Fuji 56mm f/1.2 Lens Review

I would like to think I have a good grasp of what I want/need in my photography equipment.  I always talk about minimum things a lens or camera must have before I even consider purchasing it. In the past, I have bought several things based on hype or convincing YouTubers and felt burned after spending hard earned money on something that did not fit my needs. The Fuji X-T1 is one example that breaks every rule and standard I have. It does not have “fast” controls (relative to what I am used to), it does not have in-body image stabilization, it has a low flash synch speed and the AF is arguable the slowest out of all the mirrorless cameras I own. Yet, I find myself picking up the X-T1 more times than not. 

My first time using the X-T1 & 56mm Combination under controlled studio conditions. The results definitely exceed my standards

I know what you are thinking, why am I talking about the Fuji X-T1 when the title of this post clearly states it’s a review on the Fuji 56mm f/1.2. In my humble opinion. I feel the 56mm lens belongs to the X-T1 and this lens truly defines the system as a whole. While I have had some time with the venerable 23mm and 35mm glass, nothing has stunned me more than this seemingly perfect portrait lens. 

All RAW files, with the exception to the studio shots, were first converted to TIF files via Silky Pix and then edited further in Lightroom. 

Before I go any further, I must qualify this review by stating one glaring issue if you are a heavy user of Adobe photo editing products, particularly Lightroom. Simply put, I do not like how Lightroom converts Fuji Raw files. There are work arounds to this and is something I have considered and implore you consider if you decide to use this system with LR. You can read my thoughts about Raw converters below. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s carry on with the review.

My Final Thoughts on Capture One Pro 8

Raw Converters: Lightroom vs. Capture One Pro

Auto Focus Speed and Accuracy:

There is not much to say about this lens besides the fact that it is the slowest focusing lens I own. It is safe to say that all Fuji glass I have tried is slower than any OMD or Sony A7II glass (though I must admit I only have the FE 55mm and FE 70-200mm lens) I own. It does have a tendency to hunt in less-than-ideal lighting conditions, but it is mostly accurate. I qualify the accuracy of the focusing because I believe this is mostly operator driven.  Because the focal plane is so thin at f/1.2 and at close distances, the slightest movement can shift the focus from the eye to the eye lash or even the nose. I do feel in-body image stabilization would help for portrait work. As a general rule of thumb, I try to keep my shutter speed faster than 1/100th and I fully depress the shutter release as opposed to half pressing, waiting for the focus confirmation and then pressing the shutter release all the way. These “shortcomings” are by no means a deal breaker. I simply adjust my shooting technique to accommodate the “nuances” of working with a Fuji system. 

Image Quality:

This is by far the most important factor in my opinion and is highly subjective. I try to stray away from speaking matter of fact about image quality since I have a hard time quantifying or measuring the beauty of an image. Speaking only for myself, I am in love with the output from the 56mm. The quality of the bokeh is smooth and does not detract from the image. I have seen other lenses produce distracting and busy out of focus areas, but the bokeh with this glass seems organic and is pleasing to my eyes. Once you run the Fuji files through a RAW Converter other than Lightroom, the files are wonderfully sharp and have a nice pop to them. This lens defines the system and belongs with every Fuji owner. I would go as far to say this should be the first lens you buy if you are a portrait photographer.  I can go on with the superlatives, but I'll leave you with sample photos instead.

RAW file edited in Lightroom. Note: this did not go through the Silky Pix software.
 I believe the only filter I used was the Classic Chrome Fuji setting.

