Roger Payne

Have I found my ultimate camera?

by Roger Payne December 22, 2014 Comments6

A couple of years ago, I started – and completed – a 365 project. I not only took a picture everyday for a year, I also wrote a daily blog to accompany those pictures. You can still read it here if you’re interested.

Any photographer who has completed a 365 project will draw different conclusions from the process. It taught me to see photographs everywhere I looked, it confirmed that photography is the greatest hobby/job on earth and it also made me realise that I didn’t have a true ‘go anywhere and everywhere’ camera. My 365 was completed using a variety of different bits of kit. Some Fujifilm, some not – I just tended to shoot with what I had handy. And that annoyed the hell out of me.

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Impressive sharpness at a higher ISO. 1/45sec at f/4, ISO 1600

Ever since then, I’ve been looking for a camera that can accompany me everywhere I go; a camera that I can have a relationship with, a camera that I can learn to use intuitively, a camera that if I spend enough time with it I’ll know exactly how it’s going to perform in any given situation. Stop me if this is sounding a bit weird.

That ideal camera isn’t a DSLR or a CSC (too big), it isn’t the X100S either (I’m just not that disciplined), but every since I was handed an X30 a couple of weeks ago, I’ve had the feeling that my search is over. It’s early days, of course, we’re still in the honeymoon period, but after three weeks of carrying Fujifilm’s latest premium zoom compact everywhere with me, here are three things I love about my new magnesium-bodied mate…

1) The viewfinder
We all like the Real Time viewfinder in the X-T1, right? Well the X30 has got one too and it’s just as good. OK, it’s not as big, but the detail is there, the pre-visualisation of camera functions is there and the orientation sensor is there – no matter which way you hold the camera, the shooting information stays at the bottom of the frame. Some detractors have suggested that the lack of optical viewfinder makes the front of the camera look slabby and ugly. They’re wrong.

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Great vibrancy on the greens. 1/150sec at f/3.2, ISO 400

2) The customisation
One of very few failings of the X100S is the fact that there’s only one customisable function button, the same issue afflicted the X10 and X20. But the X30 has six buttons that can have functions re-assigned. Not only that, there’s also a Control Ring around the zoom barrel that has further customisable functionality. This is a great move. I don’t use Wi-Fi very often, so that button has been re-assigned to control the ISO instead. I’ve done the same with other buttons, although I have occasionally forgotten what I’ve assigned to what. This is down to my advancing years, nothing more.

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Wide maximum aperture makes it easy to focus attention on certain parts of the frame. 1/75sec at f/2.8, ISO 400

3) The picture quality
The X30 doesn’t need a one-inch sensor. ⅔-inch does just fine. That 28-112mm lens is lovely and sharp, too and gives me just the right amount of framing versatility. It’s an X100S for lazy people, sort of.

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Impressive macro, great colours. 1/50sec at f/2.8, ISO 400

Only time will tell if the X30 is going to be my ideal camera, whether we’re going to walk off into the sunset, hand in (much larger) handgrip, but in the early stages of our relationship, I have to admit that we’re getting on famously. It could be the one…

Filed under Photography

Saying ‘I do’ to the X-E2

by Roger Payne August 27, 2014 Comments1

I start to get nervous about two weeks before I shoot a wedding. It’s around this time that I start taking an unhealthy interest in the weather forecast, start worrying about whether I’m going to get enough time to shoot everything and start limiting the use of my camera because I’ve convinced myself it only has a few more shots left in it before the shutter combusts. This all happens because I don’t shoot weddings very often, I’m what fellow photographers would call a ‘Weekend Warrior’ and what pros lovingly refer to as ‘a pain in the arse’. I shoot weddings for friends and acquaintances and don’t charge much; I see it more as part job, part wedding present. You may be the same.

18-55mm @55mm, 1/60sec at f/4, ISO 800
18-55mm @55mm, 1/60sec at f/4, ISO 800

My most recent part job/part wedding present represented two firsts for me. It was the first same-sex marriage I’d photographed (congratulations Gemma and Fiona!) and it was also the first time I’d added an X-E2 to my camera line-up. I’ll be honest from the outset and admit that the X-E2 wasn’t my primary shooter. Although I’m well versed in its capabilities, having previously blogged about using the same camera on a trip to Rome, I still don’t feel I know it well enough to use it as Camera 1. Instead, I’d earmarked it – along with the 18-55mm, 60mm and 55-200mm XF lenses – for specific tasks throughout the day, plus it would also double as a more than capable backup option should Camera 1, as prophesied, burst into flames during the nuptials.

