erryprasetyo

Who needs a WR lens!?!?!
 

The cannon by Kwyjibo Van De Kamp

I used what was available in my shelf - it was some glue for paper : ) Once it dries the glue prevents rear group from rotation in sliding holes.
 
I'd recommend to use any glue type that does not damage plastic, and can be removed later if needed.
 

If the XT-2 has the features I expect (2 SD slots, 5 or more bracket shots, better AF and 24 MP) I will be purchasing it. I have seen and read the numerous “advice needed” threads, but still am not sure about my best options.
 
We travel a lot, and I don’t like to check my luggage. As a result, my camera gear has to fit in my Retrospective 10, although my tripod goes in my carry on suitcase. Our last trip (Oaxaca, Mexico), I had my Nikon D800 with a 24-120 mm f/4 lens. At night I just carried a Sony RX100 IV, which goes from 20-70 mm, but is fast (f/1.8), small and light. When I look at my travel shooting range, many shots are at 24 and 120, as well as in the 45-65 mm range.  While traveling, I am usually shooting street scenes rather than wildlife or landscapes; two of my Oaxaca shots are posted below as examples of what I like to do.
 
If I’m taking a road trip to the US Southwest, I’ll still bring my D800 and a wide angle lens. However, I’m planning trips to Portugal, Spain and Italy and want to travel lighter as I feel the weight of the D800 by the end of the day. I hate changing lenses as I’m tired of sensor dust, no matter how careful I try to be.
 
In terms of Fuji lenses, I am already planning to buy the 10-24 and the 35 f/2 but may not travel with them. The travel lens choices, and my concerns, are:  
 
18-55 and/or 55-200 (pretty good for kit lenses, but would have to change lenses often to cover my usual 24-120 range)
 
50-140 (amazing reviews, but big, heavy, and nothing wide or normal)
 
16-55 (again, amazing quality but heavy and no OIS)
 
18-135 (the jack-of-all-trades lens, but apparently soft at the long end and fairly slow with no constant aperture; had considered this and a 35 f/2 as my best option)
 
So, given my needs, and desire to have one (or maybe 2 lenses, like a small light one for evenings), what suggestions do you folks have? Thanks in advance.
 
 
 

As a sort of paid-to-travel professional, from my experience Spain is your worst destination as far as pick pockets go, Barcelona and Madrid especially. Our airline keeps statistics on theft and robberies of it's staff and customers. Out of all our destinations, Madrid is at number 1, Barcelona at 2 and Malaga at 3. New York is at 4, Paris is at 5 and London only at 11. From our entire African network, only Kinshasa makes the top 10 at spot number 7.
 
Just use a plain messenger bag, and rotate it forward so you can keep your hands on it in crowded places. Subways and other public transport are the prime hotspots. Watch out for little kids, gangs employ minors because they can't be held when they're caught. Keep your back against a wall if possible, if you see someone suspicious, just stare them down. That usually gives them the message that you're not some bloody tourist.
 
If you see something strange or some popular street artist whom everyone is watching, be aware that this usually is the decoy that is used so pickpockets can strike. They just cut open your bag with a scalpel. You'll never feel it. In Budapest, thugs often start fights between two accomplices, just so that innocent bystanders are distracted. In a few seconds, people get robbed and they never knew what hit them.
 
If you stop to eat, drink, just wrap the strap of your camera and/or bag around a chair leg or other fixed object. Often a runner will grab your bag and be gone before you know what happened.
 
Keep valuables in the safe in your room at all times, I've had people come into my room several times already, even while I was in it. Keys are easy to copy, and a few minutes away is all they need. I don't carry a wallet. I just keep cash and 2 credit cards and one ID in my front pocket. The phone I usually stash away deep at the bottom of my bag.
 
Also, don't take too much stuff. I tend to travel with only one camera and maybe one extra lens. Less is usually more when travelling. If you don't need a bag, just leave it in the safe.
 
I use a ThinkTank Retrospective 5, with all the inserts removed. Just because it looks plain. You don't need that padding anyway.
 
And most importantly, have FUN. I'm away some 120 days a year and all these tips are common sense, but they never stop me from doing what I want, where I want. Apart from the prime tourist hangouts, you'll be just fine.

I use a Billingham bag, not obviously a camera bag. Having very nearly had my Fuji gear stolen in Rome (literally the thief had his hand on the bag but a kind shop owner shouted him away) a couple of pointers:
1. Don't assume thiefs look like thiefs - mine was in a suit just tying his shoes!
2. Keep your bag In your eyesight at all times - mine was carelessly under a seat and I was drinking. Stupid error. If I have to place my bag under a table etc, I at least wrap the strap around my legs so it can't be moved.
3. As horrible as it sounds, in some European cities you just can't relax to much. Barcelona and Rome being probably the worst two!

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Just adding to this post; along with my X-Pro2 which arrived 2 days ago, I also purchased a Fuji X70.
 
