itchy shutter finger
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Posts posted by itchy shutter finger
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The only camera body failure I had was deterioration of the light seals - after about 30 years of use. I rebuilt that camera about 10 years ago, and it is as good today as the day I bought it. A Nikon FE. Digital has it perks, but I really miss film.
Getting into this century though, I had a dumpster load of failure with electronic cameras both film and digital. But this is the key point - every single one of those failures was user error. All my own fault.
I think today's cameras are beyond amazing, probably to a fault. But for quality and reliability, I like the Fujifilms, given today's shutter loads and electronic complexity.
What would I like my next large purchase to be? A bunch of film for my Nikon.
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I observed the same when shooting indoor action without flash (flash not allowed) in aperture priority with auto ISO and auto DR. The resulting photos were disappointing. Shutter speeds were all over the place, and I could not see what the shutter speed would be before taking the shot.
I set the aperture and shutter to fixed values, and let auto ISO resolve the remainder of the exposure triangle. Results were very good.
I think Greybeard's explanation is spot on. By forcing the camera to resolve two variables, it must iterate its decisions multiple times, delaying the eventual shutter speed selection.
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In what way does the 18-55 fail your needs? Focal length? Image quality? Focus speed? Weight? Weather seal?
For your journalism work, are you more inclined to try zooms or primes? For portrait work, the Viltrox 56mm f1.2 seems to me to be a credible choice. Among Fujifilm zoom lenses, I am a big fan of of the XF18-135. It's a little large and heavy, but I really admire the image quality. Two clues in your post suggest to me you may looking for a longer focal length. Is this the case?
I am not a professional, much less a photojournalist, but after coming to Fujifilm after 40 years of Nikon, weight suddenly became very noticeable for me. I use 4 XC lenses, and not for the lower cost, but for the much lower weight. I have focal lengths from 15mm to 230mm, and a prime. My XF18-55 now lives in a storage box. I'd like to try out the 56mm Viltrox myself, but I get satisfactory portraits from the XC50-230. Again, not a pro.
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I just came across something I forgot about. All of the X-Trans III cameras had firmware upgrades to fix the problem this thread describes. The upgrades were released in September 2020. No poster in this thread specifies what camera body they are having issue with, but right now my money is on X-E3, X-T20, X-T2, or X-Pro2.
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9 hours ago, rivers said:
It is set to mechanical only
Would your exif data be similar to the OP as shown in the original post? Which camera body are you using? Can you give some of the shooting settings, such as metering mode, etc.; and the flash settings?
Without knowing any details of your system, and thinking on nothing more than TTL flash and a black photo, the first two things that pop into my mind are commander mode or the flash syncing on the wrong curtain for the chosen shutter speed. Unless there is an electronic problem with the EF-X500, there are sooooo many.... opportunities for an errant setting, and the EF-X500 is the flash with the most features, and settings for those features.
I do not own an EF-X500 (but I would like to), but I use the little EF-X8 as a commander for large widespread flash arrays, and I am always amazed at the possibilities with this system...and it has the ability to take a black photo. If the flash is not defective, it's always going to be in the settings...
Another fleeting thought, if your camera body is X-Trans2 or older, it may not support all that the EF-X500 can do.
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Is your shutter set to Mechanical Only? Flash will not fire if Electronic Shutter is engaged, and this can occur if the shutter is set to Mechanical+Electronic.
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Whoa! I didn't mean to ask such a difficult question (dynamic range setting), but thanks for digging so deep into it.
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What was your dynamic range setting on that shot?
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The comprehensive essence of photography in one collection. Wow! Just Wow!
Very well done, and thanks for sharing this work with us.
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Yes, it's my go-to lens for unscripted shooting. It is quirky, but I love the image quality. The XC35 prime has better image quality and speed, but I find the XC15-45 very versatile.
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20 hours ago, Greybeard said:
Which lens? There has been comment that its not supported by XC lenses - but I don't have one so can't confirm
The XC35 f2 prime lens does use Lens Modulation Optimizer, but all other XC lenses (all zooms) do not. I own all of them,
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I am a big fan of the XC 15-45, and while I do not own the 23 mm prime, I do have a 35 mm prime. I shot both lenses ad nauseum to see which was better, and as much as I like the XC 15-45, the prime offers the faster aperture and sharper detail, which doesn't really become a factor unless you print the photo or pixel peep it. The XC zoom, however, takes a mighty fine photo, and the utility of a zoom comes in handy when shooting while you are on the move. Not mention the XC's miniscule weight, also important when you are on the move.
