beattie1

Doing great folks, keep it up! 
 

Fuji X-T1, 10-24/4, large octabox. SOOC.

Hamburg-Blankenese, X-T1, 18-55mm
 

Castle by Roman Gellmann

Na Pali Coast, Kaui
 

Lough Ennell, Mullingar, Ireland. X100S

Took some colourful sunset photos earlier today.
I usually shoot monochrome architectural stuff, so I'm still quite new to this
 
The Bridge by Tobi Loholt, on Flickr   The Bridge 2 by Tobi Loholt, on Flickr

I'd like to share with you all a sunset taken from Cortona, Italy.
 
Fuji X-T1 + 23mm: ISO 200 - F7.1 - 1/350
Sunset in Cortona, Italy. by Ziggy Wellens, on Flickr

_DSF0726Ma by José Luis Rodriguez, en Flickr
Puerto de Málaga, España.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
 

Ladoga skerries by crunch_tone, on Flickr

Just outside of my apartment complex. X-T1, XF 14mm.
 

Sunset taken from the Aida Mar cruise ship.
Taken with the X-T1 and the XF16-55.
Jpeg OOC
 
Rescue ring by Stockografie, on Flickr

Cologne Skyline Sunset by André Heid, auf Flickr

Surrey Hills, UK (XT1, 14mm)
Surrey Hills sunset by naddan28, on Flickr

Sunsets from Golyazi Lake, Bursa, Turkey.
 

 

 
 
 

The last sun light at Volcano Teide

Flickr

Homeward bound
 

Sunset Over Union Terminal by Kyle Hunt, on Flickr

Last sun light at volcano Teide (3718m), Tenerife

Flickr

Sunsets - let me get this started 
 
Sunset in El Socorro, Tenerife

Flickr

Feel free to post some pics from that beautiful country!!!
 
 
 
 

Eilean Donan Castle

There are not many photos around of the X-T1 underwater - so i thought i'd post some.
  I've been diving with the X-T1 for around a month now - and its an awesome camera to dive with.  I use the X-T1 with the Fuji 14mm for wide angle and the Carl Zeiss 50mm 1:1 for Macro.  I use the Nauticam NA-XT1 housing, with 2x Inon D-2000 strobes.  The photos are full of colour and really sharp.   Heres a few pics from some dives in the Azores Islands - photos taken at depths of around 5m to 35 meters.   I have plenty more if anyone is interested.

XF18-135mm with MCEX-16
 

Papilio demoleus by André Heid, auf Flickr

As to the adapter questions, the single best adapter I can recommend for Canon FD mount is one I found on the auction site that is made in Poland. It is a unique 1 piece design that doesn't need the sliding ring that most FD adapters require to activate the aperture pin on FD lenses. You can view a video of its operation here.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CvB8n5wFPg
 
This is far superior to any FD adapter I have used. Every other one I have ever had has gotten loose and jiggly over time. This adapter solves that problem and it has the added benefit of being made in Poland to very high tolerances. In this modern "Made in China" world this is very refreshing. The maker/seller of the item on the auction site is ciecio7 and I can heartily recommend this adapter. The price isn't to bad and while it does take a while to get here it is well worth it.
 
FD lenses were some of the best glass ever made for manual focus cameras. Some are better then others but for the most part it is hard to go wrong with them. I currently only have the FDn 50/1.4 and I must admit it stays on my camera most of the time. Here are some recent examples.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
This lens does have a very nice rendering and works nicely for the 'no focus' style of photography I shoot quite a bit, as in the last photo. This is not to be confused with Ralph Eugene Meatyards style of 'no focus' but it is similar. That man was an incredible photographer and while I use him for inspiration his no focus is so much more raw then mine. I find I shot it a bit more clinically, and it is the poorer for it.
 
Any of the fast primes in the FD lineup are worth getting, such as the 35/2. My only minor issue with some of the FD's is that many times the slower version of the primes will only have a 5 bladed aperture. This annoys the heck out of me as I simply cant stand little pentagons showing up in the highlights on the OOF areas. Luckily the faster primes, like my 50/1.4 have an 8 bladed aperture.
 
