The essence of photography

[ajay124]

One word which perfectly describes the Fuji XE-1: S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G!

Night time is the right time | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Chandigarh in Monochrome #7 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Chandigarh in Color #7 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[apk]

For build quality and optics the Fuji X series is miles ahead of other brands available in the market. Anybody wanting to capture remarkable images as an enthusiastic amateur should definitely check out Finepix XF-1, X-10, X-E1. The XE-1 has a 23.6 mm x 15.6 mm (APS-C) X-Trans CMOS sensor. It gives one the option of using Fuji X series lenses or Leica/Voigtlander/Zeiss lenses along with an adaptor. The 18-55 kit lens which is bundled with this camera is comparable to the pro lenses being offered by other brands. I believe that Fuji XE-1 is presently the best cropped sensor camera in the world. It renders jaw dropping color and detail. Along with the kit lens it costs around 80K. The X-10 would probably cost around 35K. It has a fixed lens providing 28-112 focal length and f/2-2.8 aperture.

https://fujifilmcameras.in/products.php

Hi Ajay......Congratulations on your purchase of the Fuji XE-1. Did you get a chance to compare the XE-1 with the Olympus OM-D? Have heard very good things about the Olympus too, though it is more expensive than the Fuji.

How close does the picture quality of the Fuji come to your Nikon (along with a pro lens)?

Thanks,
APK

 

[ajay124]

apk

I have read a lot of good things about the Olympus OM-D but I have not tried it out. I have my hands full with a Nikon and a Fuji!

With D700 I am using Nikon's manual focusing prime lenses. Neither D700 nor the lenses need any more recommendations. They are tried and tested war horses. They are legends. The question is not whether they are good enough for modern day photography. The question is whether modern day photographers are good enough for them. I can't say that I have mastered the D700 or the lenses. But I am learning fast. And I am enjoying every minute of it

The Fuji XE-1 is arguably one of the best camera to have been released in the 21st century. It's X-trans CMOS sensor is so good that it defies description. I have not come across any sensor, cropped or full frame, which is as revolutionary as this one. The build quality of XE-1 and the X series lenses harks back to a time when quality and aesthetics were given enormous importance and cheap plastic junk had still not made an entrance.

No camera is perfect. So the XE-1 too has its limitation. I seldom shoot without a tripod. But even when it is mounted on a tripod, the Fuji XE-1 requires a two handed operation. Whereas a D700 shoots faster than an AK- 47 with even one hand. The X series lenses released till now are all excellent BUT way too expensive. Most of them are priced in the 35-40K region. I was looking forward to buying the 14mm 2.8 Fujinon lens but the mrp is close to 60K. I wonder how many buyer Fuji will find for a 14mm prime at this price? Very few I guess.

I would recommend Fuji XE-1 to anybody who is looking for a classic light weight camera+lenses and has a budget of around 150-200K for a complete kit. But potential buyers should keep it in mind that a Nikon/Canon kit can easily be brought or sold but a Fuji kit will be for keeps. I doubt if a resale market exists for Fuji in India at the moment.

I believe that the times they are a changing. The way forward is leading towards compact and light weight cameras. The ubiquitous and massive Nikon and Canon DSLR's are already being challenged by the new kids on the block- Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and others. Fuji and Olympus have released some great cameras in recent years. Perhaps Apple will one day enter the market too. iCamera anyone

 

[apk]

The question is not whether they are good enough for modern day photography. The question is whether modern day photographers are good enough for them.

Amen to that! I agree completely on what you say about Nikon.

Thank you for a good perspective on the Fuji XE-1. If you don't mind, I have a couple of more questions regarding the Fuji:
(1) What are your thoughts on the electronic view finder on the Fuji? Do you have issues using it after getting used to the optical one of the Nikon?
(2) Does the camera, along with the associated lens, have the ability to portray good bokeh?

Thanks,
APK

 

[ajay124]

Amen to that! I agree completely on what you say about Nikon.

