2021 comes and goes. In this pandemic year, I have gained quite fruitful experiences. In this year, I have a total of 22 posts, 11 of them are reviews of camera gears and lenses. All thanks to the opportunities given by Mr. Keitaro So, Divisional Head of Fujifilm, and Cles Distribution of Tamron Singapore and Sony, Singapore. Without them, I won’t be able to share my opinions and having these opportunities to wander around Singapore to capture some of the photos that have become to be my favorite. And these are my 12 most favorite photos in 2021. (They are not listed in order.)
#12
Fuji X-S10 . Fuji XF18mm F1.4 R LM WR @27mm . f1.4 . 1/60” . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome
Is there any that you like? Let me know if you have one.
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here are shot by me. 2. Some of the shots are slightly edited in Lightroom Classic to my preferences. Otherwise, the shots are straight out of the camera. 3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment. 4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me
Thank you for reading.
If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:
It was a blink of an eye that 2 years has passed since my last overseas holiday trip. It was in November 2019 and then covid-19 begans. Friends who know me and follow my Instagram are kinda irate about me sharing my belated Japan trip photos since early this year. (It is coming to an end… Soon…) People who love Japan wish to visit Japan as soon as the border is open, so am I. But this is not my point in this post.
The reason why I write this post is that it is going to be my last post in 2020 and I think it is a good opportunity to revisit some of my shots taken during my Japan trip. I pick some of the photos that I think are the essence of what Japanese is like in my own eyes and edit them in monochrome. (You can look for these shots in colours via my IG posts.)
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here are shot by me. 2. Some of the shots are slightly edited in Lightroom Classic to my preferences. Otherwise, the shots are straight out of the camera. 3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment. 4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
Thank you for reading.
If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:
Due to my work and other personal commitment, this short lens review takes me quite a while to write and share. Here is the review:
I win the TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 over an online photography competition early this year. Coincidentally, this lens completes the uncostly quaternity lenses of my Fujifilm camera setup. Together with the TTArtisan 23mm f1.4, 35mm f1.4, and 50mm f1.2 lens, these 4 lenses give a basic setup that covers most focal lengths for landscape and streets.
Special thanks to Den Poh for lending me the X-T20 for being the model for the lens.
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here are shot by me. 2. Some of the shots are straight out of the camera while others are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Adobe Lightroom Classic. 3. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me. 4. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake made, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
By looking at the name of this lens, I am sure everyone should have noticed that this is an uncommon focal length for a prime lens. It sits right between the popular focal lengths from Fujifilm 16mm and 18mm. It seems to me that TTArtisan is trying to do away with the “common” focal lengths that Fujifilm has. This approach also gives the photographers more choices to look out for.
Fuji X-T20 . TTArtisan 17mm f1.4
Based on the full-frame equivalent, the focal length is 25.5mm. On paper, it is wider than 28mm but slightly narrower than 24mm. In this case, we already know that what is the purpose of this lens. But does it make a huge difference with the 1.5m? Personally, I don’t think so.
TTArtisan 17mm f1.4
When I first hold this lens in my hand, I can feel the metal-constructed premium quality built similar to other TTArtisan lenses. It is small but slightly taller than its 35mm brother. Despite its small size, I can too feel some weight on this lens (248 grams). It has a relatively small filter size of 40.5mm. Not a common filter size if you are looking to give extra protection to the front lens element (which I do not think is necessary to do so) or doing planning to do creative works. But it is also not that difficult to look for one.
The aperture gives a nice and satisfying clicky feedback when I change the aperture value. The manual focus ring gives a comfortable rotation with a little friction to hold me back.
TTArtisan 17mm f1.4
Like all the TTArtisan lenses, this lens also does not come with a lens hood. Hence, lens flare can be an issue when you are shooting directly towards the sun. Unless lens flares are intended for your shots, try to avoid it or try getting a third-party lens hood to overcome the lens flare.
Image Quality
The image quality is decent and sharp. However, if you are shooting wide open, vignetting is considerably strong at the corners, but it is easy to post-process to remove it.
For this lens, I prefer to use an aperture number from f2 onwards. It gives me an acceptable balance between image softness and image sharpness. At wide-open, it gives some sort of softness (or character) to the shot, and unfortunately, it is not my preferred kind of result.
