mdecorte

I came to Fuji after being on m4/3 because I liked the ergonomics of the E1. Switched to a XT1 shortly afterwards. Love the camera and love that Fuji has been improving it along the way. I was thinking of buying the E3 but wondering how many of my items on my wish list have been addressed. I've updated it based upon the E3. Love to know to know if I can strike some of these off. My original post from ages back based upon the XT1. http://www.fuji-x-forum.com/topic/845-kaizen-again-fuji-x-t1-will-get-another-firmware-update-this-year-as-which-new-features-would-you-like-to-get/?p=9759 Presets Saved Presets Functionality: The presets are very accessible via the Q button to but only saves photo settings and not camera settings. For RAW shooters, there's almost no reason to use the presets. If it saved all settings it would be a huge plus. So for example, then I could have a preset for Zone: set Mechanical Shutter only, Disable Face detection, and set Zone focus. A preset for Friend: disable most buttons, Eye Detection enabled, Spot focus. Name the Saved Presets: If the presets were more useful, then it becomes important to be able to name them. In the Q menu, the current Saved Preset that is in use should be displayed. Once set (to "C1" for example), the Q menu will still display "Basic". Focusing AF Center Focus Mode: It would be good if there was another AF mode--central AF. Think spot but you can't move the focus location. It was on my Sony A700 and my prefered setting when I handed it to friends. Focus Point Selection. I have the functions buttons configured so that the four way arrows move the focus point. One further improvement though would help. Moving back to the center requires selecting the "Back" button which isn't really in the right spot. It would be better if it was the "Menu/OK" button. Then your thumb never moves from that area and it's very intuitive. But how to support this and the Menu/OK? My thoughts are that many of the buttons currently have different functions assigned to both short and long presses. How about a short press of Menu centers the AF Location, while a long press brings up the menu? The various focusing modes have many restrictions. Ideally they could be removed. Alternatively, the current setting would disable the incompatible previously set setting. (e.g. setting zone focus would disable face detection and such). Finally, if nothing else, it would be helpful to have a warning displayed that XYZ isn't available due to ABC. Face Detection only works with CDAF. It should support PDAF sensors. Right now, FD is too slow and unreliable so I don't use it. Hopefully this will help. Adapted Lenses and Manual Focusing During manual AF it would be nice to not display the AF focus points during manual AF. They are a bit distracting and don’t do anything. Better, It would be amazing if Fuji enabled PDAF focus points during manual focusing. PDAF is much more sensitive than CDAF and good to EV 0.5. I imagine that focus points would glow increasing shades of green as they became more in focus. Perhaps add a cross when perfect. This would allow very fast focus in even the dimmest light. I can it useful for even AF lenses as it could be faster than moving around the focus point. Peaking is for some reason much much more effective when the display is set to Full vs Normal, and it completely disabled in split screen. Dual Screen. Peaking is enabled in the small screen but not the large screen. It should be both. That way I can focus very Manual Lens Selection only has two customized settings. It should be possible to change all of them. In manual mode and auto ISO the exposure compensation works as expected. Except with adapted lenses. In which case the exposure compensation dial has no impact. It would be nice if when the camera didn’t sense a lens, if it automatically moved to MF mode settings. Other Q Menu Options: has improved now that it can be customized and that the available functions has increased. I would appreciate more functions. e.g. , Manual Lens Selection, Lock Function, Interval, or most functions available in the menus. My Menu helps so this is partially addressed. It's very nice that Fuji let us set the min shutter speed for Auto ISO. It would be great if there was a way to set it as a function of the lens focal length. e.g. focal length * 1.5 Fuji has improved the EVF modes in firmware and it's so much better. But it's still a little off with EVF Eye Detection. When reviewing photos the image, the images are displayed on the back panel or the EVF depending upon eye detection - perfect. But when pressing the Q Button or Menu Button the only way to see anything is to use the EVF. These functions should should enable eye detection and display in the EVF or back appropriately. Histogram: the live histogram disappears when the shutter is half way depressed, right when I'm most interested. Histogram: be nice if the histogram could display separate channels for RGB It’s nice that overexposed areas blink after taking the photo. It would be nice if over/under exposed areas could blink during live view Sounds: I'd appreciate more granularity on setting the sounds. I'd like to enable / disable the sound for focus selection (on); mechanical shutter (off); electronic shutter (on); menu navigation (off). Locking: The option to lock selected