Immanuel

I am Official Photographer for several Blues Festivals and I shoot there with Nikon full-frame equipment.  However, I also shoot local gigs with my Fuji system which though not as good is still quite viable for the purpose.
 
My preferred long lens including for live music is the 100-400mm which is probably not a useful suggestion.  However, the first thing is to make the best of whatever you have and take what is possible with your equi8pment in the given lighting conditions. Getting a shot with a very high ISO is better than a blurred one with too low a shutter speed and wide open is often necessary.  The more you push the ISO, the more important correct exposure is because noise abounds in deep shadows at high ISO as the dynamic range contracts. Taking the image is one thing.  Post-processing is also critical and for me, just as important as taking the original image.

Noise isn't information. If you take an 8MP image, and upscale it, then add fake noise, you'll find at some point you've matched the (noisy) high ISO image of the same scene shot at 24MP, because the noise in the 24MP image was just that... noise. Not actually information from the scene. Or conversely, if you take a noisy ISO 6400 24MP image and start scaling it down, you'll reach a point where the noise becomes imperceptible (it averages out). This is why you never see noisy photos on instagram... The images there are only displayed at like 3MP.
 
People fall into this trap every time a new, higher megapixel image sensor comes out. They look at a 16MP ISO 6400 image at 1:1 and compare it to the 24MP ISO 6400 image at 1:1. That's not a valid comparison. If you downscale the 24MP image to 16MP, then maybe you can compare. But chances are nobody but the photographer will ever see the image at 1:1 anyway, they'll see some 3-6MP downscaled version on the web.
 
The moral of the story is: if you want to crop a lot or make a giant print (i.e. benefit from that 24 megapixels) then you're going to have to shoot at ISO 200. If you accept that you will only make smaller prints or only display on the web, then you can crank the ISO as high as you want (the higher you go, the smaller the dispaly MP you can support without the image appearing noisy).

OK, a person then: Shot indoors with only a ceiling light fixture holding a couple CF bulbs -- ISO 12800. For an APS class camera I think this is pretty impressive. Excellent color and noise barely an issue.
 
 

Firstly, I have no desire to drag a monopod around at a wedding reception - never mind a monopod on each body. Secondly, I have no desire to shoot living subjects at shutter speeds so slow I need a monopod. Thirdly, not everything is so black and white; it's possible to like something without liking every single aspect of it. Just because I don't like Fuji's high ISO JPGs, that doesn't mean I don't like Fuji cameras or that they aren't for me.
 
There's no need to be rude and insult other people's shooting techniques, especially when the thread doesn't seem to be relevant to you.

Quite a few people have stated that they like the bokeh from the 60 mm a little better - within their common aperture range. Thanks for yet another Sunday post :-)

Part 24 of my X-Pro1 story!
 
The X-Pro1 + 56 x 11. So what does that add up too then?
 
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-twenty-four/

Well, I do think that he attracts more visitors by posting opiniated and sometimes controversial reviews on his site. He gets a lot more publicity this way than when he would only post balanced and factual stuff. 
And look above; if KR thinks your camera is great, then he is a cool guy. If your camera was reviewed badly, then he is a dinosaur. I bet he is fully aware of how his reviews are received, and judges that this style generates more income for him.

Just weighted mine on a old style kitchen scale; looks like 330gr. - same as the price !

Some breathtaking shots here.....landscapes are awesome. I especially love the pic with the double catch croc. What a shot!
 
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/photographer-of-the-year-2016/gallery/winners-all/1

Adam,
In post#35 you mention "OVF shutter lag." I use my XP1 with the OVF only (so far) and I'd love to know to what kind of lag you refer.
 
I enjoy the -1 articles. The ISO-less nuances are important, and they do affect minute to minute shooting choices. I wish Fuji's Auto-ISO lower limit on shutter speed would be absolute, immutable. Perhaps the way to deal with the squishy request is to leave ISO on a lower fixed setting and shutter speed set where my lower limit should be for the situation at hand.
 
Jonathan

If anyone is interested...
 
I'm writing about my lust/hate/love affair with the X-Pro1 on my blog!
 
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/
 
As well as this story, there's many shots taken with the X-Pro1 and some with the XT1.
 
Please note that my blog features NO donate links, or buy prints links or buy from advertising partners links! It's simply a labour of love - a bit like using the X-Pro1 can be!!
 
...........
 
