DSCF9761One of the big questions that many photographers have regarding the Fuji X-T1 and the other X Series cameras, is how well they work with flash, especially of-camera flash.

While Fuji does have a few flashes in their lineup, they don’t (yet) have anything as advanced as the Nikon CLS system, which features things like TTL monitor pre flashes and infrared triggers.

However, Fuji built the X Series cameras to be compatible with most of the wired and wireless flash systems. They work with PocketWizards, Cactus triggers, and both Canon and Nikon sync cords. I’ve even used my Nikon SB units in the hot shoe of the X-T1 and they work fine.

Keep in mind, they only work in Manual flash mode. You can’t pair a Nikon or Canon speed light with the X-T1 and expect full TTL, but you can use it as a main flash, and you can even use it to fire other flashes.

However, anyone who follows the work of Strobist David Hobby knows that Manual flash is hardly a limitation. You can do amazing work with one or more flashes that are all set to M.

In this post, I’ll just cover a couple of techniques you can use when shooting off camera flash with the Fuji X Series cameras. For both of these examples, I’m using the flagship X-T1. It has a sync speed of 1/180, which isn’t bad. 1/250 would be nice, but for most things, 1/180 works just fine.

Wireless Radio Triggers

In these first two snow biking images, I’m using the X-T1 camera with the XF 50-140 f/2.8 lens. For the light, I have a Nikon SB-900 that’s fit inside a Photoflex 3-foot OctoDome softbox. I’m a huge fan of Photoflex soft boxes, they’re relatively inexpensive, quite portable, and very durable. Believe me, I’m pretty hard on my gear and the Photoflex stuff holds up to a great deal of abuse.

DSCF9758To trigger the flash, I’m using a pair of PocketWizards. Old ones. Plus II models that I’ve had for about fifteen years. They’re simple and very reliable, as are any of the PW Plus Series.

If you’re new to radio triggers, the new PocketWizard PlusX models are a great value. You can get a pair of them for about half the price of what a single Plus II model used to cost.

If you need multiple channels and longer range the Plus III is the way to go, but for most flash work you’ll probably do, a simple trigger, inexpensive trigger like the Yongnuo RF-603 II will work just fine. You can get a pair of wireless triggers and be off camera flashing for only 30 bucks. Plus they’re tiny.

I’ve never used the Cactus triggers, but from everything I’ve heard, they’re really good, reliable solutions for off camera flash. The latest ones are the Cactus v.6 models. As you can see, there a lot of options.

In this first example, I’ve set the camera to Tungsten White Balance. Then I use an orange CTO gel on the flash, which counteracts the blue.

Why switch the while balance? The effect will be that everything lit with the flash will look normal, while the background retains a cool, moody blue light. It’s a nice effect that can give you a very interesting look.

At left, you see in this shot above, the scene with Tungsten WB and no flash. Its really dark inside the forest on a winter day, which gives the scene a very drab look. Not so good. A perfect scene for adding flash. Here, I placed the flash inside the trees just off the trail, so that it would hit the biker from 90 degrees as she rode by.

Of course, this technique can be tricky. Since you may only have one shot each pass, you’ll  have the nail the timing, or you’ll miss the light. Focus can be tricky too. Here, I put the X-T1 in AF-C AF tracking mode, and the 50-140 had no trouble finding and locking on the subject while she rode up and down the trail. In some situations, you may need to pre-focus on a set point and then fire the shutter just when the subject reaches that point.

Camera and flash exposure was set as follows: 1/180 sec. @ f4, Manual Exposure mode, with flash set at around 1/8 power. It always takes a few test shots to figure out the appropriate flash sheeting. That big 3′ OctoDome puts out a lot of light, so I didn’t need very much coming out of the flash. Plus, its angled the light up quite a bit so that it wouldn’t blast too much onto the snow, since its got such a wide wrap. A grid would have worked well here.

Here’s the scene with not quite enough light, I think set at 1/32 power, and then the final version.

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Cloudy White Balance

Sometimes Tungsten White Balance doesn’t always look quite right. For this next scene, I switched to Cloudy White Balance and removed the orange gel from the flash. Here are the two versions to show you the difference, as well as my light placement. Flash exposure was set to around 1/8 power, and in the final shot, I dropped the shutter speed to 1/60 sec. in order to show a little bit of motion in the subject.

For this scene, the crux wasn’t focus, it was timing. It took a few passes in order to get the right framing where the biker was on the right side of the frame and the flash wasn’t in the picture. Flash photography often takes a certain level of trial and error and trying things a few times before you nail it.

For both of these two scenes, I’m using gear that all fits inside, or strapped to the side of my photo pack. That’s why I call it “going fast with light.”

DSCF9770 DSCF9794DSCF9809

Using One Flash to Trigger Another Flash

For these last couple of shots, I used a pair of bare bulb Nikon SB-700 Speedlights, one sitting in the hot shoe of the X-T1, and the other held by a friend off to the side. The flash in the hot shoe was set to Manual mode and a very low power setting, around 1/128. Its job is not to light up the main subject, but to trigger the second off-camera flash. It was swiveled to point directly at the second flash.

The second SB-700 was zoomed to around 85 mm, to get a nice strong direct beam of light, and set to SU-4 mode, which is Optical Slave Mode. In this mode, the flash fires whenever it ‘sees’ the light from another flash. So, you could use ANY flash in the hotshoe, and for a second light, any flash that has a wireless slave mode. Your best value is probably the Lumopro LP180 Strobist model. Nissen recently released the i40 Flash for Fuji. You can read a review of this flash on Fstoppers.

For of these scenes, I used Auto White Balance white balance and the orange CTO gel on the flash. Again, the X-T1, but this time, I’ve switched to the Fuji XF 90mm f/2 lens.

DSCF0205ADSCF0210DSCF0211

So, to wrap up, your flash options using the Fuji X-T1, or any of the Fuji X Series cameras, is pretty much wide open. Although you lack the precise remote control of the Nikon CLS system, you can do a lot with Manual flash. Really, the limitation of manual is that you have to walk around and change each light by hand, so basically, we’re just talking time. Once you’ve got it all dialed in, the light quality is exactly the same.

When I sold all of my Nikon DSLR last year, I kept all of my Nikon flashes, because they still work fine with my Fuji system, and as you can see, in a number of ways. Really, all you need to get going is a single flash and either a sync cord or a couple of triggers. After that, it’s all about experimentation.