functions seemed interesting, except that there doesn’t seem to be a way to lock focus selection when it’s bound to F3 through F6. When lock is bound to a function button (e.g. F1) it’s possible to go into lock mode with F1, but to get out of lock mode requires menu diving. It would be nice if it was possible to bind unlock to a function button, or make the enable/disable available in the Q menu. the iPad Remote app is rather limited. No histogram. No focus peaking. No Zoom in to see details. Can't import RAW images. It’s odd that it disconnects between each function. e.g. switching from photo taking to import photos. Connecting is rather slow. Image Stabilization: I've long since grown to love in-body stabilization and this is the first camera that I've had since 2004 that didn't have in-body stabilization. I miss it sorely. Add more CDAF sensors and spread them across the entire sensor. A shutter of 1/8000 sec Keep working on Continuous AF to beat the top DSLRs Face Detection / Eye Detection is a nice idea but I find it too slow and unreliable and stick with spot AF. Battery life is a common complain and I have to agree. It runs out very quickly. An hour or two of use and a new battery is needed. Maybe bigger batteries in the future. I guess a new sensor is in order to improve noise even more (it’s already pretty excellent) and a few more MP. The flash support is lacking overall with the fuji line. There's only one under powered flash that can support remote wireless off camera. There is no support for RF based wireless. There is no support for high speed flash. the leica M adapter is rather expensive for what ultimately amounts to a dedicated function button to select the lens type. Instead, let us pick the lens type via the Q menu and custom FN button, and release a new adapter that can read the codes on the lenses. That would be brilliant.

Hi, I went to the Galapagos a few years ago and agree with steviewonder that most of the time the wildlife is close and easy. At the same it's not always true. I went with a 18..50mm, 70..200/2.8, 300mm/2.8, with 1.4x and 2x with a 1.5x crop camera. Most of the time, I used the 70-200 with 2x on land for wildlife, and pulled out the 18..50 regularly for landscape and friends. If you will visit the caves, bring along the fastest lens you have--its dark! On the water though I did use the 300 with 1.4 and 2.0x convertors. On water we saw birds, whales, dolphins, turtles, and seals. You will likely travel in/out via Quito and/or Guayaquil and spend some time there. In the city, it's the usual lens options for a city. If you have a chance to go to the Cloud Forests then a longer lens is important. Here's a few photos from the trip and most have EXIF information. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdecorte/albums/72157610505125768 Personally, if you have both long len's I'd bring them. If not, I would rent both. Or buy the 2x + 40..150 for the range.

I do love my X-T1, and recommend it without reservation for most applications. Having said that there's always ways to improve. I have a rather lengthy dream list. Presets - Saved Presets Functionality: The presets are very accessible via the Q button to but only saves photo settings and not camera settings. For RAW shooters, there's almost no reason to use the presets. If it saved all settings it would be a huge plus. So for example, then I could have a preset for Zone: set Mechanical Shutter only, Disable Face detection, and set Zone focus. A preset for Friend: disable most buttons, Eye Detection enabled, Spot focus. - Name the Saved Presets: If the presets were more useful, then it becomes important to be able to name them. - In the Q menu, the current Saved Preset that is in use should be displayed. Once set (to "C1" for example), the Q menu will still display "Basic". Focusing - AF Center Focus Mode: It would be good if there was another AF mode--central AF. Think spot but you can't move the focus location. It was on my Sony A700 and my prefered setting when I handed it to friends. - Focus Point Selection. I have the functions buttons configured so that the four way arrows move the focus point. One further improvement though would help. Moving back to the center requires selecting the "Back" button which isn't really in the right spot. It would be better if it was the "Menu/OK" button. Then your thumb never moves from that area and it's very intuitive. But how to support this and the Menu/OK? My thoughts are that many of the buttons currently have different functions assigned to both short and long presses. How about a short press of Menu centers the AF Location, while a long press brings up the menu? - The various focusing modes have many restrictions. Ideally they could be removed. Alternatively, the current setting would disable the incompatible previously set setting. (e.g. setting zone focus would disable face detection and such). Finally, if nothing else, it would be helpful to have a warning displayed that XYZ isn't available due to ABC. - Face Detection only works with CDAF. It should support PDAF sensors. Right now, FD is too slow and unreliable so I don't use it. Hopefully this will help. Adapted Lenses and Manual Focusing - During manual AF it would be nice to not display the AF focus points during manual AF. They are a bit distracting and don’t do