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Posts Tagged ‘Fujifilm’

Personal, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Compact Camera News – Social Media Sunday

FujiFilm X100s in silver and black - ©TimeLine Media

Reading blogs is how I have been getting all of my photography and technology related news. The technology in RSS readers allows me to keep up easily with breaking news, and one of the inspirations I had in writing every day. In reviewing how I have been posting on my blog, I wanted to have a weekly post where I can redistribute some of the news items that have been grabbing my attention.

FujiFilm X100s in silver and black - ©TimeLine Media
FujiFilm X100s in silver and black – ©TimeLine Media

Photography Gear

Many photographers love to talk about gear – what is new, what is coming out soon, and I am no different. The 2014 International Consumer Electronics show just recently wrapped up in Las Vegas. Not only do they show off the latest in computer, home theater, and gaming products, but they also have lots of news for photographers. Fujifilm announced some interesting products that will be coming out this year. If you have been reading my blog, you have seen my post about the Fuji X100s. I have been looking for a small, compact camera that is easy to travel with when doing personal projects. I am still learning more about this camera on every shoot, but have been pleased with the features, build, and the resulting photos. At the CES, Fuji announced that they will be releasing a new all-black version of the camera body. There are no added features with the new release, but it should please street photographers that are looking to be even more inconspicuous as they make candid images.FUJIFILM NZ ?@FujifilmNZJan 12

FujiFilm Announces Black X100S, 50x Superzoom FinePix S1 Cameras http://bit.ly/1calfBN  #photographyAdorama Pro ?@AdoramaProJan 6

Fujifilm leads pre-CES buzz with black X100S, XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens & lens roadmap update – Fujifilm stole… http://tmblr.co/ZOPk6t13Ww_0L 

FujiFilm X100s in black
FujiFilm X100s in black

Sony Cameras

Sony was also showing off their compact interchangeable camera, the Alpha A7. They have been making a lot of strides in the compact market which they seem to be concentrating on more compared to Nikon and Canon. With their large product lines in consumer electronics, and professional videography, they should become a bigger player in digital still photography if they keep releasing products such as the A7, or the RX1. Both of these contain full frame sensors giving amazing image making power in such compact cameras. I am excited to see what kinds of lenses both Fuji and Sony create for these lines. They will definitely be good replacements or backups for full frame DSLR kits in the near future.Sony Electronics USA ?@SonyElectronicsDec 22

More #SonyCamera news: Check out this Sony A7r Review | Lots of Sample Photos http://www.stuckincustoms.com/sony-a7r-review/ … #photography via @treyratcliffSony Electronics USA ?@SonyElectronicsDec 30

Awesome! RT @linhbergh I shot a wedding exclusively with the @sony #a7 and #rx1 yesterday. It was sublime. pic.twitter.com/rMU1Z6NwSS

Sony Alpha 7
Sony Alpha 7

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Noise and High ISO – Fuji X100s

©TimeLine Media - US Capitol Building at night

Washington, DC

I received a few emails about my recent posts about the X100s. It is a deceivingly good camera. Altough it has the form factor of a small, point-and-shoot camera, it has many of the controls of a larger camera, and can be just as complex to use. With the smaller body, many of the functions are more menu driven as there is just not that much space to add buttons or switches on the body. This can slow down your shooting if you have to change settings frequently, but they have tried to build in shortcuts. There are specific buttons that you can assign to settings that you access more frequently. The Fn button near the shutter release can change ISO settings very quickly in lieu of a dedicated ISO button on DSLR bodies.

©TimeLine Media - US Capitol Building at night
©TimeLine Media – US Capitol Building at night

Noise

Speaking of ISO and noise, this camera also has a big advantage over smartphone or point-and-shoot cameras. Behind the lens is a large APS-C sensor which is equivalent to the sensor size of many popular DSLR cameras. The larger the sensor, the better the low-light performance of the camera. A few have asked for some 100% crops of photos at the higher ISOs. Here is an example of the night time shoot at the Capitol building.

©TimeLine Media - US Capitol Building 100% crop
©TimeLine Media – US Capitol Building 100% crop

Even at 100%, the noise is not terrible especially considering the ISO is up to 800. This is also with the default noise reduction settings from Lightroom. If I were to print this image at a size higher than 16×20, I would have to do some more work, but at anything lower, the noise would not be viewable from a normal display distance. Another thing to note is that the photo above is sharp event at 100% with a shutter speed of 1/15th! It is much easier to hand hold a smaller, lighter body at slower shutter speeds.

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Personal, Photography, Travel | 0 comment

Panoramic Images – FujiFilm X100s

©TimeLine Media - Christmas decorations at Union Station

Extended Photos

In going through more of the features of the FujiFilm X100s, I have found another feature that adds value and usefulness from a digital SLR camera. In the menu system where you select the drive of the shutter, you can choose the panoramic function. This works exactly the same as the panoramic feature of the iOS camera app from the Apple iPhone. When this is selected, the back of the camera will give you an arrow to show you the direction to pan the camera to make the image. After clicking the shutter, you can hear the camera making multiple images. Afterwards you move the camera from left to right.

Panoramic Images

The X100s has some advantages over the smartphone app. If you leave the camera in completely manual mode, you can set the aperture and shutter speed. In this case each component image is consistent with the one right next to it. The camera does process the panorama very quickly, so you can quickly preview to see any problems that may require you to retry. I wish that it would be possible work with RAW files with this mode, but that is not an option. Only 1 JPG is made from each panorama. The X100s also has a really good grid overlay on the screen as you make the panorama which helps to keep the horizon straight! This is implemented much better on the x100s than the phone – my horizons were much straighter throughout with less cropping needed from the top or bottom.

©TimeLine Media - Panoramic image of Occoquan River
©TimeLine Media – Panoramic image of Occoquan River

This is a welcome feature that I will definitely be using more. Couple the ease and speed with which you can create panoramic images with the image quality from the sensor, and you have another tool to make unique images. Let me know if you do this by stitching with software, or using a smartphone. I am sure there are lots of techniques and tips that would make this even better!

©TimeLine Media - Christmas decorations at Union Station
©TimeLine Media – Christmas decorations at Union Station

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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