As usual, I do not have high expectations for the third-party lens’ bokeh performance. At f1.4, it gives the overall picture a softer, dreamy look. I believe there are some photographers who actually know how to appreciate this kind of result. I am still learning to appreciate this. the background blur falls off remarkably nice from the subject and it does not give a harsh background blur too.
Sunny star effects are formed easily from F5.6 and the results are more beautiful and sharper from F8 onwards. But on a side note, flares can noticeable too if the lens is facing directly at where the sun direction is.
The MOD is 20 cm and it is considerably close for a compact wide-angle lens like this. With this MOD, we can create different perspectives and creative shots that we cannot achieve with our common lens.
To give you some sensing on how close it is as compared to the Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 and 18mm f1.4, it has the same MOD as the XF18mm f1.4.
Manual Focusing
The smooth yet gentle friction experience on this manual focusing lens is as enjoyable as the rest of the TTArtisan lenses. I can’t find any reason to complain about it.
The focus throw from MOD to infinity is about 160°. Unlike some other lenses which take a huge throw to reach from one end to the other, the TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 is considered reasonable. I suppose there are some benefits for larger focus throw but I prefer a shorter one.
Who is this for?
This focal length is not my commonly used focal length for my shutter therapy. But I will bring this lens along with my other lenses. After all, it is compact and easy to place inside my camera bag.
This lens is suitable for Landscape, architecture photographers, and probably astrography photographers who are on a limited budget and yet want a fast prime lens. I also tested this lens for portraits and I think it is a good lens to catch some environmental portraits with your loved ones.
If you are a photographer who wants to have experience shooting with a full manual lens, you are welcome to try this lens out but I will recommend TTArtisan 23mm f1.4 to start with.
Conclusion
TTArtisan is really good at striking a balance between the price and lens quality. I cannot find any player in the market that can compete with them without sacrificing either one of them. At USD118, I think the money is worth spending if you know what you can do with this lens.
Before I begin, I would like to thank Mr. Keitaro So, Divisional Head of Fujifilm for providing the loan for GFX 50S II, GF 45mm, GF 50mm, GF 80mm, and GF 32-64mm. The units were loaned from Fujifilm Asia Pacific and had returned back to them by the time of releasing this review.
GFX 50S IIGFX 50S IIGFX 50S II
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here are shot by me. 2. Some of the shots are straight out of the camera while others are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Adobe Lightroom Classic. 3. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me. 4. I have posted my preview photos in my previous post. You can see it here.
In my own words Allow me to start off with my conclusion to this review. GFX 50S II is set to be the cheapest medium format camera in the industry. Every camera does come with pros and cons and this camera sure has them too. Instead of making comments on why there is missing hardware or function in its gut, we have to really understand what really serves our needs, achieve our goal, and we have to ask ourselves if we can actually live with the cons.
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f8 . 1/105″ . ISO 100 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8 @ 45mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 32mm . f8 . 1/105″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f4 . 1/1000″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg
I have had the opportunity to test out this beauty for merely 2 weeks. And in these 2 weeks of testing, I am flooded with stunning photos that this camera can give. This makes me believe that if you are someone who is looking for fantastic image quality but do not dare to tip your toe in the world of medium format because of the price, then this camera might be the one you are looking for. I am sure that you will be rewarded handsomely with the results from this medium format camera. If you are interested to find out why, please continue to read.
Left: GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f4 . 1/850″ . ISO 100 . Nostalgic Neg Right: GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f4 . 1/1600″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg
Introduction
Remember that GFX 50R was once the cheapest medium format camera? Now it is GFX 50S II. Fujifilm promise of making affordable medium format cameras and they still keep their promise. This also means there they are also creating more opportunities for more photographers to have a taste of what it is like to have the “more than full frame” experience.
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f4 . 1/1300″ . ISO 100 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f32 . 1/125″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 32mm . f4 . 1/500″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f4 . 1/170″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg
In this review, I am sharing more of my personal experience and not much on the technical side of this camera.
Design
It is actually the same as the GFX 100S. Every single bit of it is identical to its brother except for one thing. There is a label on the left of the camera to indicate it is a GFX 50S II. I quite like the look of it and I am happy that Fujifilm has brought the same look to the 50S II too.
