NOW OPEN – The F Stop Lounge Photo Competition

ENTRY TO THE F STOP LOUNGE PHOTO COMPETITION IS NOW OPEN

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GOOD LUCK

WIN A Free Nikon D3100 Twin VR Kit

I have been quite busy over the last week setting up a photo competition for you all.

I’m giving away a free Nikon D3100 Twin VR Kit!

The photo competition starts soon. Click on the image below for more details. A big thanks to all the team at F Stop Lounge for helping me set things up – you know who you are!

The competition runs from the 10th September 2012 – 7th October 2012.

 

The Scene Was Born

The deafening howl increased as wind shuttled passed my ears.  My vision was temporarily interrupted, the blast of sand in my eyes was agonizing.  Recovering the gritty debris from my vision I wasn’t about to retreat to the car without exercising my camera. Nothing was going to stop me.

The picture before me was developing into a scene…one that was worth waiting for.

The light was starting to revel itself from lost clouds gathering on the distant horizon.  Secure in its footings the wooden jetty stood strong against the battling water thrashing against its dilapidating wooden boards. Seaweed draped over the edge of the wet structure breaking up horizontal repetition within the frame.  My mind raced as fast as the clouds gathered in front of me.

With the fishing trawler awaiting a new dawn  the light above began to broadcast itself between the clouds. A magical glow illuminated the camera sensor into action. The scene was born.

If you would like to see the scene I also took from this spot check out my recent post – Beauty Abounds in Port Gregory.

Until next time – Happy Shooting!

Free Fine Art Photography – August 2012 – Osprey

The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.

August 2012 – Osprey.jpeg

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD IT.

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Until next time – Happy Shooting!

The New Fujifilm X-E1 X-Series Camera

POST UPDATED WITH NEW SPECIFICATIONS (SEE **UPDATED**) – 6TH SEPTEMBER 2012

Fujifilm are always pushing the boundaries when it comes to extreme developments within the imaging industry. Over the past decade Fujifilm released a number of exciting developments within professional photography arena.

The incredible Fujifilm S3 is still a camera that brings back great memories for professional wedding and studio photographers. I believe we are seeing another revolution in imaging with the ever-increasing family of  X-Series cameras.

The recent X-100 camera has been highly successful for the iconic brand due to the manual design and impressive image quality. The X-100 camera has been out now for almost two years (announced 19th September 2010) so it really is no surprise that Fujifilm will be continuing the X-Series legacy with a new line of X series cameras. The X-E1 is one of those cameras soon to be announced by Fujifilm.

I have had a look at what the Fujifilm X-E1 may offer and I can speculate the following specifications.

Pictured below is Japanese made X-E1 which boasts the new XF 18-55mm lens with Super EBC coating.

14 Megapixels **UPDATED** 16 Megapixels

APS-C size sensor

Electronic Viewfinder – 460,000 Screen Dots **AMENDED** ** This should be screen resolution **

3.0″ LCD Screen

Diopter adjustment

Full HD Movie Recording

Electronic hot shoe to suit the Fujifilm EF-X20, EF42 and EF20 flash units.

Screw in shutter release for long exposures

7 White Balance Presets

RAW file format

Autofocus Modes – Contrast Detect (sensor), Centre, Continuous, Live View, Multi area and Single

HDMI output

USB 2.0

Exposure Compensation Dial +2, +1, 0, -1, -2

ISO Control Auto, 100-6400 (expandable to 12800) **UPDATED** (expandable to 25600)

Film Simulation Mode

Built in pop up flash (I would imagine this would be rated to 7-12 metres)

XF Lens Mount

AF/AE Lock

Still, Continuous and Manual Autofocus Modes

Bulb Shutter

3.0″ LCD Screen **UPDATED** (2.8″ LCD Screen)

SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slot

NP-95 battery or NP-50  (Battery Life around 250 – 270 photos) **UPDATED** (Battery NP-W126 – Battery Life around 350 photos)

Level Assist and guide lines as a display mode

Customizable Function Button

Quick Mode – Where the user will be able to change the majority of camera settings without accessing the menu system.

AF Selection Mode

Silver or Black design

I would imagine the camera would be nice to hold as it looks to be a similar size to Fujifilm X-100. However the camera does look a bit smaller than the Fujifilm X-Pro 1.

The XF lens pin configuration system on the X-E1 is the same on the X-Pro 1 – hence my conclusion for the 6 different focus modes.

I’m sure this camera will be affordable for the pro-enthusiast. I can imagine the price to be around AU$1499.00 including the XF 18-55mm lens  (AU$999 Body only?) . This of course is purely speculation as the camera hasn’t been officially announced by Fujifilm. If you want to read more about the X-Series camera system be sure to check out my review on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1.

Until next time – Happy Shooting!

Turning Day Into Night

So what do you do if you have a crap image and you don’t know what to do with it?

Edit it in Photoshop of course!

Last night I had a bit of a play and produced the following results. I’m not saying it is a great image but the effect is cool.

Check out the video for the brief on how I did it.

Original

Edited

THE BRIEF EXPLANATION

 

Free Fine Art Photography – August 2012 – Port Gregory

The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.

August 2012 – Port Gregory.jpeg

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD IT.

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Until next time – Happy Shooting!

PART 2: Who Needs Carrots When You Have A Fujifilm X-Pro 1?

This is a continued post from Part 1 – Who Needs Carrots When You Have A Fujifilm X-Pro 1?

“You don’t need carrots to see in the dark – you simply need a Fujifilm X-Pro 1. Hopefully the photos and story show just how this camera performs in low light when using high ISO – no need for those carrots anymore!”

PART 2:

Motionless, beat up and lost the door stood as a gateway into a darker world. The urban rustic weathered paint was a reminder of the harsh abandoned life this building had become custom to. The distant street light shed new life on the neglected doorway. My X-Pro 1 picked up the little available light with ease. ISO 5000 had never looked so clean against a decrepit dirty background.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 5000 – f1.4- 1/40 second

Continuing my stroll down heritage surrounds my camera was drawn to a light like a moth to a flame. The building before was bathed in an iridescent glow.  Bold straight architectural lines gave form with a modern twist.

Double doors centred as a focal point balancing the two outer archways.  Caged vertical bars broke horizontal lines.  Interior warming light shone juxtaposed against the outside cool colour temperature. All I had to do was simply lift the camera, look and click. The magic light danced around my viewfinder and instantaneously the camera showed off its work on the back LCD. Impressive!

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 2500 – f2.0 – 1/125 second

Street art always intrigues me. Fremantle is not really renowned for the modern art form so it was a breath of fresh air coming across it. The intricate detail of pen on textured walls stood proud.  I was impressed at the quality both of the artist and camera’s reproduction alike. Smooth tones and noiseless photos proved the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 had been a perfect choice. ISO 6400 had never looked so clear before. Maybe it was down to the amazing sensor or just the sharpened glass present on the robust camera either way I was happy the X-Pro 1 was in my hands and my Canon Pro body was at home.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 6400 – f1.4 – 1/25 second

Eyes attuned to detail my legs trekked down the road stopping momentarily at a nearby notice board. Full of interesting events I focused my attention toward the centre of the board and set the lens to a shallow depth of field. Posters hung carelessly fighting for space. People hurried past ignoring the abundant plethora of words and information.  Noticing the lack of interest my eyes lost focus and blurred the swamp of dictation before me. Briefly all I could see was vibrant colour – words became a jumbled mess.

