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Posts Tagged ‘technology’

Photography, Technology | 0 comment

First Impressions – FujiFilm X100s

©TimeLine Media - X100s in hotel ballroom

Alexandria, Virginia

The new Fuji X100s was the only camera I took with me to a fundraising dance event that we attended as guests. This is one of the hardest conditions to test a camera with very low available light in the ballroom. My first impressions of the camera was very positive, but it is also VERY different from using an SLR camera. For once, I did not have to carry around a huge camera body and lens with an attached flash much like this:

©TimeLine Media - X100s in hotel ballroom
©TimeLine Media – X100s in hotel ballroom

Mirrorless Camera

I brought  a camera that I could actually fit in my coat pocket! I did not need to have a strap, and it was so light to carry with me. Yes, there are a lot of compromises you have to make when using this camera. You do give up some performance when not carrying as much gear, but it almost makes up for it with the ease of carrying less. The above show was wide open at F/2.0 at ISO 4000. Considering how high the ISO, the skin tones still look good which is my biggest complaint of high ISO shooting. Another bonus of using these mirror-less cameras, is nearly silent operation. Because there is no mirror, you do not have a loud slap of the mirror and shutter curtain moving each time you take a photo. There is just a very quiet click when you press the shutter button – it is so quiet, the camera has a function to play a sound just to let you know that you took a photo!

©TimeLine Media - X100s in hotel ballroom
©TimeLine Media – X100s in hotel ballroom

This is perfect for making candid photos. For me, I can see this being very useful since I am not yet confident as to when the photo is actually taken with the camera. I end up firing 3-4 shots at one time. As with other point and shoot cameras, there is a slight lag in between pressing the shutter and the camera responding. Although it is not long, it does not seem as immediate as when shooting with a DSLR. Maybe as I get more experienced I will be better at know how and when to press the shutter. For now, it definitely cannot be used for an action subjects. Next, I will try the flash and flash commander functions to see how it shoots in more situations. I will only take this camera with me to Thanksgiving dinners to see more about what it can do!

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703-864-8208

Personal, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

New Camera – Part 1

©TimeLine Media - X100s in low light

The photos are coming along from last weekend nicely! It is a privilege to see all the routines from the day even though it is impossible to see them all because of the two ballrooms. I think my associate photographers did a good job covering the event for you, and I am working quickly to get these done and on the website.

Camera Testing

For today’s post, I wanted to write about a new camera that I have started to use. I have a full compliment of bodies, lenses, and accessories for my Nikon DSLRs, but it became apparent during the summer walkabouts, that it is simply too heavy to carry around all day. A fatigued photographer is a compromised photographer, and there will likely be some photos that you will miss. In researching a suitable substitute for all that gear, I found the Fujifilm X100s.

Fujifilm X100s - image provide by Fujifilm Global
Fujifilm X100s – image provide by Fujifilm Global

This is one of the new large-sensor mirrorless cameras that has been released in the last 2 years. This class of cameras is becoming very popular because of the lightweight bodies, and superior image quality. The camera has a fixed focal length 23mm lens which translates to 35mm on a full-frame sensor. The aperture of this lens can open to f/2 allowing excellent low light performance. Using these technical specs, I decided that this would probably suit just fine as a substitute for my “big” cameras. After it arrived, I had to hop on a learning curve, that will be a long run to being comfortable.

Portrait Photography

©TimeLine Media - X100s in low light
©TimeLine Media – X100s in low light

Before I went into the more complicated features, I started at the basics. The first thing I noticed, is the weight – this camera is so light! It was much lighter than I expected, but the ergonomics makes it really easy to hand hold. The rangefinder-like viewfinder is HUGE making composing photos very easy. The lens on this camera is tack sharp even at f/2. The above photo was taken wide open with just overhead lights. With the large aperture, I could still get a sharp photo at ISO 400. I was happy with how it performed, but with my first shoot, it was clear that this was clearly not the same system I have been used to.

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

Ballroom Dance, Photography, Portrait, Technology | 0 comment

Fill Flash – Tech Thursday

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits

Another dancing couple reached out to have some photos taken. They had decided to try the Georgetown Waterfront to make some nice dance portraits. Sharon and Michael chose this spot as there were some fountains and views of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. This spot is right across the Potomac River from Roosevelt Island that we visited recently on a photo walk.

Georgetown

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits
©TimeLine Media – Georgetown Dance Portraits

We met in the late morning, early afternoon for our session. That was the best time that we could coordinate schedules. However, this is not the most ideal time for photos. I had to use a lot of fill flash to get the photos we were looking to make. Fill flash is available on any camera today to help balance the bright background from the sun and sky, and the subject that is in the foreground. If you did not have this added light, your photos will have your subjects in silhouette, with a perfectly exposed background. Unfortunately this is typically not the important part of the photo. In this case, you would exposed the fountains, sky, and buildings in the background, and the dancers would be in shadow.

Mid-Day Portraits

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits
©TimeLine Media – Georgetown Dance Portraits

Fill flash is not anything special. It can be the internal flash built into your camera or smartphone, an external speedlight, or a large strobe flash. Adjust the flash to balance the exposure on your subject to match your background. In this case, I had to use 2 Nikon speedlights at full power to get the dancers exposed well in the harsh light. A nice bonus if you get to this point, you get a nice saturated blue in the sky instead of a blown out white sky.

©TimeLine Media - Georgetown Dance Portraits
©TimeLine Media – Georgetown Dance Portraits

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

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