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/30″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/450″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 32mm . f4 . 1/90″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/1500″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg
Handling
The weight and the build of this camera assure you that you are holding professional and quality workhorse gear. Although it weighs 900 grams, it comes with a comfortable handgrip. The grip is deep enough to allow you to hold the camera well and confidently with one hand. To be honest, I think the grip is even better than the DSLRs I had previously.
The Shutter
This is probably one of the most enjoyable and satisfying mechanical shutters I have experienced so far. When I click the shutter, I can feel the gentle mechanic shutter feedback it gives and also a sense of assurance that I have clicked the shutter. The shutter sound is actually considerably silent and hardly anyone else notices it when I shoot with it.
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/340″ . ISO 100 . Classic ChromeGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/250″ . ISO 200 . Classic ChromeGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/125″ . ISO 2500 . Classic ChromeGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome
The Viewfinder & The LCD Screen
GFX 50S II is equipped with the 3.69M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a magnification of 0.77x. Although it is not the best EVF I have tried, but it still gives me a comfortable viewing experience.
The LCD screen is my preferred kind of screen and this is one of the reasons why I do not upgrade my X-T3 to X-T4. I love and enjoy using this 3 ways tilted screen for my shooting. I am pleased that Fujifilm keeps this 3 ways tilted screen in their professional workhorse.
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1″ . ISO 3200 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/320″ . ISO 1250 . Classic Chrome
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/125″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Neg
Image Quality
This is really where the medium format sensor shines gloriously. My words might be over-exaggerating but this is my way of expressing how awesome it is. The bokeh really falls off nicely and renders smoothly. To be honest, the image result is quite distinguishable from other image sensor sizes.
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/42″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/100″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Neg
Unless my photos happen to be slanted a little, I am not a person who loves to crop my photos. Nonetheless, this camera has a whopping 51 megapixels for me to experience the fun of cropping without sacrificing the details. The photos will speak for themselves. Frankly, I am stunned by the cropped results.
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/125″ . ISO 200 . Classic ChromeGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/125″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Neg
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f8 . 1/800″ . ISO 100 . Post-edited
Dynamic range is absolutely stunning and it can recover most of the data very well. Although the color might be off a little, I believe the professional should be able to recover the color back to the desired one easily.
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/100″ . ISO 1000 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/110″ . ISO 640 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/340″ . ISO 640 . Post-edited
Performance
Unlike the other medium format cameras I have played before, the focusing speed on this camera is incredibly fast and I have also experienced less hunting too. I think it has to do with the X-Processor 4 in its gut because I can hardly tell that I am shooting with a medium format camera.
But on a side note, I do experience somewhat slow focusing speed with the GF 80mm, probably unlike the other lenses, it lacks the Linear Motor (LM).
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/150″ . ISO 100 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f3.5 . 1/27″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Neg
When I first learned about the 50S II will be using the 4 years old 50S sensor (based on the year it went on sales), I give my disappointment. But on second thought, given that it is the cheapest medium format camera, the manufacturer has to reduce their cost somewhere. However, after using this camera, I dismiss my misconception that this sensor is “old” and “unusable”. Instead, this sensor still stays strong for at least another 5 to 10 years.
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 64mm . f4 . 1/125″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 32mm . f5.6 . 1/200″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/4700″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/1300″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg
Since the 50S II uses the original 50S sensor, this also means that it comes with contrast detection only. Hence, it is missing the hybrid system with phase detection technology that most of the modern mirrorless camera has. Despite lacking phase detection, Fujifilm has actually reworked the algorithm and together with the new processing engine to improve the photographer’s overall shooting experience. In other words, the shooting experience is far better for 50S II than the 50S. In short, I have no problem shooting in most of the scenarios in my testing period.
IBIS
On paper, 50S II offers an incredible 6.5 stops of compensation. How does it translate into real-world usage? A successful 1-second handheld shot. Of course, it comes with a few tries before I manage to get a decent shot. This pretty much has become an achievement for me.
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f6.4 . 1″ . ISO 100 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5 @ 50mm . f9 . 0.8″ . ISO 100 . Classic Chrome
Feedback
Actually, I am struggling to say this but I do miss the retro dials that Fujifilm has in most of their X system cameras but they replace the dials with the top-panel status LCD. I am not saying it is bad because both of them serve their purposes well with useful information for individuals. But it is just me that I love those retro dials and I am going to miss them if I ever own one.
GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8 @ 45mm . f5.6 . 1/900″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4 @ 32mm . f8 . 14″ . ISO 100 . Nostalgic NegGFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8 @ 45mm . f11 . 1/280″ . ISO 100 . Nostalgic Neg
When I need to use the exposure compensation function, I need to press the exposure compensation button together with the rear command dial. This is different from the X-system I am using, where I can assign the exposure compensation function to the front command dial and use it straight away. It is a personal preference and personal habit and I hope that Fujifilm can allow users to have straight away access to the exposure compensation.
GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8 @ 45mm . f2.8. 1/100″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Neg
GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8 @ 45mm . f5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 2000 . Nostalgic Neg
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/340″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Neg GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f2 . 1/125″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Neg
Who is this for?
If you are thinking to purchase a full-frame camera but does not rely on fast burst rate for your shoot, you may consider this powerhouse in your next purchase. This camera is suitable for photographers who are looking to advance their image quality to the next level. Whether you are a landscape photographer, portrait photographer, documentary photographer, or travel photographer, by pairing with some decent GF lenses, I believe you can harness the power of GFX 50S II and enjoy every single moment of it.
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/125″ . ISO 2500 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/120″ . ISO 3200 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8 @ 80mm . f2.8 . 1/125″ . ISO 2500 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/125″ . ISO 1250 . Post-editedGFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7 @ 80mm . f1.7 . 1/160″ . ISO 800 . Post-edited
If you are a commercial photographer, I believe you know what you need to deliver your jobs. So I leave it to you to decide.
Thank you for reading.
If you like my works, please follows me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:
It was a last minute arrangement with Mr. Keitaro So, Divisional Head of Fujifilm for providing the loan unit of GFX 50S II and 4 GF lenses (GF 45mm f2.8, 50mm f3.5, 80mm f1.7 and GF32-64mm f4). We discussed over the night and the gears are on my hands the very next day. I am very grateful to Mr. Keitaro So for the effort and time for this arrangement and support.
GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8
This is my first time holding the GFX camera and I happened to have a short staycation at Sofitel Singapore City Centre. So, I think this is a good opportunity for me to test out this large format camera.
GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8
I will be sharing my full experience in another blog post and that will be available in a few weeks time. Meanwhile, I will not share too much about the details over here but photos!
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here are shot by me. 2. All the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots are edited via In-Camera Raw Processing. 3. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8
GFX 50S II . GF 45mm F2.8
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5
I think I can see the stars…
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5
Couples…
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4
The Depth of Field is so impressive at F4.
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4
Flower on the pool…
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4
Can you see the man at work?
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5
Morning sunrise…
GFX 50S II . GF 50mm F3.5
Breakfast at Racines.
GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4GFX 50S II . GF 32-64mm F4
The only mini cooper I can afford.
GFX 50S II . GF 80mm F1.7
Thank you for reading.
If you need helps, you may direct message me in either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:
Since we are just a few months away from the year 2022, please allow me to jump into 2022 instead of 2021. First thing first, yes, you can still use it to shoot. A camera is a camera, it is still capable of doing what it is designed to do. What I cannot answer is whether it is still viable in the year 2022. I do not own the X-Pro1 but I managed to borrow it from a friend for about a month to have a total hands-on experience with this classic rangefinder every day. Why am I using X-Pro1? That’s because I come across friends asking me these questions many times:
Fuji X-Pro 1 . XF35mm F1.4
“I am on a budget and I am interested to start to learn photography, do you think X-Pro1 is worth getting it?”; or “Is X-Pro1 a usable camera as a second camera system?”.
Fuji X-Pro 1 . XF35mm F1.4
Unfortunately, I cannot share my opinion with my friends because I do not have one. Hence, I always recommend my friends to rent it from a camera rental store or borrow it from someone who has it for at least a week. And in this one week, he/she has to try to bring it with him/her and do some shoots every day. So that he/she can see what does this camera lacking for his/her shooting preferences.
But now, it is a whole new different story for me.