Thank you for a good perspective on the Fuji XE-1. If you don't mind, I have a couple of more questions regarding the Fuji:
(1) What are your thoughts on the electronic view finder on the Fuji? Do you have issues using it after getting used to the optical one of the Nikon?
(2) Does the camera, along with the associated lens, have the ability to portray good bokeh?

Thanks,
APK

XE-1's EVF is supposed to be an advanced EVF but it cannot even begin to compare with D700's penta-prism viewfinder. I only shoot with live view on XE-1. The lcd screen is great for composing or viewing photographs. The 18-55 lens provided with XE-1 gives you a f/2.8 option at the 18mm end and a f/4 option at the 55mm end. It is an extremely well built and sharp lens with an effective focal range of 27mm-82mm with the XE-1's cropped sensor. It would have been a keeper if Fuji had provided a constant f/2.8 aperture. Bokeh is acceptable, but not great. I have not used Fuji primes. I believe they would be capable of creating a good bokeh. My Nikon f/1.4 legacy lenses are amazingly sharp and have a bokeh which would bring a smile on any photographer's face.

So the answer to your questions is that the XE-1's EVF is unsatisfactory if one is used to an FX penta prism viewfinder. And the bokeh is not in the same class as Nikon's prime or pro grade zoom lenses. The primary reasons for buying an XE-1 is its fantastic X Trans CMOS sensor. Shooting at ISO 6400 is a breeze with this sensor. Hardly any noise. The amount of shadows and highlights it renders is better than any full frame sensor I have come across.

http://www.fujifilm.eu/uk/products/digital-cameras/pro-enthusiast/model/x-e1/features/

 

[apk]

So the answer to your questions is that the XE-1's EVF is unsatisfactory if one is used to an FX penta prism viewfinder. And the bokeh is not in the same class as Nikon's prime or pro grade zoom lenses. The primary reasons for buying an XE-1 is its fantastic X Trans CMOS sensor. Shooting at ISO 6400 is a breeze with this sensor. Hardly any noise. The amount of shadows and highlights it renders is better than any full frame sensor I have come across.

Thanks for your comments on the Fuji. It is always good to get a perspective from a real world user!

I was contemplating an upgrade from my Nikon D80, which has been serving me faithfully for the past 6 years or so. I do have a decent collection of quality Nikon mount lens. The D80 is a good body, but fares poorly in low light conditions. Anything beyond ISO 800 is not usable, which means I usually have to lug my tripod around often.

What drew me to the likes of Fuji XE-1 and Olympus OM-D was the compact nature along with the ability to deliver picture quality close to that from a full grown DSLR with pro-lens. Sadly, two things that I cannot compromise on is the quality of the view finder and the quality of bokeh (which I am very fond of and use quite a bit in my photographs). Guess you can't have the cake and eat it too!

Thanks again for your inputs.

Best Regards,
APK

 

[ajay124]

APK

Recently a seller in Delhi mentioned that he had a used D300S body for sale for 42K. It would be a huge upgrade over the D80 at a reasonable price. I can pm you his number in case you are interested. I have not seen the body and have no idea about what condition it is in. But I have bought stuff from him in the past without ever facing any problem.

 

[apk]

APK

Recently a seller in Delhi mentioned that he had a used D300S body for sale for 42K. It would be a huge upgrade over the D80 at a reasonable price. I can pm you his number in case you are interested. I have not seen the body and have no idea about what condition it is in. But I have bought stuff from him in the past without ever facing any problem.

Hi Ajay,
Thanks for the offer to connect me to this seller.
However, I think that if I am upgrading, I would either go for a full frame DSLR or go for a compact APS sized one like the Fuji or Olympus. Yeah! my two choices seem like an oxymoron, but sometimes that's how the choices span out.

Do you know if your contact has a Nikon full frame up for grabs (D700/D800)?

Thanks again,
APK.

 

[ajay124]

APK

If a good viewfinder is important to you then you should remain focused on buying a D700/D3/D800. In the recent past I have come across used D700's for sale in the 75-80K price range. A used D3 would probably cost around 100-110K. It would be difficult to find a used D800 at the moment.

