Nero

This is an open topic for anyone who has information on half cases for the X-Pro2. I realize that not many are available for such a new camera, but as people find them, please post here. 
 
I'm not a fan of the Fuji branded half cases and will be looking for a nice third party half case as soon as there are some options on the market to choose from. I'm guessing that the usual companies such as Luigi (Leicatime), Gariz, and Angelo Pelle, and Arte di Mano will have X-Pro2 cases in the near future, but I'm always interested to see what new options appear as well.

My wife and I traveled to Switzerland for our honeymoon in November 2014. We spent a couple days in Lauterbrunnen, which were very warm for that time of year, around 55F. We hiked from Murren to Gimmelwald to Stechelberg one of the days that we were there. The majority of that hike was shot with the XF 10-24mm on my X-T1.
 

DSCF2593_3 by Oren Darling, on Flickr
 

DSCF2563_2 by Oren Darling, on Flickr
 

DSCF2553_1 by Oren Darling, on Flickr

I own both the 16mm prime and the 10-24mm and I don't consider those to be redundant. The widest side of the 10-24mm is unique enough to be worth owning in my mind, especially given the versatility and quality through its range.

I like the versatility of the 18-135mm. I own it, but whenever possible I try to use other lenses. I find the that the contrast in fine detail for landscapes is lacking and it seems to require a lot more dehazing in RAW than other lenses. In another thread, the issue of quality control came up with this lens and I tend to agree. It's not made in Japan like many of the other Fuji lenses and other people haven't had the same issues that I mentioned above. Part of this could also be due to my being an early-adopter and buying it immediately upon release. The production line may have fewer QC issues now.
 
Where this lens really shines though is the stabilization! This is a shot taken in Mammoth Cave with all of the lights out except for a small lantern that the guide lit up. Handheld, f/5.6, half second, no problem! The 5 stops of stabilization are why this lens stays even though I rarely use it.
 

DSCF5465 copy by Oren Darling, on Flickr

My wife and I traveled to Switzerland for our honeymoon in November 2014. We spent a couple days in Lauterbrunnen, which were very warm for that time of year, around 55F. We hiked from Murren to Gimmelwald to Stechelberg one of the days that we were there. The majority of that hike was shot with the XF 10-24mm on my X-T1.
 

DSCF2593_3 by Oren Darling, on Flickr
 

DSCF2563_2 by Oren Darling, on Flickr
 

DSCF2553_1 by Oren Darling, on Flickr

The kind of photography that seems to live off angry videos with foul language and claims repeated something like 20 times in a single video, spending 70% of a video repeating unrelated bullshit before getting to the actual topic of the video. So, yeah. He certainly got an opinion. Do I care? Not one single bit.

I like the versatility of the 18-135mm. I own it, but whenever possible I try to use other lenses. I find the that the contrast in fine detail for landscapes is lacking and it seems to require a lot more dehazing in RAW than other lenses. In another thread, the issue of quality control came up with this lens and I tend to agree. It's not made in Japan like many of the other Fuji lenses and other people haven't had the same issues that I mentioned above. Part of this could also be due to my being an early-adopter and buying it immediately upon release. The production line may have fewer QC issues now.
 
Where this lens really shines though is the stabilization! This is a shot taken in Mammoth Cave with all of the lights out except for a small lantern that the guide lit up. Handheld, f/5.6, half second, no problem! The 5 stops of stabilization are why this lens stays even though I rarely use it.
 

DSCF5465 copy by Oren Darling, on Flickr

I would at least consider the 55-200mm over the 50-140mm. Not that there is anything wrong with the 50-140. By most tests, it will outperform the 55-200 and it's WR. However, I went with the 55-200 because I found that when I wanted a telephoto, 140 wasn't enough reach for some things. The image quality on the 55-200 is fantastic, it's razor sharp, and the bokeh is quite good. It's also only $499 whenever the rebates are in effect. That's a substantial savings for little or no drop in overall image quality that could be invested in another lens. If 140 is enough at the long end and the cost isn't a deterrent, then by all means, go for the 50-140 though.
 