For further and expansive reading on off-camera flash techniques in the outdoors, check out my eBook, Going Fast With Light. While the gear might very, all of the techniques I describe in my eBook are applicable with both DSLR gear and mirrorless cameras. And it’s on sale right now.


December 28, 2015
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Shooting Off Camera Flash with the Fuji X-T1

IntuosPro

Current Instant Rebate: Save $50 on the Wacom Intuos Pro.

Call me a convert. I’m officially a graphics tablet guy now.

I don’t know about you, but after computing for something like 26 or 27 years, I’m kind of over the mouse. Sure, it was a great invention at the time, and for that we have Steve Jobs to thank, but seriously. It’s kind of depressing to think about exactly how much of our lives are spent cradling that little plastic puck.

Yes, we’re finally seeing touch screen computers starting to take over the world, which means we’ve officially entered the future. Those work great for things like checkout counters, but for the kind of work that you and I do, those just aren’t very practical. Can you imagine sitting at your desk and spending hours each day with your arm outstretched up at the monitor? That would suck after about an hour. Maybe ten minutes.

Then there’s the trackpad and the swipe gestures on the mouse. I don’t have an Apple trackpad, but I do use swipe gestures on my mouse, but again- still tied to the mouse.

I’ve known about Wacom graphics tablets for a long time, but never really thought about getting one until recently. I’m not sure what clicked in my mind, but I tried one out again at PhotoPlus back in October and was hooked. I ordered an Intuos Pro Medium Tablet on the spot and have been incredibly pleased with it ever since it arrived.

In this review, I’ll run down the main features and then let you know how I’ve been using it in my workflow. (You can check out more info about the Intuos Pro Tablet at the Wacom Website.)

Design

As you can see in the picture above, the Wacom Intuos Pro is pretty straightforward. Essentially, it’s a big trackpad with eight buttons and a scroll wheel on the left side. It comes in three sizes, but the medium version is 14.5″ x 9.5″, which is about the same size as a 13″ Mac Book Pro. Maybe a tiny bit bigger, but it will fit in most laptop bags and packs that hold that size laptop, and it’s flat enough that it should fit along WITH your laptop.

The pad works either with the included pen, or it can function as a multi-gesture trackpad that you can use with your fingers. And it works with any monitor setup, even if you have dual screens.

The left side buttons and wheel are all programmable, and you can make them all application specific. This means you can assign them differently to any program that you use. Finally, it has a  battery and USB plug that allows you to use the unit wirelessly, so either on the road, or in your lap at your desk. Pretty cool.

Functionality

As I mentioned, the Wacom Intuos Pro can either be used with the pen or it can function as a trackpad. Both ways work great, and I’m quite impressed with how easy it is to use with your fingers. As much as I like using the pen, I find myself using it this way pretty often.

In the control panel, you can set up for your multi-touch gestures, whether for one, two, three, four, or even five fingers. Swipes, touches, taps, pinches all work great with the computer’s OS, and most of the gestures are customizable for different applications.

The pen is more precise, although it takes a little while to get used to it. The pen is mapped specifically to the screen, so wherever you are on the tablet with the pen corresponds to where you are on your monitor(s).

This is different from how a mouse and trackpad works. With the mouse, the cursor is wherever you left it on the screen, and so if you lift up the mouse (or your finger), you start again where you left off. Since we’ve all been mousing for years, this is completely intuitive.

However, as I said, the pen is always mapped, so while it seems a little strange at first, once you get used to it, you’ll actually find it to be a very precise input device.

Add to that the fact that the pen is capable of detecting 2048 levels of pressure, which makes it an extremely versatile device for doing critical Photoshop, drawing and design work, since pen pressure translates to things like brush size and line strength. This is obviously the real strength of graphics tablets.

Finally, the pen also has two programmable buttons, and an “eraser.”

tablet

In Use

Pen and Trackpad

I have mine positioned right in front of the keyboard, although some people place it off to the side where the mouse pad would usually be. I’m still new at this and I may refine my placement in the coming months, but for now, I like this setup.

As I said, I use the trackpad and gestures quite often. If I’m just sitting down and doing quick tasks, I’ll use my fingers. Like right now. I’m going between typing this post, looking at Twitter and checking my email, all using the tablet like a trackpad.

With gestures like one finger click, two finger scroll, and three finger select and drag, I can get anywhere on the screen and do any task without grabbing the mouse. In fact, since I got the tablet, I rarely use the mouse anymore.

That said, I do use the pen a lot, and I really like how it functions. It feels very precise. Very deliberate. Very tactile. It’s great for dragging sliders and dust spotting. With one button, you can also put the tablet in and out of “Precision Mode,” which lets you be incredibly accurate with the pen. This is great for critical editing and retouching work.

Sometimes I combine pen use with finger taps and scrolls. I find that the pen works really well for Photoshop work, and also for applications like Logic Pro (music and recording) and even my occasional binge with video games.

Buttons and Scroll Wheel

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Although mousing, tracking and penning can get you by for simple tasks like reading emails, opening folders, dragging files and surfing the web, for any serious computing work, you use other keys and keystrokes.

This is where the buttons and scroll wheel come in extremely handy. In fact, they’re the vital feature on the Intuos Pro tablets. As I pointed out, you can assign them to be application specific. This is totally key, because you can completely customize your entire workflow and computing around having these eight buttons and the wheel do different things inside different programs.

For example, when I’m using Lightroom, my top four buttons are set to G, D, C, N, which correspond to Grid mode (Library Panel), Develop mode, Survey and Compare. The bottom four buttons are set to Pick, Flag, Shift and Command.

I can swipe between images with my fingers, scroll through the library with the scroll wheel, select with my finger or the pen, page up and down with the pen buttons, and use the buttons to pick, flag, select multiple images, etc….

For other programs, I have the buttons set to things like Copy, Paste, Undo, Right and Left Arrow,  Zoom image, and the list goes on. Totally customizable. You can set it up to match your own workflow and make it so you can do just about everything with the tablet.

What about typing? You can even have it set to bring up an on-screen keyboard that you can control with the pen or your finger. I wouldn’t write a long email or blog post with the on-screen keyboard, but for simple tagging, and adding a couple of keywords, why not?

Additional On-Screen Menus

As if the buttons weren’t enough, you have even more options with the Radial Menu, App Shortcuts Panel, Brush Tools, and the Photoshop Specific menus.

The Radial Menu is especially cool, because when you bring it up, (I have mine set up to show with three finger tap) you have access to 8 more options. I have some of them set to paste specific bits of text/code that I often use, which save me a lot of time, and another to bring up the on-screen keyboard.