Hands down my favorite shot taken from San Diego Comic Con 2015

Build Quality and Weight:

To me, I believe good weight and bad weight exists in all things whether you are talking cameras, cars, computers and so forth. Size and weight is something mirrorless users tout as an inherent benefit of using this platform and I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment depending on the situation. If you like to hike and travel, every ounce start to feel like pounds after several hours trekking, so weight becomes an important factor. This lens, in my opinion, can be used for these applications, but is not what Fuji intended. More on that in the next section. A 1 pound (56mm = 0.89 lbs.)  lens on a 1 pound body (Fuji X-T1 = 0.97 lbs.) can feel a bit front heavy and unbalanced. The same can be said about most of Fuji’s new lens offerings. With that being said, the camera becomes more balanced and easier to handle with a vertical grip added. Although I don’t personally own one, I have handled the camera with one on and plan on adding it to my collection in the near future. 

Relative to my Olympus 45mm lens, this is heavy…and I like it a lot. Not only does it feel like a quality piece of glass, I find stabilizing the body easier. The additional weight can mask some poor shooting technique, of which I occasionally exhibit, especially when I push down the shutter release too quickly. Torquing or jerking a light weight camera is a prevalent issue with me so I welcome some heft. Overall, I am impressed with the build quality and believe the 56mm metal construction will last me a long time.   

Philosophy of Use:

I find that all of my cameras serve a very specific purpose and this lens is no exception. I think my Olympus OMD is the only camera I find that is my jack of all trades, master of none camera. While I believe you can get away with doing several types of work with this lens, my personal philosophy of use is portraiture work. I believe the AF speed on this lens precludes it from being a dedicated concert photography lens or an ideal tool for weddings, but it certainly can be done (and I have used it for both types of work). If I had to complain about anything, it would certainly be its focusing speed. Well, that and it has a fairly long minimum focusing distance of approximately 2.29 feet. For deliberate, controlled, portrait work with the Fuji platform, there isn’t a lens I can recommend more than the Fuji 56mm f/1.2. Without a doubt in my mind, this lens has made me a Fuji Fanboy and makes me excited to try/purchase other primes.   

Going to San Diego Comic Con with my Fuji X-T1 and Sony A7II

Taken Tuesday evening, the week of San Diego Comic Con.  It is always fun to see SDCC transform right in front of you. I have read articles indicating how important this event is to the local economy. Taken with the Fuji X-T1 and Tokina EL 28mm lens. 

For the past six years, I have exclusively taken a micro four thirds camera with me to Comic Con. It started with the Panasonic GF-1, then the Olympus OMD E-M5 and finally my favorite camera, the Olympus OMD E-M1. My confidence with the system grew and grew with each passing year and I never felt the need to bring any other system. These mirrorless cameras delivered on image quality, speed, usability and most importantly weight. I loved the fact I could walk around all day and never feel burdened by carrying more than 2 or 3 additional lenses. I wanted to change things up a bit this year and see what I could do with a different set up. The the only toll was on my body, as I had to significantly increase the weight of my backpack. Below is a list of all the gear used:

• Kata KT DL-DR-466 Digital Rucksack (my favorite mirrorless backpack)
• Manfrotto Tripod MK393-PD
• Slik SBH-100 Tabletop Tripod
• Sony Alpha A7II 
• Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G Lens
• Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 Lens
• Fuji X-T1 - pre firmware 4.0
• Fuji 56mm f/1.2
• Zhong Yi Lens Turbo II m42 to Fuji X mount adapter
• Tokina EL 28mm f/2.8 m42 lens
• Zenit Helios 44M-4 58mm f/2 m42 lens (my Russian Wonder)
• 2 Cheetah V850 flashes with triggers

The shallow depth of field really helps isolate this zombie cosplayer. Taken with the Sony Alpha A7II with the 55mm @ f/1.8

While this may seem like a lot of weight, I will assure you it was manageable and I did not carry it all at once. Our hotel room was close enough to the convention hall that I could leave the tripod and FE70-200mm lens in the room and pick it up if I knew I would be working the Gaslamp District. For the most part, I carried only primes with me as I knew I wanted to use a fast lens within the not-so-perfectly lit convention hall. The added benefit of using a fast lens with either an APSC or Full Frame sensor is the ability to separate your subject from the ever so busy background that is SDCC. While "too much bokeh" can get tiresome, I find that it really helps to accentuate the cosplayer I am trying to photograph. The crowds have in many of my shots ruined what is otherwise a pretty cool image.

