Fuji X100T

Fuji X100T Accesories / November 22, 2015 by John Wineberg

I've been shooting with the Fuji X100T for close to year now. It has become my take everywhere camera. It's a manageable size and fits in the cargo pocket of my shorts or the pocket of most of my jackets. I don't have to worry about extra lenses so I don't have to bring a camera bag. There are, however, a few accessories that I have purchased that have added to the user experience and I recommend them highly.

The first item I purchased was a wrist strap. I didn't want to add a bulky, full length strap. I also wanted to use this camera as a second camera when shooting events, weddings or other situations that require a second camera. I like to have a mid range zoom as well as a fixed prime when I shoot these types of events. I have started carrying the X100T on the wrist strap and my Nikon D7000 (soon to be a Fuji XT1) on a Black Rapid strap. I was at the Leica Store in San Francisco and found the strap pictured below made by DSPTCH. You can find it here.

It took a little getting used to. When you hang something that costs $1300 from a thin piece of cord it takes a little faith. After a few days of use I have total confidence in this strap. But like everything, time will take its' toll. I will probably replace this once every other year just to be safe.

The next item I purchased was the Lensmate Thumbrest. I have shot with the Nikon FE2 since 1983. The thumbrest reminds me of the feeling I have when I shoot with that old film camera. It's a natural spot to place your thumb and adds to the illusion that it is a film camera. It fits snugly in the hot shoe and has a small rubber pad where your thumb sits, to reduce slipping. If you didn't know any better you would think it was part of the camera as the finish matches perfectly.

The only other accessory I have for this camera are extra batteries. I purchased the Fuji brand batteries for one reason and one reason only. Reliability. I have heard horror stories regarding off brand batteries. I once bought an off brand battery for my Nikon D70 and it sucked. What you save in price comes back to bite you in the amount of hassle that it can cause. From then on I have stuck with name brand batteries. I know they are expensive but I believe in this case you get what you pay for.

There are two other accessories that I want to mention here. Fuji makes two conversion lenses. The first, the TCL-X100 converts the 23mm (equivalent to 35mm field of view) to a 35mm (equivalent to a 50mm field of view). The other converter is the WCL which converts it to a 19mm (equivelant to a 28mm field of view). I don't feel the need to purchase either of these as I have those fields of view available with my interchangeable lens camera. I also love the 35mm field of view and have been shooting with that equivalent for over 30 years.

One of the things I love about this camera is that there aren't a ton of accessories. It's a back to basics camera for me. It has reminded me of what I love about photography.

The Sonoma Coast / August 22, 2015 by John Wineberg

Yesterday I decided that I would take some time for myself and head to the beach to make some images. Living in Northern California I am spoiled by my beautiful surroundings. The spot I chose was Goat Rock, located in the Sonoma Coast State Park. It was a bit foggy, with a light breeze, but not cold. I love shooting in foggy conditions as colors pop more with a gray sky. Lately i've been shooting with my X100T. I took my Nikon D7000 with me but it never left my bag. More on that in a later blog. All images were shot in RAW and then edited in Lightroom CC. It's interesting, I have been uploading images to Instagram lately and have been using the WiFi feature of my Fuji to transfer images to my iPad. Once there I have been using Snapseed to edit. It was nice, for a change, to get back into Lightroom. I have never been one to use Photoshop on my images. The only time I use Photoshop is for creating graphics or when I have an issue that I need to resolve that Lightroom can't handle. I love how my images look directly out of the camera with the X100T and usually only use a few features, in Lightroom, to do some fine tuning.

For this adventure I had no specific plan. I just decided to let my heart guide me. This is my favorite method. I pick a location and let it show me the way. I usually have a general idea of what I want to shoot but am open to whatever might come up. This first shot was taken from an overlook along the road that leads to the beach.