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here are shot by me. 2. Most of the shots are slightly edited in Lightroom Classic to my preferences. Otherwise, the shots are straight out of the camera. 3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment. 4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
A little of my Fuji history
My first interchangeable mirrorless camera was the X-T2 and then now X-T3 and X-E3. I have never held an X-Pro1 and shoot the outside world with it. That is why I am lacking experience with the first mirrorless camera from Fujifilm. How is the experience using it in the outside world? I was always told that the first generation was slow and sometimes the focusing can let one person frustrated, and the list goes on. I think this is a good opportunity for me to experience the good and the bad about this classic guy.
Before I start to share, I believe everyone is familiar with the X-Pro1. Thus, other than my experience, I will not share the technical specification.
Build Quality
When I hold this camera, the grip, the touch, and the weight of this camera give me a premium touch. I cannot believe this camera was made 10 years ago and the craftsmanship of this camera still looks amazing today. The dials and buttons feedbacks are great. I know some people do not like the ergonomic of the rangefinder-style camera but I quite like the ergonomic with it. Looking through the optical viewfinder is a joyful experience. It reminds me of the DSLR days but this experience is way better.
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f2 . 1/125” . ISO 500 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f2 . 1/125” . ISO 640 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f4 . 1/1250” . ISO 1250 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f16 . 1/125” . ISO 1600 . Pro Neg Hi
Shooting Experience …
For the shooting experience, I think it is good to split into 3 segments, the first is with the first generation Fuji lens and the second is with the Fuji newer generation lenses.
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f2.8 . 1/1900” . ISO 200 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/850” . ISO 200 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/90” . ISO 3200 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/450” . ISO 800 . Pro Neg Hi
i) With Classic Lens
I have one and only one classic lens and that is XF35mm F1.4. It is one of my most favourite lenses in my whole entire Fujifilm line-up. Needless to say, the combination of both XF35mm F1.4 and the X-Pro 1 is incredibly beautiful and it seems that they are a match made in heaven. From the moment I start to focus on an object, I finally know what do people meant by slow. The focusing really takes a longer time than the current newer Fuji cameras to lock onto the subject. There is some focus hunting. Sometimes I even encounter this during broad daylight, not to mention how bad it can be under challenging light conditions. Despite the worse, I still can bear with it and get the shot I want. Patience is the key.
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/125” . ISO 800 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/125” . ISO 1000 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f2 . 1/125” . ISO 800 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/1000” . ISO 400 . Pro Neg Hi
ii)With Newer Lenses
I have tried with a few newer generation lenses such as XF18mm F1.4, XF23mm F2, XF27mm F2.8 WR, and XF70-300mm F4-5.6. To my surprise, they do not give the same slow focus experience like the XF35mm F1.4 does. But rather, in my opinion, they do give a faster focusing lock and less focus hunting.
Image Quality
I have nothing to gripe about when comes to image quality. Coming out from the X-Trans first-generation CMOS sensor, the result is really impressive. From 100% viewing with the Lightroom Classic, the details are well preserved. Another surprise for me is that the dynamic range is decent too, it is capable of recovering quite an amount of details with the post-processing.
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/280” . ISO 800 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/55” . ISO 3200 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/200” . ISO 800 . Pro Neg Hi
The Drawbacks:
I have a few drawbacks to share but these are based on my own preference and it may not be a drawback for you in your preference.
i) Front Command Dial
What I miss the most is the Front Command Dial and X-Pro 1 do not come with it. I usually use it for changing my exposure compensation and scroll through photos, etc, which I had gotten used to with the newer camera bodies.
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f8 . 1/320” . ISO 200 . Pro Neg Hi
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 23mm F2 @23mm . f2 . 1/20” . ISO 3200 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 23mm F2 @23mm . f2 . 1/125” . ISO 1600 . Pro Neg Hi
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f2.8 . 1/125” . ISO 320 . Pro Neg Hi
ii) Exposure Compensation Dial
In order to use the Front Command Dial, I set this exposure compensation dial to Custom (C). Unfortunately, this camera does not have the C in the dial.
iii) Using Fuji Remote App
Yes. This app gives me minor problems such as unstable network connectivity and file transfer connectivity. But it still comes in handy when I wish to transfer photos from camera to mobile phone and doing shooting via remote control. Since this camera does not come with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module, that also means I need to go through the old-school way of file transferring.