I wanted to recreate the vibrant colour I had seen briefly so dashing through the menu, Velvia film simulation mode was locked and loaded. Colours popped and vibrance shone, E6 processing without the chemicals was proven to be the perfect combination. Slide film was reborn. Digital had finally made its modern move. The debate of film was no more.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 1200 – f1.4 – 1/50 second

By now the light was falling into a darker trance. Contrast and shadows filled every space the moonlight burned textures reflecting an eerie glow. Gathering clouds surrounded the ball of light above. My camera pitched into the darkness.  The frame was set, ticking time detailed the foreground as my camera’s ISO was pushed to capture the remaining light. The clouds formed clean white streaks which brushed the blackened sky. The halls magnificent towering peak almost formed a pirouette in the night sky as the clouds danced behind, stars twinkling in delight.  The night show had begun.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 5000 – f1.8 – 1/125 second

Walking along a busy Queen Street I felt like a photographic King as I noticed the printed word Queen on a window pane. Bathed in a strong red backlight (from an interior sign) I lined up the text to fill my viewfinder.  The text stood strong with hardened edges as a the lens depicted the scene without colour bleed. I was more than impressed.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 2500 – f5.6 – 1/220 second

Amassing on the monument of Fremantle’s heritage I found myself among the buildings that time forgot. The worn, cracked weathered limestone reflected the hastiness of the surrounds. Windows bound in formality repeated along the structure. Shadows formed across the strewed masonry filling shadows with amazing hues. My camera picked up the contrast with ease and the final shot stood still, the way time had left it.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 1000 – f1.4 – 1/105 second

The detailed attention of the master sculptor filled my frame. His eyes fixated and focused at the sculpture at hand. Street light hit the bronze statue highlighting the shapes of his worn jacket and combed hair. Standing as still as the statue I locked focus, held my breath and proceeded to push the shutter. The almost depressing light engrossed the frame. Beautiful golden bokeh broke the scene into two as the emerging human shape jumped from the foreground. It was almost as the statue had come to life.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 2500 – f1.4 – 1/15 second

Steps filled with a hurried pace as I travelled on my homeward journey. The chilled cold night air had won. The quest to test the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 was over. I didn’t need to eat any carrots as the camera was able to see into the darkness for me. High ISO and low light noiseless images had made this camera one of the best in my collection.

I hope you have enjoyed this two-part test.  If you would like to see some more of my work be sure to subscribe to this page.

If you have any questions on the camera or any of the images feel free to ask them here or on my new collaborated website – F Stop Lounge – a site made by photographers for photographers. 

Until next time – Happy Shooting

Beauty Abounds in Port Gregory

 

 

The world is light; tone; shape and form – its my job as an artist to share life’s intricate details.

Beauty abounds the natural wonders of Port Gregory. Waves turn and tumble roaring as weathered water amasses to the shore. Running in synchronization waves continues their forceful journey along the beach gliding until the evanescent wave reaches its peak. Receding water reflects the final afterglow. The watery rhythm continues as the bright beams fill voids upon the open ocean.

A gazebo stands steadfast upon its foundations as winds howl in its path. Weathered rotting wood holds little protection for the passing traveller. The storm shows no sign of holding back. Light passes through thick developed clouds shedding warmth wherever it lands. The spectacle emerges as low clouds pass; clearing the misty confusion. Crouched with tripod and camera in hand the words develop in my mind. Wind; rain; light and water – the perfect composition.

Canon EOS 1D MK IV – 85mm – ISO 50 – f14 – 1 second – PS CS5

 

Who Needs Carrots When You Have A Fujifilm X-Pro 1?

You don’t need carrots to see in the dark – you simply need a Fujifilm X-Pro 1. Hopefully the photos and story show just how this camera performs in low light when using high ISO – no need for those carrots anymore!

The soles of my shoes were wearing thin. Darkness surrounded me,  I was now in the back streets of Fremantle. Rain was softly falling wetting my brow as I clutched my Fujifilm X-Pro 1 protecting it from the unknown surrounds. My backpack felt light as I picked up my pace. The sound of crackling leaves burst into the air as I stepped along the long cobbled paved path.  Winter still had a hold on the air as I grasped my jacket ensuring zips were closed. The engineered 35mm lens was fixed tight onto the camera and my ISO control was set to extremely high. As I gazed around me the leaves on the trees were hanging onto flexing branches desperate not to fall. Cracked limestone buildings towered over me. Lonely lights lit the street as a car alarm silenced itself in the distance. Travelling along I noticed a doorway open almost inviting me in to escape the dampness of the cold street. I had never seen an open door in this area before. Steadying myself as the tripod I applied pressure to the smooth round shutter button.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 3200 – f1.4 – 1/25 second

Passing the building with a disconcerting look for a welcome invite I found myself in an adjacent alleyway. Thick narrow walls swarmed the scene before me opening up briefly to form a dirty makeshift parking zone. An old neglected car sat lonely against the backlight.

The smell of rotting food filled the air as bouncing light filled the dark alleyway striking shapes along its path. Highlights and shadows formed, black and white was the clear choice as the light disappeared into the engulfing darkness. I bumped up my ISO to capture the little amount of light present before me. As I had no tripod I concentrated my mind and body to be in sync with the shutter action. I counted one, two and click. Instantly the camera came alive. Focus locked in pitch black conditions and the sound of the camera finishing its digital take on the scene was music to my ears. With excitement abound I pressed the large preview button, the clear LCD lit the world like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Adjusting my eyes the result excelled my expectations.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 6400 – f1.4 – 1/15 second

Passing a window with a fleeting glance a wall of words stood out.  Instantly a warming fire coupled with a good read filled my mind.  The colour scheme of the shelved text shouted out to the depressing street as I stood reading the titles before me. The thought of a good book and a fire was too good to pass. Lining the camera up to the cold plain window I composed my artistic angle and mashed my finger on the X-Pro 1’s  retro shutter button.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 3200 – f1.6 – 1/125 second

With Fremantle renowned for its small quaint stores I set out with a new stride turning my attention to closed doors or barred windows. I intended to capture the stillness of the earlier working day.  Time passed on my quest, eventually I found myself looking through recessed windows and strong iron bars. The rear of a cafe was in full view. Feeling like a tidy criminal I cleaned the glass before me. Peeping through the camera’s hybrid viewfinder the scene hit  my retina. The still scene suddenly jumped to life.

The old bicycle sign filled the empty cracked concrete floor. Couches sat unfulfilling their duties as respite for tired workers. The smell of freshly ground coffee brewed in my mind. Laughter and conversations emoted the scene; clatter of cutlery against white porcelain plates filled the air. The scene was alive. Without hesitating I continued to pursue my photographic journey.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 4000 – f1.4 – 1/45 second

The high ISO/low light journey will  be continued…

Until next time – Happy Shooting.

Please note all these photos were taken without a tripod to test the capability of high ISO’s on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1.

Free Fine Art Photography – July 2012 – Mt Field National Park

The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.

July 2012 – Mt Field National Park.jpeg

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD IT.

REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE

REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE

Until next time – Happy Shooting.

CameraED – Week 6 – Depth of Field

This week Leigh Diprose explains depth of field and the depth of field preview button found on most cameras.

The Sunday Times – Whale Photo by Leigh Diprose Published

 

 

 

Published in The Sunday Times – Sunday, 29th June 2012

The article written by Emily Moulton on page 31 reads:

Power and the glory

THIS breathtaking shot of a female humpback having a whale of a time was taken off Albany.

The majestic creature entered King George Sound with her newborn calf a few weeks ago and was seen by whale watchers on board an Albany Ocean Adventures tour.

Fremantle photographer Leigh Diprose was one of those lucky passengers and captured this magical moment of the humpback breaching.

“It was on my bucket list,” Mr Diprose said. “The whale had a two-week-old calf with her and it was fantastic to have witnessed the calf trying to breach the water, then its mum came out of nowhere and started breaching. It was amazing.”

Paul Guest, from Albany Ocean Adventures, said the cow and calf stayed in King George Sound for about six days after this picture was taken – the first time a migrating humpback had done that in a long while.

“Normally they swim right on through,” he said. “It was a little unusual. You could also tell the calf was very young, less than two weeks old.

“Its dorsal fin was still bent over. It straightens up after 14 days.”

If you like the photo feel free to download it:

I release two free photos every month. The full resolution photo of the humpback whale is one of the images you can download for free.

Simply click on the below image to download the photo for FREE

 

 

Feel free to share this page with family and friends.

Until next time – Happy Shooting

Fujifilm Cameras Australia – Hijacked

Fujifilm Cameras Australia have come up with a brilliant concept for any photographer to have the opportunity to hijack their Facebook cover photo making them Fujifilm Famous for one month! This months theme is Australian Landmarks. Have you been anywhere in Australia that stands out?

If so I challenge you to go to the Fujifilm Cameras Australia page hit LIKE to hear about how you can become Fujifilm Famous! There is only 13 days left before the comp has finished. So get to it! This was my entry I posted on the Fujifilm Cameras Page to become Fujifilm Famous! I took this photo of the Sydney Opera House from the Harbour.

As a photographer I have travelled around various places and seen some amazing sites…some of them I didn’t even have a camera with me! Oh No! One of my favourite places to visit here in Western Australia would have to be around Geraldton area also known as the Coral Coast.  The rocky coastline and beautiful sunsets are beautiful on any day. Whenever I head to the ocean around that area I can always rely on capturing something special.

Taking about taking special photos, the last two Fujifilm Famous hijackers have had some really amazing photographs. This months photographer is Paul Pichugin who found some amazing water detail along the West Australian coastline. What an amazing photographer and an amazing image don’t you think? The clouds on the distant horizon seem tame compared with the swirling water in the foreground and I love the way the water trickles over the rocks creating a cascading waterfall. Simply beautiful.

The previous months Fujifilm Famous photographer,  Sue-ann Tilby captured another beautiful sunset which rocked the community on the Fujifilm Cameras Australia Facebook page.  The colour in this image is simply amazing! I would certainly have a big smile on my face if I captured this image. I’m sure Sue-ann did! Have you ever tried taking a photograph like this before? Why not get out this weekend and give it a go then share it with the world so everyone can see it….who knows you might be the next Fujifilm Famous photographer!

I am planning a beach shoot this weekend down at my local beach however I don’t think I can match these two photographers….however I will give it a go.

I’ll leave you with this question: If you could go anywhere in the world to take a photograph where would it be?

Until next time – Happy Shooting.

Published on the Front Cover of the Great Southern Weekender – Leigh Diprose

Wow! When I got a message from Paul Guest from Albany today I was excited. He told me my photograph had made it to the front cover of the local paper – The Great Southern Weekender. The Great Southern Weekender has a circulation of just over 20,000 homes and businesses. Thanks also to Shawn Haywood from Geraldton (one of my favourite places!) who ended up telling someone in Albany about the photo…who told someone else…and so on….

I would like to thank Albany Ocean Adventures for the true adventure photographing such an amazing animal – the Humpback Whale. Paul was so knowledgeable about the whales and put the boat in the perfect position to take the photo. If you ever get the chance to get to Albany be sure to book a trip whale watching aboard the Silver Star with Albany Ocean Adventures.

Paul Guest from Albany Ocean Adventures

Also I have made this photo FREE for everyone to use. Click on the image to download.

Feel free to share the love

The Front Cover of the Great Southern Weekender

The Inside Cover of the Great Southern Weekender

Until next time – Happy Shooting!

My Thoughts on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1

FUJIFILM X-PRO 1 – My Thoughts

This review is based solely on my own opinion about the camera. I have been using the X-Pro 1 since the beginning of May and have seen some amazing results.

All my photographs were taken as a RAW file and edited in some way using Adobe Lightroom 3/4 or Adobe Photoshop CS5.

I have spread my thoughts on this camera across different aspects that are important to me. If you are after a detailed spec review then this is not the site for you. This review is based on a user experience the highs and the lows….so lets get started!

To celebrate the camera’s ability to shoot in low light I put this video together. Enjoy.

 

DESIGN

Fujifilm have managed to design the X-Pro 1 with style, class and quality. The full metal body speaks highly of the cameras design. The X-Pro 1 fits like a glove. The sleek stylish curved body accentuates and oozes quality. Many say a poor man Leica? I say touch of class.

However there are a few things that I don’t like so much about the camera. I’ll get into those later on.

I have found the bold black magnesium alloy shapes aesthetically pleasing. The designer in my has ignited. I simply wanted to get my hands on one. Two months later and I am thankful I have one.

Having a history with professional DSLR cameras the physical size of the camera and lens combinations have been a pleasure to hold. Most compact pro cameras out there have simply been too small. The Olympus OM-D EM5, Nikon V1, Sony Nex 7 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 have all been in my hands before, all of which have lost their appeal due to their compact size (the closest thing to comfort out of these cameras would have to be the Olympus OMD with the grip on). Don’t get me wrong the other cameras out there take a great photo – what I am trying to say is coming from a Pro DSLR background, the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 simply feels better in my hands.

I think the Japanese do things well. For a camera to be in my kit it must be made in Japan or Germany. Quality is Japan and German – period. Luckily the X-Pro 1 was forged in Japan otherwise I wouldn’t even touch it!

CAMERA LAYOUT

All the buttons are ergonomically designed to fit the users hand. One of the main features I like about the design was the placement of the viewfinder. Too many cameras have the viewfinder in the middle. When you press your eye up against the viewfinder your nose becomes jammed up against the LCD which eventually smears the screen The X-Pro 1 has fixed that problem by moving the viewfinder to the side of the camera.

DIALS

The dials on the camera also reflect Fujifilm’s attention to detail. As you turn the on/off switch, the shutter speed dial or the exposure compensation dial you can be assured of the change as each movement is confirmed with a solid “click” as the dial moves into place. I have read a few reviews in my time and played with many cameras. One big issue for Fujifilm on the earlier X100 was the mode dial would move if you bumped it. This hasn’t been a problem on the X-Pro 1 as Fujifilm have added a much-needed lock on the shutter speed dial.