The App Shortcuts let you tap to page up and down, copy, paste, undo, find and more. You get the idea. Lots of options. That’s what I like about this setup, I have multiple ways of doing everything, without having to rely on the mouse and keyboard for EVERYTHING.

Ergonomics

I can’t tell you how nice it is not to be tied to the mouse anymore. I also like that I can unplug the tablet, go wireless, then sit back and edit photos with the tablet in my lap. Yes, there are some iPad apps that let you do this, but the graphics tablet just has so many other options and much more expanded functionality.

Overall, I really like the tactile feel of the Intuos Pro. Between the precision of the pen, the ease of the touch/trackpad feature, and the control buttons on the side, I feel like I have a high degree of control over my input, and great ergonomic variation, which for the amount of computer work I do, adds up to greatly reduced repetitive stress on any one muscle group in my hands and forearm muscles.

I don’t know about you, but after few consecutive, long days of editing or writing, my arm hurts when I’m using the mouse. With this setup, I can change things up and alleviate this problem. In the grand scheme of things, that’s a very important issue.

So, is there a downside to using a tablet like this? Well, for one, you suddenly lose a big open, laptop-sized spot on your desk. I can see that being an issue with some people. I’ve got a pretty big desk, though, so it’s not a big deal with me. Besides, when there was no tablet, I’d just pile stuff there anyway. In a way this tidies things up for me.

Also, it takes a little while to get used the pen. We’re all so used to using the mouse that the pen might seem a little twitchy at first. You get used to it, and you find yourself a bit more calm and deliberate, (at least I do,) when using the pen. That said, a tablet setup is probably not for everyone.

On the flip side, if you do lots of retouching and editing work, the pen is a pretty invaluable tool. It’s the kind of thing where once you use it, you never want to go back to the mouse. And you’d be surprised at how many people use these things. When I got my Wacom tablet, I started hearing from a number of other photographer colleagues who have them as well.

If you spend a lot of time in Photoshop, if you do any kind of sketching, drawing or painting on the computer, or if you’re just tired of the mouse, I’d highly recommend the Intuos Pro tablet. Is it a necessity? No, but it sure makes computer life more precise, more professional and more ergonomically friendly. As I said, for the amount of times we photographers spend in front of our screens, those are compelling reasons.

With the current instant rebates, you can save $50 on the Wacom Intuos Pro.

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December 16, 2015
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A Look at the Wacom Intuos Pro Graphics Tablet

It’s that time of year again, when, during the course of shopping for other people, we photographers see cool gadgets and accessories that we hope someone will throw in our stockings. It’s universal, so why fight it? I’m talking useful stuff here, not novelty gifts that get a laugh and then end up in the giveaway box a few weeks later, like the film canister toilet paper roll dispenser. C’mon, really?

Whether it’s for yourself, or if you’re buying for a fellow image maker, here are 10 great gift items that any photographer would probably like to receive.

1. Eneloop batteries

Who doesn’t need more Eneloops! Arguably the best rechargeable NiMh battery around, these things are essential for flashes, headlamps, bike lights, GPS units and anything else that uses AA cells. Want highest capacity batteries? Then go for the new Eneloop Pro, or the Amazon Basics OEM version, which are essentially the same thing in a different wrapper.

2. Think Tank Pixel Rocket SD Memory Card Case

You gotta carry memory cards, right? This cool little soft case holds nine SD cards, folds up tight with a velcro flap and has a short lanyard so you don’t lose it. The Think Tank Pixel Rocket has been my preferred card case for years.

3. Backpacker Adventure Photography Book

A little shameless self promotion here, I wrote this book. Published by Backpacker Magazine and Falcon Guides, this is a useful little pocket field guide to outdoor photography that would make a great gift for any budding shooter. Someone in your life new to photography? This will get them started.

4. Fuji Instax Printer

You might have a hard time getting one of these things delivered before Christmas. They’re in hot demand, and not just because it made this year’s “Oprah’s Favorite Things” list. The Fuji Instax WiFi Printer makes playing card size, Polaroid-style prints and is perfect for travel photographers and anyone who thinks it would be fun to have quick, tangible, real pictures on the go.

5.Outdoor Photographer Magazine Subscription

Outdoor Photo Mag played a huge role in my life during the early years of my photography, and I still enjoy reading it today. I always pull something useful out of each issue. A one-year subscription gets you a steady stream of inspiration, technical and creative tips and lots of pro insight in every single issue.

 

6. Kingsston G2 5-in-one Mobile Companion

The Kingston G2 Mobile Companion is a nifty little device that offers useful solutions to the photographer who travels with only a phone or tablet. It lets you charge your device (2 full iPhone charges), extend storage of your device by up to 2TB, offload photos from your mobile device to a USB flash drive, backup SD cards directly to a USB drive, stream movies and music to your device, and lets you plug in a wired Wi-Fi connection and create a mobile hotspot for all your devices. It’s a pretty cool little gadget and not very expensive.

7. Camera connection kit

If you don’t have a camera with Wi-Fi capabilities, you need an easy way to get photos from your camera or SD card to your phone or tablet. With Apple iOS 9.2 update, you can now transfer directly from the camera to the phone and iPad, but you still need a camera connection kit cable. Depending on your device and needs, there are a few different models to choose from.

8. Lens Pen

The classic lens cleaning device. Keep your expensive glass free of dust and grime. Everyone needs at least one Lens Pen kicking around in their camera bag or pocket. Great stocking stuffer.

9. F-Stop Watch

The watch that only photographers will “get.” Tell time in style. Features a cool vintage look, f/stop numbers on the dial and quartz timepiece. Let’s see your friend’s Apple Watch do this!

 

10 Selfie Stick

Just kidding. The world doesn’t need any more of these. Want a picture of yourself? Ask a stranger to take it for you and intimate a personal connection with another human being. We need more of that.

Happy Holidays!! 🙂 🎄

 

December 15, 2015
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10 Holiday Gift Ideas for Photographers

Exploring ice features on Matanuska Glacier

I’m excited to announce my upcoming Matanuska Glacier Photography Workshop, which will take place during the weekend of April 1-3, 2016.

During this two-night weekend workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to explore one of the most amazing and rugged locations that Southcentral Alaska has to offer, the massive Matanuska Glacier, in the heart of the Chugach Mountains.

You’ll spend a full day exploring the glacier up close, with time to intimately photograph this otherworldly landscapes of snow and ice. This is really an amazing location, full of ice caves, massive walls of blue ice, impressive crevasses, and stunning ice formations that jut up into the sky. It’s a photographer’s playground!

