In December 2012 I received my first X100s, a pre-production camera and was tasked to capture some images of Northern Ireland in advance of the world launch in February.
As a big Fujifilm X100 fan I was obviously excited to see how the latest release performed and boy did it perform! I posted my first “Hands on the X100s” post in January and since then little camera has gone literally everywhere with me.
I pack my X100s in the original X100 leather case and it rarely escapes compliments from people often when it is still in the stylish leather case. The leather case offers a great deal of protection yet manages to keep the whole package small and portable. I can carry the camera in my everyday bag without the fear of damage.
I love everything about the X100s, the 35mm focal length is perfect for documentary photography, it is a versatile camera capable of capturing stunning images in everyday situations without drawing the fear factor often associated with a DSLR.
All of the following photographs were captured either on days when I wasn’t setting out with the aim of taking photos or in the case of the music photography images the X100s was acting as a second camera. I take the X100s literally everywhere, not just for the portability but for the fact I can rely on it to capture stunningly sharp and vibrant images. Click on any of the photos to view large on flickr.
This image of the Mourne mountains was taken during the Easter break after one of the heaviest snow falls in a decade.This mono image was captured on White Rocks Beach in County Antrim during a cold morning just after Christmas 2012. This photo was captured with the pre-production camera and I was struck my the sharpness and speed at which the camera performed.Stripes were definitely in last June. This lowlight image was captured during an evening out and a visit to the brilliant Duke of York in Belfast.
David Cleland is a documentary and landscape photography from Ireland. To see more of his work you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook or subscribe to his blog.
X-series users from across the globe share their finest images and the stories behind them
Here’s a selection of users’ images published in our Fujifilm X Magazine. If you would like to see your images in our magazine, and if you’re an X-series user, we’d love to see your shots. Email your images, along with details of the story behind them and some information about you and your photography to: xmagazine@bright-publishing.com
VICENTE DASÍ LÓPEZ – STROLLING WITH MY X100
Camera: X100 Lens: 23mm fixed Exposure: 1/250sec at f/2, ISO 640
Vicente won his X100 in a Fujifilm-sponsored competition. “The theme was street photography and I entered an image taken in Valencia using my X10,” he says.
Now that I’ve got the camera, I often go walking around Valencia and take it with me; that’s where I took this image. I find the X100 is really comfortable to carry and delivers excellent results with the high-performance Fujinon lens; it’s perfect on detailed subjects like this. There’s very little noise when working with high ISO settings and I like the way the controls are distributed – the design helps me enjoy taking every shot and encourages my creativity.
Camera: X-Pro1 Lens: XF 35mm f/1.4R Exposure: 1/125sec at f/1.4, ISO 200
This is my dog, Duncan. It was one of the first shots I took when I went out testing my new X-Pro1 in a forest near our home in Holland.
I love black & white photography, even more than colour. This image was taken using the Monochrome Film Simulation mode and I tweaked the colour temperature in Adobe Lightroom to give the image a real vintage look.
The X-Pro1’s size and weight are crucially important to me. My health limits how much photography I can do and if the camera was too heavy, I wouldn’t be able to take pictures at all. I also like the image quality – the pictures are sharp straight out of the camera. 90 per cent of the time, I shoot JPEG instead of Raw because the quality is that good. The ISO performance is magnificent, too
I don’t feel scared to push it to ISO 6400.
SHANEA GAIGER – FRECKLES AND SPECKLES
Camera: X-S1 Lens: Zoom at 55mm Exposure: 1/160sec at f/4.5, ISO 100
This is my daughter Derryn who has for a long time had some severe body dysmorphic issues. We had talked about a ‘demon-confronting’ shoot for a long time and the idea was to create a few images of her without make up, without retouching, just using natural light, so she could see how beautiful she actually was, despite her own feelings. It worked, so well, in fact, that she gained enough confidence to take up modelling as a part-time hobby.
I moved to the X-S1 from an S100FS and it feels much more solid and produces better results. I was recently asked to do a basic photography lesson with a young autistic lad interested in photography and we used the X-S1. He had never attempted to use a ‘real’ camera before but he found it really easy to get to grips with and by the end of the day he was talking about buying one himself.”
200mm setting, 1/2000sec at f/6.4, ISO 320 At the 200mm setting, the lens can produce frame-filling shots from the side of a track. This was taken in a public area through a mesh fence
FUJINON XF lenses are all about quality. Quality of build, quality of performance, quality of results. With prime (single focal length) lenses, quality is to be expected by virtue of their more simple optical construction. But good results are less of a foregone conclusion when it comes to zooms. Until recently, the XF55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R was the only telezoom in the Fujinon line up. It’s since been joined by the XC50-230mm f/4.5-6.7, which was launched alongside the X-A1 and is designed for mid-range X-brand models. But the XF55-200mm remains top dog by virtue of its faster maximum aperture and more solid build, making it the perfect accompaniment to the X-E and X-Pro models. We tested the lens on the latter model.
