X100 Camera in Action - Let's Go

Hey Fellow Fuji shooters, this is a new blog that I wanted to put together that is dedicated solely to the Fuji X100 (in action). This is not a review site as there are loads of those around anyway, and for me they don't get at the heart and soul of the camera at all. This is because they look at the camera technically as opposed to artistically and therefore they judge on technical merits, menus, buttons, ISO comparisons and so on instead of the creative capability of the camera and the versatility of it or otherwise.


Not only is it a very handsome camera (especially when tarted up for me by the guys at Chiif Cameras) but it is a very capable one too, with exceptional IQ, soft & silent shutter and great high ISO results.

I recommend adding a soft release like this lovely red one. You wont believe the difference this makes to being able to squeeze a gentle shutter release. I don't know why the manufacturers can't design this in.

Anyway, what I wanted to explore with these posts is the ultimate versatility of the X100 camera and how it is possible, with some thought and practice, to produce startling results in almost any artistic situation. It is my intention to gather tips and information, share my experiences and push the boundaries of this wonderful little camera.


I want to show how it can be used for:


Travel

This is a bit of a no-brainer to be honest as this is where I think the X100 excels (for anyone interested see my phototravelasia blog for some articles on the X100 as a travel cam) The above sunrise shot was taken on Gili Meno near Lombok in Indonesia. The X100 was held at wave level and I used the back screen to compose and level (to avoid wastage in cropping) and exposed for the sky. It's wise to keep a lens cloth in you shirt pocket as inevitably there will be some splashes on the lens.


Style

Here is one from Raffles arcade in Singapore. I had to overexpose to accommodate all of the white light around. It's also shot at wide aperture to emphasize the model and make the background interesting. Many people would be reaching for a telephoto for this kind of shot but there is no question that you can get much more impact, context and intimacy in the image by using the 35mm focal length equivalent of the X100. I often put models in the corners of frames and this is not a problem with the X100's gorgeous lens.

Portrait

Again, I find the X100 35 mm lens to be great for this kind of work as it forces you to go close and in the process the subject has more impact and immediacy. Note that the flare was deliberate but extremely difficult to produce as the lens appears very flare resistant with the hood on. The hood has some little slots in the side and if you are careful about positioning you can get some nice little slivers of light.


Strobe & Lighting

This is a favorite shot of mine with the X100 and exemplifies two very favorable characteristics of the camera. Firstly, with the fast lens and lack of mirror to slap around, you can handhold and shoot at extremely low shutter speeds such as this one which I seem to recall was at around 1/15. Secondly, and relatedly, the ISO ability of the camera is a wonderful low light asset that combines with the fast lens and no mirror to create an amazing low light shooter.


Long Exposure

The X100 is an easy camera to make stable and it also has a nifty ND filter built in. So, all you have to do is get the camera stable, set the ND to on, enable the self-timer, shut the lens down to F16 and off you go.


I could go on with this but I think you get the point, this is one very versatile camera. Now that I have got things rolling with this, its important to me that you X100 loving folks out there feedback what you like, don't understand and want to see explored, so please leave comments or mail me.


Upcoming


Over the next few weeks I am going to try a few new things with the X100 and they will include taking it into a fully equipped studio, trying it out with some Lightroom presets that I downloaded, and a look at what accessories are available for the camera - stay tuned !!!


To close each week I also intend to have a bit of fun and will dish out an assignment for those interested and we will post to this flickr group


Here's my first effort. I often wake up on a Sunday morning with no idea about what to do for the day and for some strange reason I find that if I take some photos around the house I get some inspiration for the day and get motivated to shoot more. Assignment 1 is to take 3 shots of your fave T, have fun and post on Flickr asap.


My Sunday Morning 1 - Gap T-shirt


Incidentally guys, the first and third shots in this sequence were PP'd in Lightroom using some cool free presets I found. I will explore this fully in a future blog.

Hope you X100 lovers found this a little helpful and maybe even stimulating. Get out and shoot, I read a great saying by Bruce Lee that he had no fear of someone who had learned 10,000 kicks once but feared the man who had practiced one kick 10,000 times !!! Stick to the X100 and push it to the limits. Thanks to the great and very inspirational guys at Invisiblephotographer for this quote (here's the full article - read it now...Bruce Lee )


Until next time - keep the shutter clicking (silently on the x100 of course)




Steel