Of course, I’ll be right there with you to provide personal instruction and assistance so you can get the best shots possible. I want you to walk away with photographs you’re really excited about, so my focus will be on teaching and giving you compositional tips and technical guidance, as well as general tips for shooting in these kinds of environments, and if you wish, you’ll have the chance to try out some of my Fujifilm X Series mirrorless cameras and lenses like the X-T1 and X-T10.

Only 7 Spots Available- Reserve Your Space Now

Weather permitting, you’ll hopefully be able to catch the late afternoon spring Alaska light on the surrounding landscapes of the Matanuska Valley, and do some “night sky photography”. Early April is a great time to explore the Matanuska Glacier. It’s still winter out there, but the coldest part of the season has past, so it’s pretty comfortable to be outside all day. Also, the light is coming back fast during that time of year. The days are getting longer, and sunset that week is around 8:45 PM, and there’s still enough darkness to see amazing aurora displays if the Northern Lights are out.

Accommodations are based at Sheep Mountain Lodge, where you’ll stay in one of the rustic, yet comfortable cabins and enjoy a beautiful wilderness setting with classic meals done Alaska style.

This promises to be an awesome weekend for outdoor photography, with so many possibilities for great subject matter, instruction, getting to know other photographers, and spending an experiencing a beautiful part of Alaska. I hope you can join me!

Please visit the workshop page at Alaska Photo Treks to see more info and reserve your spot on this trip.

Itinerary

Day 1, Friday afternoon

Arrive on your own to Anchorage, AK. Transfer by van for the one-hour drive to the Sheep Mountain Lodge, about a 2-hour drive.  Check-in to your cabin. Pre-workshop orientation, dinner and an instructional presentation on winter landscape photography at the lodge. Evening and night sky photography, if the conditions are clear.

Day 2, Saturday

Breakfast at lodge. Informal, yet important and safety briefing before heading out to the glacier. Then we’ll drive out to the Matanuska Glacier and explore the area for a full day of photography, with opportunities for personal, firsthand instruction and guidance by me. If the weather is clear, we should see various spectacular views of the higher peaks of the Chugach Mountains. Evening is spent with another home-cooked meal and sunset/night sky photography if conditions are clear. 
  
Day 3, Sunday

After breakfast at the lodge, you’ll have the chance to explore the area around the lodge and practice some outdoor photography on your own and learn some new techniques or try out some new gear. You’ll also have time to edit your photos from the day before for our final classroom presentation slide show and critique, where you can share you best work. In the late afternoon, we’ll all ride the van back to Anchorage, arriving around 6:00 PM.

Accommodations

Operating for nearly 70 years, the Sheep Mountain Lodge offers a unique balance between rustic and comfort. Set alongside the edge of an immense wilderness that straddles the Chugach Mountain Range and the Talkeetna Mountains, the lodge offers handcrafted cabins with comfortable amenities, tasteful styling and friendly hospitality.

Each cabin offers a view of some truly amazing Alaska mountain scenery outside and if you keep your eyes open, there’s a good chance that you’ll see some Alaska wildlife wander by right outside your window, such as moose, lynx or snowshoe hare. The dining room features fresh Alaska seafood, steaks, homemade desserts, soup and baked goods, including fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, cookies, strawberry-rhubarb pie and sourdough bread, as well as a selection of beer and wine. With reasonably close access to Anchorage, a stay at Sheep Mountain Lodge is a truly memorable and unique experience. The lodge has received the Trip Advisor Award of Excellence.

Trip Cost

Classic Cabin:  $895 per person. Includes 2 nights’ accommodations and meals from arrival day dinner to last day breakfast and round-trip transportation from Anchorage. The beautifully handcrafted Classic Cabins offer a rustic experience with one queen bed and one twin bed, table and chairs and kitchenette, and a shared bath and the use of the showerhouse building. (Classic cabins do not have running water in the winter season.)

Premier Cabin:  $995 per person. Includes 2 nights’ accommodations and meals from arrival day dinner to last day breakfast and round-trip transportation from Anchorage. Premier Cabins are fully furnished with two queen beds, pull-out sleeper sofa, table and chairs and kitchenette, running water, private bath with shower. Note, there are only four Premier Cabins available.

Reserve Your Spot Now! Visit Alaska Photo Treks to secure a spot on this workshop.

As always, if you have any questions about this workshop, don’t hesitate to contact me and ask!

December 9, 2015
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Matanuska Glacier Photography Workshop, April 1-3, 2016

1445448924000_1191420I have this vision of the Fuji engineers in Japan all sitting around a giant blackboard, gulping espresso and Red Bull while they crank out endless equations and design new lenses.

In effect, that’s what lenses are, they’re just math. At least on the inside. In fact, one of the first lens designers was Joseph Petzval, a math professor from what is now modern day Slovakia, who came up with the design for a portrait lens fast enough for daguerreotype cameras in 1840.

Of course, the math has to fit inside a package that appeals to us image conscious photographers, and therein lies the challenge. Building lenses that combine the perfect blend of quality and ergonomics is not easy, but it seems like the Fuji engineers are on a roll.

Last month, Fuji released their brand new 35mm f/2 WR lens, and it’s a hot little number. I first saw it at PhotoPlus, and was seduced by its sheer sexiness. With its compact build and tapered front end, it has a certain “Summicron” look about it. Slap it on the front of an X-T1 or X-Pro 1, and it suddenly give your camera that “gentleman’s” look, or “gentle ladies'” look, if you prefer.

XF35mm-F2_X-T1_silver_Front_LeftIf that’s not enough, then get the silver version for your graphite silver X-T1 or chrome body X-T10. Now we’re talking- this thing is simply gorgeous, and it brings you back to that kinder, simpler time in photography.

Needless to say, I was pretty taken aback by this thing, but then I remembered, looks only count for so much with me. Although I’m nice guy, I’m much more dirtbag than gentleman. Looks only go so far with me. For the kind of photography I do, it’s what’s under the hood that counts.

After trying it out, I realized that the new XF 35mm f/2 is no slouch. It’s not just a pretty thing that needs a pedestal, this is something you can pull down into the trenches and get dirty. It’s the real deal.

Design and Build

First of all, like most of the new Fuji lenses, the new 35mm f/2 is weather sealed. It has eight seals inside the barrel that protect against moisture and dust. Again, perfect companion for the X-T1.

Inside are 9 elements in 6 groups, including 2 aspherical elements that help minimize chromatic aberrations and distortion, and 9 aperture blade for nice, round bokeh. In addition, Fuji used their Nano GI coating, which helps control ghosting and flare.