Blind Beach, Sonoma Coast State Park, California

When I was five my family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from Chicago. I've always had a large body of water near where I live and I can't imagine it any other way. Everywhere you go there are unique sights, smells and sounds and this is no exception. I can't describe the feeling that I get when I go to the beach but it's something special. I'm not a religious person but I am very spiritual. I find that I am closer to whatever it is that makes this all happen, at the ocean and in the mountains. I've split my adult life between the two but the ocean has been the winner over the last ten years.

As I walked along the beach I found this pile of rocks. I couldn't help myself, it was a picture that I had to take.

Rock Pile, Sonoma Coast State Park, California

I've been crazy busy lately. It was nice to take a couple of hours away from home, by myself, in a place that brings me peace, doing something that I am passionate about. I NEED to do more if this and I WILL do more of this. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I hope these images help to take you to a place where you can hear the gulls and the sound of the waves and smell the sea air.

Reeds, Sonoma Coast State Park, California

Everyone Loves A Parade / May 23, 2015 by John Wineberg

Healdsburg, CA FFA, Twilight Parade Fuji X100T f8 1/105th ISO 200

Every year my family and I attend the Healdsburg, California FFA Twilight Parade. This year I chose this event to test out a new setup that I would like to use for event photography. On my left wrist I had a Fuji X100T and on a Black Rapid Sport strap, on my right hip, I had a Nikon D7000 with a DX 18-70mm f3.5 to 4.5 lens. This would be equivalent to a 27 to 105mm on a full frame camera. This was the kit lens that came with my Nikon D70 back in 2005. This lens has served me well over the years, but it's time for a change. There are so many lenses out there that I could replace it with but when I think of the cost I wonder if my money might be better spent on a new system.

I have to admit up front that the Fuji outperforms the D7000 on many levels. The X100T has a max aperture of 2.0 which allows it to shoot better in low light. This could be fixed on the D7000 with the purchase of a fast zoom such as Nikons 24-70mm 2.8 or 70-200 2.8. The only problem is that would cost me the same as purchasing a brand new Fuji XT1 with a similar lens. Don't get me wrong I love my D7000. It has a faster focus system and captures fast action much better than the X100T. I am really curious to see how the XT1 performs with the latest firmware upgrade (new focus modes). This may be the game changer for me in order two switch to Fuji for my main camera system. The X100T also seems to produce more vibrant colors.

The sweet spot for the D7000 was at f9 but the camera chose a shutter speed of 1/50th in aperture priority mode. This made it tough to keep images, where anything was moving, in focus. In hindsight I should have pushed the the fstop to f8 and manually set the shutter speed. I'll admit that this was a rookie mistake and I should have caught it. On the other hand the Fuji was able to pick a perfect 1/90th at f8, nailing the sweet spot for this camera in this situation.

Nikon D7000 70mm  f9 1/50th at ISO 280  Slightly out of focus example (background blur intentional) — Nikon D7000 70mm f9 1/50th at ISO 280 Slightly out of focus example (background blur intentional)

The D7000 did have it's place though. I was able to zoom in for images that I would never have gotten with the Fuji.

Nikon D7000 52mm f9 1/50th ISO 200 (This was cropped)

Whenever I have the Fuji X100T in my hands I feel like i'm holding an old film camera. I can see why people add the thumb-rest. It looks like an old film advance lever. The X100T is just fun and easy to use. Because of this I tend to play more with the Fuji than I have with my Nikon. I took a chance and was able to get some nice motion blur images.

What I would have done different on this shoot: If I could redo this shoot I would push the aperture of both the X100T and the D7000. I'm wondering what the depth of field would have been with a max aperture on either camera. I'm also curious what the corresponding shutter speed would have been in aperture priority mode. Also in hindsight I would have chosen my DX 55-200mm f4 to 5.6 to obtain some better close up images. Almost all of the images I shot with the D7000 were higher than 50mm. There is always next time.