The way I decide which to shoot relies mainly on my plans for the session. If I'm shooting creative compositions in a fixed location, I choose the prime every time. If I'm out and about, the XC 15-45 is my tool of choice. I am a proponent of having both, once you get used to the unconventional operation of the XC 15-45.
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Just a hunch here, as maybe an extension to Greybeard's thoughts.
Fujifilm does a good job integrating their product line. They tend to keep compatibility current between older-to-newer products through firmware updates, but they don't always do so very explicitly.
Which leads me to wonder... what firmware version do you have in your camera and lens? Are they both up to date?
I read through the X-Pro1 firmware update history, but saw no mention of adding the aperture adjustment to accommodate ringless lenses, but I can't imagine this as an oversight. Surely someone tried to use an XCxx lens on an X-Pro1 before now.
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This is a good question, but I think it leads down a bit of a rabbit hole. Lens resolutions are expressed as digital quantities of an analog distribution of light. As Herco pointed out, lenses may not exhibit uniform sharpness across its entire area, and I think most, if not all, don't. Therefore, that digital expression of lens resolution may not be accurate when rendered by a sensor of greater resolution, meaning one's perception of the resultant photo might not match the expectation the lens resolution measurement would suggest.
What I'm trying to say is be careful what you wish for, because I suspect a 40MP sensor will be happy to expose the weaknesses of any lens one puts in front of it, new or old. And on what medium will one view all this resolution? I'm sure Fujifilm is likely to optimize the new lenses to the new sensor, whether it be by optical or firmware means. I have always suspected Fujifilm enhances the performance of its native branded lenses with a little in-camera processing help, and if that's the case, I think it does a great job.
Does anyone here think the existing X-Trans sensors don't render good photos? I know 40MP is going to produce more pixels to peep, but will that equate to better photos? I don't know if one will see it unless large prints are made from the files. Computer monitors are what, 96 dots per inch? Consumer level photo printers are 600, or maybe 1200 dots per inch?
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David - I went through a lens evaluation exercise like this a few months ago. I decided to evaluate photos on hi-res internet photo sharing sites, and I studied several thousand photos. One of the main takeaways for me is to not let youtube reviewers pick my lenses for me because my detailed observations aligned with exactly *none* of them.
I recommend you develop a list of criteria by which you will select your new lenses, and do a similar exercise studying photos, and note which of them have image quality that you like. I could tell you which lenses impressed me the most, but you are not buying lenses to please me; you need to find the lenses that please you, and fit your other criteria.
If you study a large sampling of these photos, you may be surprised at some of these lenses, and you will be absolutely star-struck at some.
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I use the EF-X8 flash as a commander since I came to Fujifilm X-system nearly two years ago. I use it with an array of legacy flash units, sometimes as many as five at a time. Most of my photography is flash, even in daylight. I am pleasantly surprised at how well this arrangement works, even in bright sunlight.
You will not be able find a straightforward and complete description of operation because the Fuji manual stops with the commander mode of the Fuji flash. They simply cannot provide instructions for the multitude of third party flashes. From there, however, it is very simple. You must use an off camera flash capable of, and set to optical slave mode. That's it! It will fire now. Beyond that, the features of your flash are mostly available, except TTL and perhaps high speed sync. Check your flash manual, and any features it says are available in slave mode will be available to you.
Keep in mind the other modes of the EF-X8 will also fire a remote flash, but will interfere with the exposure. There is no interference with exposure in commander mode.
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20 minutes ago, VictorM said:
Fujinon XF16mm F/1.4
Oh Yeah! One of Fuji's best.
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Death, any X body will fill your photographic needs, but in my opinion, the X-Pro 3 is pro-tough and likely your best choice to live a 10 year tough environment pro life.
While I never compared, publications say the Fujifilm JPEG's SOOC are a cut above other brands because of Fujifilm's history of film chemistry and color science. I now believe this, as I recently went exploring film simulations and image quality adjustments. The control over a finished image using these features is surprisingly comprehensive and really impressive. If I did pro work, I would shoot JPEG+RAW, but as an amateur, I may never shoot RAW again.