In hand, the 35 is tiny, but substantial, with a nice tight aperture ring. It feels solid, like a lens should feel, but since it’s so small, it hardly adds any weight or bulk to the camera. It gives your camera that unobtrusive, nondescript “tourist look” that makes your X-T1 blend into the crowd. As if it didn’t already do so. But again, the 35 is no tourist lens. This thing is for real.

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Fast Autofocus

As soon as my 35mm f/2 arrived, I took it outside for an entire day of shooting on Global Fat Bike day and threw it right into service shooting a fat bike race here in Anchorage. In fact, that’s the only lens I brought with me, so it had a tall order in front of it, but as you can see, the new 35 passed the test with flying colors.

The classic 50mm, which is basically what a 35mm lens is on an APS-C sensor camera, is not exactly considered to be the ideal “sports lens.” You often have to get pretty close in order to make things exciting, and of course, the closer you are to the action, the more critical AF performance is, since the relative motion so much greater.

However, VERY MUCH UNLIKE the original Fuji 35mm f/1.4, which focuses extremely slow, the new 35mm f/2 WR lens is a very fast performer in the autofocus department. It’s quick, silent, and in continuous high mode on the the X-T1, it does a fine job tracking moving subjects. I was actually quite impressed with how well it performed.

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Fast Aperture 

While it’s not quite as fast as the 35 f/1.4, the maximum aperture of f/2 on the new 35 is still pretty wide, especially considering how small and compact this lens is.

Really, anything under f/2.8 is considered to be pretty fast, so again, this is no slouch. It does a fine job giving nice soft backgrounds and yummy bokeh behind your subject. The 9 aperture blades help this even more.

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Classic Viewpoint

With its Nifty-Fifty style viewpoint, the Fuji 35mm f/2 gives a very familiar look. It’s the same one you see with your eyes. Look at something, then put this lens up to your eye and you’ll see the exact same perspective.

There’s a reason that the classic 50mm lens has been so popular throughout the decades. What you see is what you get. And with it’s shallow depth of field up close, this range is ideal for portraits. All those awesome Steve McCurry portraits from places like India and Afghanistan were shot with a 50.

In addition, when you’re learning a new skill like photography, it’s enough to deal with having to think about exposure and apertures and stuff, and adding in different lens looks can be a little much. Starting with a familiar viewpoint can help ease you into the process, and when you get more comfortable with it all, you always have something to came back to when you want to show the world just like you see it.

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Close Focusing Ability

With a minimum working distance of only 13″, the Fuji XF 35mm f/2 WR lens lets you get pretty close your subjects. This makes it even more versatile. Taking it out on the frozen beach, I had fun capturing some intimate views of the pebbles and little ice chunks. Below is a quick handheld snap; with a tripod, I could have gotten even better results.

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Overall

I got the new XF 35mm f/2 because it looked like a sexy little lens that I figured would be a nice, light useful lens for travel and as a compact “walk around lens.” In just a couple of days of use, though, I’ve found it to be so much more. I wish I would have had this lens for my Romania trip, it would have been perfect. Small, lightweight and fast. Perfect for bike touring.

It’s also the least expensive XF lens in the entire Fuji range. It costs the same as the entry level XC 16-50 f/3.5-5.6, but it’s a WAY better lens in every way, hands down. Very sharp glass, fast aperture, fast AF, most solidly built and weather sealed.

Downsides? It’s not as fast as the old 35mm f/1.4, so if you want REALLY fast, there are faster Fuji lenses out there. I can’t really think of any more. It doesn’t have image stabilization, but none of the Fuji primes do.

Overall, it’s just a sweet little lens that’s ideal for just about every subject you can think of- portraits, travel, nature, sort-of-closeup, still life, and in a pinch, even action. It’s the street photographer’s dream. If you’re an X Series shooter, this one is worth a look.

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December 7, 2015
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Review of the New Fuji XF 35mm f/2 WR Lens

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I’ve always liked Slik tripods, I think they offer very good value for a wide range of photographers. My very first tripod was a Slik 444 super sport that cost about $60, and I used it for years.

One summer I took it on a 40-day road trip around the American West and used it to photograph landscapes from the Badlands to Death Valley to Monument Valley, and even though it saw a lot of abuse, it did just fine.

Twenty five years later Slik is still making decent models that offer a good compromise in weight, stability and price.

In my mind, the Slik Sprint Pro II hits the sweet spot in that equation. It offers reasonable stability, it folds down to 18.5″ and only weighs 2 lbs, and that’s with the included ball head. All for only $89, although right now, Slik is offering a $20 instant rebate, which brings it down to only $69. 

I’ve tried the Slik Sprint Pro II out in person, and while it’s obviously not as stable as something like a Gitzo, it’s certainly sturdy enough for casual use and for ultra lightweight backcountry excursions, especially if you use mirrorless gear. It will handle lightweight DSLR bodies and lenses as well, but with a max load of 4.5 lbs, it’s not really built for heavy full frame cameras and big glass.

Even with light gear, extend it all the way up in the wind with a heavy payload and it’s definitely a little wobbly. However, say you just want something that will let you get that waterfall shot, shoot under the night sky or grab low light travel shots and portraits, and that’s easy to carry, this will get the job done in most situations.

With four leg flip-lock aluminum leg sections, retractable spikes in the feet, padded foam leg covers, a QR head head and a inverting center column that let you shoot down to 6″ above the ground, the Slik Sprint Pro II is actually a capable little tripod. And it’s certainly light enough to strap onto the side of a backpack or throw in your luggage. At 2 lbs, it’s not unreasonable to think you could take this on a bike trip.

As much as we’d all love to own a Gizto, not everyone has the budget for a $500+ tripod. Yes, the argument can be made that your tripod is a very essential piece of gear for serious landscape photography, but that’s still a lot of money for a piece of gear you may not use all the time. Besides, use good technique and brace it with weight or a stuff sac filled with rocks or sand, and there’s no reason you can’t get good results from something like this.

Even without the current rebates, the Slik Sprint Pro II is definitely worth considering if you’re in the market for an affordable lightweight tripod. At the current price, I can’t think of anything that offers this kind of value, and I certainly don’t know of any other 2 lb. tripod with these kinds of features that doesn’t cost a whole lot more. And it makes a great gift.

(I realize it might say $79 in the Amazon widget below, but if you actually visit Amazon right now, you’ll see that it’s really only $69.)