Edited post for anyone not scrolling to the bottom!!
 
The full story so far!
 
Unless someone can tell me otherwise (and please do), I think that I've now created one of the (if not simply 'the') largest opinion* based X-Pro1 articles on the internet.
 
(*there's facts and stuff in there too and of course many things are also true of the later X cameras!!)
 
I remain as passionate and enthusiastic about the X-Pro1 as I always, I know it's neither the newest or best camera out there, but I sincerely believe it's a perfectly valid photography solution, offering a signature look to it files, and in usage, the body responds well to be treated like a film camera.
 
 
So here's a overview:
 
Part 1:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/
 
When you fall for a camera, does it always work out how you think?
"Boy meets camera, lives happily ever, right? WRONG! But how wrong? And can two wrongs make a right?"
 
Part2:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/finally/
 
When you dream that a camera will be everything you hoped, how will you react when it isn't?
"This is the part where I moan, complain and moan some more about the laggy EVF, the woefully inaccurate OVF experience, the glacier slow AF"
 
Part3:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-three/
 
When you start to miss imperfection.
"The second time around the X-Pro1 became so very, very much more than eye candy to me. I finally figured out how to use it, I fell in love with it holistically"
 
Part4:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-four/
 
When you (well I !!) start to realise it's the way that files look that's important
" it was enough to draw me in - to forgive the camera its quirks and foibles and want to get the best from it."
 
Part5:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-five/
 
When you try to define just exactly what it is that you love about the look of an image
" IN MY OPINION and TOO MY EYE the X-Pro1 has a signature to its images, a look that I love very much."
 
Part6:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-six/
 
When you understand how over come physical limitations, via self improvement
"as you can see (and perhaps agree) by taking back control of focus from the shutter button, we still can utilize the benefits of AF"
 
Part7:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-seven/
 
When you understand that blind love of a camera is only a personal view point and that's important
"when things get personal, then people tend to bring their A game, and a strong A game can accomplish anything"
 
Part8:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-eight/
 
When you start to look at what bits and bobs you can add on to your camera
"they add to the camera, and they enrich the overall ownership experience"
 
Part9:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-nine/
 
When you realise that companies other than the OEM can offer valid items for your camera
"I’m going to say that if you’re getting a genuine benefit"
 
Part10:
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-ten/
 
When you have a good look at your camera's files and find your own path
"Why would I want to truncate my potential output by dismissing any of the available options"
 
The latest part.
 
Well it's Sunday morning, so that must been it's time for another installment of my X-Pro1 article!
 
http://adambonn.com/my-love-affair-with-the-fujifilm-x-pro1/xp1-eleven/
 
This week I take a look at the DR modes and their relationship to ISO.
 
But how do they work, and do I PERSONALLY feel they're worth using?
 
Enjoy...

I often change my button assignments and custom settings to match the specific situation. At the moment, I use this trick in situations with changing light. This trick involves the custom settings and the top FN button next to the shutter button and using the wheel to choose the desired setting.

CS 1: ISO 200, DR 100
CS 2: ISO 400, DR 200
CS 3: ISO 800, DR 400
CS 4: ISO 1600, DR 400
CS 5: ISO 3200, DR 400
CS 6: ISO 6400, DR 400
CS 7: Auto ISO

This lets my change ISO settings with minimum movement. I rarely want to adjust ISO in less than full stops. To me, 1/3 stops is a waste of time and flow. When you assign CS to buttons, it will always start at CS 200.

So if I am out taking pictures at ISO 200 and suddenly find a situation where I need more dynamic range or more DOF without camera shake or faster shutter speed for a fast moving subject, I'll just press the FN button, turn the wheel one or two clicks and half press the shutter - or take the picture immediately. If I want to go back to ISO 200, I just press the FN button twice (because it starts at CS 1).

This works very well on my X-100T and X-E2. Can anyone tell me, if it works with the X-Pro2 and the X-T1 which have hardware dials for ISO? It would be a shame, if you had to make a work around by setting maximum and minimum auto ISO speeds instead of fixed speeds - at least if those cameras behave like mine, where any auto ISO setting will make the camera NOT tell me the predicted shutter speed before I half press the shutter button.

1) Rangerfinder style (or it is no X-E3)
2) A larger EVF
3) WR
4) A front dial

The joystick would be nice, but I want the larger EVF more.