I just did a deep dive on lenses, and was really impressed with the 27 mm pancake lens. It was great for literally any purpose. Its versatility is noteworthy. The 35 mm f/1.4 was an awesome lens, but the 35 mm f/2 really wasn't far behind. It's much smaller, lighter, and less expensive than the 1.4. If I didn't already have a 35 mm f/2, I'd buy the 27 mm in a heartbeat. As far as a zoom goes, the choices are many. If you are considering a general purpose zoom for just the occasional shot, I was shocked at how good the lowly (and tiny) XC15-45 is for this purpose. If you are looking for more zoom quality, the XF10-24, XF16-55, and XF16-80 are all great. No compromises in image quality with them. Bigger, heavier, and more expensive, though. I know little of the Laowa except it gets good reviews. I don't think any of these are natively macro, but I use extension tubes with my 35 mm f/2, and the results are more than satisfactory for me - I mean *really* sharp.
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Great shots. The colors look exceptional on screen. What lens?
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I have used both. I currently own an XC50-230, but I no longer own an XF55-200.
I will use the XC50-230 until it no longer produces images that make me gasp. I like the color and contrast of the XC better than the XF, although the XF was sometimes a little sharper.
If I ever move up to a better telephoto, it will cost ten times what I paid for my XC50-230, and it will weigh four times as much. And I think it a wise move on your part to consider weight in a travel lens.
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The units of measure in both camera exposure and flash exposure are stops of light. In a manual mode, the camera and flash are watching the exposure independently, but since you are in TTL mode, the camera knows what the flash is doing. Hence, +1 in the body plus -1 in the flash = 0.
I think if you take the flash out of TTL mode, you will achieve the compensations you are looking for.
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I’m a live-and-let-live kinda guy. Very non-judgmental. I have no criticism of whatever you may or may not like. I may not even know what a good photograph is. I may not know good photo gear if it hit me in the head. But I’ve been doing this over forty years, I had formal photo training, and I know what I like, and what gear is good to me. And if your preferences are different, well, that’s OK with me.
I decided a few months ago that I was so happy with my pair of Fujifilm camera bodies that will not buy a new one in 2021, but I would look at some new lenses. When I first got into the X System in 2019, I quickly grew quite fond of small and light, especially the light part. Without much thought, and with so little financial risk, I haphazardly started collecting used XC lenses until such time I could select the criteria on which to buy better lenses.
About three months ago, I tried to develop a list of lenses to acquire and why. That became much more difficult than I expected, so I decided to look at images on internet photo collection sites, without considering anything other than the photos themselves. While collecting information, I did not consider size, weight, or cost. Image quality only. After spending a few hundred hours studying something over ten thousand images, I was able to define the criteria of a good photograph (to me). They are:
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Contrast
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Color saturation
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Separation of the subject focal plane
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Sharpness
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Emotional response (from me)
I then started taking note of which lenses satisfied these criteria, and some patterns began to emerge. A certain group of lenses seemed to consistently produce the images I liked the best based on the criteria above. At that point, I found that from an image quality point of view, Fujifilm lenses fall into two categories: really, really good, and drop ya’ to your knees beautiful. While I think some lenses are clearly better than others, none completely miss the mark. I don’t think you can buy a poor Fuji lens unless it is a defective copy.
Now I get to the part about my Lyin’ Eyes. In my opinion, the XF16 mm f/2.8 and XF18-135 dominate the field in image quality over a wide range of image types. All the red badge lenses were stellar. The macro primes are all magnificent, as were the red badge zooms. Lenses a little less impressive to me were the XF23 f/2 and the XF 50mm f/2. They lacked focal plane separation and rendered poorer color, in my opinion. The XF35 mm f/2 seemed much better to me. The XC version of the 35 mm f/2 was identical to the XF version. Now, I get to the cheaper lenses; XC’s and those that have been kit lenses. I’m not going to tell you any of these lenses will ever be confused with premium or red badge lenses, but they are decent and perfectly acceptable for my amateur purposes. And they are very light! Among these cheaper lenses, the XC15-45, XC50-230, and especially the XC35 prime hit the mark for me. Did I mention they are all incredibly light? It’s a much different story if I were a pro. In addition to the 16 mm f/2.8 and the 18-135, the XF10-24 and XF50-140 were also in the class of the field, and are must-haves if I were earning my living in photography. Other must-haves would be the XF56 mm for portraits and at least one of the macros; 60 mm, 80 mm, or 90 mm.