Of all the things to have sleepless nights about before a wedding, camera gear shouldn’t be one of them. My search continues for methods of controlling the weather and bending time, but I prepared the night before safe in the knowledge that my camera gear was ready; firmwares updated, batteries charged, lenses polished, straps attached.

The X-E2 was the first camera out of the bag the following morning when I arrived early at the reception venue to shoot details on the tables. It quickly established itself to be a reliable focuser and exposer, while the image previews looked sharp and full of colour. As planned, it then came out on a number of other occasions throughout the day. Its near-silent operation and more discreet appearance enabled me to wander around and capture a whole host of shots that, had I attempted to shoot with Camera 1, would inevitably have resulted in wedding guests standing bolt upright while affecting cheesy grins. Not so the X-E2 which, with the 55-200mm attached, is the perfect combination for candids.

Its hushed credentials also proved their worth during the speeches at the reception. After selecting the Silent mode I was able to capture a wide variety of images, without causing the assembled guests to turn around every time I pressed the shutter. In short, the X-E2 and I got on famously during the day, even though it did show a larger than expected appetite for battery power.

18-55mm @55mm, 1/60sec at f/3.5, ISO 250
18-55mm @55mm, 1/60sec at f/3.5, ISO 250

The bigger news was to come in post-production. I’d shot nearly 1500 images, so editing in Lightroom was a lengthy affair, especially when you consider everything was captured in Raw. But while general tidying up of images is to be expected, I found myself spending far less time on the X-E2’s files. They were supremely sharp straight out of camera, wonderfully vibrant and showed impressive quality at high ISOs. The speeches, for example, were shots at ISO 3200 and 6400 because of the low light levels at the reception, yet noise was well under control – far better, in fact, than Camera 1.

55-200mm @156mm, 1/90sec at f/4.5, ISO 3200
55-200mm @156mm, 1/90sec at f/4.5, ISO 3200

So what did I learn? Well, I’d certainly pack the X-E2 if I was shooting a wedding again – it’s agile, easy to use and cuts down post-production time, all of which are huge positives. Its retro charms didn’t go unnoticed by guests at the wedding, either. As I mingled at the reception, a DSLR-toting attendee came over and asked about the X-E2. ‘Is it a Leica?,’ he asked. I explained what it was, showed him some shots I’d taken and invited him to have a try. He took a couple of shots and handed it back, gave it the one over and said, quite simply: ‘Lovely’.

I’d have to agree.

Filed under Be Inspired Wedding

Nice one, centurion

by Roger Payne July 17, 2014 Comments6

By Roger Payne

Is it just me, or have other people experienced a weird phenomenon when they start using Fujifilm X-series cameras? I’m not talking about aesthetics here, I’m talking more fundamental, cerebral kinda stuff.

Lately, thanks to the nice people at Fujifilm UK, I’ve been able to get my hands on some of the X-series models. I’ve tried the X100S (it’s very nice), the X-T1 (it’s very nice) and, most recently the X-E2 (it’s, erm, very nice). But when I’ve gone back and looked at some of the shots I’ve taken with this trio of models they all bear the hallmarks of me transforming into some wannabe reportage-come-street photographer. It’s really quite alarming.

To understand the full gravitas of this situation, it’s important for you to understand what sort of a photographer I was before I started using X-series cameras. The immediate word that springs to mind is ‘safe’. Technically adept, but safe. I photographed landscapes because they don’t move, buildings because they don’t talk back to you and my dog, because he’ll do pretty much anything with the promise of a treat. The idea of photographing a fellow human being filled me with fear while the very thought of photographing a fellow human being in a candid way would have me blowing into a paper bag to calm my nerves.

But Fujifilm cameras have changed all that.

I’d borrowed the X-E2 to go on a short city break to Rome. It was accompanied by an XF18-55mm and an XF10-24mm. Ordinarily on a trip of this type, I would have sought out the tourist hot-spots, documented them in my technically adept way and then gone home to bury them on an external hard drive, never to be seen again. But with the X-E2 in my hand, I became some kind of gung-ho street photographer, snapping pretty much anything that moved, and some things that didn’t. Within minutes, Rome went from a selection of photo locations carefully plotted on a tourist map to a photographer’s playground. My playground, to be precise.

The pictures I’ve brought home are unlike anything I’ve ever captured in a foreign city. They include people; people I’ve never met before, nor will I ever meet again. As you can see, they do also include a few shots where I lapsed into capturing subjects that didn’t have the ability to talk to me, but even these are a little different. They’re not hackneyed scenes photographed millions of times before by others, they’re my interpretations of the locations I visited; they communicate how I was feeling and how I viewed the area.