I test the focus peaking with TTArtisan 17mm F1.4 and the result is awesome. There is no complaint about the image quality. The problem that I have is that I am too relying on the “Red” or “Blue” as my focus peaking highlight whereas X-Pro1 only comes with “High” and “Low” options. While it is not something that is not difficult to use, it is just personal preference.
v) The Menu System
The menu system from this rangefinder is not difficult to use, however, the current menu system is way better. I did use the old menu system before with my X10 but I am so used to the current menu that I feel a bit lost to use the old one. Again, this is about adaptability.
Fuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 WR @27mm . f5.6 . 1/3200” . ISO 400 . Post-editedFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 35mm F1.4 @35mm . f2 . 1/125” . ISO 2500 . Pro Neg HiFuji X-Pro1 . Fuji 23mm F2 @23mm . f2 . 1/320” . ISO 640 . Pro Neg Hi
vi) The Little Focus Stick
Some people hate it, some people love it and I belong to the latter. In fact, I use it more often than the 4 directional buttons, also known as selector buttons. Whenever I try to navigate the menu system, my thumb will unknowingly move to where the focus stick position is. Then I only realize that this camera does not equip with it when I try to push the “stick”.
vii) The In-Camera Raw Processing
The newer lineup of Fujifilm cameras comes with a good suite of film simulations and basic editing tools to do some simple post-processing or fine-tune your photos, so you can share them with your family and friends immediately.
I love to use this function, especially when I can make some fine adjustments inside the camera during commuting or between breaks. However, the raw processor included in this first generation is rather slow. But if you want to do some simple post-processing in the camera, you can still do it.
It is a good camera with minor drawbacks. 16 megapixels (mp) is certainly enough for the magazine size print and more than enough for your social media sharing. I am totally fine with 16mp as I hardly crop my photos by a lot. So should I get one? Probably not the X-Pro 1. Don’t get me wrong. This camera is still capable of shooting amazing shots. Having said that, I might consider getting a used X-Pro2 instead of X-Pro 1. That is because X-Pro 2 at least eliminates my drawbacks. (Sorry for the disappointment.)
To answer both questions stated in my second paragraph. If you do not mind the drawbacks that I have mentioned, you can get one for your photography learning adventure or for a second camera system. I always prioritize great quality lenses first over the camera body. Hence, pick up one or two good primes lenses (or zoom lens if you prefer) together with this camera.
In My Own Words
The evolution of the technology in the camera industry has been improving from time to time. I always think of the longevity of the camera technologies one can optimize with. When I am purchasing a camera, I will weigh the cost and the longevity for myself. As this X-Pro1 is hitting its 10 years mark in 2022, this also means the technology inside its gut is 10 years old too. I’m not saying this camera cannot be used. But what I am suggesting is that if one person is to invest in a camera system, probably can consider cameras that launch in recent years. At least you can stop “chasing” after a newer camera when you get the more recent one. If brand new is not an option, you can also consider getting the pre-owned newer camera models at a better and affordable price point.
Thank you for reading.
If you need helps, you may direct message me in either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:
Circuit Breaker Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) started on 16 May 2021 and lasted for a month. As we are now moving into Phase 2 of re-opening, we started out with a small group of gangs for a small photowalk in the morning at the Kebun Baru Birdsinging club and the neighbourhood around it.
I also take this opportunity to play with my XF27mm WR lens, XF 70-300mm with an X-Pro3. I have to thanks my neighbor (Mr. Ivan Loh) for lending me this wonderful and sexy camera body.
Fuji X-Pro 3 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 R WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/320” . ISO 160 . Classic Negative Fuji X-Pro 3 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 R WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/280” . ISO 160 . Classic Negative Fuji X-Pro 3 . Fuji 27mm F2.8 R WR @27mm . f2.8 . 1/300” . ISO 160 . Classic Negative
A new friend who is using Olympus at the moment. Planning to jump over to Fujifilm.
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here were shot by me. 2. I reserve ownerships to these images, if you wish to use my images for whatever reasons, please notify me and we can see how to works thing out.
If it is not seeing my colleague one last time before he heading back to his country, I would not have this opportunity to visit Jewel Changi Airport. It was almost a year since my last visit to the Jewel and everything still looks the same, just added a few more barricades and scanning counters.