Please provide source for all that. Otherwise, you're just speculating.

Arrive early to get the best shooting location. It helps to have a clear view from the front row. An early arrival means you can do test shots, tuning the camera to the environment prior to the start of the ceremony. With the camera optimised ahead of time, you don't need to concentrate on camera operation, freeing you to concentrate on capturing the best content.
 
Realise that there is no one correct approach. Given two veteran shooters, the approaches might be very different but both will produce optimum content and image quality. I will give my suggestions and the reason behind them in some detail.   Once I was settled in the best seat in the house, even though shooting RAW, I would do a manual white balance. RAW allows you to do major corrections in software, but with a manual white balance, judging and tagging the images you want is easier if they all look equally good. In software, you need only do a bit of fine tuning, not major corrections. Auto white balance works best with daylight which has a continuous spectrum. Fluorescent lights are highly unpredictable due to their discontinuous spectrum. A custom white balance generally gets pretty close to ideal. With zone focusing, you do not need the camera to lock onto the subject. Both lenses are at their best when stopped down a couple of stops, which also provides depth of field and creates the zone. As long as the subjects are in the zone, they will be sharp.   (This is a skill well worth mastering. Those who say that the camera is too slow focusing to capture their ballistic toddlers have not learned the technique. As long as the kid is in the zone, they will be sharp. No need to actually focus on the kid. Just move so you keep the kid within the zone.)   There is no reason to mutter "bokeh, bokeh" while shooting. If the background is fairly sharp, it gives a sense of location. Once you have the zone set, you will never have to wait for the lens to focus, giving near instant response when you press the shutter button. When you see where the presentation is taking place, focus on the presenter and then ignore further focusing unless the people move out of the zone.   Subject and camera movement are not much of a challenge in such a ceremony. A shutter speed of 1/125th should handle both adequately. Choose an ISO that will provide at least that speed. If it is really dim, I will take a noisy but sharp and detailed image over a smooth silky blur any time. Auto ISO is great as long as you have it set to deliver the shutter speed. If your hands are not steady enough, a monopod is an excellent solution. Tripods are not great in a crowd since people seem to be drawn in to trip over them.   If he is not the first in the program, you have a chance to do test shots on those who precede him. Check your results and fine-tune to improve them if necessary. The joy of digital shooting is that you get instant feedback. No matter what or where you are shooting, test shots are your best friend.

First: I have fat fingers and Touch screen on ANYTHING is never accurate.  I always get something started that I didn't touch!  I hate that - half the time it takes me a deal of frustration to get out of whatever fool function got started.
 
Second: I prefer a clean screen not one with finger prints all over it.
 
Third: For me it just adds added expense for the product that I definitely don't need.
 
I would settle for a camera that has it because I know some people do like it; BUT FIRST I MUST be able to de-activate it!   I would not purchase it under any circumstances unless it could be de-activated.  Not even the best camera made at a very low cost - Touch Screen is a permanent show stopper for me.

I've picked out some enjoyably inconsistent snippets from this review (KR is the first to say that his reviews are unapologetically subjective and often whimsical)
 
"The Fujifilm X-Pro2 is... the first mirrorless camera of which I know that has two card slots, which is mandatory for use as backup for any professional use. Neither Sony nor LEICA are there yet; with only one card slot these other cameras are fun, but not suitable for any professional use
 
The X-Pro2 is for people whose work isn't yet good enough to warrant the ownership of the LEICA system
 
It's sad to see Fuji starting to go down the same road as LEICA
 
The fit and feel of the controls, as well as all the dedicated knobs and dials, is the best in the business today — even better than LEICA M!
 
It's not silent, but is it quiet and refined; far more quiet and refined than my LEICA M9, for instance.
 
Color Rendition Compared:-
Fuji  - People: superior    Places & things: poor
Leica - People: fair        Places & things: poor
 
Ken, you're brilliant!

Most brands of consumer electronics offer an international guarantee of some sort.
 
This is in support of international traders around the world who were heavily affected in the past by the absence of this. Local importers offer, generally, some additional guaranties but are bound from the international guarantee to repair defects for at least one year. The importer doesn’t do this for free. The original company compensates the lab for whatever repairs were made.
 
Guarantees apply also to secondhand items as guarantee is in most cases in the world transferable.
 