anything. - Better, It would be amazing if Fuji enabled PDAF focus points during manual focusing. PDAF is much more sensitive than CDAF and good to EV 0.5. I imagine that focus points would glow increasing shades of green as they became more in focus. Perhaps add a cross when perfect. This would allow very fast focus in even the dimmest light. I can it useful for even AF lenses as it could be faster than moving around the focus point. - Peaking is for some reason much much more effective when the display is set to Full vs Normal, and it completely disabled in split screen. - Manual Lens Selection only has two customized settings. It should be possible to change all of them. - With V4.0, in manual mode and auto ISO the exposure compensation works as expected. Except with adapted lenses. In which case the exposure compensation dial has no impact. - It would be nice if when the camera didn’t sense a lens, if it automatically moved to MF mode settings. Other - Q Menu Options: has improved now that it can be customized and that the available functions has increased. I would appreciate more functions. e.g. , Manual Lens Selection, Lock Function, Interval, or most functions available in the menus. - It's very nice that Fuji let us set the min shutter speed for Auto ISO. It would be great if there was a way to set it as a function of the lens focal length. e.g. focal length * 1.5 - Fuji has improved the EVF modes in firmware and it's so much better. But it's still a little off with EVF Eye Detection. When reviewing photos the image, the images are displayed on the back panel or the EVF depending upon eye detection - perfect. But when pressing the Q Button or Menu Button the only way to see anything is to use the EVF. These functions should should enable eye detection and display in the EVF or back appropriately. - Histogram: the live histogram disappears when the shutter is half way depressed, right when I'm most interested. - Histogram: be nice if the histogram could display separate channels for RGB - It’s nice that overexposed areas blink after taking the photo. It would be nice if over/under exposed areas could blink during live view. - Sounds: I'd appreciate more granularity on setting the sounds. I'd like to enable / disable the sound for focus selection (on); mechanical shutter (off); electronic shutter (on); menu navigation (off). - Locking: The option to lock selected functions seemed interesting, except that there doesn’t seem to be a way to lock focus selection when it’s bound to F3 through F6. When lock is bound to a function button (e.g. F1) it’s possible to go into lock mode with F1, but to get out of lock mode requires menu diving. It would be nice if it was possible to bind unlock to a function button, or make the enable/disable available in the Q menu. - the iPad Remote app is rather limited. No histogram. No focus peaking. No Zoom in to see details. Can't import RAW images. It’s odd that it disconnects between each function. e.g. switching from photo taking to import photos. Connecting is rather slow. ---------------- If I'm dreaming about the road map in general, the items that I'd like to see in a new body (with the top four enough to make me buy) - Image Stabilization: I've long since grown to love in-body stabilization and this is the first camera that I've had since 2004 that didn't have in-body stabilization. I miss it sorely. - Add more CDAF sensors and spread them across the entire sensor. - A shutter of 1/8000 sec - Keep working on Continuous AF to beat the top DSLRs - Face Detection / Eye Detection is a nice idea but I find it too slow and unreliable and stick with spot AF. - Battery life is a common complain and I have to agree. It runs out very quickly. An hour or two of use and a new battery is needed. Maybe bigger batteries in the future. - I guess a new sensor is in order to improve noise even more (it’s already pretty excellent) and a few more MP. - The flash support is lacking overall with the fuji line. There's only one under powered flash that can support remote wireless off camera. There is no support for RF based wireless. There is no support for high speed flash. - the leica M adapter is rather expensive for what ultimately amounts to a dedicated function button to select the lens type. Instead, let us pick the lens type via the Q menu and custom FN button, and release a new adapter that can read the codes on the lenses. That would be brilliant. And for the lens lineup - I want some long lenses. Think 600/F4 for an effective 900/F4. It’s important that the bodies have improved AF, tons of CDAF, and ideally IBIS. I was an avid bird photographer and hope to resume in a few years, and for this specialty the lens can never be too long. I'd love an 800/5.6 effective 1200/5.6. - Fuji has done a great job with the lens lineup in general but where to go from here? It would be nice to have three distinct lens lineups. - First the XF, high-quality, fast, aperture on the lens (e.g. 56/1.2, 35/1.2, 23/1.4, 16/1.4, 50-140/2.8). - Second, high-quality, not so fast, compact, aperture on the lens (e.g. 35/2, 56/2, 23/2.8, 50-140/4.0, 100-400/4.0-5.6). - Third, cheaper which is the XC line-up. - To temp the Canon and Nikon crowd, and to fill in a bit of the lens lineup, it would be amazing if adapters were made that supported aperture control and speedy AF.

