Technical
Fuji X100 Experience
11/05/11 23:14
I recently picked up the Fuji X100. It’s a type of camera that I’ve been waiting for someone to develop in an affordable package. Fuji has done a great job at delivering amazing image quality with this, and has thrown in some other interesting technology as well. After a few days of shooting I just wanted to share my experiences with it. This is not a comprehensive review by any means, but just a few of my thoughts. More pictures will be posted from this camera as well in the future but please click below to read more.
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Fuji X100 Experience X
11/05/11 23:14
I'm not typically one for writing gear reviews, but this camera seems to fit into a category that I know will lead to images that I normally would not create so I can't help sharing something about it. And shifting creativity is a good thing. I probably won't be listing anything near the full list of features here, but wanted to share the things that I felt are a benefit to this camera from my normal way of working.
I've long been searching for something that will give me the quality of my SLR in a smaller package so that, if anything, I can always have it with me and create professional work. Alongside the physical size, I also wanted the following that can be found in the Fuji X100:
- large sensor/image quality: the APS-C size yields higher quality image with less noise and more control over depth of field than most point and shoots (especially if coupled with a faster lens). I am actually amazed at the high ISO quality and don't hesitate to go near the top of it's range. Additionally, I didn't expect in camera JPEG's to be this good. Some tweaking of settings were necessary to get good quality JPEG's while still retaining some post processing latitude if necessary. Highlight and Shadow tone were a little too aggressive for me, and softening them a bit was immensely helpful.
- quiet shutter: self explanatory...it’s very quiet!
- optical viewfinder: I really much prefer not looking at an EVF, especially in extreme lighting conditions and other demanding situations. It takes getting used to for those accustomed to looking through the lens and not having to take into consideration parallax issues, but the benefits and joys of an optical viewfinder outweigh these to me. The ability to quickly switch to an EVF was something I didn't expect to use often but it's great to be able to review images in bright conditions, to use the electronic focus verification in manual focus (switches to EVF and zooms in), and for instances where you need a more accurate viewfinder view (close focusing primarily).
- fast aperture lens: useful for many obvious reasons. The focal length on this sensor size also strikes a nice balance towards a useable depth of field range that allows isolation but not so much that focus is difficult when you need lots of light. I admit to sometimes wishing there was a slightly longer lens (I really enjoy 50mm) on the camera for my work but would probably find reasons to argue if things were the other way around too.
- quick manual control: something that was lacking in most point and shoots I've tried. I can adjust things on this camera without having to take my eye from the optical viewfinder! And with a dedicated exposure compensation dial I can get creative exposures right before even putting my eye to the viewfinder. Having a dedicated control for focus modes is also a very useful control for me, and I’m happy I don’t have to dig around menus to find it. In fact, Once I leave the house, I hardly ever use the menu system at all.
- autofocus: admittedly, not many cameras neglect to have autofocus. Although I loved shooting with my old leicas, I've become quite accustomed to shooting methods with autofocus. Though I confess that I wish the manual focus was better on this camera for certain instances where I want to go right to a specific focus distance. However, that's easy enough to work around and the X100 sort of makes up for it by actually having a very useful depth of field indication system. To me between the "focus and reframe" method and the ability to still engage autofocus even in manual mode, I rarely actually use manual focus.
All this is not to say that the camera doesn't leave things to be desired. Things like wishing for an assignable RAW button, manual focus confirmation, better manual focus "gearing", better battery indication among other smaller things. If Fuji gets behind some of these things they can pretty much fix all my complaints in firmware. In the end it's as simple as: the image quality is fantastic and I can control the capture very quickly in a form factor that allows me to have this with me all the time. The first time I've been happy with all three!
I've long been searching for something that will give me the quality of my SLR in a smaller package so that, if anything, I can always have it with me and create professional work. Alongside the physical size, I also wanted the following that can be found in the Fuji X100:
- large sensor/image quality: the APS-C size yields higher quality image with less noise and more control over depth of field than most point and shoots (especially if coupled with a faster lens). I am actually amazed at the high ISO quality and don't hesitate to go near the top of it's range. Additionally, I didn't expect in camera JPEG's to be this good. Some tweaking of settings were necessary to get good quality JPEG's while still retaining some post processing latitude if necessary. Highlight and Shadow tone were a little too aggressive for me, and softening them a bit was immensely helpful.
- quiet shutter: self explanatory...it’s very quiet!
