How wants to go for a swim here?
Photographed at the beautiful Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia
THE HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
Light began to fall with a golden glow guiding the sailing boats along the choppy horizon. I watched in wonder as the boats moved back and forward navigating the openness of the earth. Vessels shot along back and forth like children’s toys in a tub. The race had begun.
Looking into the scene I couldn’t help but feel small at the sight of the over-towering clouds as light filtered magically through them, adding a richness to the scene.
THE FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting.
Rottnest Island is surrounded by pristine waters and only a short trip from the mainland making it a great weekend getaway. The locals refer to the island paradise as ‘Rotto’. For me this photograph captured on the Fujifilm X-Pro 1, sums up the island perfectly. Pristine beaches, clear water and amazing views – what more could you want? You can even see the City of Perth (which is my hometown) on the distant horizon!
Paradise found – love my rotto!
THE FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting.
Photographed using the Fujifilm X-Pro 1
THE FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
Sometimes its best to look at the interesting parts of a scene. The end result won’t look like another boring sunset…… take this photo as an example.
Do you like this?
Over the next week I would like to challenge you in your photography. Try photographing the smaller details of a scene rather than the complete scene. Let me know what results you get by posting a link in the comments below.
Captured using the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4
THE FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
The afternoon atmosphere gathered with excitement.
A colourful mass brewed ignited by the last light.
Reflections turned to glass mirroring the magnificent spectacle happening above.
Children played by the water’s edge as a man tried his luck at the ocean bounty.
Mirages filled the drizzled horizon exposing ghost ships shimmering in the afternoon heat.
I saw the scene developing before me.
The movement of the water would have to be masterfully timed.
My hands griped the salty leather surrounding my X-Pro 1.
Powering up, the aperture ring clicked into its normal stop.
With camera rotated my eye became fixed to the viewfinder.
A short wait and the wave behaved the way I had envisioned.
Captured using the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 and Fujinon 35mm f/1.4. Stitched in Photoshop.
THE FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
Striking pink and pale grey suit this jovial character.
A sumptuous sunflower seed is pure indulgence for the bird who seems to speak a trilled language.
The messiness of the order tumbles from a worked beak.
A smile ignites in his eye and enlightens a cheeky personality as the burst of seed is enough to make this bird wild.
This wild bird was photographed in my neighbour’s yard on the Canon EOS 1D MK IV
THIS FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
THE LOW RES VERSION CAN BE FOUND HERE
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
Iridescent clouds passed the reflective ocean tide. The lone paddle border waited with patience for the wave seemed a scarce occurrence. His gaze was fixed on the lonely horizon. The still ocean didn’t seem to want to break the glassy norm.
I could see his shoulders shrug with a sigh. Maybe it was a moment of relaxation or frustration, I’m not quite sure as he seemed to be somewhat transfixed in the moment.
Paddle ready the border balanced afloat the watery mass. From no where the glistening watery surface gained in height to form an elusive wave. A powerful strong standing stroke aligned the nose of the board to the beach. The paddler elevated gracefully with the energetic wave.
Awaiting the wave – the moment had arrived. The short thrill of a ride, a journey of freedom and escape.
THIS FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
Have you ever sat in an amazement of a sunset in awe of its grandeur and beauty?
Yesterday I was fortunate to witness one of the world best sunsets at Cottesloe Beach located in Western Australia. I feel privileged to share this photograph with you and hope the best sunset in the world will bring some colour into your life. May you be inspired to create and share.
THIS FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE – CLICK HERE
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
People were out and about as the afternoon light fell upon the earth. I passed an energetic exerciser running on the beach as she was frantically being chased by a pack of wet dogs. The soggy reward of a tennis ball seemed to be enough to keep the dogs running up and down the beach. With dogs of all sizes running around me in every direction I had to be carefully carrying my camera as it might have been mistaken for a play thing. The dog owners seemed to sense my panic and the call of names filled the air. “Rex, Peach, Sacha, Lady – come here!”- “Lady come here!” With a delayed scurry, flicked sand filled the air and the disobedient dogs bolted in the direction of the newly found tennis ball. The though of a being jumped on by a wet slobbery retriever was too much to bear so I set off from the pack to capture the sunset.
