Tommyboy

XE-2 18-55 walking the neighborhood.

I found my way into mirrorless cameras on a whim, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. It was my good fortune that I chose a used Fuji, an E-X2. I have purchased a lot more Fuji equipment in the last two years and love every piece. 
I recently purchased an 80mm macro and was pretty underwhelmed by it. Great lens, but I didn't really have the need for it. I returned it and asked for an X-100f to replace it. Wow. This little wonder has transformed my photography. I'll continue to use my X-H1 and X-Pro2, but this small, ultra lightweight camera is a real delight to use. The fixed 35mm lens requires that I think more about subject distance and composition. It requires a different mindset (for me at least) and I love the resulting photos. Built-in TTL flash is great for fill, all the manual controls are a wonder, too. I'm tending to play more in the menus than I have done in my other cameras. Not sure why. I haven't been this excited about a camera in a couple of decades. 
Anyway, I've read a lot of great press on this camera, and I can see what all the fuss is about. 
Here are ten shots from last weekend:










 

I found my way into mirrorless cameras on a whim, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. It was my good fortune that I chose a used Fuji, an E-X2. I have purchased a lot more Fuji equipment in the last two years and love every piece. 
I recently purchased an 80mm macro and was pretty underwhelmed by it. Great lens, but I didn't really have the need for it. I returned it and asked for an X-100f to replace it. Wow. This little wonder has transformed my photography. I'll continue to use my X-H1 and X-Pro2, but this small, ultra lightweight camera is a real delight to use. The fixed 35mm lens requires that I think more about subject distance and composition. It requires a different mindset (for me at least) and I love the resulting photos. Built-in TTL flash is great for fill, all the manual controls are a wonder, too. I'm tending to play more in the menus than I have done in my other cameras. Not sure why. I haven't been this excited about a camera in a couple of decades. 
Anyway, I've read a lot of great press on this camera, and I can see what all the fuss is about. 
Here are ten shots from last weekend:










 

I found my way into mirrorless cameras on a whim, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. It was my good fortune that I chose a used Fuji, an E-X2. I have purchased a lot more Fuji equipment in the last two years and love every piece. 
I recently purchased an 80mm macro and was pretty underwhelmed by it. Great lens, but I didn't really have the need for it. I returned it and asked for an X-100f to replace it. Wow. This little wonder has transformed my photography. I'll continue to use my X-H1 and X-Pro2, but this small, ultra lightweight camera is a real delight to use. The fixed 35mm lens requires that I think more about subject distance and composition. It requires a different mindset (for me at least) and I love the resulting photos. Built-in TTL flash is great for fill, all the manual controls are a wonder, too. I'm tending to play more in the menus than I have done in my other cameras. Not sure why. I haven't been this excited about a camera in a couple of decades. 
Anyway, I've read a lot of great press on this camera, and I can see what all the fuss is about. 
Here are ten shots from last weekend:










 

I found my way into mirrorless cameras on a whim, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. It was my good fortune that I chose a used Fuji, an E-X2. I have purchased a lot more Fuji equipment in the last two years and love every piece. 
I recently purchased an 80mm macro and was pretty underwhelmed by it. Great lens, but I didn't really have the need for it. I returned it and asked for an X-100f to replace it. Wow. This little wonder has transformed my photography. I'll continue to use my X-H1 and X-Pro2, but this small, ultra lightweight camera is a real delight to use. The fixed 35mm lens requires that I think more about subject distance and composition. It requires a different mindset (for me at least) and I love the resulting photos. Built-in TTL flash is great for fill, all the manual controls are a wonder, too. I'm tending to play more in the menus than I have done in my other cameras. Not sure why. I haven't been this excited about a camera in a couple of decades. 
Anyway, I've read a lot of great press on this camera, and I can see what all the fuss is about. 
Here are ten shots from last weekend:










 

I found my way into mirrorless cameras on a whim, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. It was my good fortune that I chose a used Fuji, an E-X2. I have purchased a lot more Fuji equipment in the last two years and love every piece. 
I recently purchased an 80mm macro and was pretty underwhelmed by it. Great lens, but I didn't really have the need for it. I returned it and asked for an X-100f to replace it. Wow. This little wonder has transformed my photography. I'll continue to use my X-H1 and X-Pro2, but this small, ultra lightweight camera is a real delight to use. The fixed 35mm lens requires that I think more about subject distance and composition. It requires a different mindset (for me at least) and I love the resulting photos. Built-in TTL flash is great for fill, all the manual controls are a wonder, too. I'm tending to play more in the menus than I have done in my other cameras. Not sure why. I haven't been this excited about a camera in a couple of decades. 
Anyway, I've read a lot of great press on this camera, and I can see what all the fuss is about. 
Here are ten shots from last weekend:










 

I found my way into mirrorless cameras on a whim, wanting to see what all the fuss was about. It was my good fortune that I chose a used Fuji, an E-X2. I have purchased a lot more Fuji equipment in the last two years and love every piece. 
I recently purchased an 80mm macro and was pretty underwhelmed by it. Great lens, but I didn't really have the need for it. I returned it and asked for an X-100f to replace it. Wow. This little wonder has transformed my photography. I'll continue to use my X-H1 and X-Pro2, but this small, ultra lightweight camera is a real delight to use. The fixed 35mm lens requires that I think more about subject distance and composition. It requires a different mindset (for me at least) and I love the resulting photos. Built-in TTL flash is great for fill, all the manual controls are a wonder, too. I'm tending to play more in the menus than I have done in my other cameras. Not sure why. I haven't been this excited about a camera in a couple of decades. 
Anyway, I've read a lot of great press on this camera, and I can see what all the fuss is about. 
Here are ten shots from last weekend:










 

https://mymodernmet.com/black-white-photographer-year-contest-2018/
 
This photo (taken with an x100s) I shared early last year was recently shortlisted for Black + White Photographer of the Year 2018
 

X100t is small. Just get a bag for your laptop and slip your x100t in it, or in your pocket!
 