Coming from a Canon background I found when looking through the viewfinder navigating the button and dial configuration seemed second nature. When reviewing images on the 3 inch screen or through the 1,230,000 dot electronic viewfinder the colour and detail was very close to what I saw through my own eyes.

VIEWFINDER

Hybrid viewfinder. Now there’s an idea. I found myself using this feature all to often. I’ll give you an example. I was photographing some stars on a moonless night near Pemberton, Western Australia. I travelled there only to find there was no bright light source to set my focus on. I had two cameras with me the Canon EOS 1D MK IV and the Fujifilm X-Pro 1. After setting both up on tripods I attempted to gain focus on the Canon. Using only the optical viewfinder I set the focus point to the center point and half pressed the shutter button.  The Canon  17-40mm f4 L lens whirred and hunted back and forth trying its best to focus on the brightest star in the sky. After five minutes of trying I had no luck. I’m sure if the Canon could talk it was saying “I think I can…I think I can…” My eyes were too bad to attempt to manually focus so the camera was useless on this occasion. The Fujifilm X-Pro had its chance.

I set the hybrid viewfinder to the electronic viewfinder. WOW! I was blown away. Not only could the camera focus in almost pitch black it was like I was looking through a window into clear daylight. The electronic viewfinder boasted amazing quality and only took less than a second to gain autofocus! To this day I am still amazed a camera can perform better than how I see in low light. Fujifilm clearly got something right!

X-PRO 1 – 18mm –  ISO 400 – f2 – 30 secs

MENU

The camera’s menu took a bit of getting use to. Although after the first week I seem to have mastered it.

Conveniently placed the menu button sits nestled in-between the selector keys.  Once pressed the shooting menu tab is the first out of eight tabs to be displayed – five of which are camera settings and the remaining are playback settings.

Previously on the Fujifilm X100 menu you had to fight your way through various functions to get to the next page of settings. The main menu on the X-Pro 1 has been laid out with some thought – thanks Fujifilm for listening! The X-Pro 1 menu allows you to bypass all the unwanted settings by selecting a tab on the left hand side.  Navigating your way around the menu is simple. The selector keys scroll up, down, left and right while the command dial controls the function of the mode you have selected.

For changing settings on the fly the X-Pro 1 features a Q (Quick) button. 15 of the most common settings appear as symbols on the back LCD allowing you to bypass the main menu. I was able to control what settings appeared on the Quick menu as the camera allowed 7 different custom screens. Each custom screen allowed me to save my favourite camera settings to the quick menu. For example I set a custom quick menu for low light shooting which centred around ISO and bracketing controls; the other custom menu was set for landscape photography where I pre-saved my film simulation mode to Velvia.

I think without the Quick mode Fujifilm would have made a huge mistake. This button was designed to keep the user out of the menu so they could spend more time shooting and it certainly worked for me!

Check out the video from the Fuji Guys on how the new menu works.

 

ISO

ISO can be set to the following:

L (100), 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400

Auto (400), Auto (800), Auto (1600), Auto (3200)….ok now that’s over….. I tended to use ISO 400 right through to ISO 2500.

The camera has really challenged me with my photography. I am so used to carrying my clunky tripod or flash to capture the dimly lit scenes in life. With the X-Pro 1 I didn’t have to worry about all the other photographic paraphernalia. I was able to go anywhere and photograph anything.

Setting the ISO control to 3200 my head was telling me ARRRGHHHH what are you doing???? I wanted to explore the camera…I mean if Fujifilm were going to put a setting on the camera it had to be good right? I had to test it – sort of like when you have to test if the paint is dry just after painting…I got that feeling!  The question was at ISO 3200 was there going to be noise?

Really ISO 3200?

BOOM!

No noise.

The shutter had been pressed when shooting some low light urban scenes in Melbourne and Fremantle and look no noise! Crazy!

This would definitely be one of the very best features on the camera. High ISO with no noise. What more could I want?

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 2500 – 35mm – f1.4 – 1/170sec – Split Toning in Adobe Lightroom 4.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 18mm – ISO 200 – f10 – 5 secs

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 18mm – ISO 200 – f10 – 30 sec

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 18mm – ISO 200 – f2 – 1/4 sec

MOVIE

HD Video on the X-Pro 1 is a feature I am still dabbling in. However if you want to see what the quality is like at 720p I found this video showcasing the video quality. Remember to change the YouTube video setting to 720P HD for better viewing quality.

SWEEP PANORAMA

This sort of setting is not new for me.  I have used this setting mainly on compact Fujifilm, Olympus, Canon and  Sony cameras. The first series of cameras to bring this feature out were …how do I put it….crap.

The X-Pro 1 must have majored in sweep panoramas at production school! When it comes to sweeping the X-Pro 1 knows! The quality of the stitch is seamless if done correctly.

I pushed the camera to the limits by acting as a drunk and even portraying the smoker withdrawal shake. The pictures weren’t pretty….lets just say I found the limit. This mode is definitely not for the drunks. To be expected there were some problems with stitching due the rapid hand shake. My advice would be to use a tripod or monopod if you like your drink or smokes and suffer from withdrawals…this camera setting isn’t for you….but for everyone else all you need is a steady hand and you will be fine. This is the result in a high contrast scene. The outdoor light was pouring in and I don’t think I could have photographed this almost 180 degree view without the use of the sweep panorama mode.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 1000 – f8 – 1/60 sec – Sweep Panorama Mode

BATTERY

Power consumption was probably one of my only dislikes on the camera (maybe because I used it so much!)

The CIPA (Camera and Imaging Products Association) standard is said to be 300 images from one charged battery. CIPA test under strict conditions.  Each camera is turned on, the shutter button is pressed once taking a photo and the camera is then turned off. The process is repeated until the camera won’t turn on again. Fujifilm reached 300 cycles.

Fujifilm amped up the power from the previous X100’s NP-95 battery to the new Fujifilm NP-W126 battery.  I would definitely recommend a spare as I found myself running out of power too often. The battery drain can really be likened to a car. Performance vehicles use a lot of fuel so really you should expect the X-Pro 1 to use a lot of battery.

LENSES

The XF lens system has produced some amazing results.  No detail was spared when designing these lenses. The tow lenes I have been using are the Fujifilm XF 18mm F2 R and the Fujifilm XF 35mm f1.4 R. My favorite out of the two would have to be the 35mm as it gives a true representation to what I see. Recently Fujifilm announced the XF 14mm f2.8, 18-55mm f2.8-4, 56mm f1.4, 27mm f2.8, 55-200mm f3.5-f4.8 and the new 10-24 f4.

I just wish I had the 10-24mm as it would provide a nice wide-angle for shooting my landscapes. Currently I am stitching all my photographs which is quite time-consuming.

Pictured below is the road map of Fujifilm XF lenses which will be released shortly.

IMAGE DETAIL

Overall I think when it comes to reviewing a camera the image detail is one of the most important things. I won’t write too much more on this subject as the Jpeg images taken on the APS-C sized senor will show you . Take a look.

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 400 – f8 – 1/3000 sec

100% Crop

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 1000 – f2 – 1/300 sec

100% Crop

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 400 – f8 – 1/200 sec

100% Crop

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 400 – f8 – 1/4000 sec

100% Crop

THUMBS UP OR DOWN?

