular, but it is bound to appeal to the crowd.

He'll be brewing and boiling at Lilac Hill Park in Guildford this Saturday from 3:00 to 10:00 along with the retro markets, rockabillies, and hot rods at the HOT SUMMER NIGHT event.

I'll be standing in line - it really was good coffee.

Under The Sun - Gillam Road With Fujifilm

Every year I hope for an overcast day in Armadale - specifically on the date of the Gillam Road hotrod and kustom car show. And every year the Meteorological Bureau laughs and laughs and laughs...and turns the heat up to "9". Yesterday was no exception.

But yesterday was the first occasion that the car show rig of Fujifilm X-100 - EF 42 flash - WCL-100 wide angle adapter lens - Sunwayfoto bracket was tested.

The components have had separate runs in other circumstances - the weaker sun of Melbourne or the cloudy skies of Singapore - but this was the toughie; full WA sun on polished cars on asphalt. If it works here it works anywhere.

Well, it works here.

The leaf shutter design of the X-100 lets me set the aperture on f:11 and leave the camera to find its own speed - I am not restricted to a slow shutter speed. The ISO of the capture is 400 and the dynamic range is 200%. I'm shooting RAW since the whole thing can be decoded by Aperture or PE10.

I suspect I could also use the Fujifilm X-30 as it has a leaf shutter as well, but that's an experiment for the future. As it is, the WCL-100 means I am seeing with the equivalent of a 28mm lens on a film camera - wide enough to let me come inside the crowds and get a good bit of light on the cars but not so wide as to distort the noses or tails of the cars.

The EF-42 has enough punch to effectively fill in WA sun. I run it at +.5 for the outside shots and .0 for the interiors. I noted that I shot 300+ shots yesterday with forced flash on a plain old set of Duracell alkaline AA's, so it is economical in operation.

Final note: the old Camera Electronic Mitsubishi van cannot last forever. Clients are invited to vote for which of the following vehicles should be purchased to replace it.

Begone Dull Care - Begone Dull Car

 Did goe to Gillam Drive yesterdaye for to see the hot rods and was greatley entertained.

This follows upon a visit to a celebration of the motor car on a previous weekend. The venues could not have been more different, nor the visitors, nor the cars. Indeed the photographers were similar, but with an important difference.

The venue is a strip of street that is lined with panel beaters, spare-parts yards, and chop shops. If you know what a chop shop is I need say no more about it. The street is hot in summer, cold in winter, and dusty withall. There is a lunch bar, that serves Chiko rolls and pies and pasties. With sauce.

The people who frequent the Gillam Drive show are variously described as rockabillies, rodders, rednecks, bogans, or motor-car enthusiasts - depending upon the prejudices of the observer. They dress well, and not so well, and badly, and appallingly - again based upon the observer. They wear caps, and hats, and mullets. Sometimes all three at once.

They are invariably cheerful, and well-behaved. They respect each other's cars and conditions. They appreciate the opportunity to show and see and cooperate with each other. They may not have as much money as the classic-car enthusiasts who gather under the gazebos of the expensive venue...but by God they have a great deal more style.

On to the photography - several Black Rapid rigs seen. Several people using battery packs - at least three of the experienced hands using fill flash. Lots of mobile phones and one iPad being aimed clumsily. No Hoodman loupes in use, but they were needed. I am still puzzling over the chap with the extreme wide angle lens and the 64X ND filter over the front of it...

For most shows I recommend a wide-range zoom but this time I experimented with a single focal length - the equivalent of 35mm on a full-frame camera. Had to frame tightly in small spaces, and would have appreciated a 28mm for that but still happy with the results. Not having to haul a big rig has advantages, particularly when you are trying to juggle a Chiko roll and a choc milk as well.

Ah, the taste of grease in the morning...

Everything New Is Old Again...

You can retro anything these days - cars, clothing, food, experiences - anything.

Case in point happened last night. I was asked to produce a slide show of my recent trip to Melbourne. Easy enough - the images had been worked over in PSE10 and were sitting on the Drobo. I just rounded them up and dropped them into an SD card. The daughter plugged it into the side of the big screen TV and pushed the remote control.

The first thing that caught the eye was the clarity and the colour of the images - I remembered the scenes vividly, I had seen them on the computer, and now they were being displayed on the TV. I think I can say the colour accuracy was perfect all the way through. This is a bow in the direction of Fuji, Datacolor, Mackintosh, and whoever is the maker of the television. We seem to have a harmony that I had not expected. This is every bit as good, if not better, than the old days of projecting Kodachrome through a Pradovit.

The second thing is there appears to be some sort of a rider file that accompanies each image and that the TV reader stumbles over - every other image is a blank but all the images eventually do display. Some TV thing, not important unless you were seeking to make a habit of impromptu slide shows. I just regarded it as the digital equivalent of getting the 35mm slide in back to front or upside down in the old projector

Third observation is that the reaction of the audience is a constant - whether someone is showing cave paintings of the last Mammoth hunt to a visiting tribesman, or three trays of slides from a 1961 trip to Fiji, or 500 digital images of Melbourne....the boredom is palpable. As photographers, we should learn to make it short and sharp, but we never do. My excuse is someone else was showing the things....

I am going to take this to heart and use it as a maxim for my blog writings -whether you see it here on the commercial shop blog or on my personal entertainment blog ( hrhoa.wordpress.com ) I will restrict what I say and what I show to manageable portions. Of course, on my own blog - "Here All Week" I can express what may be different opinions than here, but that is the prerogative of any creative writer.

For now, remember that you need to engage the viewers with beauty and rythym and leave them wanting more.

PS: Club together and buy me this Nash. At least collect enough to buy me a 1:18 scale model of one - there's a good fellow...

Uncle Dick