I almost bought a brand new D800 a few months ago. But when I actually handled it I found its build quality was inferior to that of the D700. The 700 feels like a rock in your hands. The 800 felt a little plasticky and cheesy. I decided to hold on to the 700 and bought an XE-1 as a second camera. Another issue I have with D800 is that 36 megapixel RAW files would completely demolish my six year old iMac desktop. I would need to switch to JPEGS. I am still not convinced that a D800 can take better pictures than a D700. Going by the pics on Flickr I prefer the ones shot with D700/D3 to those shot with a D800. I haven't come across any pics shot with a D600 which I have really liked.

Personally I would be willing to part with both my current cameras if I could get my hands on an affordable D3X

 

[apk]

APK
I almost bought a brand new D800 a few months ago. But when I actually handled it I found its build quality was inferior to that of the D700. The 700 feels like a rock in your hands. The 800 felt a little plasticky and cheesy. I decided to hold on to the 700 and bought an XE-1 as a second camera.

That's an interesting comparision between the D700 and the D800. The saying that 'newer is not always better' probably holds true in this case!

Yes, I do feel that a used D700 is the way to go. But now a days, I find myself using the DSLR less and taking my wife's P&S more for those regular outings. The idea of having to carry a large camera, along with a couple of lens and a tripod is not very comforting. Often, by the time you get the camera ready, change to the right lens etc, the moment is gone, and you are left wondering why you didn't end up just using a normal one. I guess this is a delima that most photographers go through!. That was why the prospect of a compact 'do it all' camera like the XE-1 or OM-D seemed appealing.

Am sure that the quality of the EVF will keep improving as the companies invest more money towards this technology. I am already seeing a big fan following for these cameras, though I think this is driven more by their 'retro' looks!

Best,
APK

 

[ajay124]

Yes, I do feel that a used D700 is the way to go. But now a days, I find myself using the DSLR less and taking my wife's P&S more for those regular outings. The idea of having to carry a large camera, along with a couple of lens and a tripod is not very comforting. Often, by the time you get the camera ready, change to the right lens etc, the moment is gone, and you are left wondering why you didn't end up just using a normal one. I guess this is a delima that most photographers go through!. That was why the prospect of a compact 'do it all' camera like the XE-1 or OM-D seemed appealing.

APK

I am sure that a lot of potential buyers are facing the same dilemma. Once the notion that DSLR's are heavy and inconvenient forms in your mind then it does not go away. It only grows bigger. You are already moving into mirrorless territory You should seriously look at offerings from Fuji and Panasonic. Both companies are making interesting mirrorless cameras.

 

[ajay124]

An interesting report:

X-Pro 1 w/Minolta MD Zoom 35-70mm F/3.5 ( Thoughts ) ? IK Photography | All things photography

 

[ajay124]

Nature. Up, close & personal.

Shot at Khajjiar in Himachal Pradesh during an incredible hailstorm which lasted intermittently for several hours. The hail turned the balmy green meadow, the small lake and the dense forest into an icy fairy-tale landscape. It was the most intense and satisfying photo shoot I have ever done. I shot continuously right through the storm. I crossed the meadow and went into the forest. I waded into the semi frozen lake with my tripod mounted D700. I slipped and fell several times. I got hurt and bled a little. Mercifully my D700+ Nikon 28mm f/2.8 AI-s+Fisheye 16mm 2.8 proved to be storm-resistant! D700 is supposed to be a reasonably weatherproof camera. The old legacy Nikkors are probably sturdier than the new water and dust resistant G series pro glass! I was confident that they would be able to handle the ice and water. Whenever the storm got really bad, I took shelter under the giant deodar trees. I put the camera back into my Domke F2 Original ( which by the way is a stupendously rugged and sturdy camera bag). The front elements of the lenses were constantly speckled with droplets of ice and water. I kept wiping them with a micro fibre cloth. The droplets formed interesting patterns on many photographs!