I'm really taken by this little gem of a camera, palm sized, perfectly pocketable, discrete and with great image quality.
Great for an everyday, everywhere camera.
 
The pics of Kleo and the Daffodil are straight out of camera Jpegs no PP. The full size quality of the images is unbelievable.
 
 

I own both a Sony A7r and a Fuji X-T10, so maybe I can shed some light.
 
 
HIGH ISOs AND LONG EXPOSURES
In low light the Sony, once resized to 16Mp, it has a tad less noise, but Sony sensors (or at least every Sony camera I've ever had) put out A TON ( = hundreds) of hot pixels both at high iso and doing long exposures, even with the "long exposure noise reduction" engaged. So for anything over 800 iso and for long exposures Fuji it is.
 
HIGH CONTRAST BORDERS
The original A7 series (A7 and A7r) has compressed raw. This is not a major thing most of the time, EXCEPT when you have sharp transitions from dark to light. Think a window in near silhouette and an outside scene, or a tree trunk against a sunlit background. Then as soon as you start pushing the contrast (and you will have to, because the vast dynamic range of Sony sensors means that the images will be pretty flat straight out of camera) you're left with horrible halos like you normally get on over-sharpened images. You can cure this with careful brushing in Photoshop (or up to a certain point negative clarity in Lightroom), but it is a gigantic pain in the you-know-what. Fuji does not have this problem.
 
LENSES
I don't personally have any Sony lens, because most of them are simply too expensive for what they give you, even terrific piece of glass like the 55/1.8. Besides, from what I've read it looks like Sony has a bit of a problem with sample variation (again, no personal experience in this field). But I use Contax Zeiss and Minolta MD adapted lenses (Contax for general use, Minolta for pastel like colors and low contrast), and with the camera strapped to a stable tripod the results are terrific. That said, from 180mm and above, tripod or no tripod, you better use fast shutter speeds otherwise the horrific shutter shock of the A7r will blurry the image (should not be a problem with the A7 though).* Fuji has the advantage of having a way better lens line-up, IMO, both in terms of focal lengths covered and in terms of sheer quality. Even the cheap 16-50 that came with the X-T10 is a surprisingly good performer! And with the OIS I've been able to shoot up to 1s (yes, one full second!!!) @ 50mm with sharp results (keep in mind, I've been shooting since I was maybe 5 years old, YMMV).
 
*I use a pretty heavy tripod with an Arca Swiss B-1 ball that was more than strong enough to support my 5x7" large format camera, and I still get shutter shock, so yeah, it's a thing
 
FF Vs APS-C
My approach to this is pretty simple.
If you shoot portraits FF has the advantage of shallow depth of field (but you can get similar or better results with a faster lens on Fuji like the 55/1.2).
If you shoot landscapes or street FF has the disadvantage of the shallow depth of field. Especially with the high resolution sensor of the A7r I have quite often to focus stack images even with short lenses, because there is no way that I can get all in focus even stopping down the aperture (and besides, very few lenses will let you stop down to f/16 without robbing you of the sharpness you're searching because of diffraction; there is not a fast rule, it will depend by the optical scheme).
 
MENUS
I don't see where the big deal is anymore. The original X100 menu was horrible, as have been the menus of a couple of Nikon's cameras, but nowadays I find that whatever you're shooting you will get the hang of it pretty quickly, assuming you're actually using the camera instead of letting it sit on a shelf.
 
X-TRANS vs SONY: SHARPNESS
Fuji files will take A TON more sharpening to realize their potential, especially if you're using an Adobe raw converter. Not a problem, but it is something you should be aware of. And IMO at 100% Fuji files, for this reason, might look often a tad "unnatural". It is a moot point, though, because once printed they look fantastic, as the Sony's. The only real difference here is the one in megapixels, and with the new 24Mp sensor coming even that is becoming academic at best. Besides, even 16Mp files print beautifully, as long as you know how to properly sharpen in multiple passes (import, creative, printing), up to 1m generally, and up to 1.5 meters with some subjects, even on glossy paper (the most demanding one). And on matte or canvas probably the sky is the limit
 
X-TRANS vs SONY: DYNAMIC RANGE
Sony dynamic range, from my own test (shooting a grey step card and measuring the white point 0-255 value within Photoshop), it is around 11 2/3 stops.
Fuji X-T10 dynamic range is, again from my own test, around 7 1/3 stops.
This might look huge, and it is, but in real use unless you like the HDR look with no shadows you will have to compress the dynamic range quite a bit. Besides, a print on paper can withstand generally 5 1/2 stops of dynamic range anyway. And should you want to extend it anyway, I find way easier to shoot multiple images with the Fuji and combine them as an HDR 32 bit file to work on in Lightroom than to having to do the same to extend sharpness with the A7r (focus stacking is way more prone to errors that will not let you combine the images properly).
 