Crashing waves broke on me as I walked the shallow shores of Mosman Beach. I headed for the rocks toward the end of the beach and was met by a young family fishing the shores. Trying not to interfere with their recreational activity I dodged the lines and found myself at this scene. Clouds on the horizon hung full of colour. I found some jagged rocks to fill the foreground and flicked the camera on. With the 18mm set on my Fujifilm X-Pro 1 I composed the image into three photographs as later I was going to stitch them together.
When I arrived home I got a little distracted from an immediate upload due to a tooth ache. After another journey to the chemist for some strong pain relief I find myself sitting here typing this story for you all and uploading the latest free photograph.
I hope you enjoy this image. I certainly enjoyed taking it.
THIS FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE – CLICK HERE
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 (3 image stitch)
Rejoicing in the clear waters;
Flowing from every direction the moment filled the air.
The last swim.
THIS FULL RESOLUTION PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE – CLICK HERE
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
Australia is experiencing one of the biggest heat waves at the moment with temperatures in some parts of the country exceeding 50 degrees Celsius (122 Farenheit).
The car parks at my local beach, South Beach are filling up very quickly in the afternoon as workers and their families seek relief from heat of the day. As I only live less than a minute away from this beach its great to go down every now and then to cool off, get my feet wet and soak up the surroundings.
It’s not often I upload a photo straight to my blog without much post processing so consider this photo a rarity. I captured this photo with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 which is probably why I didn’t need to do much to it. Clean and sharp. What more could you need?
THIS PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE – CLICK HERE
Soft patterns of light danced on the lapping waves. A warm velvet glow caressed the ocean tide leaving brief mirrored pastels along the shoreline.
Clouds gathered and the instrumental orchestral sound of the ocean drew me ever closer to the water’s edge. My mind was resting and I didn’t want to leave.
The sky was forming a masterpiece a painter could only dream of. The intensity of coloured light grew as the sun fell off the horizon’s edge, disappearing to reveal its colourful trick.
Cold fresh crisp air filled my senses with the intense aroma of salt. I took a deep breath and began to relax from my busy day.
My gaze became fixed beyond the soothing waves lapping at my feet. Minuscule silhouettes seemed to float lost on the distant water’s edge. I wondered how long these tiny vessels would sail the ocean tide before they reached their final destination.
Their journey had only begun. For me the day was at an end, an end that seemed to form magically before me.
THIS PHOTO CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE – CLICK HERE
Image details:
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 – 35mm – ISO 200 – f/4 – 1/210 second – 9 images vertically stitched
As you may remember earlier this month I posted the Beautiful Black Swan… this is my follow up photograph.
I am pleased to announce:
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
December 2012 – White Swan.jpg
You can use the photo for whatever you like. Enjoy.
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting
The latest FREE fine art photographs are ready to be downloaded.
November 2012 – Rottnest Island.jpg
November 2012 – Quokka.jpg
I hope you enjoy the photos and feel free to use them for whatever you like.
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
Abstract art is one of my newly found passions so expect to see a few more like this.
I created this art by combining 5 photos from a recent photography session at Circular Pool. What do you think? Is this type of photography your cup of tea?
Until Next Time – Happy Shooting.
Nikon have officially announced the new Nikon D5200. Here is some information from Nikon about the camera:
The Nikon D5200 shares an AF system, metering sensor and scene recognition with the Nikon D7000 series, giving this camera a new level of performance and much enhanced image quality. The superior accuracy of the 39-point AF system and nine cross-type sensors delivers razor sharp images by focusing precisely on the subject you choose. Meanwhile, the 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor provides precise data to the camera’s Scene Recognition System, which optimises exposure, autofocus and white balance immediately before the shutter is released.
