I gotta say, I am having lots of fun this week with the X100. Its so versatile and easy to carry around and the results are just awesome, what a great piece of kit. I took it out and around on a photo shoot with some friends to the Botanic Gardens in Singapore and then on to Esplanade for sunset. I felt so unburdened at carrying this tiny pocket battleship while everyone else labored with bags and tripods :) Admittedly, the X100 is a bit limited in the macro front so its not ideal for true macro work however it does allow you to get in close and the focus is sharp if you are careful, as ever, the colors are delightful.
I am not very big on macro close ups but I am a big fan of against the light shooting and trying to get a little flare into the corner of the shot. I have mentioned before how flare resistant the X100 Fujinon lens is but it can be done with careful positioning.
This shot just looks so bright and summery and the fresh droplets after the rain give it a nice dreamy look. The above shot was edited in Snapseed which followers of the blog will know I am using a lot just now. The files are not very hi res but this allows for easy uploading and they will stand up well to smallish sized prints. By way of comparison and just for fun, I also edited a similar shot in Lightroom which is my favorite, main management and editing tool. I simply hate processing and editing, I would so much rather be shooting !!! Anyway, I have a workflow that is very quick and allows for minimal time at the desk and the following photo got the basic treatment. It's richer and more detailed but to be honest I prefer the Snapseed version in this case.
Here is another comparison of one of the shooters Riyanti who took a few minutes out to pose these shots for me.
This is the Lightroom version with a little bit of tonal contrast adjustment in Nik Colorefexpro which is again, a very simple and fast tool that, like all Nik products, delivers fantastic results.
And now the Snapseed efforts which got the drama tone 1 effect which to my eyes gives a delightfully contrasty and somehow, modern feel and look to the images.
Same effect again, and I have commented before how well this effect works with Asian skin tones. These are all in natural light by the way but I would have liked to have had my trusty reflector (which I had stupidly left at home) handy to get a bit of catchlight into the eyes and brighten the face a little.
I wouldn't say that these are necessarily better than the Lightroom processed shot but they were a darn site simpler to produce and were done on the fly in Starbies !!! I am a sucker for the drama tone 1 & 2 effects, I simply delight in the way they deal with tonal contrast.
Let's get back to the flower shooting which to be honest doesn't do much for me but I did like messing around to see what the X100 could do.
One thing that more experienced flower shooters than me will I am sure advise, is to take a reflector or something to give you a plain white or black background depending on the flower color and contrast. I usually carry a smallish 5 in 1 reflector with me everywhere but as I was traveling so light I had left it behind :( I did manage to find a large cream cloth however and held it behind this gorgeous black orchid. This is a truly stunning flower and I am afraid that I have done it little justice with getting the DoF wrong but, as I said, flower shooting is not my game.
Here are the final two plant shots and as mentioned I was finding it a real challenge to find a suitably dark and clear background to frame the shots with in the absence of an artificial backdrop.
Going close in on some of the wonderful foliage on display took care of the background issue and the patterns and textures came out beautifully in the X100's rich files.
A nice simple B&W shot to close the Orchid garden section. This is one lovely place to visit and I am sure any dedicated macro photographer would be in seventh heaven here. For me, it was a fun place to visit and mess around with the X100, I always feel I learn something that benefits me in my more normal shooting when I try something new such as the flowers and close ups here.
A quick word on workflow with these images and some closing shots from my favorite haunt at Marina Bay. I bought a simple little SD card reader for the Ipad and can literally load and edit on the move with Snapseed and I can't wait to try it out on my upcoming photo trip to Chiang Mai with the cool guys at Singapore Trekker . I am sure the iphone and techy guys on the trip will have a good laugh at how behind the times I am with editing on the go and will be showing off the latest apps. I am a bit of a traditionalist in some ways though and only adopt something once I am sure it has the benefits I need and I guess in some ways that's why I love the X100's quirky and unique blend of old and new.
Well, that;s it for this weekend and I am very interested in any views or experiences with regards to the snapseed v's Lightroom comparison, drop me a note or leave a comment. Here's a nice, if very cliched shot of the Fullarton Hotel as dusk falls, what a stunning setting Marina Bay and Esplanade is.
Hope all you X100 fans had as good a shooting weekend as I did,
Steel
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