THUMBS UP:

Full sized compact pro – fitted perfectly in my hands

High ISO with extremely low noise. I was able to shoot ISO 3200 with no problems at all.

Quick Menu allowed me to  bypass the main menu for ease of operation

Hybrid Viewfinder worked well in low light situations.

Horizon tool on the rear LCD allowed me to get all my landscapes straight!

Magnesium alloy body meant I could take the camera anywhere without any problem.

XF lenses – clean, sharp and crisp – especially the 35mm f1.4

Amazing detail due to the removal of the low pass filter

Camera strap – the underside of the strap was rubberized and provided good grip. Never slid off my shoulder!

THUMBS DOWN:

Battery life – didn’t seem to last two days of shooting.

Diopter adjustment lens seemed to want to unscrew itself from the camera. I found it in my camera bag on one occasion.

Slow start-up time (compared with a Pro DSLR)

OVERALL

Overall I can recommend this camera to the keen enthusiast or professional photographer. The camera is light and perfect as a stand alone or second body. Shooting in low light stacks up against some of the bigger players like the Canon 5D MKIII and Nikon D800. I think the removal of the low pass filter to mimic film has paid off. Fujifilm have really developed a ground breaking camera adding to the overall success of the X series camera lineup. I look forward to seeing what other photographic boundaries can be pushed by Fujifilm in the coming year and I’m sure the X-Pro 1 will be just one of many X series cameras to wow the photographic world.

 

Until next time – Happy Shooting!

Canon EOS M Mirrorless Camera with EF-M 22mm f/2 STM pancake lens

Finally Canon have come to the mirrorless party and will be bringing out the new Canon EOS M camera.

Featured on the camera is the new EF-M 22mm f2 STM pancake lens. This lens will join the new STM range of EF lens – the 40mm STM and 18-135mm STM lenses. I assume there will be an adapter to take EF-M mount to EF mount lenses.

I can’t wait to see what picture quality this camera will provide.  Due to the size of the camera I expect there will be an APS-C sized sensor (same size as the Canon EOS 650D).

The new Canon EOS M camera has a hot shoe to add an external flash. My guess is the Canon 320EX Speedlight will be best suited for this camera due to the newly developed sensor capable of recording full HD video (similar to the Canon EOS 650D) which will allow full time auto focus tracking. Something the Nikon DSLR’s have had for a while now.

This camera would be a great addition to any DSLR photography kit you may have already.  Due to the small metal body the camera seems like it will be able to go anywhere and cover almost any photography project.

It will be very interesting to see the low light capabilities from the Canon EOS M compared with the Olympus OM-D EM5, Fujifilm X Pro 1, Panasonic GX1, Nikon V1 and Sony NEX 7 cameras. I imagine the performance will be on the ball with the camera manufactured in Japan.

Some of the standout features this camera may have are:

Full HD movie recording – 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps)

Phase detection pixels

APS-C CMOS sized sensor

1,040,000 dot 3 inch touch screen

6 white balance presets

Digic 5 processor

Scrolling mode dials on the touch screen (same as the Canon EOS 650D)

EyeFi – wirelessly send your photos to a mobile device or network for easy sharing (via the Canon app)

I estimate the availability of the new Canon EOS M camera to be very soon as Canon are in the process of celebrating their 75 year.

I received these cupcakes from Canon a few days ago to celebrate the occasion (the chocolate one was the best!)

Until next time – Happy Shooting

CameraED – Week 5 – Editing with Lightroom

Another week has passed so its time for another tutorial with CameraED for fstoplounge.com

I hope you all learn a thing or two on how to edit a photo using the develop module in Lightroom. If you have any questions please leave a comment.

This is the final result.

Until next time – Happy Shooting.

Darkness at Mutton Bird

The evolving storm clouds masked the last of the warming light. The sound of the ocean was threatening with wave after wave crashing against the battered landscape. Rock hopping with tripod in hand and camera bag on my tired shoulders I fought my way against the howling wind.

Quickly constructing my tripod I felt like a soldier assembling a weapon. Clouds swarmed above me blackening the sky. By now the ocean was tumbling and churning – the storm was rolling in.  The reflection usually seen on the surface of the water was nowhere to be seen instead violent ripples formed by the wind accelerated across the water.

Taking in the scene for a few minutes I noticed a pattern was developing from the break as it left the shore. The streaming water quickly invaded the shoreline filling every gap, stopping briefly then retreating back into the ocean. I was inspired to capture the ocean rhythm playing around me.

Attaching the fish eye lens to the camera I changed the camera’s settings with solid clicks as my numbing fingers fought the bitter cold.  Looking through the viewfinder I was presented with an almost ethereal scene. Light bounced about on the surface of the detailed rocks while water came from all directions filling the frame with a juxtaposing smooth finish.

Developing this image in Photoshop I am convinced there should be more photographs like this – dark and gloomy. Not every landscape scene should have golden light. Right?

I hope you enjoy this photograph.

Until Next time – Happy Shooting.

CameraED – Week 4 – Photoshop Portrait

What happens when I combine these images?

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A Photoshop Portrait of course. Check out the latest CameraED video I put together – Week 4 – Photoshop Portrait.

This video was created for F Stop Lounge – the best place for a photographer to get some inspiration!

Olympus OM-D EM-5 with 75mm f1.8 lens Sample Photo

Olympus have done very well to put amazing specifications into such a small camera body. Holding the OM-D with the new Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens attached simply made photography enjoyable.  Shooting in low light hand held wasn’t a problem.

This is a quick portrait photo I took of Sean Standen – aka “Stakky” in Northbridge, Western Australia. Check out the meta data below the image. Hand held at what???? Crazy!

(Just so you know the lighting was poor and outside it was freezing – I was shaking when I took this image so it may be a little bit burry)

I will be doing a review on this camera in the future so stay tuned to see the photo quality stack up against the Canon 1D MK IV and the amazing Fujifilm X-Pro 1.

Olympus OM-D EM-5  – 75mm – ISO 500 – f1.8 – 1/20 sec (handheld).

RAW Conversion – Adobe Lightroom 4 – Edited – Adobe Photoshop CS5

CameraED – Week 3 – Sunset Photography

The last 3 days I have been quite sick so sorry for the lack of posts.

I crawled to the computer to put this video together for CameraED – “Week 3 – Sunset Photography”

I hope you learn a few tips.

And here are some of the photographs from the day

Free Fine Art Photography – July 2012 – Albany Ocean Adventures – Humpback Whale

The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.

July 2012 – Albany Ocean Adventures.tiff

Just click on the image to download it.

 All I ask in return is:

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST

Enjoy.

 REMEMBER TO SHARE THIS POST.

Thank you.

CameraED – Week 2 – Fujiflm X Pro 1 – Sand Dunes

I wanted to see what the Full HD video would be like on the Fujifilm X Pro 1 so I headed for the sand dunes…..

CAUTION: This video may put you to sleep ;)

The final photos photographed with the Fujifilm X Pro 1 can be seen below.

