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.
Early this year, the biggest Fuji Fanboy, Ivan Joshua Loh, had organized the “Best of Show” Exhibition in it’s 2nd year. This is an interesting exhibition, there is no theme or genre at all. Be it landscape, cityscape, sports, macro, fashion, foods or portraits. He has only one rule and it has to be “Fujifilm” camera. It does not matter if it is taken with film or digital. All you need to do is to hashtag “fujifanboys_2nd” in 5 of your most favourite photos. Apart from the top 10 winning prizes, all the top 25 photos will be exhibited in Fujifilm Studio Singapore for a month in July 2020.
I took part in his first exhibition competition last year and it was organized locally in Singapore. We actually submitted 3 photos via email and I was lucky enough to be 1 of the 25 to be exhibited in Fujifilm Studio. There was no prize back then but it was sort of an achievement because there was about 300 submissions and I was selected. It was probably one of the greatest achievements in my life.
I had submitted 5 for this year submission. Wish me luck. : )
The 2nd year Fuji Fanboy was called on 20 April 2020 and the deadline is 10 June 2020. There are approximate 3000 submissions so far as of today.
Below are the rules if you are interested to submit.
1. Maximum of 5 submissions per person at IG
2. Each submission is required to hagstag #FUJIFANBOYS_2nd
3. Submission deadline 10th June 2020.
4. Follow IG @FujiFanBoys
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.
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.”
From Shutter Muse
How about accessories?
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.
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 |
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.
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.
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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X100 was announced back in Photokina 2010. Lots of praise from the media and online reviewers. Fujifilm nailed the design of the retro-style enthusiast rangefinder camera with traditional analogue control dials. It was a great hit and instantly built up a large pool of fans base. I am one of them but… Here’s the “but”… As a student, the price tag scared me off.
One year later, they announced the X10, a younger brother of X100, and it fulfilled my dream of having my first Fujifilm camera. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, it was a fun camera and I love the film simulations. Despite that, it did not spark much joy for me.
Occasionally, I went to the retailer stores to play with the X100. I love the build quality, it was good to hold it in my hands and I was blown away by the hybrid viewfinder. On the other hand, the focusing system was not snappy enough, the shooting menu was not as good as what it is today and the images seem to be soft at F2. For the price tag, I have to give it a miss.
Almost 3 years later, X100S had arrived at the shore and I still had not made the purchase. In fact, I wasn’t shooting a lot during those years and I still can count how much time I had actually brought my camera out for a click. It was my low point, it had become a hassle to bring the camera out and slowly I lost my passion for shooting.I still read up the reviews, tested it with a few clicks at the retail stores and nothing more beyond these two points.
Another 3 years later, X-T2 caught my attention unknowingly. I knew there was a X-T1 but it was X-T2 that captured my interest. It sounds crazy but it really ignited my passion towards photography again. I even placed a pre-order for it and I got my first Fuji prime lens, XF 23mm F2, to go with it. From that day forward, I had been using the 23mm on most occasions. The versatility of 23mm is just great for street, travel and documentary, isn’t it?
In 2019, when I got my XF 35mm F1.4, things had changed a little in my path. I became obsessed with this lens as it gave me some sort of characteristic feel in my images. It boosted my passion for shooting even more. To be honest, I have left out the XF 23mm since then. The 35mm lens made me keen to bring my camera even on my working days. However, due to my working environment, I have to carry my heavy loaded bag for meetings almost everywhere in Singapore. The overall size of the camera and lens may be compact but it is not that small when I want to put it inside the office bag. This is where I started to miss the Fujifilm compact camera series. the X100, X70 and XF10.
So, what compact camera does Fujifilm have to offer?
XF10, X70 and X100.
First of all, X70 had stopped production without a successor, not many retailers were selling it and even those retailers that were still selling it, would not recommend me to get it. XF10 was a “cut-down” version of X70, I tried and I was disappointed with the poor autofocusing and laggy interface, so I skipped. With this elimination method, that’s left with X100F. But it was 2019 already and X100F was in its third year cycle, which also meant that it may have a new successor in the pipeline. No one but Fujifilm knows when it will be announced. Since I am not an impatient person, I waited.
After two months of waiting, the successor had finally said hello to the world. I happened to have the opportunity to try out the successor and I must say I love it. It’s that kind of first love. Beauteous, aesthetic, elegant, ravishing…. This is what I am waiting for. This is not two months of waiting but a good 10 years. This is the sexy camera that I have been waiting for since 2010!
To tell everyone how much I love this X100V, I immediately brought it out to shoot with the packaging hand carried along. The photos presented over here are my virgin shots with it.
Sidetrack 1: This successor, which is the fifth X100 series, is also my fifth Fujifilm camera. Not sure it is coincidently or fate. Since there are lots of reviews on the web, I will not discuss the technical term or review this X100V in this blog.
Sidetrack 2: This X100V is initially planned to be my weekday camera, I was happy to have it with me and snap some interesting shots while I commute to my destinations. But now it has become more than just a weekday camera, it’s my everyday camera.
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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When travelling overseas, regardless on work assignments or personal trips, I will bring at least 4 lenses with me. Three primes lenses and one zoom lens. Of which, one is an ultra wide lens (9mm – When travelling overseas, regardless on work assignments or personal trips, I will bring at least 4 lenses with me. Three primes lenses and one zoom lens. Of which, one is an ultra wide lens (9mm – 13.5mm equivalent), one is a wide angle lens (23mm – 35mm equivalent) and one mid-telephoto lens (50mm – 75mm equivalent) or long telephone lens (80mm – 120mm equivalent). As for the zoom lens, I have one and only one zoom lens in my arsenal and it is the XF18-55mm “kit” lens. This kit lens is my backup lens, I shoot with prime lenses most of the time.
