Fujifilm Week - Day One - The X-T1

This week I have brought home five Fujifilm products to photograph and analyse. some of them have been on the Fujifilm product list longer than others, but they all have a place for the modern photographer.

Today's selection is the Fujifilm X-T1. It's one of the models that has no optical viewfinder, and can therefore have the viewing eyepiece in the centre of the camera - rather reminiscent of the old-fashioned DSLR. That configuration is further echoed by the way Fujifilm have disposed the controls, but apart from appearances it is the only retro thing about the camera.

I selected the luxury model to photograph - Fujifilm refer to it as the Graphite Silver finish. You can get them in black finish as well, but the challenge of photographing this colour intrigued me. It was also difficult... I didn't realise how many surfaces would reflect in different directions.
I also found out that Fujifilm have designed slightly different silvery finishes for some of the control rings to help differentiate them.

The basic camera is APS-C of course, with a 16 megapixel sensor and immensely high ISO capability. The firmware version is up into the 4.0 area so you also get a very quick and accurate AF mechanism and the full range of Fujifilm colour film simulation presets. On a related note, there is provision for the individual user to fine tune the colour and the white balance mode off into minute shades. I wonder how many people make use of this facility?

I also wonder how many people make full use of the choices they have in the light metering system. You basically get three choices - average metering, centre-weighted matrix metering, or spot metering. I'll bet most people toggle between the first two and never actually use the averaging system. I know I am mostly sticking to the centre-weighted matrix, though recent experiences at the hot rod show when there are intrusive spotlights glaring back at the lens have convinced me to shift to spot metering in some cases. Thank goodness the camera designers decided to put the control on the outside of the camera instead of a menu setting - it encourages you to make quick judgement changes.

The design idea of bringing the controls for the basic variables outside has also extended to making use of the ( cough, cough ) 35mm film rewind crank position for an ISO dial. It is a button-lock dial as well, so that you cannot be caught with an off-setting if you brush past it roughly. The drive dial is concentric with this. Note that the ISO goes from a modest 100 with 100% dynamic range through to the full 6400 with 400% DR and then you can dial 12000 and 25000 after that if you can accept the inevitable noise.

The shutter dial is also where you expect it to be instead of hiding in a menu or under a thumbwheel. This in itself may make this camera more comfortable for the traditional shooter. Again - if you want to lock it into the Automatic position, there is a central button. I'm happy to say that Fujifilm have provided the full range of slow speeds down to 1 second here - My Fujifilm X-E2 only goes down to 1/4 second. It is amazing how useful a 1 second setting is in night tripod shots.

No on-board flash as the "pentaprism housing area" doesn't house one - it carries the extremely fast and detailed electronic viewfinder and there is no room for anything else. Fujifilm do provide a clip-on flash that takes its power from the main camera battery and can lock into the main hot shoe. You're not going to be to light up Mammoth Cave with it, but it is a good closeup and fill flash for faces. Note for the buyers: do not lose the slide-on cover for the hot shoe, as it is machined and coated metal and would be mucho expensivo to replace...

The feature that makes me most envious when I handle this camera as opposed to my X-Pro1 and X-E2 is the tilting LCD screen. I think it has more detail than the previous ones and the fact that it lays out flat makes this the ideal studio or macro machine. After a full day today shooting in the studio - bending down to check the screen on the X-100 - my legs are going to be jelly tomorrow. Another small detail I appreciate is that Fujifilm have finally decide to standardise on where they put their playback button - the northwest corner. I instinctively expect it there but again with the X-Pro1 they shifted it to the right, and I am always absent-mindedly poking the wrong one.

So - What do you get with the little knot of controls at the front? Well, one's the AF assist light, of course and ones the button for the lens release. There is a finger wheel that you can program to do aperture  or shutter changes, and the extremely neat little silver button below that is actually black...it's just the light reflection. It is is analogous (should that be digitalous in the modern world...?) to the depth of field button we had on film cameras. Press in to stop down and see what you're actually going to get.

Speaking of button pressing - I am told by Mr Leigh Diprose, who knows, that the X-T1 can have the buttons locked by a clever ruse with the central MENU/OK button. You can initiate a control lock so you can't accidentally shift important settings in the dark. A wise thing.