And I finally get to bring my X-E3 and XF23mm F2 for a spin. The last time I used the XF23mm was like in December 2019. Shots are all straight out of camera.
Buying camera is never an easy task to being with. Of course, if budget is not an issue, you can purchase what you want off the shelf from the store immediately. But there are still a group of people who are more cautious about money spending, especially for the young one, be it a student or a young workforce.
Continue from my previous post, my friend had replied to me he want to use it for mainly for travel and causal family and friend shoot during weekends when there is a gathering or two. So he also further asked me to help him to recommend him what camera, lenses and accessories he should prioritize within the given budget with his usage. He So after understanding what he wants, I had work out some camera models & lenses from various brands and accessories. Over here, it’s all about Fujifilm. So I shared with you what I had shared with him.
With a budget of SGD2000, I have a few models for him to try out. These are based on suggested retail prices, street price should be slightly cheaper. (Due to Circuit Breaker, I am not able to get the street price.)
Talk about camera body, X-T200 is the newest among this 3 choices but I will advise to get X-T30, given that it is using the latest sensor and processor. The longevity of the camera should last longer. X-T200, on the other hand, has bigger flip LCD screen for selfie and vlogger to use. Auto focus is not as fast as X-T30, probably similar to X-E3. Unless you love to selfie, X-T30 is my recommendation.
Usually I do not recommend XC 15-45mm lens but it seems that XC 16-50mm MK II is no longer available in Fujifilm Singapore. If I have to choose between these two XC lenses, I prefers XF 16-50mm over XC 15-45mm. Wait a minute, isn’t 15mm (22.5mm in full frame equivalent) is wider than 16 (24mm in full frame equivalent). Yes, it is wider and definitely helpful when you need that wide to cover some shots especially on landscape sceneries and group photos. The reason of not recommending is not because it has poor optic quality but because it is using power zoom lens which in my opinion is much slower than manually zooming.
XF 18-55mm is my most preferred choice among all 3 choices. This is my first and only zoom lens from Fujifilm. To me, it is the standard of what premium kit lens should be. As most of the time, even for for travel, I use prime lens, unless situation does not allow me to do so, I will use this XF 18-55mm.
If you notice, I also included XC 35mm F2 inside all the 3 packages. This XC lens features plastic barrel but the optic quality is the same as XF 35mm F2. Of course it is lack of aperture control but I think it is okay. It is Fujifilm’s fifty nifty lens. It is the cheapest prime that I will definitely recommend to newcomers if they are entering to Fujifilm’s playground.
“XC class lenses can be viewed as Fuji’s budget oriented X-Mount lenses. There are currently only two XC lenses, both feature plastic barrels and lack the aperture rings often found on their XF R siblings. XC lenses also feature slower apertures but still feature ED and ASP elements to ensure consistent and high image quality. Often found bundled with Fujifilm’s lower priced mirrorless cameras, both the current XC lenses are under $400 and can be identified by the inclusion of ‘XC’ in the lens model designation.”
First and foremost: Filters I used to mount filters a lot and I always believe that they help to protect the front piece of glass. Just like “screen protector” logic to mobile phone. But I was wrong. I dropped one of the lens (not fuji) without the lens hood before and it actually scratched the front glass. Conclusion: no matter how, hood over filter. Always mount hood. Unless you want do special effect with certain filters, then it’s okay. By the way, getting cheap filters might also degrade the image quality.
Second item: Battery This is important. For me, I have tons of spare batteries. Currently about 9 batteries in used with 3 brand new in box. I always bring 2-3 spare batteries with me for shoot and about 6 spare batteries for travel. That shows how afraid I am of losing batteries to shoot. It is not an excuse that not able to shoot certain things when I want to and the reason is because I forgot to bring extra battery. Depending on the retail shops, they might give you a spare battery as a free gift. So I think getting an extra one more battery should be sufficient for starter, which mean 3 batteries in total.
Third item: Cleaning kit Basic cleaning kit is important. Typically getting a package that includes a decent blower, wipes, pen brush and microfibre cloth is good to start with.
Fourth item: Dry cabinet If you do not intend to expand your lens collection so fast and so soon, you may consider to get a reasonable size digital dry cabinet. A 30 litre size is selling approximately SGD89 in Singapore. If on a budget, a dry box is doing fine with silica gel.