141mm setting, 1/1250sec at f/5, ISO 320 No problems with vibrant colours, and the level of detail is impressive, as is the car!
The first thing you’ll notice about the XF55-200mm is its impressive build quality. It looks and feels as though it’s built to stand the rigours of daily use and feels reassuringly solid in every aspect of construction. The zoom collar is both large and very smooth to use, while the manual focusing ring at the end of the lens and the aperture ring near the body are both well sized and a real pleasure to control. It comes supplied with a deep lens hood to keep a tight control on flare, plus there’s a switch to turn Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) on and off, alongside the automatic or manual aperture control switch. The OIS is worthy of note. Offering up to 4.5 stops of compensation, we found that even at the 200mm setting, we were able to shoot with shutter speeds around 1/20sec without any evidence of camera shake.
164mm setting, 1/20sec at f/4.6, ISO 400 Optical Image Stabilisation is excellent, this shot was taken at 1/20sec but there’s no hint of blur
With the XF55-200mm attached to the X-Pro1, the combination is neither heavy nor bulky – it’s fine to sling over your shoulder while you’re out for a walk, plus the zoom action is constructed in such a way that there’s no zoom creep, even with the lens pointed down.
A focal range equivalent to 84-305mm on a 35mm camera means the lens offers plenty of versatility. We used it for a wide range of subjects, from portraits through to sporting action. The focusing proved accurate and the out-of-focus areas were lovely and smooth thanks to the seven-blade aperture diaphragm.
200mm setting, 1/120sec at f/4.8, ISO 400 Regardless of focal length setting, the lens delivers high-quality results. You can count every hair in this dog’s fur
The real beauty of the lens, though, is in the quality of the results. In keeping with the Fujinon XF philosophy, the resulting images display impressive levels of sharpness thanks to the combination of high-quality optics and the X-Pro1’s wonderful X-Trans sensor. The lens also showed great consistency through the focal range and aperture settings. Whether you’re shooting wide open at 55mm or stopped down at 200mm, you can be confident of getting great results every time.
At 55mm, the lens allows you to capture plenty of your surroundings
Zoom to the 200mm setting and you can crop in tightly on your subject
Fujifilm still produces colour negative and reversal film for enthusiasts and this legacy continues to have a place in the digital arena – with the X-series of cameras giving you an option to select from a variety of Film Simulation modes.
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In essence, the Film Simulation modes enable you to decide on the look of your image in terms of colour saturation and contrast, or simply lose colour altogether and go for a black & white effect. The beauty is, the camera does it all for you. All you have to do is decide what look you want for the image you’re shooting.
The standard Film Simulation options in all X-series cameras are Provia, Velvia, Astia, Monochrome (black & white) and Sepia. However, some models include PRO Neg Hi, PRO Neg Standard, and filters for the Monochrome mode.
You’ll find the options by going into the Shooting Menu and looking in the first set of controls. It’s the same tab where ISO, Image Quality and Image Size are set, just scroll further down. It’s impossible to tell you exactly which Film Simulation to use for a given situation because it’s all a matter of taste, but we can give you some pointers. If you just want a general setting because you shoot a wide range of subjects then stick with Provia; Fujifilm has chosen it as its standard setting. But if you prefer a richer, punchier look, perhaps for landscapes or nature, then Velvia will give you exactly that. Astia, on the other hand, offers a softer, more subtle rendition of colours, so would work well for portraits.
Step 1 Select Film Simulation in the Shooting MenuStep 2 Choose the Film Simulation Mode you would like to use
The Monochrome and Sepia Film Simulation options do exactly what they say on the tin. Monochrome will work for most subjects and gives your image a timeless feel. Sepia should probably be used more sparingly but can certainly work well at retro events when you want to give a portrait or a scene a classic old-school appearance. If your camera has the two PRO Neg options these are best for shooting portraits: Standard expands the hues available for skin tones and is intended for studio work, while Hi gives a slightly more contrasty look and is fine-tuned for outdoor portraits.
Film Simulation bracketing
Experimentation is key with the Film Simulation modes and Fujifilm has actually made this really easy on most X-series models thanks to Film Simulation Bracketing. This is found directly beneath Film Simulation in the Shooting Menu and is perfect for when you want to play around and work out what kind of image you like or if you’re simply feeling indecisive. Exactly how it’s set varies from camera to camera but here’s how it’s done on the X-Pro1…
Step 1 In the Shooting Menu, choose Film Simulation Bracketing and select three different film styles in any order you want. For example, for Film 1 you could select Astia, Film 2 Velvia, and Film 3 Monochrome, as we have here.Step 2 With these selected, press the Drive button on the back of your camera. Scroll down and activate Film Simulation bracketing (BKT). Now with one press of the shutter release, the camera saves three versions of the image.
TIP: If you shoot in RAW+JPEG mode, you can preview and shoot with the Film Simulation mode you have selected, but the original RAW file will also be saved. You can revert to standard or even change the Film Simulation mode using the RAW File Converter built into the camera itself.
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