A panorama taken straight from the A7II. The was really well received by the Killer Pumpkins crew. 

The patience of cosplayers is astounding. They will stand and pose for you without complaining even when guy-with-camera decides to take advantage of a situation and snap more than 20 shots (it happens).  While I can comment on the autofocus speed, I think it is not as important as autofocus accuracy. Being that they are both contrast detect platforms, it is safe to say they are both very accurate. However, I must say the Sony A7II seems to have that slight edge on the Fuji X-T1. I had a higher percentage of perfectly focused (on a subject's eyes) photographs with the A7II, but this was only a marginal difference. It is possible that I was using too slow of a shutterspeed with the X-T1.

Psylocke from the X-Men - Sony A7II with the 55mm wide open. 

That is the glaring difference I noted with the Fuji and Sony cameras. The Fuji could truly benefit from an in-body image stabilization system (IBIS). While I could get away with 1/80th with solid technique, I found most of my shots came out clearer at 1/125th or higher whenever I use the Fuji 56mm. IBIS would certainly help with those minor movements especially when shooting wide open. The slightest bump or shake could shift the focus from the eyes to say the eyebrows.  I was not only able to capture shots consistently  at 1/60th with the A7II and the Zeiss 55mm, but I was also able to keep my ISO down to about the 200-640 range. Speaking only for myself, my future camera purchases MUST have IBIS. Not to say the X-T1 is a bad camera, I just know what I want after shooting several cameras and in-body image stabilization is a feature I would rather not live without.

The world outside of the convention has a significantly different feel.  The characters and cosplayers alike seem to have a different and wild energy. Never a dull moment at the Gaslamp District - Taken with the Fuji X-T1 and the 56mm (Classic Chrome photo setting)

Ms. Sinister. I truly love it when the roles are reversed. Another image
taken with the Sony A7II and the Zeiss 55mm.

Before I come off sounding like a Fuji hater, I can't help but gush over their JPEG output. My dedicated travel laptop only has Lightroom 4, which cannot process A7II or X-T1 RAW files. I don't normally recommend processing JPEG files, I would however make an exception for Fuji's. Simply put they are great straight out of the camera especially with my favorite Classic Chrome photo setting.  In my last post, Concert Photography with the A7II, I talk about how mushy Sony files can look zoomed in. This is a huge plus for me when I have to post photos for Killer Pumpkins, the Company who brought me on board and is the reason why I have access to San Diego Comic Con every year. It is important for me to be able to provide photos that I am proud to present to third parties and you can bet I would rely on Fuji in a heart beat. 

Not really a cosplayer, but more my partner in crime. I am in love with the bokeh quality of the Fuji 56mm lens. 

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience and I have zero regret about bringing two different mirrorless systems.  In fact, this past experience continues to solidify my love for mirrorless cameras. The paradigm shift is becoming more and more evident. I would say that I saw a significant amount of mirrorless owners roaming around San Diego. Of course DSLRs remain supreme and dominates the camera population, but I saw more and more people donning the Sony A6000, a Fuji X-100 variant or various Olympus OMD models.  The following two posts will be photo essays showing my favorite shots from both my Fuji X-T1 and the Sony A7II. As always, thanks for stopping by. 

For images from the Sony Alpha A7II - CLICK HERE
For images from the Fuji X-T1 - CLICK HERE

Hiking with the Olympus E-M1 and the 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro Lens - Bridge to Nowhere

I have been a prime lens shooter from the start and to this day I would rather carry two bodies and two primes than carry a zoom lens. Speaking only for myself, I find zooms make me lazy with my composition. Instead of walking back or moving closer to my subject, I tend to use my zoom ring to do the heavy lifting. I can go on and on about my thoughts about zooms vs. primes, but considering my last adventure with my groomsmen and groomsgals, I had no choice but to use my E-M1 and the Olympus Pro Zoom. Why, you ask?  It is my only weather sealed combo and I heard from one of my bestmen (that's right I had 2) the possibility of getting wet was extremely high. He was right, I got wet but my camera did not =). 