– DX-format, 24.1 megapixel CMOS image sensor with EXPEED 3 for exceptional quality
– Vari-angle LCD monitor: View life at a unique angle with a high resolution, 7.5cm (3.0-in), 921k dot vari-angle screen
– Compatible with Wireless Mobile Adaptor WU-1a to transmit images from the camera to AppleTM or AndroidTM smart device and remote shooting¹
– High ISO (100-6400) extendable to 25600: keeps the detail with low noise in low-light situations
– Razor-sharp 39-point AF system with nine cross-type sensors in the center. Offers fast and precise autofocus coverage across the frame
– 2,016 pixel RGB metering sensor delivers highly accurate metering for exact exposures and provides precise data to the camera’s Scene Recognition System
– Scene Recognition System optimizes exposure, autofocus and white balance immediately before the shutter is released
– Continuous shooting at 5fps: so you do not miss that fast-moving action shot
– High dynamic range (HDR): Gives detailed shots of high-contrast scenes by combining two shots taken within a single shutter release
– Active D-Lighting: Retains details in highlights and shadows for well-balanced images, even if the subject is moving
– D-Movie: Full (1080p) HD movies with smooth (up to 60i/50i) recording and a built-in stereo microphone
– D-Movie AF modes: Live View autofocus works when shooting movie clips, keeping subjects in sharp focus
– In-built stereo-microphone for improved sound quality
– Updated new generation GUI Design
– 16 Scene modes: Automatically adjusts camera settings, including Picture Controls and Active D-Lighting, for optimal results
– Effects mode – seven effects including Selective Colour and Miniature, which can be applied in pre-shoot, for more creative movies and stills
– Compatible with WR-R10 Wireless Remote transceiver and WR-T10 Wireless Remote transmitter that let you control key camera functions from a distance
– GPS compatible: Records the exact location of the camera when a picture is taken by using the optional GP-1 unit
– NIKKOR lenses: take advantage of Nikon’s legendary NIKKOR lenses and make the most of the camera’s 24-megapixel resolution. Capture photos with vivid colour and striking contrast. Shoot movies with crisp detail or experiment with cinematic effects
– Available in three colours: black, red and bronze
– Lightweight body (505g) with an intelligent design and superior ergonomics
¹ Compatible with iOS™ and Android™ smart devices. This feature requires use of a dedicated Wireless Mobile Utility application that can be downloaded for free from Google Play™ and the Apple App Store™.
For more information about this product visit Nikon’s site here
Parts of this post were supplied by Nikon Press.
Until next time – Happy Shooting!
After working on weddings all of yesterday and this morning I decided to post another photo from my recent holiday.
The light in the South West of Western Australia is magnificent to photograph especially when the light warms the side of the hill as cool clouds roll by.
Photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro 1 near Bridgetown, Western Australia.
Until next time – Happy Shooting.
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
October 2012 – Circular Pool.tiff
You can use the photo for whatever you like. Enjoy.
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
Until next time – Happy Shooting
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
September 2012 – Horses.tiff
You can use the photo for whatever you like. Enjoy.
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
September 2012 – Wildflower.jpeg
You can use the photo for whatever you like.
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
Until next time – Happy Shooting!
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
August 2012 – Osprey.jpeg
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
Until next time – Happy Shooting!
I watched as the darting bird stealthily fished beyond the reaches of my telephoto lens. The bird dove with tucked wings from a standing height; water erupted on the horizon as the bird breached the surface chasing a scaly meal from the watery depths below.
The choice of a telephoto lens was rewarding, I was able to separate the common predator from the breaking waves and colourful ocean hues. It’s such a shame the Tern returned to shore without a prize meal as it would have made the photo into a masterpiece. I suppose that is what wildlife photography is all about, you may capture a great image you may not – it can be so unpredictable if you don’t know what you are looking for. You simply have to perceive and eventually the behaviour of an animal will become known. It is only then you can master the art of wildlife photography.
Until next time – Happy Shooting.
Photography can be a challenge at the best of times however being a colour blind photographer can sometimes make it a bit harder.
Colour blindness is a term used to describe a persons inability to see colour. The term colour blindness is really a misconception as people can see colours however they may not be able to distinguish between colours. In most cases it is referred to as being colour deficient not colour blindness. If you are unable to see colour you would be an achromatopsia sufferer. Fortunately for me I can still tell if a traffic light is green or red (thank goodness) but when it comes to identifying colours it becomes more difficult. This can affect my photography in a number of ways.
I found a video that might help explain the subject more clearly than I can:
There are three basic kinds of colour deficiency.
