A Fuji Wishlist

Fuji are one of the few camera makes who do just occasionally give the impression that they are prepared to react to customers' wishes. I thought I'd offer my wishlist in the full knowledge that it will have zero effect. It does however provide a context in which I can focus my own thoughts.  First please note the title is ‘Wishlist’ not ‘Which items should Fuji produce which will be the most successful and bring the most financial gain....’.

We’re clearly going to get another X camera soon, probably at about 28mp and placed to sit above the XT-2 which it will replace and the X-H1 alongside (but slightly above) which it will sit. What would I wish for in the new camera:

• Longer battery life - I hardly use the LCD and yet still carry 5 spares, this is a tad ridiculous. I could use a battery grip but part of the appeal of the system is the smaller size and I've never liked screw on battery grips as they introduce a second potential plane of movement between the sensor and a tripod head. Not only is there the possibility of movement between camera and grip but the grips themselves can distort and allow movement.

• Add 5:4 to the range of image sizes so I can preview accurately in viewfinder.

• Increase the maximum shutter speed to 1, 2, 4 or even 8 minutes (or longer , the OM2 did better than the XT-2 40 years ago…). Available though aperture priority. (manual greatfully received in firmware update.)

• Re-site connection points for cables esp cable release to make it easier to use when in portrait orientation on an L bracket.

• Give us a much lower base ISO, 64, 50 or even 25.

• Allow full menu and button configuration, let the user define and organise their own menus and buttons without restriction.

Lenses General

• Offer an Arca Swiss foot for those lenses with tripod collars

• Understand that some users will trade light gathering power for a smaller size but still want the highest optical standards. Modest apertures with high level performance.

Lenses Specific:

• Revamp the 14mm, 35mm f1.4, 18mm f2 and the 60mm f2.4 to give us WR and improved optical performance (in 18mm esp.)

• Something round about 16-55 f4 with the performance of the 2.8 but in a smaller lighter package.

• 50-140mm f4 as above

• Tilt and shift at about 16mm

That's it, not too much to wish for but probably an awful lot to hope for. What it does show, in my opinion, is quite how quickly the Fuji X System has matured into a fine photographic tool.

Which lenses for Venice?

Which lenses for Venice?

This is  a question that is often asked and even more frequently ruminated upon by those heading off to Venice for the first time. Experience generally informs subsequent trips but only if honest reflection is undertaken and heads lead rather than hearts.  There are questions to be answered first of course -  relating to the kind of subject matter and images we wish to create. Those indulging in street photography will in all likelihood use the same selection as in any city. Others may revel in picking out the details from a distance and so take along a longer lens. My answers usually follow from the premise that, for me, the landscape of Venice is the main subject. A second and in some ways bigger question is to do with the degree to which we are prepared to compromise the enjoyment of the city by carrying too much weight. Photographing Venice involves a lot of walking and every kg seems to weigh double as the day goes on. For many people the iconic images of Venice are long exposures and in order to achieve this even more extra weight has to be carried in the form of tripod, ND filters, remote release etc. I recently analysed all my ‘keepers’ from Venice and tabulated them according to number of images for each focal length. I rounded all intermediate focal lengths to the nearest ‘recognisable’ prime equivalent. Note needs to be taken that the graph represents focal lengths and not specific lenses. The 85mm length equates to 55mm on my Fuji X cameras. In my analysis this includes the 18-55mm @55mm, the 55-200mm@ 55mm and the 56mm f1.2. The outcome surprised me slightly and is of course influenced by personal style, conditions, time of year etc. It is  probably also influenced by whim to at least some extent. The key findings as may be seen from the table is that very wide angle only accounts for 10% of the mages and effectively less than 2% of images are from focal lengths that exceed 85mm. 75% of all the images were, or could have been made with a 28-85mm(FF) or 18-55mm (APS-C).

The information can be used to plan which lenses to carry. An 18-55 (28-80 FF) and something wider would account for 98% of all my keepers. Adding a telephoto as the third lens brings this to 100%. A future blog post will concern itself with a detailed analysis of exactly what equipment I personally carry when visiting Venice. The problem we all face is a perennial one, that of being prepared for the once in a lifetime image that is beyond the popular range of focal lengths. Everyone finds their own resolution to this question but I would prefer to enjoy the days rather than carry too much. A further consideration becoming every greater is that of transporting the relevant equipment by aircraft. The information above refers to my own favourite images from Venice over the past five years. These are partly represented by the Venice Gallery on my website. My solution so far has been twofold. The first part is the use of Fuji X series cameras and the second to beruthless on lens choice, drawing from my own data rather than my heart. The next blog post will be concerned with an analysis of all the equipment that I would usually take on such a trip. This will include my solutions for managing a balance between photography and airline luggage restrictions. If  you would like to photograph this beautiful city and improve your own photography, I will be leading a workshop in April 2019 for Aspect2i. The workshop details may be viewed below.http://www.aspect2i.co.uk/intermediate-level-photograph-venice-italy-ID130.html

Living with the Fuji X-Pro 1

There are many influences that make people hand over cash for a Fuji X-Pro 1. There are those seeking lighter weight. Those looking for retro. Those perhaps even first time buyers seduced by good advertising. For a while in the media it was 'the second camera to have'. the world and his brother seemed to have bought one.

For a substantial proportion of the camera buying public, it was the nearest thing we might ever get to a Leica M series. There were similarities all over even down to the launch with just three primes. I think I was somewhere between all of these. I've owned an X-Pro 1 for about 18 months - there are positives and negatives. the size and weight allowed an entire kit to be carried in a small shoulder bag and a day in Venice was possible without shoulder pain or moaning. The quality of the results suggested no compromise was being made. It was a pleasure to use, feeling good in the hand. However there were some aspects that provided a bit more of a challenge given the way I work.

• I'm not certain of the order or priority but the following issues affected me in some way. The USP of a traditional cable release has the downside that there is then no way of using a timer for long exposures. You have to fire the shutter, lock the cable and watch the seconds on the screen and release manually. For most it doesn't matter a hoot but for those of us who make long exposures, it is an added complication.

• I do find the viewfinder most useful in RVF mode in order to allow precise composition but still feel it is difficult to assess accurately. No dioptre adjustment is certainly a factor in this.

• The Q menu button is REALLY easy to hit, real pain.

• The camera goes too far to sleep. The recovery is so slow that it becomes quicker to switch it off and back on again rather than wait for the wake up.

Even with these niggles it is a great camera and still a pleasure to use. Watching how the s/h price is dropping through the floor, it becomes an absolute steal on the used market.

DX to Mirrorless CSC

My 'main' camera is a Nikon D800. It is now outdated and superseded by the D810; I don't have any plan to update it in the next year and probably not the year after that. Along with the 16-35mm and the 70-200mm, I usually carry my 50mm lens. None of them heavyweight but together I know they are in the bag. For some years I carried a Nikon DX format camera when weight was critical. A D3200, 18-55mm and 55-200mm seemed to weight almost nothing in comparison. The image quality was beyond real criticism in my opinion. Of course (since they performed perfectly...) I allowed myself to be seduced into a change. I sold the DX stuff and invested in a Fuji X-Pro1 and a few lenses.Is there a dramatic leap in the quality of the pictures? No. Do I enjoy using it? Oh yes. There is a great feel to the camera and lenses. Increasingly even Nikon's top end lenses and camera seem to be covered in plastic. The Fuji stuff just feels good. As a lightweight kit it works really well and makes a huge difference if a very long day is planned. The optical quality is high, reliability so far is fine but there are, shall we say, some idiosyncrasies.