Hailstorm #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Hailstorm #2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Hailstorm #3 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Hailstorm #4 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Hailstorm #5 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Hailstorm #6 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Hailstorm #7 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[ajay124]

Straight out of the camera pics with the Fuji XE-1. With XE-1 I prefer shooting high rez jpegs. I have virtually stopped processing photographs as I feel that using any kind of photo editing softwares is an admission of failure. Failure to make the correct exposure in the first place. Boosted colors, sharpened detail and other photo edited tweaks do not make a photograph better. They make it worse. I too have done a fair bit of photo-shopping in the past. But no more. I am in the process of deleting all my photographs (running into thousands) where I have boosted colors or detail in order to hide my shortcomings as a photographer. I believe a question every serious photographer needs to put to himself/herself is: Am I a photographer or a photoshopper?

Personally I believe that we should learn from our failures and try to overcome them in our future work rather than conveniently covering up the flaws during editing. Sometimes I still do a tiny little bit of editing Straighten the horizon, marginally crop the edges, tweak the exposure by a stop to bring in more shadows or highlights. But that's about it.

55-200mmF3.5-4.8 R LM OIS

The light at Lipa Noi | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS

Cool wind in my hair | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

35mm f/1.4 R Lens

Ta Prohm | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Staxxx]

This is an interesting point you make. I am absolutely in the opposite place from you (at least at the moment), having been a purist for many years. However, I recently bought the Nik Collection and am having a great time post processing my pictures.
I have a vision of what I want to do with them artistically and I can achieve this with various programs. I just find it as an adjunct to my photography and creativity.
I am not defending the approach that all that is being done with our shots is the default processing done in-camera (by a selection done by a brand's in-house team) in an attempt to capture reality that you as the shooter experienced. All photographs of the same subject do not look the same - take Nikon v Sigma v Fuji for example. Sometimes I wonder if it doesn't really matter very much to someone else who sees it (unless of course we are going down the route of journalistic photography). I mean, for example, if a rose was captured as a light pink and it was three shades darker pink in reality....but it made for a beautiful artistic picture...would or should anyone really care?
Of course, one would care if it were photography as a record of truth...but is this all that photography should or can be?
Just some ruminations.....

 

[Staxxx]

By the way, I LOVE the shot of the three kids.....excellent capture !

 

[arj]

I loved the pic Prasat Bayon..the stones in the pic seem to have come alive..very dramatic. is this sharpened later ? if not amazing.

 

[ajay124]

Staxx

My antipathy to processing was kickstarted by the huge number of over processed pics I came across on Flickr, Facebook and other photo sharing sites. I have no objection to photographs which exhibit great technique and composition and which also happen to have been processed to a minor or a major extent. But the fact is that a lot of pics uploaded on these sites exhibit shoddy or no technique at all. The photographer has merely sought to boost color, heighten contrast and increase sharpening in order to impress viewers. And plenty of viewers do get impressed. Their likes and favorites and Wow's! induce a false sense of hubris in the photographer/photoshopper that he must be doing something right.

But the fact is that even a casual glance at a photograph conveys everything, without actually having to look at the EXIF data. The approximate ISO, exposure compensation, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, focusing and metering mode used. If a photographer has done a good job with all that stuff then it is likely that a photograph will not require extensive processing. I am not suggesting that all photographs should be true to life. For me the greatest pleasure in photography at the moment is playing around with exposure compensation, white balance, apertures, shutter speeds, long exposures to create surrealistic or impressionist landscapes inspired by European masters like Dali, Monet, Cezanne and Remrandt.

I do believe that my work has improved since I stopped processing. Because now the moment when I press the shutter has become a do or die moment. I know that the photograph will live or die by the settings I have determined on my camera. There are no escape hatches or soft landings!

I am merely offering my current viewpoint about how I look at photography. Actually there are no right or wrongs. And there shouldn't be. Everybody photographer has the choice of going his own way. And perhaps ultimately the words of a photographer (or his reputation, or the amount of money he makes, or the kit he carries) does not matter. Because his pictures tell the entire story.