When editing photos on my computer I don’t seem to have too much difficulty adjusting colour. Over time I have learned where the colour sliders should be to best represt colour. Something that also helps a great deal is the camera’s RAW files. I am able to change the white balance setting in post production which automatically corrects the colour within the scene. My problems start to occur when I play around with photos using Photoshop or Lightroom. For instance I may edit the colours within a seascape making the sunset more vivid. If I make a wrong move the rocks may turn a pink hue when all I wanted them to be was a natural colour. I have no way of distinguishing if the colour is correct so I rely on users comments and my memory of colour tools in Photoshop as my best guidance. Most of the time in my photographs I get away with correct colour. On the odd occasion you may see some horrid colour present in my photographs. If you do please tell me as I can’t see it!
When it comes to printing I leave it to the professionals. I have no clue what to do if a photo looks like it has too much magenta because I don’t know if it has too much magenta. Sounds a bit confusing I know but I can tell you now it is more frustrating than anything else.
I have had a search on the internet to find a similar test to ones I have done in the past. In the following video I could only see 3 of the numbers in the patterns. How many could you see? (some advice before watching the video….mute the music!)
Thanks to Kev Isabeth for the suggestion to write on this subject and to The Colour Blind Photographer for your descriptions on colour blindness.
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
August 2012 – Port Gregory.jpeg
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
Until next time – Happy Shooting!
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
July 2012 – Mt Field National Park.jpeg
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
REMEMBER TO SHARE THE LOVE
Until next time – Happy Shooting.
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.”
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.
Feel free to share this page with family and friends.
Until next time – Happy Shooting
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
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!
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.
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!
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.
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
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 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
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.
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
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.
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.
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:
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 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!
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
July 2012 – Albany Ocean Adventures.tiff
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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
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
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
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
June 2012 – Port Gregory 011.tiff
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PLEASE CLICK THE SHARE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST
Enjoy.
The latest FREE fine art photographs are ready to be downloaded.
May 2012 – Fern Pool 001.tiff and Fern Pool 002.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.
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April 2012 – Leighton Beach.zip
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
(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
Finally:
If you like my photographs PLEASE Donate to Leigh Diprose Photography. Every dollar helps me provide quality photographs to you and the world.
You can find a Donate button just above where you downloaded this image from on my blog.
Keep smiling and THANK YOU so much for your support.
Regards
Leigh Diprose
Here is another photo taken on my trusty Velbon Sherpa Pro monopod at the recent photo shoot at Leighton Beach, Western Australia.
Enjoy.
The sunset was striking yesterday as I pointed my lens towards Rottnest Island, Western Australia. This photo was taken just as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Went out to capture the sunset today with Jamie Paterson and Paul Pichugin.
This image was straight out of the camera with some sharpness added and a hint of saturation. Taken on my monopod for a total of 6 seconds. Impressive!
Until next time.
Happy Shooting.
April 2012 – Southgate Dunes.zip
The latest FREE fine art photograph is ready to be downloaded.
(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
Finally:
If you like my photographs PLEASE Donate to Leigh Diprose Photography. Every dollar helps me provide quality photographs to you and the world.
You can find a Donate button just above where you downloaded this image from on my blog.
Keep smiling and THANK YOU so much for your support.
Regards
Leigh Diprose
After my new office set up (see previous post) I was inspired to post another Karijini photograph.
Also an update on the massive Stirling ranges multi-row stitch…..with so many files it takes my computer a long long time to process anything. Hopefully I should have it done soon so stay tuned!
Until then – Happy Shooting
Oh yer I almost forgot if you haven’t subscribed to my blog posts make sure that you enter your email address just to the right hand side of the page – look for “email subscription”
It just means that anytime I post a new photo you will get an email about it.
Enjoy
I was going to head to Karijini at the end of the month to join up with Christian Fletcher (our Fujifilm X100 ambassador) but instead I will be heading to Karratha and Port Hedland. The logistics are just too much for my head at the moment…not to mention the cost! I’m looking forward to getting some decent shots on the drive from Port Hedland to Karratha so stay tuned.
Also if anyone is interested in the X100 they should register their names with Camera Electronic or Team Digital because we (Fujifilm) have organised a launch night on the 6th April. Strict numbers will apply as well as a very smart dress code!
For more information check out the Camera Electronic or Team Digital’s blog sites! I’ll see you there – although I will be working with my Fujifilm cap on!
Until then.
Happy shooting!
LEIGH DIPROSE 
