Phil

Different strokes. I find buttons a lot more satisfying to press and it makes the whole experience more enjoyable for me. I like being able to shoot without ever going into the menu, and rarely having to open the Q menu. It puts me in a different space, and I can still work fast enough that way that I can do it on jobs. I feel the same about everyone saying it needs a touch screen. I'm fine with that, as long as I have the option to turn it off. It would be cool if someone other than Leica had the balls to release a camera with minimal buttons, but personally I'm glad it's not Fuji, because I wouldn't buy it then.

I agree. It makes me laugh when people complain about the size of the 50-140 and say that's not what mirrorless is about. That's the beauty of Fuji - if you don't like it, put the 55-200 on or a prime and keep it compact. When you need it bulked up for more serious jobs, you can do that without needing a second kit. I don't know how many people feel this way, but I'm hoping they take a more entry-level approach to the X70. I'd love an X100T for personal use, but can't afford it when that money would be better spent on more work-oriented gear. If they can keep the X70 around $699 or $799 I'd do my best to pick one up as my everyday camera. An OVF accessory would give me eye-level framing but with less battery consumption than an EVF. Personally I'd prefer a 23mm lens on it, but I'll wait and see how unique the 18mm is. Let's hope it's not just the current 18mm f/2.

There are a few times where I'd enjoy a higher MP count (mostly product photos and headshots) but for most of what I'd shoot (personal stuff and weddings/events), I'd actually do better with a lower MP count, especially if it meant better high ISO performance and faster write speeds. I know everyone has different needs and preferences, but I get a bit confused when people demand 24+ MP on an APS-C camera. That's like the equivalent of 50+ MP on a full frame, which isn't a practical pixel pitch at all. ISO performance drops pretty quickly, and diffraction and camera shake kick in a stop or two earlier. More resolution isn't always the answer. I've said it before, but I'd like to see them split it two ways, and offer cameras with say 24 MP and 8 or 12 MP. It doesn't have to be every model, but if 24 MP becomes the new standard, I'd like to see at least one or two models (maybe an X-T variant and an X-E variant) offer a lower MP count. For what a lot of Fuji users shoot (street photography) you'd think the lower MP count would suit their shooting style better. I definitely prefer the battery grip with heavier lenses, but I'd love it if I could use a regular extended grip along with the battery grip, like the OM-D E-M5ii. Or make the stock grip on the X-T1 more like the battery grip.

This isn't anything super serious, but I was doing some location scouting today and got one of my wife I really like. DSCF0902 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr

I'm really excited for this. I'm hoping it comes to the X-T1 in the new firmware. I love Classic Chrome and Velvia, but the Monochrome sim is a bit bland IMHO. I've been hoping for a better B&W sim.

I agree. The difference from f/2 to f/1.8 is negligible IMHO (it pretty much gets you from ISO 6400 to ISO 5000). From the looks of things, the Fuji should focus faster, and be sharper and have nicer bokeh. If it was f/2 vs 1.4 I could maybe see some merit in the Zeiss, but since it's 1.8 and that's all it really has going for it, I think the Fuji is a no brainer.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of literature on it at the moment, but in a nutshell, I think it's mostly a handling difference. This looks bigger/heavier than the Nissin i40, and it has a much more modern, digital interface, with the buttons and LCD screen. The i40 has straight up dials, sort of like a Fuji camera. I like the price of this flash. The i40 isn't available in Canada, so it gets really expensive to get one here. I'm pretty happy with my Yongnuos for my off-camera work, but I'd like smaller flash for on-camera, and TTL would be nice. I just can't find any size comparisons to show how big the Metz is on a Fuji.

With all the flagship talk, it makes me wonder... Does the X-Pro really have to be the flagship model? Can't it be part of the flagship lineup with the top X-T model? It's not like the X-Pro is all-around better, like comparing the 1DX to the 5D. The X-T is obviously popular enough that many people prefer it over the X-Pro, and they're two completely different cameras geared towards different types of photographer.

Update #2: I think I've actually narrowed it down to the DigiPower batteries I was using. I started having problems with the 565 mounted, swapped out the third party batteries for an OEM one, and things have been fine ever since. I've used these batteries and flashes before with no problems, but I just got my camera back from repair with firmware 4.10, so maybe there was a battery detector in the update?

My YN-565exII seems fine so far.

I need some help. I'm shooting at a friend's stag and doe and my Yongnuo YN-460 seems to be freezing up my X-T1. I've used it before and never noticed a problem. It turns the camera off and resets any settings I'd changed since turning it on. Taking the flash off seems to make everything work normally. Anyone have any ideas?

I'm excited to follow this. I'll need a second body by summer, and I'd prefer the X-T2 because it suits my style of shooting better, but if it's not out in time, I'll have to decde whether to get the X-Pro2 or just grab an X-T10 for now until both new flagships are out. I'd prefer the X-T2 because of the battery grip, but I could probably live without it if the release date is too late for my needs. I'd like to see higher ISO available in raw, better AF in low light (consistency's more important than speed to me), higher flash sync speed, and faster shot-to-shot time. I'm assuming the X-Pro2 will have similar features, so if the T2 release date is too late, I'll definitely be considering the Pro.