Last year, I had a short trip of 4 days and 3 nights at BangKok, Thailand. Travel light is the first thought that comes into my mind and I instantly decided to bring which camera body with me. Obviously, the lightweight, low profile and the underestimated X-E3 was the choice. As for choosing one lens out of the three choices that I have, 16mm F/1.4, 23mm F/2 and 35mm F/1.4, I had a hard time deciding.
23mm was the obvious choice since it is a 35mm equivalent focal length. It is a safe bet, it won’t go wrong to choose this focal length. But while I picked up the 23mm, I saw the new 35mm which I just bought during my Hong Kong trip. Then I thought for a while and decided to pick it for my Bangkok trip. It should be challenging and open up my perspective of shooting at 50mm equivalent point of view.
The 35mm lens fitted nicely on the X-E3. The lens suits the frame of the camera body very well. Aesthetic look.
Pairing up these two combinations comes with some drawbacks.
First, it is not the best focusing system in the X-world but this will only surface under very dim environments but I have no issue with places like night markets. There is no issue with day time at all.
Second, it has a small EVF (Electronic Viewfinder). If you are used to the EVF screen on the X-T series, you will probably take some time to get used to the small EVF (or maybe you will never get used to it).
Third, I missed the articulating screen whenever I wanted to shoot at a low angle.
Shooting with a 35mm lens alone was indeed challenging one but it gave me fruitful results. As compared to the 23mm, this lens really gave me a lot of thinking because I am too used to 23mm. Of course I can’t deny that I missed a lot of ultra-wide and wide angle shots. But for a short trip and a city that is accessible and convenient to go, I think this lens helped me a lot to change my perspective with this familiar city.
If you ask me if I ever regret bringing one lens only, “no regret” would be my answer.
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.
[…] will continue refining this lens through future revisions, just as they successfully did with the TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 II. If…
[…] very first lens review was the TTArtisan 17mm f1.4, a lovely little manual focus lens back in 2021. At that…
[…] That said… I’m still patiently waiting for their next autofocus lens since their last release. […]
[…] smallest fisheye Brightin Star has ever made; that title still belongs to the incredibly compact Brightin Star 10mm f5.6, but…
[…] in the hand without feeling front-heavy. I could immediately notice the difference after using the TTArtisan 7.5mm f2, which weighs…
Before I shared about my encounter with X-E3, X-E2 was the first that caught my attention in the X-E lineup. From the official images, it was a very sleek, beautifully designed retro style rangefinder camera. I thought it was as big as X-Pro series and without an OVF. Until I saw the online reviews, then I started to realise how compact it was. The compactness of the camera made me get more and more interested in it and eventually I did a few hands-on sessions with the product at the retail outlets. My conclusion every single time: I love the design but it was a “good to have” camera and I have a X10 as my secondary fun camera. I was still a canon user and never thought of getting a Fuji camera as a secondary system back then.
Fast forward to 2019, it was a family trip to Hong Kong in April. We visited a shopping mall where most shops sell pre-owned cameras of all brands. I was roaming around without any intention in mind. Spotted some Fuji cameras on the shelves but I did not ask for the price.
But before leaving the mall, I spotted a shop at the corner of the second floor and went in. A quick glance on the display window and I spotted a pre-owned X-E3. Out of curiosity, I asked the shop owner the price. As per normal, I did some currency conversion and was shocked with the price. Asked the shop owner again to confirm the numbers. I did not hear it wrongly. The next thing the shop owner did was he grabbed the camera out and showed it to me.
As a pre-owned unit, some scratches around the body were expected but not terrible. However, I hesitated. At this point of time, I had 2 interchangeable X-mount cameras on my hands. I keep asking myself, do I need another one? While I am struggling with the decision in my mind, my wife stepped into the shop. She asked me a few non-technical questions until she asked the golden question: “how much does it cost”, I answered and then she said: “Maybe you should stop considering, just get it.”
That evening, I was thrilled holding it on my hands. Paired it with XF 35mm F1.4 for some night street shots. Along the way, I experienced some hiccups but quickly got over it, thanks to Fujifilm for the simplified menu!
I love the combination of X-E3 with XF 35mm F1.4. It is probably the best combo that I have, lightweight and easy to carry around. I do not own an XF 27mm pancake lens, XF 14mm nor the XM-FL. I mounted the XF23mm F2 and tried a few times on different occasions before. It did not have that magical feel in me when I shot with this combination… Strange, isn’t it?
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.
[…] will continue refining this lens through future revisions, just as they successfully did with the TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 II. If…
[…] very first lens review was the TTArtisan 17mm f1.4, a lovely little manual focus lens back in 2021. At that…
[…] That said… I’m still patiently waiting for their next autofocus lens since their last release. […]
[…] smallest fisheye Brightin Star has ever made; that title still belongs to the incredibly compact Brightin Star 10mm f5.6, but…
[…] in the hand without feeling front-heavy. I could immediately notice the difference after using the TTArtisan 7.5mm f2, which weighs…
Alwin Kok 
[…] will continue refining this lens through future revisions, just as they successfully did with the TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 II. If…