On so many occasions I have thought about selling this lens, but this trip made me realize that this piece of glass is a keeper. What particularly stood out was how sharp this lens is after processing my RAW files through Capture 1 Pro (I would export TIFF files from C1P and import to Lightroom, my preferred editor - more on this in another post). Additionally, I loved how close I could get with some of my shots. You will see below some of the close ups I took while on the Bridge to Nowhere hike - a 10 mile round trip hike out in the San Gabriel Mountains, which I highly recommend to all Southern California residents. At the end of the day, I found this lens/camera combo a pleasure to use. While it may be larger than other m43 gear, not once did I feel the weight even after 6+ hours of walking on stones, tightrope walking across creek logs and scaling mountain ledges.    

I want to keep this post short on words, and heavy on images. I had no real processing style for this set. I merely wanted to test out some the cool VSCO presets I've neglected for the past year and a half. I was leaning towards the Fuji and Polaroid sets. Happy viewing 

Meet Vince, our adventure guru and the cousin who is always down to go on an adventure.

The organizer and co-best man 

A Tribute to my Brother, THE Artist

And....I'm back! Well, sort of. Heather and I are now back to work and trying to come down from our post wedding high. It really has been a tough transition getting back into my groove since there have been a lot of changes going on at work, plus we're being audited (this happens annually). Work on the photography end has been picking up thanks to my buddy Efong over at EmaginePixel - a birthday party last week and a wedding yesterday. I normally would rule out all weddings, but if there is anyone who could get me to be a second, it would be him. 

Now that we are on the topic of weddings, I have been going back and forth on whether or not I should share our montage even before I saw what my brother had done for us. I struggle on whether or not this would be too personal, self-serving or even boring to anyone reading my blog, considering it is about me and my wife. However, the moment I saw the video I felt nothing but pride and inspiration. I have said it before and I will say it again, I never saw myself as an artist. I say this as not to fish for praise but because I feel I merely capture what is around me - the subject itself is art. My brother, Luigi Aranda, on the other hand is THE artist in the family/team because in my eyes he creates. Like individual brush strokes on a canvas, he put together video clips/music/graphics that is not only meaningful but it also drives the whole gamut of emotions. What he did for us was genuinely a labor of love which we are forever grateful for.

Now you must be thinking, how does this all relate to this blog?Well, all the footage he took was taken with either an Olympus OMD E-M1, a Panasonic GM1 or the Panasonic GF3 - mirrorless cameras I rave about all the time. I am incredibly proud of my brother's talents and encourage him to keep it up.

For the video please click the link below.

H&D Wedding Montage Part 1

H&D Wedding Montage Part 2

A evening with the Asahi Pentax Super Takumar 105mm f/2.8 and the Sony Alpha A7

I don't know if it is luck or a depreciating market, but I was able to score the Asahi Pentax Super Takumar 105mm f/2.8 m42 mount lens for approximately $60 on eBay. I wanted to find a decent telephoto prime to take over my second copy of the Olympus OM 135mm lens which has been somewhat of a disappointment to me. It's quite possible I picked up a bad copy but it is the only Olympus OM lens I own that I might just let sit on the shelf. A couple of bids later, I take delivery of a clean, fungus and haze free screw mount lens.