[iframe]<iframe width=”120″ scrolling=”no” height=”240″ frameborder=”0″ style=”border:none;” border=”0″ src=”http://mer54715.datafeedfile.com/widget/aff_widget_prdt_generate-2.0.php?aff_num=6746&aff_net=1&widget_num=6946&sid=” marginheight=”0″ marginwidth=”0″></iframe><iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=danhbaisadvph-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B002821ESU&asins=B002821ESU&linkId=SCZFSVAEADS3HQUR&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”>
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December 3, 2015
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The Slik Sprint Pro II Tripod: Ultra Light, Ultra Affordable

PM

I’ve been a Photo Mechanic fanatic ever since the day I went digital, which for the record, was April 12, 2006. Over the years, it’s proved itself many times over as an worthy companion and an indispensable partner in my photography workflow.

Ok, I’ll admit, I haven’t always been faithful. During the summer of 2009, I started up relationship with Lightroom. Seduced by its fuller features and the promise of being able to get me through my entire workflow from start to finish, I turned my back on Photo Mechanic. I ran off with Lightroom for the next few years, let my PM license expire and in time, almost forgot about her.

However, as my catalog grew, as the software became more processor intensive with each update, as RAW files became bigger with each new camera, and when I transitioned to using Fuji X Series cameras, Lightroom and I began to develop serious problems in our relationship.

Dismayed, I decided to call Photo Mechanic again. Out of the blue, I downloaded the latest version, which, much to my surprise, looked pretty much exactly like the old version. Within minutes of loading up and browsing through a folder of images, I realized how much I missed her. She was everything she always was. It was love rekindled.

I quickly remembered all the reasons I love Photo Mechanic, and why the program was so vital to my workflow in the first place. I renewed my license and we were off and running again, just like old times. However, the difference now is that my relationship is not exclusive. Lightroom is still very much in the picture, and I’ve learned to get along and be happy with both programs.

I guess you could call it “complicated,” because I’ve figured how to make the best use of both programs. Each of them has very good qualities, but neither of them is perfect for everything. Isn’t that just like life?

So, now that I’ve given you my relationship history, I’ll tell you the 4 reasons why I love Photo Mechanic Software.

1. It’s a Wicked Fast Image Browser

Photo Mechanic is so awesome because it doesn’t try to be too much. It’s a standalone image browser and that’s all. It doesn’t try to store your entire image library in a single file, you simply load a folder of images and you’re off and running. And when I say running, I mean sprinting flat out at your max heart rate.

Seriously, Photo Mechanic can browse through a folder of a few thousand RAW files SO much faster than Lightroom, even when you’re previewing full size images. In the time it takes Lightroom to load a full size image preview of a large RAW file, Photo Mechanic can browse the same images 10-15 times faster, even at full size.

The reason Photo Mechanic is so fast is that it doesn’t load the actual RAW file when browsing, it’s just loading the embedded JPEG preview. When you factor in the time spent importing, editing, choosing selects, captioning, keywording a large job or a huge batch of trip photo, the time saved with Photo Mechanic really adds up.

2. It’s So Much More Than Just a Browser

I lied. It’s not just a browser. Photo Mechanic actually does a lot. It’s a very capable program that could be used as your main catalog software.

Built for speed, Photo Mechanic can Import your images from your memory cards (it can even ingest multiple cards at the same time and duplicate to another destination), Rename your files and Edit IPTC information, which includes adding captions, keywords and copyright information, and adjust capture images. The highly customizable IPTC panel lets you add an extremely wide range of notations to either one photo or entire batches.

Photo Mechanic also has a number of highly functional Editing features. You can rotate, crop, preview, tag, watermark, resize, attach gps coordinates, compare images side by side and set tags, as well as star and color ratings. You can sort by any parameter you can think of, whether it has to do with capture time, specific metadata or EXIF data,

Finally, it has full-featured Export options. You can save and copy photos to folders and external drives, email photos, print contact sheets, create web galleries, share, upload or ftp images to sites like Twitter, Flicker, 500px, Photoshelter, Smugmug, Zenfolio, or to your own web site. Within the Export panels, you can specify size, resolution, cropping, scaling and apply either a text or graphic watermark.

What it doesn’t have is a Develop panel. That’s the reason it can’t stand entirely on its own in your workflow, but it does have an “Edit” button that will let you export the your file to an external editor, like Photoshop, Affinity Photo, Iridient Developer or even Capture One Pro. And, as you’ll see below…

3. The “Edit” Command Sends the Original File

This is a big one, especially for Fuji shooters, although it can apply to anyone. As I said above, when you hit the “Edit” button, Photo Mechanic sends the original file with no adjustments to the RAW editor of your choice.

That may sound straightforward, and it is, but not when compared to what Lightroom does. If you send a RAW file to an external editor in Lightroom, the file still passes through Adobe’s demosaicing process first. What hits the external editor is not the “raw” RAW file, it’s the RAW file that’s been tweaked by Adobe Camera RAW.

Fuji shooters know that Adobe doesn’t handle the unique architecture of the X-Trans sensor very well, so editing in Lightroom, or even sending it out to another editor doesn’t give you the best results, unless you use a plugin like Open Directly. That’s why you get that “smudgy” softness when you process Fuji files with Adobe.

Photo Mechanic doesn’t have an internal processor, it just sends the straight file out with no corrections, just like if you do the whole “reveal in finder,” then open it from there, only without all those extra steps.

4. It Handles RAW + JPEG Efficiently

With the click of a Command-J keystroke, you can toggle between displaying both the RAW and JPEG images side by side, or showing them as one RAW+JPEG file. Back and forth. Either or. Anytime you wish.

With Lightroom, you have to specify on import whether the included JPEG should be treated as a separate file or not. This can be slightly problematic, especially when renumbering your images. Maybe Lightroom has an option to apply the same same filename to RAW+JPEGs, but I haven’t figured out what that is.

Also, if you’re using a camera that has built-in film simulations or other special color and effect modes, which are embedded in the JPEG, those specific “looks” disappear once you import into Lightroom if you don’t keep those files separate. Adobe just applies it’s own standard color profile, and if Lightroom imports your RAW+JPEG files together, essentially, the JPEG just disappears.

Photo Mechanic imports the RAWs and JPEGs as separate files, but as I said, you can just toggle back and forth. This lets you customize your RAW+JPEG workflow to fit your needs.

Final Analysis: Photo Mechanic gives you all the tools you need to do handle a large percentage of your digital photography workflow needs. It has powerful batch processing abilities, it works well with other programs, and again, it’s blazingly fast.