A final image of the device sans the auxiliary flash. It is definitely in the luxury-look part of the market with that Graphite Silver finish. You can mate it with a battery/control grip, a plain grip and tripod mount, and with any of the fine Fujinon lenses. It's a pro body in the mirrorless world.

Day 10 - And The Fujifilm Fans Get Yet More Discounts

Fujifilm X-series cameras are some of the best choices for amateur and professional photographers and right now getting the goods has never been cheaper.

On Day 10 of the 12 Days For Christmas Camera Electronic will be reducing the prices of the camera bodies and of the lenses that go with them - and would also like to remind the customers that Fujifilm themselves have a large number of cash-back offers for that same gear.

This means you score a lower price here in the shop today and Fujifilm further reduce your costs when your cash-back payment hits your bank account. The lenses can be very economical indeed!
I know - I've taken advantage of the Fujifilm cash-back offers in the past and They are smartly and efficiently done.

Now the figures:

Basically, you can trim 20% off the price of the X30, X100T, X-E2, X-T10, and X-T1 bodies - then score cash-back from Fujifilm on top of this.

X-T1 body/black: You pay $ 1039 and Fujifilm has a cashback of $ 100 on top of this.
X-T1 body/black + 18-135mm lens: You pay $ 1758 and get a cashback of $ 300
X-T1 body/graphite silver: You pay $ 1199 with a $ 100 cashback
X-T1 body/graphite silver + 18-135mm lens: You pay $ 1998 and get a $ 300 cashback
X-T10 body black/silver: You pay $ 719 for a $ 100 cashback
X-T10 body black/silver + 18-135mm + 27mm: You pay $ 1439 for a $ 500 cashback
X-100T black: you pay $ 1159
X-E2 body/silver + 18-55mm lens: You pay $ 854 for a $ 200 cashback
X-30 silver/black: You pay $ 495

If you'd like to add some X-series Fujifilm lenses to your bag - and we ALL would - you get 10% discount in the shop and a heck of a lot of cash-back from Fujifilm. All of the following have a $ 200 cashback available from Fujifilm:

XF 14mm f:2.8                       You pay $ 791
XF 16mm f:1.4                       You pay $ 1149
XF 18mm f:2                          You pay $ 530
XF 23mm f:1.4                       You pay $ 925
XF 27mm f: 2.8 pancake        You pay $ 359
XF 35mm f:1.4                       You pay $ 537
XF 56mm f:1.2R                    You pay $ 989
XF 56mm f:1.2R APD           You pay $ 1580
XF 60mm f:2.4                       You pay $ 572
XF90mm f:2 R LM WR         You pay $ 1114
XF 10-24mm f:4 R OIS          You pay $ 989
XF 16-55mm f:2.8 RLM WR You pay $ 1304
XF 18-55mm f:2.8-4                You pay $ 629
XF 18-135mm f:4-5.6              You pay $ 899
XF 50-140mm f:2.8 R LM OIS WR  You pay $ 1682
XF 55-200mm f:3.5-4.8            You pay 665


Heading picture: Taken with Fujifilm X-E2 and 35mm f:1.4 XF lens. '62 Pontiac Catalina in British Columbia.

Click here for the immediate purchase! 

90 Over 2 = 1/4 @ 600 - The New Fujifilm Mathematics Explained

Pay attention class.

You will see the illustration at the top of the post of the new Fujifilm Super EBC XF 90mm f:2 R LM WR lens. The one we have here in the shop - right now. For sale to Fujifilm users who have X-Pro1, X-E1 and 2 , X-T1 and X-T10 cameras.

The construction is superb, as we have come to expect from Fujifilm. The focusing with the X-E series and the X-T series is blisteringly fast and snaps in. The lens is not excessively weighty.

Close focus is 600mm and at that point you get a quarter of the human face - in precise detail.

I should regard this as currently the definitive Fujifilm lens for head and shoulders portraits as well as work in low light. Better it does not get.

Please note that the classic Fujifilm styling of the lens means that there is little external show - it is all buiness. Good business.