Tomasina with a bit of vintage flare

With our wedding coming up in exactly 4 weeks today, Heather and I decided to take a mini break from all the prep work and go to Disneyland for half the day. I brought my tripod, Sony A7 and a handful of glass, including the Super Takumar, with me on this trip. Luckily for me, Tomorrowland Terrace was featuring Tomasina, a band whose lead singer is colorful, animated and great to photograph. The lighting on this stage was unpredictable, constantly changing and colorful, so I had to ride the ISO wheel on the A7 constantly.  Going full manual is always a challenge but a good one nonetheless.   

All the photos of Tomasina were shot in RAW and processed in Lightroom 5 using some VSCO presets. Among my favorite are, you can guess it, the Fuji VSCO versions

For most of these shots, I was working in the high ISO range of 2500 and above. I was pleasantly surprised with how much detail I was able to retain. Having read only a handful of user reports on forums regarding how "amazing" this prime lens is, I was skeptical to say the least. While it's too early to come to any reasonable conclusions, the initial results are rather promising. All of these concert shots are taken at f/2.8, its widest aperture.  

Even with extreme back lighting I was able to recover a ton of detail 

We didn't spend much time in Tomorrowland Terrace and wanted to catch a couple of rides and shows. Towards the end of our trip, as guests decided to vacate the park, Heather graciously and ever so patiently gave me free reign to set up a tripod for some low ISO, small aperture, long exposure shots. I wanted to see how this lens would resolve stopped down and in my opinion did a great job. 

From the Story Book ride: Monstro from Pinocchio - The Super Takumar 105mm f/2.8 at f/5.6

Sword in the Stone in Fantasyland - Super Takumar 105mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6 

Another angle of Excalibur with Sleeping Beauty's Castle in the background. The background compression is what I love most about using these longer lenses. 

One thing I found very similar with all of the vintage glass I have used is that they exhibit very similar polygonal shapes as you close down the aperture. For this particular reason, I am quite interested in using a Pentacon prime, commonly known as a bokeh monster for it's 15 aperture blade system, while my Takumar lens only has 6 blades. In the photo below, you will notice even wide open at f/2.8 the bokeh is still showing its less-than-round shape. I know some find it rather distracting, but I personally don't mind it.

Overall, I am having a great time using this lens. Unlike the common focal lengths like the 85mm or even the 135mm, I find this lens is neither too short or too long. The moment I slapped this on the A7, I immediately knew I would like the field of view. It is far too early to say whether this lens will have a permanent spot in my gear bag, but the initial results are truly promising. I look forward to spending more time with my new-to-me lens. Thanks for stopping by. 

My 2014 Mirrorless Journey with Panasonic, Olympus, Sony and Fuji

2014 was without a doubt a very fun year. I was fortunate enough to acquire different mirrorless cameras through trades, which my group of friends like to call "Trade Up Tuesdays", and a bit of luck with great used deals. Although I have been a fan of mirrorless cameras since the beginning, I will be the first to admit that they do not come without limitations. Several times during the year, friends have come to me for camera buying advice. While I am inclined to recommend a m43 camera or some of the newer Sony Alpha crop sensor bodies, I always ask what their budget and their intended use is. If anyone tells me they want to eventually shoot sports, weddings/events or wildlife on a full time basis, then I can't help but recommend a DSLR from Canon or Nikon. For anything else, whether it be street, travel or portraiture work I'm betting my money on mirrorless cameras. 

You might be wondering why I love these mirrorless cameras so much and it really boils down to 4 simple aspects:

1. Weight - these cameras are so light weight, you won't mind bringing them anywhere. Even with an additional battery grip and the heaviest lens, these things are feathers compared to their DSLR "equivalent"
2. The EVF (Electronic View Finder) - some love it and some hate it.  As for me, I simply can't live without it. I would rather see what the sensor is picking up rather than looking through the lens. 
3. Adapting Vintage/Manual Focus Only Glass -  I have held the opinion since using the Panasonic GF-1 that mirrorless cameras offer the best user experience for adapting old and new manual lenses. From focus peaking to the fine focusing aids, these cameras have brought new life to what I believe was a niche photographic tool.
4. Autofocus Accuracy - because the AF system is sensor based, you don't need to worry about back/front focusing or fine tuning each lens, especially fast primes, by doing micro adjustments. It goes without saying that the continuous AF has a long ways to go (I rarely ever use this except for video), but the single AF can be incredibly fast and incredibly accurate.