The 18-55 is dead-on for your description. Go for it.
 
For primes, I don't own the 56mm because I don't shoot enough portraits to justify the cost.... at least not yet! I do own the 27mm and have essentially put it on an X-E1 permanently as a street camera. Can't go wrong with it for the size and price for that purpose. On the wide end, the 14mm is a great lens, but I have the 10-24mm and the 16mm. Part of the reason for that overlap is that I really like to shoot landscapes. If I'm going somewhere with little idea of what to expect, I use the 10-24. If I have some idea of what to expect in a location, I typically go with the 16mm. The zoom is excellent image quality, but it can get a little soft in the corners. The 16mm is Fuji's best image quality in my opinion. Many times I will take one "scouting" pass through a location with the zoom and then a second with the 16mm, but for travel one of my favorite kits is the 10-24, 35 f/1.4, and 55-200. I won't hesitate to make large prints from either wide lens, but the difference is clear in a side by side comparison. 
 
Lastly, I can't fail to mention either the 23 f/1.4 or 35 f/1.4. Ideally, I think these are complementary lenses and I love owning both, but these lenses just have a magical quality to the images you get from them. These are some of the real gems of the Fuji lineup and I would not want to walk away without at least one of them. 

Here are shots from summer with the 10-24mm:
 
http://orendarling.com/post/128955143305/turkey-run-state-park-indiana-september-2015
http://orendarling.com/post/130583770586/turkey-run-state-park-indiana-september-2015
 
Here are two shots from winter with the 16mm:
 
http://orendarling.com/post/138513629673/turkey-run-state-park-in-january-2016-oren
http://orendarling.com/post/137987889421/turkey-run-state-park-in-january-2016-oren
 
I realize that the shutter speeds are different on these shots, but keep in mind that the OIS was switched on for the 10-24mm (which the 16mm doesn't have), I have a pretty steady hand, and the image quality is better in the static objects in the scene for the 16mm.

Here are shots from summer with the 10-24mm:
 
http://orendarling.com/post/128955143305/turkey-run-state-park-indiana-september-2015
http://orendarling.com/post/130583770586/turkey-run-state-park-indiana-september-2015
 
Here are two shots from winter with the 16mm:
 
http://orendarling.com/post/138513629673/turkey-run-state-park-in-january-2016-oren
http://orendarling.com/post/137987889421/turkey-run-state-park-in-january-2016-oren
 
I realize that the shutter speeds are different on these shots, but keep in mind that the OIS was switched on for the 10-24mm (which the 16mm doesn't have), I have a pretty steady hand, and the image quality is better in the static objects in the scene for the 16mm.

Some photos from the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland. I went in November 2014. It was very warm for that time of year, over 50F. Most of these photos were taken with the 10-24mm on my X-T1.
 

I think that the 55-200 is automatically included in any list for me. The image quality is a tier above the 18-135 and it has more reach. Aside from that, there are a lot of ways I could go with this. I shoot a lot of landscape, nature, architecture, but I also shoot whatever is around me at the time.
 
One of my personal favorites for a limited travel package is:
 
10-24
35 f/1.4
55-200
 
A fair amount of the time, I go also go with a prime-heavy lineup in my bag consisting of:
 
16
23
35 f/1.4
55-200
 
For a zoom-heavy lineup, one of my favorites is:
 
10-24
16-55 or 18-55
55-200
Maybe add the 27 for street given it's cheap and adds almost zero weight.
 
I don't put too much emphasis on the WR lenses in most of my bag configurations. It's a nice feature that's an extra insurance policy for dust and moisture, but I put a great deal of trust in my bag. As of now, there's a lot of great lenses that are not offered with WR, so I treat that as an added bonus and use a bag that I have complete trust in so that a bit of bad weather doesn't keep my camera indoors.