Onward And Upward With Fujifilm Firmware!

One of the nicest things about Fujifilm X-series cameras is that they are made by Fujifilm. It's convenient too, because it means there is already a "Fujfilm" name engraved into the front of the body...

The next nice thing about them is the fact that Fujifilm constantly monitor what people want and what their cameras can do...and frequently issue updates to the firmware that operates the machinery. These updates can sometimes be minor adjustments but sometimes more extensive ones that can reset the camera's brain to produce a startling improvement.

I know - I have subjected all four of my different Fujifilm cameras to firmware updates at some stage of the game and they are very zippy instruments indeed. I don't have a Fujifilm X-T1  yet, but those of you who do can now avail yourselves of a fresh update for this camera. Fujifilm has just issues the version 4.0 for the X-T1 and it markedly changes and improves the auto-focus experience with the camera.

Faster, surer, with quick improvements to the 35mm and 60mm Fujinon lenses. Zone tracking for autofocus. Eye focus selections for autofocus. More shutter speed options. Even a clarification for the silent mode shooting button so that it spells it out for people.
There's a good report on it on a page at DP Review, here.

If you have an X-T1 you can charge your battery fully, grab a clean memory card, and do the biz yourself. Here is the link for the download.

And the exciting bit for me? What goes for the X-T1 today may very well come for the X-E2 tomorrow...

Now Extended For Your Pleasure - The Fujifilm Rings

If you are a FSLR or a DSLR user you know all about this and can move on to the TAB results and the comic section. If you are a Fujifilm X-camera user, here is some good news.

The Fujifilm MCEX-11 and MCEX-16 automatic extension tubes are in stock. As the names will suggest, these are 11 mm and 16 mm spacer tubes that go between the Fuji X -series camera bodies that have the removable lens mount and the lens itself.

The tubes are free of any glass, but have the appropriate electrical connections to pass commands through themselves from the body to the lens - giving you focus and exposure control as per usual.

They are usable on some wide-angle angle lenses - but not all...and the results are not all that useful with the wider focal lengths. Their real forté starts at the 35mm mark and continues forward out to the longer telephoto zooms.

The action of spacing out the lens means that the whole thing focuses a lot closer than normal - really close, if you will, to true macro work. Of course the depth of field is restricted, as it always is at close distances, but there is no optical interference from glass elements. With a number of the X-series cameras you can set the focus and exposure to manual and then see the effect of stopping down the aperture when you half-press the shutter release button. Really useful.

The MCEX-16 gets you closer than the MCEX-11, but you can predict what the effect will be by consulting the chart that Fujifilm do on their website.

Here is an example of the use of the MCEX-11 with the 35mm f:1.4 Fujifilm lens:

And here is one with the MCEX-11 on the 55-200mm lens. This is not a close-focussing lens at the best of times but this does make an improvement.

The perspective is changed, of course, but that is to be expected. In some respects this extension tube would be perfect for 50mm and longer focal lengths.

Model is a 1:43 1947 Chrysler. The background building is 1:87 scale but if you play with the tubes and focal lengths you can adjust the size.

Moving Light Artillery Into Battery - With The Fuji X-T1

It has often been said that putting a battery grip onto your digital camera will make you look like a professional photographer*. Perhaps, but that is not the best reason for using one.

Think in terms of the ergonomics of the machine. If you want to take a picture in vertical or portrait mode you are going to have to throw your right wrist over the top of the camera and the weight will depend upon your hand. The grip you need to hold the camera against gravity means more muscle pressure and stiffer muscles. Your hand and arm get very tired over an hour of doing this.

If you use a battery grip your hand remains upright and your muscles are more relaxed. You have the other hand free to operate a zoom lens and the whole rig can be held safely all day.

Plus some camera grips accommodate a second battery in there - you get twice as long to shoot before recharging.

This is evident with the new Fuji X-T1 battery grip - we've just gotten them into stock for the Fuji X-T1 cameras and can particularly recommend them to the users of the large 56mm f:1.2 lens. You can pick one up for $ 329.

* You can look like a professional photographer just by getting a bad haircut...much cheaper.