X-TRANS vs SONY: COLORS
This might be the last point, but in reality is where the real difference boils down. Please, keep in mind that some of the difference will be due to the characteristic of the lens used (for example Contax glass has a particularly contrasty and saturated signature), but most of it will depend by the sensor itself.
This is a matter of taste. They are both capable of delivering great colors.
But Sony colors are IMO more on the warm-greenish side of the spectrum (think like the 17th century Flemish school of painters, or Turner), while Fuji in my admittedly for now limited experience (compared to Sony) tends to favor cooler blues and redder, bolder reds (think Giotto) (obviously using the same white balance).

Fuji X70+ring adapter+Hoya UV filter+sun hood +cap

My vote is for the 27mm.  It's the perfect inconspicuous street lens.  If you want a street portraiture lens I'd move more towards the 23mm.  Here are some of my shots with the X-E2 paired with the 27mm.
 
untitled-31 by dacalac, on Flickr
 
untitled-39 by dacalac, on Flickr
 
untitled-29 by dacalac, on Flickr
 
untitled-33 by dacalac, on Flickr

Wall watching. A true basket case. by Begi Nabara, on Flickr

Wall watching. by Begi Nabara, on Flickr
 
 

Wall watching for peace. by Begi Nabara, on Flickr

I agree with you on the starburst thing. It was the only point I was worried about. But I found some images (on flicker I guess) which convinced me buying this lens. The six rays can (I.M.H.O.) give a really clean looking starburst from the sun or from lampposts. See one of my first pictures I shoot with this lens. If I desperately need more rays then I can always use my 18-135mm. 
 

Just back from a family holiday... A couple with the 12mm.
 
 
 
 

Samyang 12mm on the Batur Volcano - Bali

Rent a can

1 sec on a tripod
 

Fireworks

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Hello guys,

After a few day with the X70 in my hands, I made this video to express my feelings (sorry it's in french). I give you a translated text in english, below the video. 
 


  I choose this camera as I felt in love with the X100. I have used one but never had the chance to get one. I was sparing to buy it. But Fuji released the X70. Same tech but without view finder. I liked that the X70 get a orientable touch-screen and a auto button than the X100 doesn't have.

I wanted to have a camera always on me. For personal memories and candid photos. I also like than someone else can use it with the auto-buton. So it become the camera of the whole family.

I like the WIFI connectivity of the FUJI system to share directly the pictures. The orientable screen let me to stay in eyes contacts with my subject.
 
I also was attracted by the X70 as it seems great for the style of pictures I'm creating. I work a lot with bands (rock, metal), so I'm often making pictures lying on the floor to find a great angle. With this screen I don't need to take silly positions. I'm also shooting wide angle for bands.

The leaf shutter let me get a high speed flash sync. Then I can create a fantasy ambiant who is really relevant to my own style. 
 
In the bad points I would love to get an analogic button to set my ISO but I understand why it was not possible in terms of size of the camera. Fuji made a great job on how you can parameter and personalize the butons. There is a total of 8 customs buttons. 

Sometimes the buttons are a bit hard to press because the camera is small. I don't have big fingers and I sometimes have difficulties to press the rec button and use the cross arrows. It's a details but I also feel that the rec buttons looks a bit cheap. The red dot is not 100% centered in the button. It's only aesthetics, nothing blocking but that's a pity on that kind of camera. I'm really picky in terms of details.

Anyway, to be honest I can totally live with those bad sides. The good points are way more huge ;-).

I love the size of this camera anyway. I can really bring it with me everywhere.

My way to take photographs has evolved since I switched to FUJI. I'm sure this X70 will change the game, again. 

Try this little camera, it will make you (re)discover photography. It's a great camera for amateurs who want to learn manual photography. The budget made it accessible.

It's a little boy capable of many things.

For me, photography is anymore about megapixels but about experiment. And using the X70 (such as many other Fuji camera) is a great experience.

And voilà :-). Hope you enjoyed this little review. 

Zhongyi Speedmaster 35mm f0.95 version II released in Feb 2016, so there are almost no reviews online on this new interesting lens
 
I've decided to try it, and ordered one sample directly from Hong Kong, attracted by 9% discounted price.
It arrived yesterday, so posting some shots and first impressions. Feel free to ask questions if any.
 
Out of the box (taken with ZSM 35mm on 0.95 + X-E2)
 

 

 
Sample on F2.8

 
Sample on F0.95

 
Look on X-E2

Took the Old Girl out for a drive today.
X-Pro1 & 27mm f2.8
 
 

No Horns-1 by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

Changing Heads by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

Curia Curiosa by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

Innsbruck Curiosity by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

Curiosity by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

Shaken, not stirredi by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

il Duce by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

Window Dressing by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

A hard seat by Paul Crespel, on Flickr

Frame line for 32mm (not 33mm) shown.
 

 
Also, size comparison of X-T1 (left) and X-Pro2 EVF size. Completely unscientific...I just held my phone's camera right up to the eyecup. That's pretty close to what I the EVF sizes look like to me. X-T1 seems to be larger and slightly closer as well.
 

 
How the hell do people take those really good shots of viewfinders? Macro lens? 

You're welcome.