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Posts Tagged ‘X100s’

Photography, Technology, Travel | 0 comment

Fuji X100s – Exposure bracketing

HDR - National Cathedral - ©TimeLine Media

In delving through the manual of the Fuji X100s camera, I found bracketing operations in a menu. Previously, I have posted about the drive mode for making panoramas where the camera will continuously make images while guiding you to pan the camera to create super wide panorama photos. In that same menu, you also have access to create bracketed exposures!

Menu Exploring

I did not realize that this camera at first because there was not a dedicated function button for this, and it was not present in the Quick-access menu. It was only when really looking that I found this which really makes this a useful mode. Just like other ways of working with this camera, it is also much easier to setup this mode, and implement in taking photos. There are some limitations compared with the DSLR but for the trade off in size, it is worth it for light traveling.

Fuji X100s exposure bracket setup
Fuji X100s exposure bracketing setup
Fuji X100s exposure compensation dial
Fuji X100s exposure compensation dial

If you click the Drive button, you can select the AE bracket icon, and you can select from three different options – whether to have the exposures 1.0, 2/3, or 1/3 stop apart. This is similar to the tick marks along the exposure line on the Nikon DSLR setup. I set my exposure brackets to be 1.0 stops apart. One of the limitations of the X100 compared to the Nikon in terms of bracketing, is that you are limited to only 3 exposures per shutter release. This makes it more difficult to make a larger set if you are hand-holding, which I do not recommend anytime you are trying to make these!

Bracketing Images

To make more bracket images, I make use of the exposure compensation dial. This button which is easier to use than on DSLRs, allows you to change the exposure up to -2 or +2 around the metered settings in the camera. When on a tripod, you can set the X100s to make bracketed exposures, then set the camera to -2 with the exposure compensation dial. Then make the 3 exposures around +2, and finally, turn off the bracketed exposures to just a single exposure mode. Move the dial back to 0, and take the metered exposure. This should give you a set of 7 exposures of the same scene all 1 stop apart. It is a lot more complicated to do so, but it will get the job done quickly even with this small camera! Here are some examples from a walk around the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

HDR - National Cathedral - ©TimeLine Media
HDR – National Cathedral – ©TimeLine Media
HDR - National Cathedral - ©TimeLine Media
HDR – National Cathedral – ©TimeLine Media

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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