My top criteria was durability and weather proofing. I do a lot of landscape photography and therefore wanted something that I would be comfortable with getting caught in the rain. I may not be intentionally shooting in bad weather on a frequent basis, but I hate to look at the weather forecast and having a 1-2 hour block of potentially bad weather dictating my plan for the entire day. I don't need a lot of space because I typically don't change lenses very often and in many cases will only bring my X-T1 with 16mm + 18-135mm or a prime heavy combination of 16mm, 23mm, 35mm, and 55-200mm. If I'm traveling with the 16 and 18-135, sometimes I'll put an X-E1 with the 27mm in my bag for street photos too. I do tend to carry a lot of spare batteries, cleaning kit, rain cover for my camera, etc at times.
 
I settled on the Billingham Hadley Pro, which has been wonderful for the needs I outlined above and had solid reviews from everyone I knew in regards to confidence in their weather proofing, but I'm sure there are plenty of other options that fit these needs.

Not really sure if Modern Architecture is where this belongs, but it's the best fit out of the current topics!
 
Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO.
June, 2015.
www.orendarling.com
Fuji X-T1, XF 10-24mm @ 10mm, f/11, 1/1000s, ISO 200.
 
 
 
 
 

I have the 10-24 and 18-135. Great travel combo (which to me means being ready for a little bit of everything), especially with the WR on the 18-135. However, what is probably my favorite travel and general in my bag combo is the 10-24, 35, and either 55-200 or 50-140. The choice for the longer side depends entirely on location (or budget if you're buying them).

Here are some test shots of flowers taken with my X-T1 and a modified vintage 1970's Helios 44-2, 58mm lens at f/2. I love the old Helios lenses as portrait lenses too. I keep a couple unmodified versions on hand for more general use.

Not really sure if Modern Architecture is where this belongs, but it's the best fit out of the current topics!
 
Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO.
June, 2015.
www.orendarling.com
Fuji X-T1, XF 10-24mm @ 10mm, f/11, 1/1000s, ISO 200.
 
 
 
 
 

This isn't something that fits my photography, but I thought others may find it interesting:
 
http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/3/9088643/fuji-xt-1-ir-announcement

Tom's battery comment brings up a good point about accessories. There is a third party battery charger available on Amazon that uses USB. I don't know how well they work, but to cut weight you could potentially pick up one of those and use your phone or other cords and power adapters with it. Or use the old iphone/mac power brick plug trick with the fuji charger. Eliminating that long cord for the fuji charger is almost enough weight and space for a small prime!

Hey everyone, just wanted to start a topic to help those of us who shoot Fuji and have Tumblr photo blogs connect with another. My blog is www.orendarling.com
 
Additionally, I think it would be nice to share any Fuji related tags we use so that we can try to build a more consistent, cohesive, tag-based Tumblr community. That should help Fuji shooter find each other more easily on there, even if they aren't on Fuji X Forum.
 
I use #fujifilm, #fujixseries, #fujixt1, and #fuji x-t1 quite often.

I have 3 copies of the Helios 44-2 that I love. One I've reversed the front element on as just a playful "special effects" lens. Of the other two, I prefer my "zebra" copy, but both are good.
 
One thing that you should note if the Helios intrigues you is that quality control on the manufacturing for these was always a bit sloppy. The best strategy for getting a good one is to:
 
1. Always buy from sellers with great eBay ratings.
2. Be patient, there are tons of these listed every day on eBay. Don't feel like you've got to buy one right now the first time you browse. That can be a recipe for overspending.
3. Always confirm condition (no oil on aperture blades, no fungus, etc.) through a question to the seller.
4. In my opinion, the older the better with the Helios lenses, but balance that with condition.
5. My strategy was to buy 3 and be happy if one of them was really good. Luck was on my side and 2 were great, 1 was OK.
 
Also note that the swirly bokeh can be cool, but don't expect to put that lens on your camera and start taking a ton of crazy bokeh shots right away. Certain backgrounds, light, and other factors influence whether or not you get the swirly bokeh with a Helios. That being said, the bokeh on these lenses at f/2 is simply outstanding if you get a good copy, whether it swirls or not.