I assume that since you are considering the Rokinon/Samyang 85mm f/1.4 that you would like to save some money and ok with manual focus. If so why not pick up a Nikon g to Fuji adapter? Much cheaper still and your Nikon is great glass. If you want AF then your options narrow down to the Fuji 90/2 or 50-140/2.8. Both are great lenses and it's a trade off on cost, size, a stop, bokeh to an extent, and versatility. But...due to the Fuji crop sensor the equivalent to an 85mm on your full frame Nikon is the Fuji 56mm. The 90mm on the Fuji is effectively a 135mm on full frame.

The article is correct, in that wider angle lenses can have issues with the sensor / light angle, but normal to tele lenses it's not an issue. There's also the question of the quality of the lens. Modern lenses are CAD implementations, with exotic glass, and multi-coated. All of this was science fiction not that long ago. If compared to a Fuji X lens which is razor sharp at all apertures to the edges, flare resistant, with wonderful Bokeh, well they might not do so well at 1:1. Having said that, you can still get great results from adapted lenses at a fraction of the cost and if you stick with range finder lenses they are super small. Frequently the aperture is step-less which is fun too. For example the below lenses are all nice. - Leica 50mm F2 Summitar LTM Collapsible is a very fun lens. Bokeh is a bit swirly. Very tiny. Flare is a problem. My copy was $225. - Konica 57mm F1.4 (not an RF lens) is quite sharp. Larger, but still smaller than the Fuji 56/1.2. My copy was $65. - Canon 85mm F1.9. LTM quite sharp. heavy, but quite small. Kinda makes me wonder why the new Fuji 90/2 is soooooo much bigger. $200 - Leica 90mm F4 Elmar Collapsible M-Mount Very fun. Very small. $175 - Canon 135 F3.5 LTM very sharp. Biggest of all of these lenses but still fits in a pocket easily. Wonderful ergonomics. $100 - Peleng 8mm F3.5. A fisheye can be very nice at times. I have Several Fuji lenses as well, 18, 23, 35, 18-55. I'll pick up the 56 and 50-140 at some point. Maybe the 100-400, but it's not quite long enough or fast enough for my needs. So as I see it: + Very fun and challenging to move back to a more manual lens. + Fuji's line-up is good, but there are still holes. + Much cheaper + Much much smaller lenses = Manual focus requires raw + f with the jpeg in BW to maximize the focus peaking. Not an issue for me as I only use the RAW. - The lens type and f-stop are lost on import. This can be fixed via lenstagger - manual focus is hard for moving topics - not quite as sharp - flare.... - bokeh is frequently non-conventional

I recently purchased a Canon 85mm F1.9 in an LTM mount for my X-T1 with Firmware 3.1 from eBay. It was in excellent condition. A few observations: - This is not a tiny lens but much smaller than the new Fuji 90. Comparing the Canon to the new Fuji 90/F2. Length 87mm vs 105mm; filter size 48mm vs 62mm; weight 21 oz vs 19 oz (yup the canon is heavier--it is a solid chunk of brass). - Handling is not great but acceptable. The focus ring is very large and nicely dampened, and has a huge throw--probably 330 degrees. Generally not an issue, but be prepared to take a few extra moments if you want to move from far to close. The aperture ring is click-less and a little but not too stiff. What's odd, is that when you focus the entire front of the lens spins--including the aperture ring. The aperture doesn't change, but the positioning does. So if you want to change the aperture you have to go look at the lens to find the current setting and then adjust. A bit quirky, but nothing to worry about. Close focus is about 1m. - At F2.0 the lens is nicely in the center, a little soft in the corners, slightly low contrast. By F2.8 its clearly up well. Note, compared to the Fuji 35mm, it never catches up, but I'm more than happy at all apertures. I love how it throws everything in the background into a lovely blur. - Focus Peaking works well with this lens, but not as well as the Hexanon 50/1.4. Still, at F2.0 with a tight headshot, I'm probably at 50% in focus at 1:1 in LR. Maybe with practice this will get better--but that's my issue not the lens. - I do like this this lens, but it is silly heavy (1.3lb!) and will require that I get better at focusing. But the results are very nice when done well. Here are some example photos SOC untouched. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdecorte/sets/72157654770015999