Oh, I should mention as I did in my last post. These are actually shot on the Sony A7. I am following things on the Fuji forum due to some consideration I am giving about switching over to X cameras. Although that new A7RII has me wondering. But then I think of an X-T1 with all that lovely Fujinon glass and I remember how much the new Sony costs.

Hello everyone, first time poster here. I shoot pretty much exclusively with old 35mm manual focus lenses and have done so for many years now. I can definitely say that they are worth using from both a creative and cost effective point of view.
 
The issue of adapting lenses is really quite simple. Does a lens, be it a new auto focus model or older manual lens, give you what you need to create the shot or vision you are attempting to capture? If the answer is yes then use the lens. It doesn't matter where it was made, or if it was made yesterday or 50 years ago.
 
Now if you are a professional photographer shooting paid work for a client then it is critical you choose the right gear. You will probably see most working photogs using modern auto focus glass that has full functionality with their camera body. This is to be expected since speed is life and AF will help nail shots in critical focus right when you need it. On the other hand, there are plenty of other pros out there using older adapted glass when speed is not as important or when an older lens is lending a desired creative effect to the work being captured.
 
Where you will see much more use of adapted lenses is in the work of non professional photographers and this makes a lot of sense. When you are shooting work/art for yourself (or family/friends) they you have a lot more lee way to slow down and make mistakes while making the capture. And please don't take this in any way as a slam to non pro photogs. I myself firmly fall into this category with only a few small paying jobs under my belt. That is simply not why I shoot photography. It is a common misconception that the goal of photography is to become a professional photographer and nothing could be further from the truth. The goal of photography is to create a compelling image that moves the human soul, or to document something in a visual format.
 
With that in mind it makes sense for non pro photographers to adapt old lenses to their cameras so that they have access to some really wonderful glass, at a fraction of the cost of their modern equivalents. Keep in mind that almost all of the great photographs from all the masters in the 20th century were taken on manual focus film lenses. In the hands of an experienced photographer the lens and camera simply become a tool for the creative process happening in the brain. But it is to easy in this internet forum discussion age to forget this fact and focus instead on the small differences in gear both old an new. People have a desire to min/max everything and will spend countless hours 'discussing' the perfect lens when in fact no such thing exists.
 
I guess the point of all this is....it doesn't matter which camera you hold in your hand. It doesn't matter when the lens you are using was made or who it was made by. It doesn't matter if focus is achieved by a small electric motor and a computer or by the fingers on your hand gripping old worn metal knurls. What matters is the image you create. Is it pleasing to you? Has your art been made manifest? If it is paid work then is your client happy with it?
 

 

 

 

 
 
These are just some examples of my art over the last few years. I currently shoot with a Sony A7 and previously with a NEX 7. You might think it odd that a Sony shooter is posting on a Fuji site, but as I said before the name on the box really doesn't matter as long as it is providing what you need. While I do love my A7 I almost purchased the X-T1 instead when it came out and there was much deliberation between the two before the purchase was made. Having said that I am still giving Fuji a hard look at a possible replacement for my Sony gear. There are several things about the X line that I find intriguing and to be honest I miss using the Metabones Speedbooster for my nex 7 and I believe the Fuji cameras are an excellent body to use as a platform for the SB.
 
If you like you may view my A7 files that have many more examples of manual focus lenses here. https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539414@N07/sets/72157641534772013
And for examples of the Speedbooster on my NEX 7 you may go here. https://www.flickr.com/photos/8539414@N07/sets/72157633126249795
 
I hope the information here helps someone. If you want to try old lenses then I can heartily recommend it. Don't be afraid to try and don't get caught up in the search for gear. By all means educate yourself on the lens choices available but don't let the pursuit of gear be the driving force of excitement in your photography. Just remember that it is the image that is important. Only this and nothing more.