While most higher end DSLRs are fully capable of covering all types of photographic genres, I personally don't find them enjoyable to use (your mileage will most definitely vary). As for me, I can't live without the aforementioned perks and use each of my mirrorless gear for varying situations. Instead of trying to convince you how these are better or worse than their mirrored brethren, I decided to go the Zack Arias route and explain how each fit in my workflow.  

Olympus OMD E-M1

The Olympus OMD is my main workhorse. On many occasions I have been asked which out of all my cameras I would keep if I could only choose one and my answer is always the OMD E-M1. While it does not have the highest image quality, it does so many things perfectly in my eyes and has the highest usability factor.

Favorite Len(s): Olympus 75mm f/1.8, Olympus 12-40mm Pro f/2.8, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Intended Use: Events, Studio Portraits & Headshots, Product Photography, Concert

Favorite Features: The E-M1 has the best single AF out of all the cameras I have used. This camera can lock focus with ease in low light and is the primary reason why this is my preferred camera for events. The face detect is extremely quick/accurate and is the most used feature whenever I do headshots. The high flash sync of 1/320 is incredibly handy if you want to over power ambient light. Ergonomically speaking, the E-M1 in my opinion is one of the best, if not the best, I have ever used. The touch to focus and/or shutter release was perfectly implemented and useful when handing the camera over to others. Need I mention the in body image stabilization and the new tethered shooting function. There's just so much to like about the E-M1 and I have gushed over this camera over several posts. 

Olympus Pen E-P5

The Olympus Pen E-P5 was in my gear bag for a little under 6 months. I originally purchased the camera as a back up/secondary body to the OMD. It shared a lot of similar features to the E-M1 like the two control dials, the flash sync speed of 1/320 and 5 axis in-body image stabilization. If there was one thing I think Olympus dropped the ball on it would have to be the fact they did not integrate a rangefinder style EVF. Speaking strictly for myself, I would have sacrificed the pop-up flash for the view finder. Although the E-P5 was traded in to acquire the A7, I remember really enjoying it.

Favorite Len(s): Olympus 45mm f/1.8, Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4, Panasonic 20mm f/1.7

Area of work: Secondary body for Events and Travel   

Favorite Features: In many ways the E-P5 is just like the OMD in a smaller package, so I won't repeat myself. I wouldn't use the E-P5 as a my primary body, but as a travel companion it takes the prize. The form factor, size and weight are the selling points for me.

Panasonic Lumix GX1

The Panasonic GX1 is a relatively old micro four thirds camera that I acquired through Trade Up Tuesday =). It's interesting to note that this camera sold for a premium when it was announced (I recall approximately $800 - $1,000) and I was able to acquire this body by trading an old, legacy Olympus lens. Not bad if you ask me. This camera is just a breeze to use and is one of my fiancée's favorite cameras to use. Full disclosure, I haven't had much field time with this camera so it's hard to speak to both its strengths and weaknesses. 

Favorite Len(s): Sigma 30mm f/2.8*

Intended Use: Travel and fiancée's camera

Favorite Features: Based purely on aesthetics, I love how tiny and pocket-able the body is especially when you pair it with the Panasonic 14mm prime lens. *During our trip to Disneyworld, the GX1 and the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 lens were permanently around Heather's neck and the only lens we've used. Both the E-P5 and the E-M1 will surpass it in features and can easily run circles around this camera, but Heather seems to like the snappy single AF, the intuitive menus and the user friendly operation. If you are on a tight budget and want a good introduction to micro four thirds cameras, you really can't beat the GX1 with its going rate of ~$120 used on Ebay. However, if you are like me and need an electronic view finder, I'd say save up a little more and get the recently discontinued GX7.