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f1.6 – 1/3800 sec

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f8 – 1/550 sec

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f8 – 1/1100 sec

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f16 – 1/640 sec

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f8 – 1/400 sec

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f9 – 1/450 sec

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f16 – 1/350 sec

 

 

 

ABC 1 – Photo Finish Competition – Lighting the Lens

I was challenged after seeing a Facebook post from ABC 1 TV program “Photo Finish”. The brief was simple – “Submit the most creative and imaginative photograph you can – it can capture or depict anything you like! There is a trick to it though, every photo must include a camera lens somewhere in the shot. The lens can appear anywhere in the photo, but it must be there!”

I quickly got to work and compiled three images that were going to tell a story. The photos were taken using the Fujifilm X Pro 1 and Canon 1D MK IV.

Image 1 – The old fire place to ignite the photo

Image 2 – Some ghostly clouds to add some atmosphere

and lastly a photo of my old Canon 400mm f/5.6L USM lens

The next step was to combine the photos in Photoshop to meet the competition brief

The final result:

Guest Photographer Post – Paul Pichugin uses the Fujifilm X Pro 1

Hey All,

I’ve been lucky enough to be given a Fuji X-Pro1 by Leigh Diprose for the last few days to give it a road test and see what I can do with it. I was heading away for the weekend already, so I took the X-Pro1 on a bit of a road trip around the south of Western Australia. My very initial impressions of the Fuji X-Pro1 is that it has an exceptional build quality, the camera is quite nice to hold even with my large hands, many of the smaller cameras seem to get lost in my hands. The controls are all fairly intuitive and very accessible, with in minutes of picking it up I was able to use most of the functions I would normally use on my dSLR.

First stop was about 3 hours drive out of Perth, I’m a sucker for clear night skies, we are lucky enough to have very little light pollution here in the west. I decided to give the Fuji a go at some star photography, normally I’d photograph this with my dSLR as it has quite good high-ISO performance.

Milky Way – Fuji X-Pro1

This image was photographed at ISO1600, f2.8 and a 30 second exposure. The camera was in single shot mode and this is a RAW image with minimal processing. Within the first 3 images I was incredibly impressed by the high ISO performance, there isn’t a huge amount of noise in this image and the clarity in the RAW image is exceptional. The straight jpeg was very similar to this RAW file that I’ve just added some sharpening to.

Dawn – Fuji X-Pro1

ISO1600, f2.0, 1/4000. This is a straight jpeg out of the camera with no adjustments, I’ve just resized it and added my signature. The noise levels are very acceptable, I’d have no issues printing this image fairly large. I’m very impressed with the dynamic range of the sensor too.

One of the more interesting modes I found for shooting was the automatic panoramic mode, you set the camera at your start point, press the shutter and sweep the camera from left to right, it then takes a series of images and stitches them together.

Fuji X-Pro1 – Panoramic mode

This is a slightly adjusted panoramic image, photographed with the Fuji X-Pro1 in panoramic mode. f4.0, ISO400, 1/220 the final full sized image is 5120 x 1440 px, so definitely a printable size.

Salt Lake – Fuji X-Pro1

This was photographed at: f8, 1/1500 and ISO800. I’ve done some processing in Adobe Camera RAW, the files are very flexible and retain a lot of detail.

Secluded Beach – Fuji X-Pro1

A RAW image with some minor tweaks in Camera RAW.

Overall I’m very impressed with the camera, I think it would make the perfect travel camera for someone who is accustomed to having professional level gear with them, but doesn’t want to have to carry it all over the world! This camera is definitely aimed at the enthusiast / semi-pro photographer, it has more than enough manual functions to keep any photographer happy, while retaining enough automatic modes to make it easy enough for the beginner to use. The files it’s 16mp sensor produces are very clean and very ready to print!

I have the camera for a few more days so I’m going to be trying out a few more seascape type images and a few other subjects. I’m definitely going to look into getting one, I’d really like to take one with me to Cambodia in September, I think it would be the ideal camera for the photo-journalist / documentary and street photographer.

Regards

Paul Pichugin

Fujifilm X Pro 1 vs Sand Dunes

I found myself standing in front of billions of grains of sand forming a monumental mountain. The dirt danced in the air as short breaths of wind thrust the sand about. The wind howled, choreographing its own sandy air show. Sand clouds appeared before me – rising and falling in unison as they laid to rest upon the great dune. The sand was forever forming and changing.

I had a small window of opportunity to capture the magnificent wonder. My time was short and my lips were becoming parched from the windy conditions. I felt the threat of rain steadily approaching as the blackening gang of clouds rolled over toward me.

The camera strap felt secure around me neck as the cold wind tried to flatten me. My heels buried into the forgiving sand as I lined up for the shot. With a short steadying breath and cold metal pressed to cheek, I clicked the shutter button forging my first photo.  The light and dark tones seemed to jump from the rear screen as I deciphered the small details of the dune. Upon noticing the detail it struck me the entire dune simply did not fit onto the small screen on the back of the camera – the dune was simply too big. Thinking about my options I decided to return the camera to a vertical shooting position and attempt a multi row panoramic.

My excitement to capture the perfect formation was child like. From left to right, overlapping RAW photos fired off one after another to replicate the scene in front of me. Full of energy and a spring in my step I proceeded to the car after the files saved quickly to the memory card. My thoughts of marrying the photos together and applying an artistic touch were unfathomable. I simply couldn’t wait to get home and put the photographs together.

I have included the original RAW photos below and additionally captured my screen as I turned the merged photos into a fine art photograph.

The above photos were stitched together using PTGui Pro

then edited using Adobe Photoshop CS5.

 The end result

Free Fine Art Photography – June 2012 – Port Gregory

The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.

June 2012 – Port Gregory 011.tiff

(on the right hand side of the blog)

 All I ask in return is:

PLEASE CLICK THE SHARE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST

Enjoy.

cameraED Week 1 – Landscape Photography

Everything has a beginning right?….it can only grow and get better from here!

Join me for the first official cameraED YouTube video as I travel out to Port Gregory located in Western Australia to photograph a landscape scene.

cameraED will be growing every day into a site that will be available for every budding photographer out there, professional or beginner.  So sit back and enjoy the weekly videos all about photography!

 

 

 

Below is the final image I managed to capture before the battery died again!

Canon EOS 1D MK IV – ISO 50 – 40mm – f5.6 – 0.5 sec

 

Keep your eyes OFF the road and the Fujifilm X Pro 1 will do the rest.

The people in their cars behind me must have thought I had a rubber neck as I consistently moved my head in every direction panning the skies for Osprey followed by more horizontal pans looking across the lifeless earth for the perfect landscape composition.  I had been on the lookout for the momentous shot for some time and now the light was beginning to turn a golden hue. Time was running out.

I had frequented this road before. The long open road that produced a distant hopeful shimmer. We’ve  all been there only to find the road continues on into an endless journey, and my journey had taken me to the beautiful Coral Coast in Western Australia. Bustling along my eyes rested upon a majestic pink lake nestled alongside the road. The wheels were spinning in full rotational motion as some of the scene passed, a quick stomp applied by my feet applied a relieved halting pressure to the brakes –  I simply had to capture the developing scene before me.

The sound of the car door was behind me as I flurried into position. Jostling tripod and camera into some sort of balancing act I clicked the X Pro 1 into a starting position, the camera proceeded to perform with some sort of magic. The focus arrived as the composition fell perfectly into place  – this was going to be one for the pool room.