So here are my final thoughts. I have a decision to make. Do I invest in a new, better quality, fast aperture lens for my Nikon D7000 or do I invest in a Fuji XT1 with their amazing optics? I am going to need a better option sooner or later in order to capture the images that require a high quality zoom while shooting events. For me, using multiple prime lenses is not an option as I like the flexibility that a zoom provides as well as not having to change lenses for different shots. I have to say I am leaning toward switching to Fuji. They just released the XT10 which has the same sensor as the X100T and the XT1. It is shy of the XT1 in features and the accessories are limited, such as no battery grip available. It will take any of the Fuji lenses though. It is approximately $400 cheaper than the XT1 which makes it very attractive. Only time and money will tell. For now I will stick with my current setup and save up for that decision.

One of the things that I loved about this shoot was that I got to spend time with the people I love while doing what I love. I am very lucky that I have a very understanding Wife who gives me the time and space to pursue my other passion.

First Impressions of the Fuji X100T / May 17, 2015 by John Wineberg

Morning setup at Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco, California, Fuji X100T

I finally broke down and purchased a Fuji X100T. This will not be an exhaustive review of this camera but a quick overview of what it's been like from opening the box until today, I have been a Nikon user for over 30 years. My first Nikon was an FE2 that I still own and love. I actually just sent it out to have it cleaned and have some minor repairs done. When digital hit I went with Nikon because it was what I knew. Lately I have felt like my photography has stagnated a bit. Lugging around a large DSLR with multiple lenses became a hassle. Don't get me wrong, I love my Nikon gear. The focus is fast and I'm able to capture fast action. I've shot my fair share of weddings and many baseball games and I love the results. I just felt that I wanted an everyday camera that had the features and functions of a DSLR but was more mobile, a camera that I could take everywhere. The Fuji X100T has fulfilled that role in a very big way.

Straight out of the box the camera was more than pleasant to look at. It looks like a distant cousin of the FE2. The size and shape is that of an old film camera. The dials, lens and viewfinder all reminded me of cameras of the late 70's. One thing that was tough to get used to was the positioning of the f-stop ring. It is very close to the body and there are two protrusions that you can grab with two fingers to adjust. I wish that it was a few cm out from the body, which would have been closer to the same ring on my Nikon 50mm from 1984. After a couple weeks of use this is something that I have gotten used to. The menus are easy to navigate and setup was a breeze. One of my favorite things about this camera is that you can program just about every button for whatever purpose you want. You hold down the button and all of the choices appear. You can also setup several different user profiles for different types of shooting. The features seem to be endless. I have only scratched the surface so far.

The Electronic View Finder (EVF) took some time to get used to. There is some lag in the screen in low light but overall it is very nice. The WYSIWYG functionality is amazing. You also have a ton of information available to you in the viewfinder. It also reorients itself when you shoot portrait vs. landscape. I am however new to the paralax feature and am not sure that I can adjust to the way that is presented on the screen. More detail in my full review after some time with this camera.

I spent a day in San Francisco trying my hand at street photography. I've always referred to it as urban landscapes. Until recently I didn't even know that there was a whole world devoted to "Street Photography". This was fun for me in so many ways. I practiced my panning skills.

Cyclist, Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA, Fuji X100T

Shot a silhouette.

Silhouette, Stockton St. San Francisco, CA  Fuji X100T — Silhouette, Stockton St. San Francisco, CA Fuji X100T

And took in the views.

Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco, CA, Fuji X100T

I was very happy with the results. I've only had this camera for a little over two weeks and I couldn't be happier. I literally can take it everywhere. It fits in the cargo pocket of my shorts or in a jacket pocket, easily. The only accessory I have added is a wrist strap I found at the Leica Store in San Francisco. I may look into the lens hood and possibly the thumb-rest, but I want to wait until I am sure that they are necessary.

Needless to say I am very happy with my purchase. My next big test will be when I take this camera and try to use it in tandem with my Nikon D7000 with a mid-range zoom to shoot a parade. My goal is to be able to use the X100T for everything that I would have shot with my 35mm 1.8 DX and to use the zoom on the Nikon for everything else. The X100T will be on my left wrist with my Nikon on a Black Rapid Sport strap slung to my right. I will update here with the results.

Till then, Happy Shooting!!