I'm happy to report good news, too. I got my camera back today. I shipped it out Friday Oct 31 and it arrived at the repair centre Monday Nov 2, so it was pretty much exactly one week's time. Something I found interesting is that Fuji's arranged pickup was through Purolator, but they shipped it back to me via Canada Post. So far it seems like this was a great experience. They didn't explicitly mention the hot pixels or sensors in the repair log, but they had listed it in the description of the camera upon arrival, so I'm guessing that means they addressed it. They gave it a "Pro Service Level 2" (whatever that is ), replaced the accessory port door, and to my surprise, replaced all the grip. If it weren't for a couple scuffs on the metal, I would have thought they'd given me an entirely new camera. I didn't realize how faded the rubber had gotten on mine. I was nervous, but I shot a couple frames with the lens cap on and couldn't find any hot pixels. The accessory port door doesn't seem any different, but it's flat and sits flush, so hopefully it doesn't warp on me again. It feels great to have a camera again. That was a long week. edit: Forgot to mention Canon. I sent my 70D out twice for autofocus issues (I couldn't get the micro adjustment to calibrate properly), had to wait two weeks each time, only have Canon send the camera back to me stating that it appeared to be in working order. That's mainly why I was so nervous about sending this one off to Fuji, but thankfully it was an entirely different experience.

IMHO the Rokinon 12mm f/2 is so small you should consider it. It's not a pancake by any means, but it's tiny for such a fast, wide lens. I really don't know what I'm talking about, but looking at the sizes of the 18mm f/2 and 14mm 2.8, I can't see a 12mm f/4 pancake happening. Especially not with better image quality than the 18mm.

For sure, are you in Canada?

Between that and the hot pixels, I finally sucked it up and shipped my camera out to them today. I was having trouble with their customer service for the last little while, and just realized they have a separate customer service department for the "pro" X series cameras. I found that out this morning and everything has been so much smoother - the replies were so much faster and the guy was helpful and straight forward. I got more accomplished in two or three emails this morning than I had in a dozen or so emails over the last couple months. I'm not sure if I listed too much, but I made note of the pixels, the warped door, and the rubber grip starting to come loose. I'm pretty sure I have an early copy of the camera, so I'm hoping they'll just replace it. We'll see how it goes.

Funny this came up recently. I just noticed the same thing with my X-T1. Between that and the warped accessory port door, I'm finally sending it in for warranty work. The camera wasn't abused but it is scuffed a bit and some of the rubber grip is loosening a bit - I hope they don't try and say it's not covered under warranty anymore. Fingers crossed.

My wife and I did Thanksgiving dinner with her mom last night. Her mom lives in a small cottage-y town about an hour away from us. There was definitely some light pollution from the houses around us, but I could see the Milky Way from her backyard. I'm pretty happy with the results (this is my second attempt at astro) but I really wish I had something wider. I need to get the 56mm for jobs, but as soon as I can afford it I'm getting the Rokinon 12mm. I had a blast doing this and just wish I could have gotten a wider field of view for pretty much every shot. This was the 23mm at 1.4, and 15 seconds and 3200 IIRC. DSCF6024 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr And here are a few more I shot in a more woodsy area of the town. In the car photo, I couldn't actually see the car or any lights on inside it when I was outside. DSCF6042 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr DSCF6040 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr DSCF6045 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr

Double post.

I could use a lens that fast shooting concerts and events. I shot an Oktoberfest event last weekend and was sitting around 1.4, 1/125, and 3200-6400. I like to shoot at 1/250 for people when possible, so if an ~f/1.0 or so lens gets me that stop, great. On the other hand, if I can get from 3200 to 1600, I'll take it. Also, there are definitely times where I like getting really quick falloff in portraits (I'm not usually too fussed about the background, but the falloff on my subject). And if people want bokeh, so what?

I really hope the f/1 version comes to fruition - if so I'll sell my f/1.4 and get this and the f/1.

I figured I'd lump food in with product photography. This is one from a job I shot for Burger's Priest in Toronto last week. Shot in a foam board light box with the 35mm at f/8 and ISO 200. DSCF0066 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr

And I forgot, here are a couple from a job I did last week. I was reshooting the menu for Burger's Priest, based out of Toronto. It was mostly shooting food, but I did some staff portraits, too. DSCF0380 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr DSCF0447 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr

I did a job today shooting portraits for a local financial group. There's some staged stuff indoors that looks like stock photography but for the nicer portraits I shot them outside - it was too cramped in the building and I couldn't find a nice background. It was beautifully overcast today, so I didn't have to light them. All shot with the 35mm. The outdoor stuff is I believe f/4 for the group and 2.8 for the rest. DSCF0042 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr DSCF0107 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr DSCF0148 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr And this is what the indoor stuff was like. Not sure if this counts as portraiture or not. DSCF0195 by Phil Babbey, on Flickr

If they do come out with the f/1, and I can afford it, I'd love to sell my 1.4 and use the f/1 and f/2. Money's tight these days (I'm a recent graduate and my wife is still in teachers college), so anything I buy has to be practical for the photography jobs I do, and it really depends on if I can afford to get it. It also depends on what bodies I have. For practicality's sake, my next body will likely be the X-T2 (again, because it's more valuable for the jobs I do). But if the X-T2 isn't released by this coming spring, and I end up getting an X-Pro 2, I'd be more likely to get the 35mm f/2 because they'd make a great walk around kit.