 
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

XE-2 18-55 walking the neighborhood.

On a recent visit to the Santa Barbara Zoo, my 7 year-old asked if he could join me in taking photos. With some trepidation, I handed him my XE-2 w/18-55. I continued shooting my XP-2 w/55-200. We both grabbed a shot of the engineer who pilots the train that circles the zoo. Who do you think has a better eye?

Mine:


 
55mm 1/80 f/6.4 ISO 200

His:



39mm 1/210 f/5.6 ISO 400

The photographers:



I'm pretty proud of my burgeoning lensman.

When I sold my Canon gear a year ago, the one thing I missed was its outstanding flash capability. On full auto, it rendered consistently balanced, excellent exposures. As a friend put it, "Your flash photos don't look like flash photos."
 
When I went Fuji, I had a brief, disappointing affair with the EF-42.
 
I recently put my X-Pro2, 18-55, and my newish EF-X 500 in the hands of a relative with no experience. Full auto, bounce with diffuser, low white ceiling. I'm pretty impressed with the exposures. Shot RAW processed in LR.
 

 

 

 

The first two are taken with the 56mm f/1.2, the second three are taken with the 90mm f/2.0. 
 

 
XP-2, 56 1.2
 

 
XP-2, 56 1.2
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

Went on a car trip recently and visite three NPs. Mesa Verde is in Colorado. This area was home to indigenous people dating back to 600 AD.
 

 
23mm f/1.4
 

 
23mm f/1.4
 

 
55-200mm f/3.5 - 4.8
 

 
90mm f/2.0

I stumbled onto these two while visiting the park recently. Shot with an X-Pro2 and a 55 - 200.
 

 

 

 

 

I stumbled onto these two while visiting the park recently. Shot with an X-Pro2 and a 55 - 200.
 

 

 

 

 

The first two are taken with the 56mm f/1.2, the second three are taken with the 90mm f/2.0. 
 

 
XP-2, 56 1.2
 

 
XP-2, 56 1.2
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

The first two are taken with the 56mm f/1.2, the second three are taken with the 90mm f/2.0. 
 

 
XP-2, 56 1.2
 

 
XP-2, 56 1.2
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

 
XP-2, 90 2.0
 

I stumbled onto these two while visiting the park recently. Shot with an X-Pro2 and a 55 - 200.
 

 

 

 

 

I stumbled onto these two while visiting the park recently. Shot with an X-Pro2 and a 55 - 200.
 

 

 

 

 

I stumbled onto these two while visiting the park recently. Shot with an X-Pro2 and a 55 - 200.
 

 

 

 

 

Went on a car trip recently and visite three NPs. Mesa Verde is in Colorado. This area was home to indigenous people dating back to 600 AD.
 

 
23mm f/1.4
 

 
23mm f/1.4
 

 
55-200mm f/3.5 - 4.8
 

 
90mm f/2.0

Optical and mechanical quality of the 90mm are near-perfect. And the 90 has a certain magical quality about it that's very addictive and hard to define. The 90 is optimal for headshots and outdoor portraits. But it's less flexible and is less practical to use; you'll need to adapt to it. Indoors you may bump into walls and outdoors you'll need to walk a lot more whilst composing the shot compared to shorter focal lengths. For indoor and low-light use the 56 is better and for flexibility the 50-140 zoom would be the better choice. However, the 90 is easier to focus with then the 56. And compared to the zoom it's rendering is better suited for portraiture; I find the zoom a bit bland compared to the 90. Also the 90 is much smaller, lighter and cheaper then the zoom.
 
For low light use the 56 is king. And the zoom has such incredible OIS that it easily beats the 90. For the 90 I usually use 1/250th or faster. With the zoom I can go as low as 1/15th, or with subject movement about 1/80th.
 
One other reason that people trade in their 90mm besides practicality and flexibility could be the rattling sound that it makes while it's off camera, or while the camera is switched off. This is by design and not a defect. It has to do with the autofocus motor which uses magnets. The magnets are not activated when they have no power, thus the rattling sound of the lens interior. Just don't worry about it, it will be fine. No, really! :-)
 
Personally I've sold my 56 and kept the 90. The 90 better complements my other two lenses (16-55 and 23f1.4).
 
One last word of advice: The 90 definitely is not a telephoto for photographing birds or other small animals. For that I find that even the 100-400 with the 1.4 teleconverter can occasionally be a bit short.

I'm 3 weeks in to my Fuji experience and have a few lenses to choose from and I must say that
I think the 90mm is one of the best lenses I have ever used on any system.
 
I do see the word "magical" being used and that's how I feel about it, I love it and love using it.
It's never going anywhere.

Here are a few recent snaps from Santa Barbara, one from the shore shot with the 90mm and two from the zoo shot with the 55-200.
 

 
ISO 200 • 90mm • f/2.8 • 1/8,500
 

 
ISO 800 • 200mm • f/4.8 • 1/60
 

 
ISO 200 • 200mm • f/4.8 • 1/60