 
Grey imports are not illegal. The moment you buy a product and it arrives to you in a legal way and you register with Fuji  it is officially being imported by you. If the making company offers  an international guarantee and for repairs to be carried out at the importer’s or distributor’s lab this is part of the statutory rights of the buyer.
 
 
Years ago, within one year from purchase, I brought my old Emac, purchased from Apple Italy, at an Apple shop in the Netherlands where I was a customer, they tried to tell me that my computer was not covered by the international guarantee and they were saying something stupid like international guarantees apply only to laptops (!?!).
 
 
I contacted Apple in the US, they confirmed I was right, instructed their office of the NL to instruct the shop not to talk nonsense and to repair my guaranteed item.

You mean he didn’t disclose the fact that it would be shipping from another country and that your camera would only have the Fuji international guarantee?In this case see the policy of the company you paid with.
 
Paypal or your credit card might be able to get you the whole money back. Paypal also says that the shipper pays for return shipping.
 
 
However grey market is not as bad as one would make it out to be!
 
 
Wherever its shipped from, you are legally entitled to one year Fuji international guarantee ( and don’t just take no fro a answer because you are under the terms of the fujifilm international guarantee ), and all it might take to do is registering your product with Fuji. 
 
For some reason some importers think they they don’t have to, but it is absolutely false, it is part of their agreement with Fuji, I had the same problem with Apple NL accepting to repair, under guarantee, an Apple product which I purchased in Italy. After much rubbish talking they had to admit I was entitled to the guaranteed and fixed my computer at no cost. Moreover, there is a protection against importers not honoring the international guarantees in the legislation of most countries of the world and you can always ship your camera to another country’s fuji lab if unfortunately you live in one of the few countries where this doesn’t happen.
 
Fujifilm Tokyo head office will probably confirm that and help you through the procedure 
 
http://warranty.fujifilm-digital.com
 
This is a copy of the international guarantee as published from Fuji Australia.
 
http://www.fujifilm.com.au/hs-fs/hub/134521/file-2661233280-pdf/products/Products_Brochures/Warranties/FileAsset_1028.pdf

Keep it. It's a nice camera. I wish someone would give me a gray market X-T1. 

Fujifilm working on a XF 50mmF2 lens – Trusted Sources
 
http://www.fujirumors.com/fujifilm-working-on-a-xf-50mmf2-lens-trusted-sources/

I often change my button assignments and custom settings to match the specific situation. At the moment, I use this trick in situations with changing light. This trick involves the custom settings and the top FN button next to the shutter button and using the wheel to choose the desired setting.

CS 1: ISO 200, DR 100
CS 2: ISO 400, DR 200
CS 3: ISO 800, DR 400
CS 4: ISO 1600, DR 400
CS 5: ISO 3200, DR 400
CS 6: ISO 6400, DR 400
CS 7: Auto ISO

This lets my change ISO settings with minimum movement. I rarely want to adjust ISO in less than full stops. To me, 1/3 stops is a waste of time and flow. When you assign CS to buttons, it will always start at CS 200.

So if I am out taking pictures at ISO 200 and suddenly find a situation where I need more dynamic range or more DOF without camera shake or faster shutter speed for a fast moving subject, I'll just press the FN button, turn the wheel one or two clicks and half press the shutter - or take the picture immediately. If I want to go back to ISO 200, I just press the FN button twice (because it starts at CS 1).

This works very well on my X-100T and X-E2. Can anyone tell me, if it works with the X-Pro2 and the X-T1 which have hardware dials for ISO? It would be a shame, if you had to make a work around by setting maximum and minimum auto ISO speeds instead of fixed speeds - at least if those cameras behave like mine, where any auto ISO setting will make the camera NOT tell me the predicted shutter speed before I half press the shutter button.

First you should think about why you want a new lens, what you would use it for, and why you can't do it with those you already have. When you found answers to those questions and you come to the conclusion that you need a new lens it's usually pretty easy to find the right one, especially in the Fuji system.
 
Until then I recommend the 100-400, it's a great lens and will expand your spectrum.
 
About XF 23 F1.4 R vs. X100T: see Zack Arias' blog post about Fuji lenses, somewhere in the lower part of the posting. It's mainly about having a second body as backup, or for whatever reason.

I will only buy the Hello Kitty version.

Shhhhh.  If they knew that, what would they have to complain about?  Same goes for the "No 4k Video Club"..nobody's forcing them to shoot in 4k, but they'll complain about it nonetheless.