Trenton Talbot

Looks more or less aimed at X-E3 crowd, not an X-Pro2. Oh, and don't forget the stupid PASM dial…

Thanks Jürgen! It's a bit backwards actually: first, Margaret started her "Daily Jump" challenge on Instagram, but despite being a professional photographer in her own right, promptly resorted to my help. I don't mind it at all – as a matter of fact, this is a great way to train for creating the poster shots for Bar Mitzvah kids… but my Daily blog is not entirely about Margaret's jumps As a matter of fact, back in my old Daily project, it was more about my backyard wildlife, so right now I have a crowd chanting "Birds! Birds!"… But now it usually goes like this: "What did I shoot today worth posting? A few cityscapes, some street crap, a crow, a cloud reflecting in a puddle, and a beautiful girl jumping like there's no tomorrow, lit by the colored strobes…" The latter usually wins

The best way to clean optical glass is with the special rice paper. Kodak used to be selling it, now Tiffen does. However, EBC coating on Fujinon lenses are quite robust, so the regular microfiber cloth should do fine. Just don't use any "cleaning fluid" except your own breath and (in severe cases) Eclipse.

X-T1, Jupiter 9 (85mm f/2) wide open. Look ma, no noodling!

Drill ducks are rare.

Of course. Pinholes are allowed, too Sure, stuff happens. Just make sure that it doesn't happen very often. Nope, unless you've shot something on film, developed that film on the same day and then digitized it. There's no such limit. Better yet: diverse blogs usually attract much less audience than the blogs that have a common theme. If you care about audience building, of course (personally, I don't). Yay! Please share your site's URI here when you start posting

Care to join? I bet there's a lot of beautiful scenery to be photographed in SA!

When it comes to tripods, CF isn't really about saving weight, it's about vibration dampening. And in this department, CF has a huge advantage over aluminum. Have a look at shutter induced vibrations on CF legs vs aluminum, all other things being equal: However, if weight is of no concern, there's one material that is superior to aluminum and… cheaper, too. Wood. Have a look at Berlebach tripods.

Just a quick update on Sirui. Tonight I did a full cleaning/inspection/lubrication routine with my T-025X for the first time. For me that means that the tripod is disassembled completely and turned into a bucket of washers, shims, bolts and springs – and then thoroughly inspected for any anomalies. In short: I am amazed. I was expecting anything but this. My Sirui tripod is built and designed better than Gitzo (I can take down and reassemble Gitzo with my eyes closed). Much better. The only (somewhat) questionable part is a pin that holds the bolthead on a center column, but I don't use a center column so I don't care. Terrific kit, especially for the price.

One owl stealing the rat from another. Shot with Fuji X-E2 and Jupiter 37A (135mm f/3.5) Soviet MF lens, deep in the woods at 3am. Fuzziness is due to the fact that I've forgotten that my YN560-III flash has a maximum duration at the maximum power, and that duration is looong. …Yes, you can easily get a camera shake shooting action with the flash in a pitch black darkness. Bonus shot: the winner. Hoot!

That's not exactly a "detachable monopod", just a center column. You can certainly use it as a monopod against a windowsill or a car hood. Sirui travel tripods and heads are extraordinarily adequate for the price, I use their T-025X combo for all field work with the Fuji system. They also make a much cheaper aluminum version of the same kit. I prefer carbon because it's much better at damping vibrations, and I often shoot very long exposures (without center column, of course).

Just like any game rules. Otherwise, what's the point? I've seen a lot of "daily photoblogs" turned into mundane display of archived portfolio pieces or so photoshopped that they could easily be mistaken for a mirror of deviantart.com. The whole point of daily photoblogging, as I see it, is to challenge yourself every single day.

Um… Spinning EC wheel to the right actually increases the exposure. Just use a rightward motion of your thumb.

Only with clutch lenses, and only when you engage MF with the clutch (as opposed to SCM switch). Actually, I perceive it as a feature, not a bug.

X-T1, XF14mm, colored flash, SOOC Daily photoblogging is an excellent way to make your creative juices flowing. Here are the rules: One blog post containing one photograph, published every day. It’s easier than it seems, there are many mobile clients out there, you can literally post from anywhere. The photograph should be taken on the same day as it is published. For me personally, this is the biggest challenge of all, because… Photographs created on paid assignments are forbidden. That’s the whole point of this challenge, actually – capturing something other than your regular body of work. Great way to boost your creativity and evolve as a photographer! No digital alternations. Color and density corrections are okay, but thou shalt not damage the reality. Some techniques (HDR, star trails, bokehramas, panoramas, etc) require heavy post processing, and it’s okay too, as long as it’s an integral part of the technique itself. No, you cannot make that fat man slim in Photoshop. And removing that building from the otherwise perfect landscape are verboten, too. All photographs should be created with Fuji X system, of course. My new daily photoblog can be found here (at the moment, just one week worth of posts). In the first post you can find links to resources that might serve as your own daily photoblogging platform… That's right, I challenge you to JOIN! Post links to your own daily photoblogs on this thread. Not photos, just links to your "daily challenge" blogs.

The original X-T1 half case that I've checked out in the store had a flap for SD card door. Later on, I went to another store, and their half case didn't have a flap. Both were same article numbers, etc… Odd. Anyhow, I didn't like the original half case (even the one with a flap), so I chose to add MHG-XT-Large instead (I have medium/small hands). Loving it. If you prefer a half case and want to stay within a $100 price range, I'd suggest this one.

No, X-T1 cannot do that. I use Photomechanic, pretty easy to apply any metadata template at ingest (import) stage.

Too much leverage on a hot shoe. I strongly advise not to use any thumb rests with an X-T1. However, if you absolutely have to, Lensmate is a way to go.

Let me guess: tape over the contacts that control an aperture. Or a nail polish instead of tape, if you always use your glass wide open…

…or use the new features

There's an issue indeed. After upgrading to 4.0 I've started to get fringing in a situations that previously rendered clean shots. My best guess: Fuji changed something in a moire suppression algorithm, as in this case fringing most often occurs on fuzzy edges, not clean ones. For example, a backlit wool sweater produces the heaviest purple fringing you've ever seen – right in the middle of the frame. Same conditions, leather jacket – no fringing. Backlit human hand with light hair on it – severe color fringing. Backlit mosquito screen at various angles – clean as a test chart in a sales brochure.

Wasabi kit works great for me. Year later, no noticeable capacity degradation. Some others (like a Chinese "Goop" brand) last for about 6-7 months of my typical use, then degrade considerably.

…And why did you need a tracking AF for this sequence, exactly? Ever heard of viewfinder blackout?

Did a few tracking tests today using an inexperienced shooter (my fiancee) and myself as a subject. Obviously, one needs a checklist of possible screw-ups, as at first I thought that the tracking was just as unbearably slow and unreliable as before. Took a few tries to finally recall that MS+ES mode disables PDAF. And then… THIS IS SPARTAAAA! X-T1, 56/1.2 wide open. (My speed is approximately 18 mph)

Back to knives! This one's a custom workhorse. Lauri full tang scandi blank, burly birch handle.