This thread isn't necessarily for me because I've already bought a half case for my X-T1 and am very pleased with it, but I debated which one to go with for quite some time. So I'm starting this for everyone who is considering a half case, but hasn't made up their mind yet.
 
I started out with the Fuji half case and was instantly dissatisfied. For me, a tripod screw for attaching the half-case is a deal-breaker if there is no access to the ports or battery compartment. I put it on the camera maybe twice and then it went on eBay. To top it off, you needed a coin or a screwdriver to get it off the camera. If I go out shooting, I know in advance whether I'm planning to use a tripod or not that day, so I don't need to worry about whether a half case has a tripod screw. It simply comes off my camera for the day if I'm tripod shooting.
 
I would rather have no battery or port access with maximum protection for the camera and two simple snaps around the strap mounts. Easy and quick to get on and off when necessary, adds a little extra bulk for a more sure grip, and good protection for the sides of the camera. I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't go for something with no battery access, but it really doesn't bother me to take off the case for a battery change as long as it is simple and fast to do with no tools.
 
The Gariz was the next one I considered because I'd read good reviews of their products for other camera models, the price wasn't cheap but not sky high, and despite the screw attachment it gave access to the battery and ports and didn't require a tool to remove. However, I got scared off by a slew of reviews complaining about the case blocking the tilt screen. There were a lot of fixes, but I don't feel like you should have to spend $110 on something and then modify it yourself so that your screen will tilt.
 
Kenji had a nice looking half case, but it had similar issues as the Fuji case. Screw-in connection, no port access (although you could get an optional battery access opening). 
 
So then I looked at the best, Luigi. Beautiful cases, but the X-T1 case has this thin, clear plastic strip that runs from one side of the camera to the other and is threaded in behind the top of the tilt screen. I really, really wanted to like this case, but that plastic piece just felt cheap and nothing on a $400 half case should feel cheap. I'm sure it's a great case (I use a Luigi strap that I love, his craftsmanship is wonderful), but I just couldn't lay out that kind of money for something that I didn't feel was a home run from my first impression.
 
Next, I looked at Angelo Pelle, but he doesn't have an X-T1 case, mostly rangefinder form-factor cameras.
 
Finally, I settled on an Arte di Mano half case. It ended up being about $230 with the rally volpe leather, but it fits everything I wanted in a half case. Over the strap snaps for taking it on and off, perfect amount of extra bulk to grip, good protection, great quality, and it looks good on the camera. 
 
What are everyone else's preferences and experiences shopping for an X-T1 half case? Let's try to make it less of a headache for everyone else shopping for one. Now that the X-T1 has been out for over a year, there are probably other options that I am not aware of.

For as much as I love my collection of primes, if I were going on a trip where I could only take 2 lenses, it would probably be my 10-24mm and the 18-135mm WR. If you were to only take 1 zoom, it would definitely be the 10-24mm due to the architecture and landscapes on your trip. The image stabilization on both lenses is a big part of my reasoning. Personally, the 10-24mm would be a must have for that trip. As for the 18-135mm, the stabilization is unreal. I took it into Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and was nailing 1/2 second exposures in almost no light. The WR feature is a nice insurance policy against the weather on a trip too. You don't want to arrive and then get timid about a bit of rain. It also has extra reach for detail shots.
 
That being said, it would be so hard for me to go on a trip without my favorite prime. If you can't leave it behind, take your favorite prime and the 10-24mm.
 
If there was a way to sneak the tiny 27mm into my bag as a third lens for street photos, I'd do that too. It weighs nothing, takes no space, and makes the X-T1 look almost like a point and shoot on the streets.

Not really sure if Modern Architecture is where this belongs, but it's the best fit out of the current topics!
 
Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO.
June, 2015.
www.orendarling.com
Fuji X-T1, XF 10-24mm @ 10mm, f/11, 1/1000s, ISO 200.
 
 
 
 
 

Not really sure if Modern Architecture is where this belongs, but it's the best fit out of the current topics!
 
Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO.
June, 2015.
www.orendarling.com
Fuji X-T1, XF 10-24mm @ 10mm, f/11, 1/1000s, ISO 200.