Fifth item: Tripod Cheap tripod does the function of being a tripod but usually it is not stable and weak when exposed to outdoor environment. I do not recommend getting it. Tripod is not really essential unless you want to explore long exposure landscape photography. If you do, purchase a good one. But you are on budget, save up on some money to get it. This is something you shouldn’t save money on or you might be regret.
Last but not least: Memory Card Never ever invest in cheap memory card. Why? Why do you want to take the risk of having problem with your memory card? What if your photos are corrupted because of the cheap memory card? In my opinion, it does not worth the risk at all. The price of getting decent brand memory card is reasonable nowadays and I don’t see why we need to take risk in getting a cheap one.
The above are the general idea of what I have shared with my friend. I hope the tips are helpful in your adventure of getting your first camera.
Lenses
On the other hand, I have also compiled as list between USA, Singapore and Hong Kong for your info. The price list is based on May 2020.
Camera and lens description
Adorama (US) (USD)
B&H (US) (USD)
Singapore (SGD)
Hong Kong (HKD)
X-T30 w/ XF 18-55
$1,299.00
$1,299.00
$1,999.00
$6,290.00
X-T30 w/ XC 15-45
$999.00
$999.00
$1,549.00
NA
X-T30 w/ XF 23f2
NA
$1,348.00
NA
NA
X-T30 Body
$899.00
$899.00
$1,399.00
$4,350.00
X-T20 w/ XF 18-55
$899.00
NA
NA
$5,050.00
X-T20 w/ XC 15-45
NA
NA
NA
$3,890.00
X-T20 Body
NA
NA
NA
$3,220.00
X-E3 w/ XF 18-55
$799.00
$799.00
$1,399.00
$4,540.00
X-E3 w/ XF 23f2
$749.00
$1,052.50
$1,299.00
$4,680.00
X-E3 Body
$499.00
$499.00
$999.00
$2,520.00
X-T200 w/ XC 15-45
$699.00
$699.95
$1,148.00
$4,580.00
X-T200
$599.00
$599.95
NA
$3,890.00
X-A7 w/ XC 15-45
$499.00
$499.00
$849.00
$3,680.00
XC 35mm F2
$199.00
$199.00
$299.00
$1,380.00
XF 35mm F2
$399.00
$399.00
$699.00
$2,290.00
Table comparison
Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here were shot by me.
2. I reserve ownerships to these images, if you wish to use my images for whatever reasons, please notify me and we can see how to works thing out.
“In view of the COVID-19, Singapore Prime Minister first announced the “Circuit Breaker” (CB) measures in 3rd April 2020 that kicked in four days later and last for a month, forcing people to stay at home and work from home at much as possible in effort to limit the virus’ spread. While there are many non-essential services closed, you still can go to supermarkets and food center to get your needs and foods.”
Before the commencement of the CB, I usually travelled around Singapore every weekend to fulfil my shutter therapy. With this CB in place, basically you are unable to do thing as you used to be. So what can I do at home? How can I spend my weekends to satisfy my shutter therapy?
Product shoot is the first thing that came into my mind. It has been a good 1.5 years since my last product shoot was done (not counting with the recent X100V product shots). I love to shoot product shots in my early days of photography and I love to shoot abstract from it as I love to see the details from it. With that in mind, so I decided to pick it up again. I also intended to shoot with different products every week and hence, It is going to be my “Stay Home” series.
Coffee Beans.Coffee Beans.
Shooting a product is simple. Just find a product and shoot. It’s fast and quick. i.e. flower, lens, phone, spectacle, kitchenware, fruits, etc.
But getting from a different perspective of the product is not simple. It took a lot of time spend to explore different angles of the product and trial and error to see if the results meet my expectation.
Bowl.Bowl.
So initially our Government mentioned a month of CB but extended for another month in the recent updates. So from 4 products to shoot, now I have to source for another 4 products to shoot. While writing this post, we are still 4 weeks away to the end of the CB.
Over here, what I posted here are the product shots that I have done for the past 4 weeks. You can look up what products I shot during this period in my Instagram account.
Disclaimer: 1. All the shots taken here were shot by me. 2. I reserve ownerships to these images, if you wish to use my images for whatever reasons, please notify me and we can see how to works thing out.
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