I had been waiting for this sort of scene since the sun experience deja vu from the day before. The atmosphere was filled with silence as I quietly navigated the quick mode on the back of the cold metal camera body. Fingers easily falling upon the self timer mode I rested knowing the picture would be perfect. One click of the shutter button had confirmed my belief. My journey was complete.

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 400 – 35mm – f8 – 1/1900 sec

 

 

Pink Lake vs the Fujifilm X Pro 1

The perfect opportunity arose when I was fortunate to find myself with a rarity of four days off. I had been wanting to exercise my camera’s shutter at a unique West Australian landscape setting – a pink lake located in the small town of Port Gregory. My fascination to photograph this bizarre landscape arose when I peered out from my window in a very small plane heading to Karratha from Perth. Even though I am extremely colour blind I was clearly able to see the pink hues from the air. Amazingly the pinkness comes from a bacteria – Dunaliella salina which finds itself trapped within the salt crystal of the lake. The psychedelic colour is most vibrant around sunrise and sunset. That was my goal – to photograph two sunrises and one sunset.

Pen went to paper as my visual ideas for a great shot consumed me. I felt a bit like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, I was simply pursing one of my dreams to capture the ‘precious’ shot.  The days drew nearer toward the 6 hour Skoda drive that would see me at my destination. My thought train was rumbling and steaming as I debated what photographic gear I would take. The usual suspects were there the tent, clothes, sleeping bag and the like but the burning question on my mind was which camera and lens combination should I use?

Pondering the question over a beer some sense came to mind – I thought “I’m travelling all that way I should just take it all.” So I did:

Fujifilm X Pro 1, Fujinon 18mm f2; Fujinon 35mm f1.4, Canon 1D MK IV, Canon 17-40mm, Canon 85mm f1.2, Sigma 120-300mm f2.8, Canon MP-E65 f2.8, Canon MT-24EX Flash, 3x Lee Filters and a stack of memory cards all stuffed into my Lowepro Nature Trekker Case…oh and don’t forget the Manfrotto 190XBPRO tripod!

The night had arrived when I found myself standing in front of the seemly quite and eerie destination. The scene before me was pitch black with an encompassing blanket of stars reflecting on the gigantic lakes’ every ripple. Delirious from the trip I managed to take one photo on the X Pro 1 before I set an alarm to wake my fading Red Bull and coffee filled mind up from its unnatural state.

The developed photograph intrigued me as it revealed a dull glow from a salt refinery on the distant horizon. The aura produced by the man-made structure seemed to interact with the greater constellations. There was something else to the photograph – it was a bit of a surprise – at first I thought I had captured some sort of military plane or an object you would see in documentaries over the famous Area 51 – I took a second photograph to confirm my belief…but alas the UFO was classic lens flare. Just quietly before I took the second photograph  I couldn’t contain my excitement – I thought I had made contact!

Morning arrived with rain filled clouds and disappointment written all over my face. I wasn’t going to get the sunrise I had been dreaming of – the clouds were simply way to cumulus for any light to penetrate. Picking myself up I reached for the Fujifilm X Pro 1 to test its high ISO abilities. During my oscar winning sad-sack performance the heavens had a break and decided to have a sneak peek of a light show as the sun played hide and seek with the clouds. During the intensely short game I managed to pick off a few which made me bounce right back into being Leigh Diprose – the happy traveller.

The rest of the trip I experienced downpours, sand blasting winds and extreme chills (youtube videos to come). I opted to leave the X Pro 1 in the car due to the intensely bad weather. The only advance I saw in using the Canon in the horrible weather was it’s weather proofing – other than that the X Pro 1’s image quality was on par with the Canons. All of these images were photographed in RAW on the Fujifilm X Pro 1 with adjustments made in Lightroom 4.

ISO 800 – 35mm – f1.4 – 1/100 sec

ISO 200 – 35mm – f16 – 0.5 sec

ISO 200 – 35mm – f5.6 – 1/180 sec

ISO 200 – 35mm – f16 – 1/10 sec

ISO 200 – f35mm – f16 – 1/110 sec

ISO 200 – 35mm – f8 – 1/750 sec

ISO 200 – 35mm – f8 – 1/55 sec

Until next time.

Happy Shooting.

 

 

 

 

 

Going the Grunge with the Fujifilm X Pro 1

Fremantle, Western Australia known as ‘Freo’ to the locals is full enthusiasm for late nights, premium local beer, unique fashion and great coffee. The heritage city hosts a mixture of eclectic stereotypical hippies, hipsters, skaters and artists who all bring their own flavour to the streets and stores. I wanted to capture a glimpse into the culture that is Freo so I headed off on foot with the Fujifilm X Pro 1. Instantly I thought of the local Wool Stores where an assortment of posters and urban art coincide to bring life into the old heritage building. I thought a grunge theme would best showcase the building at night.

I was quite impressed with the sharpness of the cameras sensor within both photos. The light trail left by the bus in the square photograph created depth and interest within the long exposure. I found that it really broke up the plain brick wall into something interesting.

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 18mm – f10 – 30 sec

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 18mm – f2 – 1/4 sec

 

cameraED – Nikon 1 V1 Review

Cameras and technology have changed so much in the past 12 months not to mention the last decade. I have been involved within the imaging industry now for over 13 years and have seen many advances from the first 1.3MP Kodak Easyshare camera to the ground breaking 36MP Nikon D800E. Throughout my time in the photography world one thing has always remained  – the chase for the best camera design whilst still delivering perfect image quality – enter the Nikon 1 series.

You see at first I was sceptical when I first saw this camera. I thought to myself can such a small sensor produce sharp images; and the look of the camera…was this even a camera?…was Nikon serious? A day out with the camera was going to change my mind.

I jumped in the car with the small white camera in my hand and the spare lens nestled in my pocket. The sun was out and the streets were busy. I decided to head to the local markets – the famous Fremantle Markets.

I noticed a crowd had gathered near the entrance to the markets and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to photograph some candid portraits. In the past I hadn’t had much success with street photograph due to my big Canon DSLR – most of the time I was discouraged by local authorities – this didn’t even present as a problem with the Nikon V1.  I was encouraged to join in the fun as the crowd encouraged the local entertainer to perform insane stunts. I found myself in awe of the talented busker. He had the myself and the crowd engrossed in the performance. I anticipated a perfect moment was about to present itself so I switched the camera to video mode and set the quality to Full HD. The busker didn’t disappoint, he proceeded to perform for the crowd thrusting whips in the air filling the busy street with deaf defining cracks as the two whips danced about above his head. The Queensland Crossover was in full swing and I wasn’t missing a beat thanks to the amazing video feature on the V1. This experience had summed up my day. The camera was amazing especially the video. Later on that day I played back the video on the high res screen and chucked to myself as I relived the moment.

I put together a small video showcasing some of the standout features I experience when using the camera. All the sample images are shown below most of which were photographed at ISO 1600 due to the low light in the undercover markets.

If I could pass on one piece of advice when thinking about buying a new camera it would be – you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover…so in turn you should never judge a camera by its cover until you delve into the features and experience the image quality for yourself.

Until next time.

Happy Shooting.