- optical viewfinder: I really much prefer not looking at an EVF, especially in extreme lighting conditions and other demanding situations. It takes getting used to for those accustomed to looking through the lens and not having to take into consideration parallax issues, but the benefits and joys of an optical viewfinder outweigh these to me. The ability to quickly switch to an EVF was something I didn't expect to use often but it's great to be able to review images in bright conditions, to use the electronic focus verification in manual focus (switches to EVF and zooms in), and for instances where you need a more accurate viewfinder view (close focusing primarily).
- fast aperture lens: useful for many obvious reasons. The focal length on this sensor size also strikes a nice balance towards a useable depth of field range that allows isolation but not so much that focus is difficult when you need lots of light. I admit to sometimes wishing there was a slightly longer lens (I really enjoy 50mm) on the camera for my work but would probably find reasons to argue if things were the other way around too.
- quick manual control: something that was lacking in most point and shoots I've tried. I can adjust things on this camera without having to take my eye from the optical viewfinder! And with a dedicated exposure compensation dial I can get creative exposures right before even putting my eye to the viewfinder. Having a dedicated control for focus modes is also a very useful control for me, and I’m happy I don’t have to dig around menus to find it. In fact, Once I leave the house, I hardly ever use the menu system at all.
- autofocus: admittedly, not many cameras neglect to have autofocus. Although I loved shooting with my old leicas, I've become quite accustomed to shooting methods with autofocus. Though I confess that I wish the manual focus was better on this camera for certain instances where I want to go right to a specific focus distance. However, that's easy enough to work around and the X100 sort of makes up for it by actually having a very useful depth of field indication system. To me between the "focus and reframe" method and the ability to still engage autofocus even in manual mode, I rarely actually use manual focus.
All this is not to say that the camera doesn't leave things to be desired. Things like wishing for an assignable RAW button, manual focus confirmation, better manual focus "gearing", better battery indication among other smaller things. If Fuji gets behind some of these things they can pretty much fix all my complaints in firmware. In the end it's as simple as: the image quality is fantastic and I can control the capture very quickly in a form factor that allows me to have this with me all the time. The first time I've been happy with all three!
Nikon Video Rig
07/08/10 15:47
I’ve been meaning to develop some ideas in video content (part of the reason for the purchase of my D300), and have recently built a rig to make the more cinematic approaches possible. Most of the problems I’ve had are with predictable camera moves and changes while shooting. So I’ve decided to solve those problems (and some others) by building a rig that has the following:
- follow focus system
- matte box with barn doors
- rail system to support these
- and a camera slider
The trickiest part was cutting gears for the follow focus on the few lenses that I’d like to shoot video with. I did this with a simple CAD design and cutting them on my CNC. As were the rest of the plastic bits such as the folding Matte Box parts and the long lens rail supports. The rails system is aluminum rod and rectangular extrusion material. The only purchased bit was the slider mechanics that I found at a local distributor. I will post some test footage soon as I’ve scheduled a fun little side project to test this on. Though some things are already posted in my video projects gallery.
Cheaper Solutions
03/08/10 23:26
There are unique tools we need (or want) to use in photography, but often times these tools amount to a larger than expected withdrawal from our credit cards. In the spirit of sharing on the internet, I'm hoping to share some of the products and DIY projects I have found to help me get around some of the more "official" solutions. I am not claiming that any of these are better in manufactured quality, versatility or otherwise, but these are things I use on a regular basis that serve their purposes very well. I am also not going into the more well known categories of lenses or teleconverters, but hopefully will discuss some lesser know solutions.
Macro Flash Bracket
This is one of my most used accessories, but rather than going into detail again here, please follow this link for more information on this custom made bracket.
Angle Finder
I regularly use a right-angle viewfinder attachment but instead of the Nikon DR-6 or other Nikon part combinations, I use a third party finder manufactured by Seagull out of China. It's a universal system with eyepiece adapter plates, but performs quite adequately given its price. The only drawback being a need to re-adjust focus when switching to 2x magnification, something I rarely use myself and is part of it's optical design. There is also potential for light leaking into the viewfinder from the attachment point, but this has not yet caused me problems and could be easily solved by sealing the area.
L-Bracket
Though I don't currently use any RRS or Kirk products (they are however on the 'list'), I have found solutions for support by other means. Some of these serve my purpose better than existing commercial products. One of these is my own aluminum L-Bracket to which I attach the appropriate mounting plates. Bent from 1/4" and 3/8" aluminum they provide perfectly adequate support for shorter lenses supported from the camera. Longer lenses would be supported by lens collars anyway. The only drawback here being that you cannot access the ports on the left side of the camera (except flash sync), though these are ports I personally never use. This is something most anyone can manufacture themselves to solve a variety of tripod mounting issues.