I recently purchased a Leica 50mm F2 Collapsible Summitar in an LTM mount for my X-T1 with Firmware 3.1 from Vermont Camera Works http://vermontcamera.com/ for $225. (sidebar, this store is owned by a semi-retired gentleman who's store in Pittsford VT should be a stop if you are nearby. Much more stuff in his store than online and it's like walking into a museum. Nice guy who I never met before but will go back again). It was in excellent condition. A few observations: This is a beautifully made lens. I wanted it as soon as I touched it. I wasn't sure how it would handle or the image quality, but the mechanical quality was outstanding and exceeded any lens I own. It's not rational, but true. It's all metal lens with all markings engraved. It's deceptively heavy for it's size. The first time I picked it up I was very surprised and I was expecting it to weigh more like the Fuji 18/2 which is about 4oz. The Leica has some heft at 220 grams / 7.7 oz. This is a very tiny lens. width 48 mm height collapsed without the adapter 43 mm height extended without the adapter 50 mm height collapsed with adapter and lens cap 50 mm Collapsed with the adapter it fits in a pants pocket with not too much issue. It's hardly noticed in a coat pocket. I can't overstate how small range finders lenses are. Taking two or three in a pouch big enough to hold the Fuji 23/1.4 is very nice. Below is a photo of the lens collapsed with the adapter on. You can see that the back of the lens protruded a few millimeters into the camera--but not enough to touch anything and it collapses with no issues on the X-T1. Leica 50mm F2 Summitar LTM by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr The collapsing of the lens is very craftsmanship. At the very front of the lens is a knurled ring that can be twisted counter clockwise to unlock the front assembly and a firm but smooth push to collapse. I wish modern lenses had this. It can collapse with no issues on the X-T1. There are pictures of the lens mounted on the X-T1 and compared to the Fuji 35mm. I love the pancake like aspect. To collapse the lens you give a twist. It's very nicely constructed and rather fun to play with. Leica Summitar 50/f2.0 with Fuji X-T1 by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr Leica Summitar 50/f2.0 with Fuji X-T1 by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr This is a screw thread lens and of course needs an adapter. The Fotasy adapter works fine and at $9 is a steal. To help tighten down the lens to the camera mount, the lens has a small knob on the focus ring that locks into a catch at infinity. I don't love that it locks at infinity, but I almost never focus to infinity so it's not been an issue. Focusing takes a bit to get used to. The focus ring is near the body and very thin. The small knob on the focus ring helps to hold onto the focus ring. The focusing is well dampened--and tighter then most lenses today. Focus has infinity on the right like Leica lenses, but opposite from Fuji 23/1.4. Close focus is about 1m. I found that the best way to hold the lens for focusing is wrap my index finger and thumb around the focus ring and knob. It provides more control and comfort. It didn't take long to come to find this grip and now I don't notice it at all. The aperture ring is towards the font of the lens on the assembly that collapses. It's F2..F22 and stepless. The dampening is lighter than the focus but not so light to accidentally change. I'm very happy with the image quality. At F2.0, it's very acceptably sharp in the center, a little soft in the corners, and contrast is a little low. By F2.8 it clears up nicely. Now if I compare it to the Fuji 35mm, it never catches up, but that's ok for me. Below is a 1:1 image at F2.0, followed by another at F4.0. _DSF2177.jpg by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr _DSF2328.jpg by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr Bokeh is often swirly. Not really my thing but if you like that then you will love this lens. _DSF1239.jpg by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr Leica 50mm F2 Summitar LTM @F2.0 by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr Back lit subjects will loose a lot of contrast and can just fall apart. Keep the sun out of the frame. Focus Peaking works well with this lens, but not as well as the Hexanon 50/1.4. Still, at F2.0 with a tight headshot, I'm probably at 50-75% in focus at 1:1 in LR. Maybe with practice this will get better--but that's my issue not the lens. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite lenses. I love the size, it's one of my preferred the focal lengths, fast enough to isolate the subject. So small, and very nice images. A few more images Leica 50mm F2 Summitar LTM @F2.0 by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr _DSF2017.jpg by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr Leica 50mm F2 Summitar LTM @F2.0 by Michael DeCorte, on Flickr Here are some photos of lens and brick walls SOC untouched. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdecorte/sets/72157652863446203/

I recently purchased a Konica 57mm F1.4 Hexanon EE in an Konica AR bayonet mount for my X-T1 with Firmware 3.1 from KEH. It was in excellent condition. A few observations: - This is a smaller lens, but not Leica small. For comparison to the Fuji 56/1.2 vs the Konica: filter size is 62mm filter vs 55mm; weight is 405 vs 280 grams; length is 70 mm vs 42mm (74 with adapter). A Leica Summilux M is 50/1.4 is 46mm filter; 335 grm; 52mm length. - As expected the lens reminds me very much of the lenses I had in the 80s. It looks good on the Fuji and a quick glance would suggest that it was a 80s vintage film camera. - Handling is good. Large focus ring with a nice through and nicely dampened. Focus has infinity on the right like Leica lenses, but opposite from Fuji. The aperture ring has rather stiff clicks on the half stops. Close focus is about 1.5 feet--very nice. - At F1.4 the lens is nicely sharp in the center, a little soft in the corners, slightly low contrast. By F2.8 its clearly up well. Note, compared to the Fuji 35mm, it never catches up, but I'm more than happy at all apertures. - Focus Peaking works great with this lens. The edges just glow including the eye's iris edge and eyelids edges. Still, at F1.4 with a tight headshot, I'm probably at 50% in focus at 1:1 in LR. Maybe with practice this will get better--but that's my issue not the lens. Here are some photos of lens and brick walls and my daughter. SOC untouched. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdecorte/sets/72157652851926514/

I recently purchased a Jupiter 9 85mm F2 in an LTM/M39 mount for my X-T1 with Firmware 3.1 from KEH. It was in excellent condition. I've read of issues with quality of the Jupiter's with focusing to infinity, mount, etc and found no issues. A few observations: - As soon as I unpacked it I was sure that I would love this lens. It's a beautiful lens that is well made. It has nicely marked focus and aperture rings as well as clear DOF markings. It was very compact. The weight was heavy enough to have some heft but not so much to be heavy. - The handling was excellent. The large focus ring was well dampened in just the right way. Focus has infinity on the right like Leica lenses, but opposite from Fuji. The aperture ring is click-less and also nicely dampened. Close focus was about 1m which is ok. - By F4.0 the lens was sharp with good contrast. At F2.0 it was a little soft in the center and the edges were rather soft. Contrast was OK. When in focus the images were very nice. I loved how the background just went all buttery. The bokeh was pretty good, not great but not distracting either. - I hadn't considered it before, but Focus Peaking works well with some lenses but less so with others. With this lens, I found that the Focus Peaking doesn't pick up the edges very well and it's very hard to focus well. This is true even with Focus Peaking set to Red (High). I'm not sure if it was due to the softness or limited contrast, but it was hard when wide open. I wanted to love this lens, but it went back. The ergonomics were great. The look was great. When in focus I was very happy with the images. But without Focus Peaking working well, it just wasn't going to work. Here are some photos of lens and brick walls. I didn't keep the others. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdecorte/sets/72157652853936094