ISO 1600 – 10mm – f3.5 – 1/60 sec

ISO 400 – 10mm – f3.5 – 1/60 sec

ISO 1600 – 30mm – f5.6 – 1/50 sec

ISO 1600 – 10mm – f2.8 – 1/125 sec

ISO 1600 –  10mm – f3.5 – 1/200 sec

ISO 1600 – 10mm – f10 – 1/1600 sec

ISO 1600 – 10mm – f4 – 1/320 sec

ISO 1600 – 10mm – f2.8 – 1/20 sec

ISO 1600 – 10mm – f2.8 – 1/80 sec

ISO 400 – 10mm – f7.1 – 1/800 sec

ISO 400 – 10mm – f6.3 – 1/640 sec – Split Toning

 

Fujifilm X Pro1 meets Melbourne Australia

My last visit to Melbourne was full of dark and gloomy scenes. As I walked the streets in the blanket of rain I managed to capture the little amount of available light using the Fujifilm X Pro 1 handheld. It was the camera and me. What more could a traveller want?

Usually I would be carrying around my Canon 1D MKIV with a wide angle or even a prime to shoot a bustling city however the ease and portability of the X Pro 1 allowed for a more enjoyable travelling experience. Compared to my Canon I was amazed at the image quality – especially with the higher ISO settings.

Simply put I’m glad that there is a professional camera out there that fits my travelling needs. All the below images were photographed shooting RAW and edited in Adobe Lightroom 4.

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 2500 – 35mm – f1.4 – 1/170sec – Split Toning in Adobe Lightroom 4.

 

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 800 – 35mm – f4.5 – 1/150 sec – Split Toning in Adobe Lightroom 4.

 

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 800 – 35mm – f1.4 – 1/100 sec – Edited using Adobe Lightroom 4.

 

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 200 – 35mm – f1.4 – 1/350 sec – Edited in Adobe Lightroom 4.

 

Fujifilm X Pro 1 – ISO 800 – 35mm – f1.4 – 1/80 sec – Edited using Adobe Lightroom 4.

 

Next Month – Melbourne

As always I am keeping busy with photography and my busy life.

I’m looking forward to Melbourne next month so be sure to keep your eyes on the blog for some great ideas and inspiration in the photography, business and social media world. Some of blog posts that I will be talking about will be from amazing people in the photography, business and social media world. Some of  these people include:

A.J.Riebli filmmaker from Pixar Animation Studios will be discussing just how to tell a memorable digital story; David Warwick from bwired will shine some light on how to effectively unleash the power of social media; Paul Atkins (Atkins Technicolor) will discuss the business behind the fast growing pace of the social media business world and from Elcom Technology, Anthony Milner will discuss how to manage your web content successfully.

Darren Vowles from ReachLocal Australia will discuss today’s digital online space; the Director of Consumer for Microsoft – David McLean, will present the topic of digital lifestyle and finally Christ Maher from IT Bandwagon is going to show me how to super charge my social media.

To top it all off I will be hearing from Steve Parish and Darran Leal about everything photography!

Stay tuned and subscribe to my blog through any of my social media channels.

Until next time

Happy Shooting.

Google Plus Update

 

 

Over the next 24 hours I will hit 5000 followers on Google Plus in 4 months. Thanks for all the support everyone.

Semi-Impromptu Google+ Hangout

I took this image yesterday morning in Fremantle, Western Australia when Paul Pichugin and myself had a semi-impromptu Google+ hangout.  This was a test run for what is to come for when we broadcast LIVE. Exciting times ahead.

Olympus E-P3

Let me start by saying this really isn’t a review on the Olympus E-P3….just a whole lot of messing around trying to be creative.

I didn’t want to list the features in point form so I put a little video together for you all to have a look at. Sorry for the delay but I have been extremely busy…does anyone want a PA job????

The Olympus also features 10 Art Filters: Diorama, Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Cross Process, Gentle Sepia and Dramatic Tone.

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Some of the images that made it into my short video were taken at the Boat Shed Markets in Albany, Western Australia:

     45mm, ISO 200, 1/80 sec, f1.8

     45mm, ISO 200, 1/125 sec, f2.0

    45mm, ISO 200, 1/160 sec, f2.2

     45mm, ISO 200, 1/160 sec, f2.5

     45mm, ISO 200, 1/800 sec, f5.0

     45mm, ISO 200, 1/800 sec, f5.0

     45mm, ISO 200, 1/800 sec, f5.0

For a full review on the camera I can recommend checking out the link here

A big thank you goes to Olympus Australia for suppling me with an Olympus EP3.

Until next time – Happy Shooting.

Leigh

Soft Launch CameraED – Olympus OM-D Preview

 

CameraED photography tutorials is a creative branch of Leigh Diprose Photography.

The header “CameraED” will be found on my new site which will combine the following sites: Leigh Diprose Photography, Leigh Diprose Photography Blog, BridesPerth and CameraED. Also I will be planning to have a dedicated area on the site for my Fine Art Photography which will be available to download for FREE!

I am planning to use CameraED to create some style and reviews in the photographic world. I have a stack of plans and goals to achieve this year and I look forward to sharing my ideas and thoughts with you all. The total project will be a slow start due to some major changes in my life however once the new site is live later on this year there will be an opportunity to contribute photographs, stories and reviews from approved contributors. The contributors to the new site will be from the following social media platforms; Google+, WordPress and Facebook (as a start – more to follow).

If you would be interested in being involved with this project please drop me an email at leighdiprosephotography@yahoo.com.au with the Subject Title “CameraED Contribute”

As a sort of soft launch for CameraED I have put together a clip on the new Olympus OM-D.

I will have my review on the Olympus E-P3 up later in the week. I simply ran out of time.

Enjoy.

 

Nikon D4

 

COULD this change me forever? The colour red be no longer? Will I be seeing yellow from now on?

All I can say is just wait….Canon WILL be bringing something bigger and better shortly!

 

 

 

Google+ Hangout – Photography Chat

In approximately half an hour (1am Perth time) be sure to watch or engage in the live google+ hangout I will be hosting called “Photography Chat”
+Leigh Diprose on google+ to watch!

Here is what Lord Miles Parker (and yes he is an actual Lord) had to say about the last hangout I hosted yesterday:

I attended one of my favourite hangouts in recent week last night courtesy of +Leigh Diprose. The topic of discussion was Sharing good practice when it comes to photography. As the hangout went on we watched the sun come up through his window, and welcomed in New Years Eve.

+Leigh Diprose is a Great Photographer, recently arrived on G+ and he is based in Australia, he has a wealth of excellent images to share with the community and last night was his first hangout, unsure of the response he took the plunge and it paid off.

We had +Vitaliy Darovskikh sharing images of his back yard… which included an ice-rink and some deer. +Justin Hill was also there sharing images of close up insects and a particularly tricky macro of a tigers face. +Randy Ksar was busy sharing images of scenic Canada, and +mark helm was sharing amazing macro images of bugs

+Leigh Diprose has said he will be doing more hangouts on a regular basis, so circle him and hangout with this amazing photographer.

CameraED going LIVE

I will be going LIVE online to answer all your photography questions!

Jump online and join the conversation at 11.30pm!

 

http://www.spreecast.com/events/cameraed-001