 

[sugarsugar]

In January 2012 I sold my Nikon D40 DSLR with which I had been pointing and shooting for close to 4 years. At the time of the sale the shutter count was around 7000. The exif data of the 2000+ pictures which I had retained shows that all the pics were shot in the Auto mode. For four years I used a Nikon D40 with it's kit lens, blissfully ignorant of what a digital SLR was capable of achieving :sad: Today when I look at those pics the shortcomings of expecting the DSLR to do all your work are blatantly obvious to me. Now I feel that shooting in the auto mode may sometimes give acceptable results, but one would rarely get a memorable picture.

Every step which I have taken to gain manual control of what I am shooting has yielded an improvement. After shedding the Auto mode I gradually played around with the program, aperture priority and shutter speed modes. Now I have finally, and forever, settled on the fully manual mode. I tried the Auto ISO and White Balance settings on my Nikon, and finally rejected them, as they are at best a hit or miss affair. To get the right exposure, color and focus it is essential that your mind and hands can fluidly take control of many inter related factors. The most important being:

aperture setting
shutter speed
white balance
iso
exposure compensation
matrix/center weighted/spot metering
single point/dynamic area/auto area focusing

Beyond this, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the body and the lens you are using is absolutely essential. Before I made the decision to acquire my present kit, I gave serious thought to the kind of photography that I wanted to do. I made a list of my preferences and interests:

I was absolutely convinced that I only wanted single focal length (prime) lenses. I believe that true high resolution pics require an affordable prime or ( for me ) an unaffordable pro zoom lens. Therefore ONLY primes.

I am only interested in natural light photography and absolutely require the wider apertures from 1.8-3.5. Therefore ONLY primes.

I love both Hollywood and Creamy bokeh's therefore ONLY primes.

I wanted a semi-pro portrait lens for half body and head shots. I wanted a general purpose lens which could also double as a portrait lens. I wanted a lens for landscapes. And I wanted a lens for micro shots. All for a cropped sensor DSLR with a crop factor of 1.5.

I wanted a reasonably priced DSLR which felt nice in my hand, had a pentaprism viewfinder, manual buttons for all the essential features and the right weight. Both for carrying around and for balancing the prime lenses I would be using.

I wanted to shoot people, streets, nature. Primarily in a candid, non posed, reflective mode. I wanted to attempt to take photographs which revealed the inner essence of a person or an object rather than the dumb mask of their outer essence. Sounds ambitious!

A couple of weeks ago I finally decided on the following kit. I have highlighted what I have already acquired and the rest will be bought in the future.

Nikon D90 (body only) 36K
Nikon 85mm 1.8D 20K
Nikon 50mm 1.8D 5.5K
Nikon 24mm 1.8D 20K
Nikon 105mm 2.8D 30K

Expecting enthusiastic contributions from the pro's/semi pro's and amateurs on the forum

My recent pics on Flickr. Ordinary but improving.

Flickr: rublev's Photostream

Thank you so much for the sharing of your photography experience.

I just bought my new Nikon D80 and planning to do some panorama shooting. Well, here;s is the truth, I merely know nothing about how to shoot panorama, but I have learn how to stitch photos with some programs. You tips seems the basic for general photographers. Do you have any further recommendations for photographers who want to shoot panorama?

 

[ajay124]

sugarsugar

For ultra wide angle shots I use a AI-s Nikkor 16mm Fisheye lens which offers a 180 degree angle of view. I have never done panoramas or stitched pictures. In fact now I have completely stopped editing pictures. What I shoot with the camera is the final pic. With Fuji XE-1 I shoot jpegs. With D700 I shoot RAW and convert to jpegs using iPhotos. In neither case do I process the photographs. Personally I find virtually all processed photos to be unreal and unconvincing. If you can't get the light right on the camera then you will never get it right on a computer.

You mentioned that you have bought a new Nikon D80? Or is it the D800?