Don’t get me wrong, Lightroom is a great program, but Photo Mechanic is SOOOOO much faster with most tasks that you do on a regular basis. When you factor in the time it takes to upload, edit, caption, and keyword a large batch of RAW photos, the time saved can really add up.

How Fast is Photo Mechanic? I just did a test where I had Lightroom build full size 1:1 previews for 100 Fuji X-T1 RAW files. Elapsed time was 10 minutes and 12 seconds. Whether you build previews on import or after, that’s still time spent waiting.

If we say that it takes five seconds to briefly view an image, determine whether it’s sharp or not and sharpness, quickly establish whether it should be kept or trashed, I could have gone through 122 of the same X-T1 RAW files in Photo Mechanic in those 10+ minutes.

Multiply that by thousands of images? That’s like adding extra days to your life every year.

That’s why I use Photo Mechanic.

In a future post, I’ll outline exactly how I use it in my workflow in conjunction with Lightroom and Iridient Developer (or any RAW processing software.)

December 2, 2015
See this post
4 Reasons Why I’m in Love with Photo Mechanic Software

BackcountrypilotI’m excited to be the featured photographer this quarter on the BackcountryPilot.org website. Read Photo Pilot: Six Questions with Dan Bailey and learn more about how I started flying and blending my longtime craft of photography with my newfound passion of aviation.

BackcountryPilot.org is an online community for pilots who want to escape the bounds of paved runways and explore the world of dirt, grass, gravel and snow. It’s the most prominent site on the web for people who enjoy or want to learn more about bush flying.

It’s a wealth of knowledge on things like technique, safety, survival issues, and tips/info on visiting different areas of the country. I’ve certainly spent some time on the site before, because it’s an awesome resource for people like me, and so I’m proud to be associated as one of their featured photo pilots.

Even though I’ve long been fascinated by airplanes, even as recent as ten years ago, I don’t think I would have imagined owning my own little airplane that I use for exploring the backcountry and shooting aerial mountain photography in Alaska. I can say it’s been one of the most thrilling journey’s I’ve taken with my camera life.

Check out Photo Pilot: Six Questions with Dan Bailey, and if you have time, spend some time looking around. There’s some pretty amazing stuff on there, even for armchair pilots!

Thanks to Zane Jacobson, the owner of the site, for reaching out to me earlier this year.

November 23, 2015
See this post
I’m The Featured Photo Pilot This Quarter on BackcountryPilot.org

Fujinon-XF-90mm-f2-R-LM-WR

I love long lenses. There’s just something so cool about bringing your subject up close and pinning them tack sharp against a nice, soft, blurry background.

My long lens of choice has traditionally been the fast f/2.8 tele zooms, like my old Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8, and now the Fuji XF 50-140 f/2.8. (Read my full review of the Fuji 50-140) When you’re photographing action, nothing beats having that kind of speed, and no matter what you’re shooting, nothing beats razor sharp glass.

However, as we all know, long lenses, come with big tradeoffs. If you want lightweight, you’re often sacrificing quality and speed, and if you want those two things back, you’re lugging around some pretty heavy camera gear. The weight issue isn’t as much of a concern for portrait and assignment photographers, but if you’re doing longer adventures in the outdoors or traveling with a lens like that, it really starts to weigh you down.

I say this from experiene. I’ve lugged my big f/2.8 zooms everywhere; on multi-day backpacking trips, backcountry ski excursions, bike trips… I even hauled one up and over the highest road in the world during my 2001 bike trip in Ladakh, India. It hasn’t always the ideal setup, but I always put up with the added weight because I wanted the quality.

Then I tried the new Fuji XF90mm f/2 WR lens.

The instant I slapped it on my X-T1 and put the camera up to my eye, my life instantly changed. I suddenly saw my future and it weighed a whole lot less. In fact, the exact words that flew forth from my mouth the minute I looked through it were, “This is The One.”

_DSC8956Quick Overview

The new Fuji XF 90mm f/2 WR lens is a medium length fast-aperture prime that gives you that classic tele look and perspective, but without the weight and bulk of a heavier zoom. The viewpoint matches that of the old classic 135mm f/2, (137mm to be exact) so it’s capable of producing razor sharp subjects against a soft, beautifully blurred background.

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This makes it absolutely ideal for portraits, especially since it offers a very conformable working distance. It’s hardly a one-trick-pony, though. With its fast f/2 aperture, the XF90 is great for shooting in low-light situations. Its compact size and weight make it an incredible travel lens, and since it has Fuji’s latest Quad Linear Motor it has blazingly fast autofocus, it’s awesome for sports and adventure. It’s light enough to shoot one-handed while riding a bike.

As soon as I tried the 90, I borrowed one for a couple weeks, promptly ordered one for myself and then took it on a month-long bike Romania bike tour, in place of the 50-140 f/2.8. After a period of extensive use, I can say that the 90 has earned its place as one of the essential Fuji lenses in my kit. It’s the “Oh, where have you been all my life?” lens.

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Design and Build

Optical construction of the XF 90mm f/2 consists of 11 elements in 8 groups, including 3 ED elements and 7 rounded aperture blades. It’s 4.13″ long, 2.95″ wide (105 x 75mm) and weighs 1.19 lb (540g). With the included lens hood attached, it’s 5.75″ in length. Still not bad. Super EB coatings on each element help minimize chromatic aberration and distortion. The front filter thread diameter is 62mm.

It has a very good range of working distance and actually focuses down to 2-feet. Effectively, it produces a maximum magnification of .3X when shooting closeups.

The lens feels really solid in your hands. It has a tight aperture ring that won’t accidentally shift when yore shooting, and a nice, wide focusing ring with a good amount of friction. No MF distance scale, though. When you pick up the lens and give it a shake, you can feel things moving around inside, like the elements are loose. Not so. That’s the new Quad Linear Motor. Turn the camera on, and the magnets engage. Everything suddenly becomes tight and it’s ready for action.

Back to the lens hood, because this is a big issue with some photographers. It’s not the bladed kind, like on the 50-140 and the 18-135. It’s like the cyllindrical hood on the 56, which means you can rest the lens upside down on a flat surface, say when you’re changing glass or digging for stuff in and out of your camera bag. It’s the little things.

And, as with all of Fuji’s newest lenses, the 90 f/2 is weather sealed. It features 7 gaskets in the barrel, which keep dust and moisture out.

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Autofocus

The new XF 90 is the first Fuji lens that uses the new Quad Linear Autofocus Motor. The system is designed around four magnets, which allow for greater torque, fast, near-silent operation and greatly reduced friction.