Center Column Shortening
The extended center column on lighter tripods usually causes an unacceptable instability and is something I have immediately replaced. The substitute is a simply configured wood dowel (shaped in a lathe) through which a bolt is attached to the ballhead. Additionally, the bottom of the bolt (extending below the tripod platform) has a loop to which I often hang camera bags for additional stability.
Larger Eye-Cup
Third party solutions in this area are often substantially cheaper, and the part I use fulfills its purpose quite well. The only criticisms here are a slightly looser fit due to the lack of "locking notches" and a perhaps stiffer rubber. Though the eyecup can still can fold back and has a protective plastic lens. These have held up quite well in my camera bag despite being lost once or twice (only to have luckily been found on the walk back to the car). And at their available price you might as well get more than one. Bocaphoto seems to carry them at a cheap price, but they can be found at even lower costs on eBay.
Remote Release Cable
Again, this is an area where third party products may not be up to the quality standards of manufacturer parts, but at %10 of the cost, the minor differences are more than bearable. These cabled releases can be found all over the internet at various prices around $15US. They provide the same functionality of a traditional cable release including being half-press capable and having a lock for long exposures. The only differences that I have noticed are the lack of a thread on the plastic connector (which is instead held in place by friction), and the fact that some users report issues with the cable oriented in an inconvenient direction. The latter issue however is not the case on the cable release I use. The manufacturer of part, can be found here.
Macro Flash Bracket
This is one of my most used accessories, but rather than going into detail again here, please follow this link for more information on this custom made bracket.
Angle Finder
I regularly use a right-angle viewfinder attachment but instead of the Nikon DR-6 or other Nikon part combinations, I use a third party finder manufactured by Seagull out of China. It's a universal system with eyepiece adapter plates, but performs quite adequately given its price. The only drawback being a need to re-adjust focus when switching to 2x magnification, something I rarely use myself and is part of it's optical design. There is also potential for light leaking into the viewfinder from the attachment point, but this has not yet caused me problems and could be easily solved by sealing the area.
L-Bracket
Though I don't currently use any RRS or Kirk products (they are however on the 'list'), I have found solutions for support by other means. Some of these serve my purpose better than existing commercial products. One of these is my own aluminum L-Bracket to which I attach the appropriate mounting plates. Bent from 1/4" and 3/8" aluminum they provide perfectly adequate support for shorter lenses supported from the camera. Longer lenses would be supported by lens collars anyway. The only drawback here being that you cannot access the ports on the left side of the camera (except flash sync), though these are ports I personally never use. This is something most anyone can manufacture themselves to solve a variety of tripod mounting issues.
Center Column Shortening
The extended center column on lighter tripods usually causes an unacceptable instability and is something I have immediately replaced. The substitute is a simply configured wood dowel (shaped in a lathe) through which a bolt is attached to the ballhead. Additionally, the bottom of the bolt (extending below the tripod platform) has a loop to which I often hang camera bags for additional stability.
Larger Eye-Cup
Third party solutions in this area are often substantially cheaper, and the part I use fulfills its purpose quite well. The only criticisms here are a slightly looser fit due to the lack of "locking notches" and a perhaps stiffer rubber. Though the eyecup can still can fold back and has a protective plastic lens. These have held up quite well in my camera bag despite being lost once or twice (only to have luckily been found on the walk back to the car). And at their available price you might as well get more than one. Bocaphoto seems to carry them at a cheap price, but they can be found at even lower costs on eBay.
Remote Release Cable
Again, this is an area where third party products may not be up to the quality standards of manufacturer parts, but at %10 of the cost, the minor differences are more than bearable. These cabled releases can be found all over the internet at various prices around $15US. They provide the same functionality of a traditional cable release including being half-press capable and having a lock for long exposures. The only differences that I have noticed are the lack of a thread on the plastic connector (which is instead held in place by friction), and the fact that some users report issues with the cable oriented in an inconvenient direction. The latter issue however is not the case on the cable release I use. The manufacturer of part, can be found here.
Macro Flash Bracket
03/08/10 23:26
Due to some requests I have posted more info on my macro flash bracket. It was built in an afternoon with spare photographic parts and aluminum from the garage and works better than I had hoped. it was built due to the need for variable lighting effects close to the subject and needed to fulfill the following requirements:
- adjustment with one hand
- not only be sturdy but add stability to the whole assembly
- work in both landscape and portrait orientations
- allow for key/fill light effects from above as well fill light effects from below.
- easy dismantling and portability
It fulfills all the requirements that I had for it and has provided me with a great deal of enjoyment. Above is an image of the bracket with my old kit: the Nikon D70, 105 Micro Nikkor and Nikon SB-600 Speedlite.