How was the X-E2? Well, it was excellent. Sure, it could do with an articulated rear screen, but I also enjoyed not having an optical viewfinder option to choose from; the finder in the X-T1 is fantastic, but I didn’t miss its functionality. In fact, I preferred the X-E2’s viewfinder simplicity (just don’t tell Fujifilm, OK?). The lenses were great, too – sharp, easy to use, no complaints.

So, am I alone, or have other experienced feeling of photographic invincibility with an X-series camera in their hands? Oh ok, just me then.

Couple. XF18-55mm, 1/80sec at f6/4, ISO 400.
Couple. XF18-55mm, 1/80sec at f6/4, ISO 400.
Filed under Be Inspired Photography Street Travel

Holidaying with an X100S

by Roger Payne June 30, 2014 Comments5

When I was lad, the family holiday was one of only two annual outings for dad’s camera. No prizes for guessing the other. It was packed in its ever ready case, along with a 36 exposure roll of Kodachrome ready for two weeks on the British coast; typically Cornwall or Norfolk. For the life of me, I can’t remember what the camera was, but it had exposure settings around the lens, an ASA dial I could never work out how to turn and manual film advance. If I was lucky, I was allowed to wind it on to the next frame after each shot. Sometimes I even got to take a picture.

I got the chance to shoot the odd landscape. ISO 200, 1/110sec at f/11
I got the chance to shoot the odd landscape. ISO 200, 1/110sec at f/11

It seemed like a fiendishly complex piece of equipment which, of course, it wasn’t. The lens was fixed, there was no flash and the viewfinder was essentially just a small window with a piece of coloured glass in it. But that camera helped make photography special. I found myself thinking about dad’s camera just a few weeks ago when I was away with my own family in the Cotswolds. As a complete break from the norm, I’d opted to take just one camera – the Fujifilm X100S – to capture our five day stay. Although I was confident it would deliver great shots, I felt nervous travelling so light. I usually have to forsake taking essential items of clothing just to ensure I’ve got all the requisite camera gear, but this time I was bold and left the hefty gadget bag at home, desperately trying to be upbeat about my minimalist choice.

Clever cows and calves in the Cotswolds… ISO 200, 1/240sec at f/2
Clever cows and calves in the Cotswolds… ISO 200, 1/240sec at f/2

For the first 24 hours, I thought I’d make the biggest mistake of my photographic life. When I was taking pictures I wanted a longer zoom, an off-camera flash, a tripod, anything other than what I actually had. But then I realised I was just approaching my recording of the holiday in completely the wrong way, and rather than wishing the X100S was something it wasn’t, I started playing to its strengths. Talk about a lightbulb moment.

Accept the X100S for what it is and your photography changes. Not close enough to the subject? Walk towards it. Too close? Take a step back. Can’t get the framing you want? Walk around until you find a better angle. And, best of all, can’t get exactly the shot you want? Don’t worry, just leave it, a better picture opportunity will be right along shortly. This all sounds like a very ‘free love’ approach to picture taking but I can assure you that after using the X100S on holiday I didn’t come home harbouring an unhealthy obsession for cheesecloth or guitar strumming.

Great colours from the X-Trans sensor. ISO 400, 1/220sec at f/4
Great colours from the X-Trans sensor. ISO 400, 1/220sec at f/4

Modern photographers can be lazy. Zoom lenses (Fujinon ones included) are so wonderfully sharp these days and exposure systems so scarily accurate that having to put in some effort to find a good shot can seem too much like hard work. But the X100S rewards those who put in that effort. The fixed lens is every bit as good as you’ve read in all the other blogs before this one and the X-Trans sensor delivers supreme quality images – I never had any qualms simply upping the ISO to get the shots I wanted. Sure, it’s not perfect, but show me a camera that is. In the case of the X100S I found that the focusing does hunt a little and I’d like to see another programmable function button, but these are minor asides in a majorly good performance.

X100S: Holiday pictures to make you smile! ISO 320, 1/10sec at f/4
X100S: Holiday pictures to make you smile! ISO 320, 1/10sec at f/4

The shots you see here aren’t supposed to be works of art, they’re a record of our holiday and that makes them special. They’re also different to any other holiday photographs I’ve ever taken; fewer landscapes, more people and some miscellaneous bits and bobs that remind me of a great few days with the people that matter most to me. And that’s all because of the Fujifilm X100S.

Filed under Photography Travel