Sony Alpha A7

The Sony Alpha A7. The first mirrorless, automatic AF, full frame camera that really shook up the photography world. Quite frankly, Sony is growing to be one of my favorite companies because they are truly willing to take risks. The A7 series, in my eyes, was a shot across the bow of Canon and Nikon's ship. It's not a perfect camera and I'll be the first to criticize it for its weaknesses, but boy does it scream innovation. This was the first camera marketed as an "open source" system, in which its greatest strength is that it can adapt almost any legacy glass. Some may argue this was a ploy to divert attention from the fact it has a limited number of native lenses, but speaking only for myself it has brought new life to my arsenal of vintage gear and I believe has made most of them viable creative and professional tools.

Favorite Len(s): Zeiss FE 55mm f/1.8, FE 70-200mm f/4 G, Olympus OM 24mm f/2.8, Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4 and the Takumar M42 mount 105mm f/2.8

Intended Use: Product photography, on-location portrait and engagement work.

Favorite Features: Out of all my mirrorless cameras, I find the Sony A7 does the best job resolving images with adapted legacy glass. I no longer have to think about the crop factor or depth of field equivalence. A 50mm is a 50mm and f/1.4 is f/1.4. By virtue of having a full frame sensor, I enjoy having that shallower depth of field which I find is something my engagement and portrait clients seem to prefer. Comparatively, I find the RAW files have richer colors and far more latitude to recover details from shadows and highlights. I am not surprised it is clinically sharp given its high ranking on DxO's website (11th best sensor to date).

From an ergonomic standpoint, I am rather fond of the A7 body. Sony's design team evidently created it to be used with the EVF in placing its shutter above the body as opposed to forward the body like the E-M1. Try composing with the back of the screen and you'll find your wrist contorting in a strange fashion to actuate the shutter. But bring it to your eye, it all starts to feel right in my book. Like the E-M1, I customized the A7 so that I can change the ISO, shutter speed, aperture and focus points without taking my eye away from the view finder. This is a huge plus and in some ways slightly better implemented than my venerable OMD with the scroll wheel assigned to ISO. The battery grip is also a welcomed addition when mounting heavier lenses. While the E-M1 has a better feel, I much prefer having two batteries in the vertical grip as opposed to having a battery in both the body and grip. The design feels far more secure and doesn't wiggle like the Olympus HLD-7.

Overall, it's a good first generation full-frame mirrorless camera with a lot of room to improve. The implementation of the in-body 5 axis image stabilization and auto focus improvements in the A7 mark II is an exciting move in the right direction. 

Fujifilm X-T1

The Fuji X-T1 is a conundrum to me. In many ways it falls perfectly in the middle of the micro four thirds cameras and the Sony Alpha A7. The APSC sensor is larger than my OMD but smaller than the A7. The auto focus in both low and decent light will lock on noticeably faster than Sony's full frame camera, but will not hold a candle to the E-M1. In other ways, the X-T1 offers a far different photographic experience with its retro-modern design that I find difficulty articulating why I enjoy using. This camera ranks incredibly low on the "Need" scale, but quickly shoots up the "Want" and "Fun-to-use" ladder. 

Favorite Len(s): FujiFilm 56mm f/1.2, Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4 and the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

Intended Use: I am still trying to figure out my intended use for having the X-T1, but it is fully capable of doing Product Photography, Portraits, Headshots and possibly Events. With the 56mm lens, it fills my need for an 85mm equivalent prime. 

Favorite Features: I joined the Fuji camp in November with only two manual lens adapters in my gear bag, the Olympus OM and the Fuji M mount. There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to express how fun it was to use manual lenses on this camera. The EVF size/quality and focus aids are simply incredible and are the contributing factors for my raving opinion. Nothing could improve the experience more besides having in body image stabilization but I suspect Fuji will be joining the party soon enough.