To summarize so far, the XF16 f/2.8 and XF18-135 are my two favorite lenses. So clearly my eyes are lying to me because the internet says the 18-135 is a bad lens. And we all know the internet has the last word, right? On discovering that I apparently like lenses the internet doesn’t, my advice to lens buyers would be to define what you want, do your due diligence to identify the lenses you think deliver, and buy the lenses you like.
And now for a little blasphemy. There are two lenses are my least for a wide range of scenes. XF18-55 and XF55-200. There, I said it. Both ubiquitous and venerable, both of these lenses render beautifully in bright light and low contrast. When contrast becomes challenging, however, these lenses quickly fail the shadows into black, unless the photographer adjusts camera settings for each shot. On seeing this in the hundreds of images shot with these lenses, I reviewed my own images because I never thought these lenses were less than excellent. And indeed, my images with these lenses were all good, but always shot in bright sun or indoors with a flash array, and never in a high contrast composition. Fujifilm simply has better lenses in this range of focal lengths. In my opinion. I know these lenses are both popular and nearly everyone will disagree with me on this. As I said earlier, that’s OK. I respect your opinion and will not challenge it. Photography is deeply subjective.
With all this said, I am interested in hearing the lens selection experience of others. I am especially interested in hearing from pro photographers, who, I would imagine, select lenses to a different set of criteria.
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I recently went through this exercise, and had a good time doing it. In the end, I decided my existing lenses are just fine. But I did examine over 5,000 images, and correlate image criteria to specific lenses. I can say lenses of nearly every stripe can produce beautiful images - vintage, adapted, Viltrox, Fuji, manual, very cheap, very expensive. Yes, some lenses yielded exceptional image quality, and they were exceptionally expensive, too.
Viltrox gets very good reviews across the board. One reviewer noted the 33 mm wasn't quite as good as the 23, 56, or 85. There are also manual lenses coming to the market that are insanely cheap. I would say you need to be clear about how fast a lens you need, and whether you need fast autofocus. Any fast Fuji lens is going to cost an order of magnitude more than 3rd party. If you really need f1.4, the Viltrox lenses will certainly do a good job for a third-ish of the Fuji price. If you want to shoot 33 or 35 mm, and can get away with f2, The Fuji XC35 is a ridiculously good lens for $199 USD. I can't help but believe that Fuji lenses have have some design advantages over third parties, given they can integrate the lens to the the camera bodies better than any third party lens designer. The Lens Modulation Optimizer (fixes diffraction), for example, doesn't work on non-Fuji lenses.
As I found out, looking to replace existing lenses, or add to your lens collection for unspecified reasons can get real muddy. If you need to acquire certain focal lengths with decent autofocus, image quality, speed, and build quality at a reasonable price, the Viltrox are a pretty safe place to start. Had I not decided to keep my existing Fuji lenses, I may have given the Viltrox lineup a try. I have a set of Viltrox extension tubes, and the quality far exceeded my expectations.
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I think you are closer to success than you think. Based on your sample photo, I would reduce the exposure to darken the background to where it looks like dusk, and place the flash closer to the subject. The rule of thumb is to expose for the background and flash for the subject. When shooting in sunlight, I'll go a step further and say underexpose the sunlit background to gain control over the sun, then introduce the amount of flash necessary to make the subject as bright as you want it.
I shot the sample below at three in the afternoon of a very sunny day. The white building in the upper left was so bright I could barely open my eyes. I set the shutter speed to flash sync of 1/180, and the aperture at f8. The flash was about four feet to the right of the subject set to 1/8 power. I apologize for the small size of the sample; I had to crop it to meet the file size limit. The full size image is really quite dramatic.
For the stark difference in reality and the image, this technique is pretty easy to do, and for me, composing this type of image is fun and rewarding.
Keep trying - you are almost there!
Why do you like Fujifilm?
in Fuji X Rumors & News
Posted
I own two Fujifilm bodies and six Fujifilm branded lenses. I love them all. Fantastic technology and quality.
However, I also like Fujifilm because of their commitment to customers through Kaizen - the continuous improvement of their products through firmware updates - Oh wait...never mind...
Not really snark. I'm just showing Fujifilm the same they are showing me, except I never bait-and-switched them with now-false promises.