jlmphotos

My Perfect travel kit: Which I will put my money where my mouth is as I'm going on a 10-day stock/personal/travel shoot: X-T1 Zeiss 12mm 2.8 18-55 zoom 23mm 1.4 35mm 1.4 55-200 (an amazingly sharp lens) 6 batteries + three chargers 302G worth of 16 & 32G SD Cards Filters and step up rings to 77mm for each lens. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I don't trust any online plan and I have Amazon Prime so I can use their cloud service for free. with only 190,000 images I trust ME. I have a 16TB Drobo, plus two 8TB each WD Thunderbolt drives. Every now and then, one of the drives i move to one of my relatives. Plus I have daily backups I run...

Dear Fuji: LEAVE EVERYTHING ALONE!

I swear by this Wasabi Kit on Amazon i have a review on Amazon as well. Comes with a charger, two batteries, car cigarette charger cable as well. I've been using Wasabi since my X-E1 days back in 2013. Still have the same batteries, plus some more I purchased for my X-T1. If I ever need more, I'll buy the same exact ones.

I swear by this Wasabi Kit on Amazon i have a review on Amazon as well. Comes with a charger, two batteries, car cigarette charger cable as well. I've been using Wasabi since my X-E1 days back in 2013. Still have the same batteries, plus some more I purchased for my X-T1. If I ever need more, I'll buy the same exact ones.

Could it be the "travel" time is set? it's the time difference you set between your home, and where you will be or were... It's a "TIME ZONE SETTING" in the Menu with the WRENCH. I'd check that

Wow. I'm 18 months in with the X-T1, over 80,000 images and counting and...... nothing. Doors close, rubber seems intact. I hope I don't jinx it now. In a couple of weeks I'm heading out a very humid, surrounded by salt water and jungle area to shoot stock. I'll definitely be using lots of bug spray, and sun screen lotion. Let's see what the body looks like when I return...

Not that i don't believe you but I've had nothing but OUTSTANDING service with my Fuji center -- not with my X Series cameras, but with my previous S1Pro, S2Pro dSLR's. A short story: On my (eBay purchased, used ) S2Pro dSLR I discovered some straight horizontal lines on my images about a year after my flea-bay purchase. I knew immediately it was a bad sensor. This camera was 2-3 years out of warranty. I drove it to the Fuji service center in Central New Jersey. This was a Thursday afternoon. I asked them for an "estimate only" as the sensor was well over a thousand US at the time. On Monday morning just before lunch Im in my office and get a call: Your S2Pro is ready for pickup. We replaced the sensor, and the shutter mechanism. I GULPED. I explained to the young lady I only wanted an estimate. Her response: There is no charge. It's our fault. WHAT?!! WHAT!!??? I couldn't believe it. Basically they handed me a brand-new camera. When I first got my X-E1 in 2013 I called their help desk - again at fuji in NJ. One of the tech guys actually went and got a X-E1 and walked me through all my questions, gave me his name, and told me to call back if I needed anything else. Please don't make broad statements as you have. Fuji, as opposed to the Nikon service center in Melville, NY, which I had to deal with when I had my D800, is freakin' amazing. You can't judge them by a one-time issue. And no, I'm not a fanboy of Fuji. If they sucked, I would say-so. Fuji service is ONE of many reasons why I dropped all my Nikon crap and went with them. If I were you, I'd get on the phone or email to ANY OTHER FUJI person that will hear your case and keep hammering away. And, BE NICE and PROFESSIONAL. Whining doesn't work, nor anger. Oh. And if you need a camera as a working pro maybe you should have gone either a rental, or a new one. Again, I don't know what your specific circumstances are or were. Just my personal opinion. I hope you don't take offense as I'm not giving any. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I wish you luck in getting your camera repaired. J

Has anyone contacted Fuji? I'd love to hear what they have to say.

Wow. I'd wipe the peanut butter from your hands before touching the camera from now on Only kidding. I've had my X-T1 now for 18 months and I use it just about every day for shooting personal, work, and stock and haven't had a problem. That is strange... We shall see how it fares after this next business (stock) trip. I'll be in very humid and hot environment pretty much shooting regularly in and around salt water! As long as I don't drop it....

YEs. In "B" mode. My remote which plugs in to the camera has a "lock" feature. I've kept it open for minutes on end.

Personally, as everyday carry, my X-T1 with either my 18-55 or my 23 fits in my work bag. I never leave home without it. The 100 series never really lit my fire so I think I'll stick with the X-T1. However, I will say back when I had my X-E1, that was one compact camera! J

So... I have a Nikon Sb700, and a Fuji EF-42. If i buy the RF it on Amazon this will allow me to fire my D700 remotely, or on the camera, on top of the RF allowing TTL? All I need is an answer and I'm buying because this Fuji EF42 s.u.c.k.s.

I use the original X-T1 battery, plus I have four Wasabi batteries. They are phenomenal. Love them. Same lasting power as the original and for under $30.00 US it comes with a charger, plus the plug to the cigarette lighter. Sweet price. Great product! Available on Amazon.

I'm in the process of selling my Nikon gear. The only thing that has held me back is that I love the Nikon TTl Flash system. I own A SB700 and some Pocket Wizards for the Nikon units. I also own the X-T1 and Fuji EF-42 Flash unit. I want to be able to use mySb700 either on the camera with a trigger, or remotely (short range) Does anyone make these units? I'd love to hear back from someone. I would appreciate it if it works on TTL Many Thanks Guys J

Doesn't the "vented" hood defeat the purpose of protecting the lens from side-light and flare? But I really do like some of those hoods though! J

And that's my point. I don't want the DR to be applied to the jpeg in the viewfinder so I can see EXACTLY what my image will look like.