As it was described to me, it’s similar to how a mag-lev train works; the focusing elements are levitating inside the barrel and, as I indicated above, when the camera is on, the elements don’t touch the sides.

This seems like an ingenious application for this kind of technology, and in use, the system is highly effective. Autofocus on the XF 90 is incredibly fast and it pairs exceptionally well with the high speed AF tracking capabilities on the X-T1 and X-T10. I’ve used it on both cameras with great results.

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Image Quality

The 90 is truly one of the real gems of the Fuji X Series system. Most of their primes are really good, and this is no exception. Images shot with the 90 are razor sharp, even with distant subjects.

This is where lesser lenses start to fall off in quality. When you’re looking through a lot of air and trying to pin a subject that’s far away, it takes the right combination of glass, construction (i.e. “math”) and anti-refletive coatings to nail them with crisp, sharp focus, and the 90 does that. So does the 50-140.

That’s what you get with a pro lens, and the 90 offers pro performance in every single way. No matter the distance, your subjects are razor sharp. You can see this in the photo example below, which has been zoomed in to 100%.

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When focusing at close to medium distances, the 90 produces beautiful bokeh and no visible vignetting. A fast maximum aperture of f/2 gives you very shallow focus and it also helps with low light situations.

As with the other Fuji primes, though, it doesn’t have image stabilization, at this point, only the zooms have that feature. This isn’t going to be your go-to lens in low light, but in a pinch, that wide aperture could make a difference. I’ve “hand-held” it down below 1/20 sec and gotten sharp photos.

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Versatility

I love using mid-length telephoto lenses, and I’ve always felt they offer great versatility for creating compelling compositions. They compress the background nicely, but not so much that you don’t get a feel for the environment, and they let you isolate subject matter in sharp focus against that great blur. They let you tell the story, even if it’s unfolding a little bit far away. That’s the beauty of longer glass.

Also, since it’s a fixed focal length, you get what you get. This means one less thing to worry about when you’re composing and framing your photos. No time wasted contemplating about how much to zoom in or out. It gives one view and one view only. I like that.

There’s something fundamentally cool about the simplicity of primes. You get to know a lens and what it will do, and that look becomes burned into your style and your photography vocabulary. It’s that limitation breed creativity” thing. You become an efficient technician with your gear, and usually, that makes you a better photographer. Sure, that can be limiting in some situations, but remember, your tradeoff means you get quality, speed and a compact lens that’s much smaller than the big pro zoom.

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During the past few months, I’ve used the 90 to shoot a wide variety of subjects- portraits, landscapes, travel, action, and in every case, I’ve been super pleased with the results. To me, the 90 does everything, and it does it all so well, it’s earned a place in my regular, lightweight pro kit.

These days, if I want to go light, the 90 goes with me almost every single time. A wide lens like the 14mm f/2.8 and the 90 makes an excellent combo that gives me a lot of creative options and the best possible quality. Don’t get me wrong. This is not a replacement for my 50-140, but rather an additional tool that makes life a whole lot easier when I don’t want to lug around the bigger glass.

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Overall

The new Fuji XF90mm f/2 WR is an absolutly stunning lens, and one that it plays right into the strengths of the X Camera system. Everything about this lens is awesome and I don’t have a bad thing to say about it.

Fuji has offered a very good value on this lens, too. Considering the huge jump in speed and sharpness over the XF 18-135, it’s surprising that the 90 only costs $50 more than the regular price on the kit zoom. And with the current Fuji Lens Rebates, the XF 90 is $150 off right now.

A year ago, I saw a mockup of the lens at PhotoPlus, and I though to myself, “I don’t see needing that, I’ve already got the 56 and I’m getting the 50-140.”

How wrong I was. Even though I love both of those two lenses, the 90 focuses SO much faster than the 56, and the size/weight/speed of the 90 fits right in with my “go-fast-and-light style” of outdoor photography.

It’s The One.

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Support This Site: If you’re thinking about buying this lens, or any piece of gear, please consider shopping through these links. You’ll still get the lowest prices available and it will help me out with a small commission on the back end. It’s one way of showing your appreciation for the time and effort it takes me to compile reviews like this. -Thanks!

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November 16, 2015
See this post
Full Review of the Fuji XF 90mm f/2 WR Lens

InstaxPrintI’ve known all about the little Fuji Instax Printer for awhile, but up until now, I’d never actually tried it out. I finally checked it out this weekend, and now I’m hooked. If you haven’t seen the Instax, you should check it out- it’s pretty much a modern day, wireless version of the Polaroid, and it’s WAY COOL.

In short, the Instax SP-1 is a Wi-Fi printer that lets you print playing-card size instant photos from your smartphone or tablet, or direct from any of the Wi-Fi enabled Fujifilm X Series cameras, including the X-T1, X-T10, X100T and X30. It uses the Instax 10-pack instant film cartridges, which you can pretty much get anywhere these days, since the Instax cameras and pritners are so popular.

To operate, you simply turn on the printer, connect to its dedicated Wi-Fi signal, either using the app on your mobile device, or by connecting directly with your Fuji camera menu, hit “print” and a few seconds later, it spits out a piece of instant film. Then, you watch your image slowly come to life, again, just like an old Polaroid print. How ingenious.

I tried it with one of my Romania pictures I had stored on my iPhone, and as soon as it emerged from the printer, I was transfixed. Seriously, I was so excited about my little Romanian shepherd print, I was wishing that I had taken one of these on my trip. As it stands, I have a handful of names and addresses where I promised to send prints of some of the photos I shot when I was over there last month. It would have been so much cooler to have given people pictures on themselves right there on the spot.

This has always been one crux of travel photography, and a device like not only solves that problem, it actually helps you increase your level of human connection with your subjects. Imagine the experience of giving someone a real copy of the picture you just shot of them, and then sharing firsthand in their reaction. As excited as I am about this portrait I printed, how excited do you think this shepherd might have been?

And it’s not just for travel photographers, imagine the other creative possibilities you could explore with one of these. Imagine the fun.

In my mind, the Instax SP-1 printer was a brilliant move by Fuji, I just wish I would have paid attention a little bit sooner.  As I said, it doesn’t matter what brand of camera you use, as long as you can get a picture onto your phone or tablet, you can make an Instax print.

Oh, and apparently, it’s one of Oprah’s favorite things for 2015.

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November 9, 2015
See this post
A Quick Look at the Fuji Instax SP-1 Smartphone Printer