I photograph using jpeg+raw. When shooting both I usually I usually discard the jpeg, and keep the raw once I've used the jpeg for review, and then processed the raw. When working on the raw file many times I find myself upping the shadows, and/or exposure. I have my camera set to Astia, -1 shadow -1 highlights as my default. I've considered setting the camera to Proneg Standard when shooting but that would defeat the purpose of WYSIWYG in the viewfinder. Plus, my LR import preset for all raw files is set to Astia This may have to do with the jpeg and the DR setting. Mine is set to DR100. I would like to shut the DR off and test. Is that do-able? Let me know. Many Thanks J EDITED: I think I just answered my own question with the help of DARKNJ. If I change my "Q" settings to 0 for shadows and 0 for the highlights when shooting both raw+jpeg. This way the in-camera review as well as the jpeg in LR will not have the shadows tweaked in any way nor the highlights. The jpeg in LR should match, or come close to my raw file when I use my Astia import preset into LR. Jeez, I just had an AAAHA moment. I'll have to create a different profile with the -1 shadows and -1 highlights for those few times when I shoot just JPEG's. I think we've got it Watson. J

You know, you have to make up your own mind, and shoot according to your style. As long as I an remember, I've shot both jpeg + raw. Yes it does take a bit more card space as well as disk space but that is so cheap nowadays. Since I shoot primarily for stock, I live and die by the raw file; but even for personal and family work, if I feel the lighting is off or that the images will need some recusitation at some point I'll still shoot JPEG+raw just for safety. If when reviewing the images I find the jpeg is fine, then the raw is deleted -- of course this is only for certain images such as BBQ's parties, etc. For any type of work that I may be able to use for stock, lifestyle, large prints it's RAW to the rescue. Normally, when I'm shooting for pay, the RAW stays, and the JPEG are chucked once I've adjusted the raws to match or better the color/tones in the jpeg film simulation of choice. Using LR, I have a preset on import that applies the film simulation (mines defaults to Astia), as well as sharpening, and some clarity. This way I find I don't have to fiddle with either the jpeg or the raw after import unless I want to. All my review work in LR is done off the jpeg. It just seems to render faster when viewed at 100%. If I'm happy with the composition, sharpness, etc of the jpeg I then tweak the raw if necessary. But the jpeg will be tossed out at the end of the review/edit cycle. I know this was long-winded but I don't think that I could just use jpegs for everything -- I like that "negative" as a back stop. I still have my medium format and 35mm negatives from weddings I shot going back to 1977 when I started in this business and I don't plan on getting rid of them, so why not have the digital one as well? Again: disk space is super cheap now. Ultimately it's your decision, so use whatever you are comfortable with. If you don't need the raw file to extract the maximum amount of details, and/or to change the various settings after the fact - or you are that good, more power to ya. I like to keep my options open - and as I sell thousands of images every year just in stock/lifestyle/landscapes as well as print sales, I love my workflow, and my raw files. THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT!! BEST, J

I will JUMP on the X-T2 as long as it has 24mp plus. I'm very happy with all other features -- though they could take the advanced filters, and movie out and I would never miss them. But an X-T2 with 24+ megapixels would help me out somewhat.

If you are posting that request here then maybe it's too late. If you think you'll be happier in another camp then go for it. Only YOU can determine your needs, and wants. Me? I need convincing to KEEP my Nikon gear at this point. LOL Good luck in whatever path you choose. J

Think tank dSLR battery holders. Mine holds four batteries. charged units go contacts face down. used units contacts face up for easy identification when out in the field.

You know I've tried to not carry my 18-55 and I swear it's my most used lens. I also have the Ziess 12, 55-200, and the 35. I won't leave home without the 35 bt here are my stats just based on the 3,817 images I've shot on this 7 day stock trip: Zeiss 12mm: 571 images 18-55: 769 Images 35mm 1.4: 97 images 55-200: 2380 images (but this is weighed heavily because I use it to shoot in high-speed mode) So if I were traveling anywhere, the 18-55, the 55-200, and my 35 are in my bag. I could leave the Zeiss 12 at home and not really miss it.

I have to say if I haven't mentioned it already I L.O.V.E. my 18-55. It is tack sharp, small and lightweight. The 18-55 came as a kit lens when I purchased my X-E1 back in February 2013. Now, I'm with the X-T1, but still use the 18-55. I've tried (in store) the 18-135 but I find it too large. I also like the faster aperture of the 18-55 at the wide end but more so at the long range. If I had to choose between both of them today, I think I would still stick with the 18-55 for it's compactness, sharpness, clarity, and size. I also own the 55-200, the 35 1.4 (which you'll have to pry from my cold dead fingers) and the Zeiss 12mm 2.8. Tonight I'm leaving on a ten day stock shoot. In the small camera bag that sits in the drivers seat of the automobile I have the 18-55 on camera, the 55-200, four batteries, and my filters, and an extra memory card. In the trunk (or boot if you will), I have my camera backpack with the rest of my X gear, plus my Nikon equipment, more batteries, two tripods, etc. I believe the combination of my 18-55, and the semi-fast 55-200 will capture 95% of my photographic needs. Hopefully I'll be able to post images later.