Shortly after purchasing the camera for an incredible price, I found out Fuji would be releasing firmware 3.0 which was touted to be ground breaking and it is. It's difficult to compare the X-T1 with pre 3.0 firmware and post 3.0 because I acquired a native lens for it late in December. With that being said, there are a lot of standout improvements had they not fixed would have driven me mad like the face detect feature. I have read reports that you cannot move focus points if face detect is on - that's just silly and I'm glad it's done away with. However, the real stand out feature for me would have to be the complete silent mode. Being able to take photographs without making an audible sound would have been instrumental during my studio shoot at Chapman University for the final taping of We're Alive. I was told not to take pictures during the actual recording as the mics were sensitive enough to pick up the sound of the shutter. I would have loved taking shots of the actors emoting and really getting into character. Fuji's 56mm f/1.2 lens, while not necessarily loud, makes enough noise auto focusing that it would not have been useful but I always have the option to manually focus or adapt. 

From the small amount of time I have had with the body, I am honestly very happy with the experience. Although part of me feels like I am still in the honeymoon stage of the relationship, I am confident my opinion will not change much. Time will certainly tell. 

Conclusion

Having been with in the mirrorless world since the Panasanic GF-1, I have seen these cameras evolve dramatically. They are no longer relegated to the my back-up or travel camera status. Whether you are Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji or even Samsung, these companies are producing photographic equipment that are viable professional tools. The DSLR is not dead or anywhere near their deathbed. Canon and Nikon will be the king of the hill for the foreseeable future but even they are aware there is a growing paradigm shift. It would behoove them to adapt, expand or think about ways they join the mirrorless camp before their competition pulls too far away from them. Consumers and professionals alike are seeing the benefits of smaller cameras but some are still clutching to their DSLRs for very good reason. A lot of these emerging companies have been addressing their system limitations, including some of my personal gripes, namely first party support. Hopefully 2015 will be the year where we see partial or full professional support for the working mirrorless photographer. For now I am just excited to see the growth and proliferation of really neat technology. It is an exciting time to be a photographer.

So say we all,
Dino

PS - the blog title is a little wink to one of my new favorite websites dedicated to mirrorless cameras. Give Eric Cote a hello over at www.mirrorlessjourney.com

Fuji X-T1 Review - Initial Impressions - Week 2

It is my second week with the Fuji X-T1 and after immersing myself with this camera, I felt it warranted a second field report (if you are interested you can read my initial impressions HERE). While I have been itching to try a native lens, I unfortunately can't really report much about certain things like focus accuracy, AF speed, image quality and other aspects that come along with the Fuji experience. To date, I am confident in saying this camera yielded the best manual/vintage glass experience to date. Similar to my last post, my intentions with these post is to show what this camera can do with straight out of the camera JPEGs. I did not do any post processing, so you will see all of my exposure mistakes, hits and everything in between. With exception to the Mad T Party photo, all the following shots were taken with the Olympus OM 50mm f/1.4 lens unless otherwise specified. If I can recall what aperture was used, I will make sure to add that EXIF data in the caption below.  

The shot above was taken with the OM 135mm f/3.5 lens (taken at f/3.5). This was the only image I tried to save in post as far as sharpness goes. I didn't want to touch exposure or recover anything to stay true to my original intention. This lens, on this body just doesn't perform well wide open. In fact this was the best shot I got, which to me is not saying much.  

Assuming you have already read my previous post, I will just continue where I left off. The interesting thing about mirrorless cameras is that you can usually hand hold the camera and still change some of the key settings. The Fuji X-T1, despite being so light weight and small it still requires two hands to operate. I find that I cannot confidently hold the camera one-handed and spin the rear or front dial like I can with the A7, Olympus E-P5 or the OMD E-M1. This really isn't a problem rather an observation I had using this atypical (to me) camera. When changing the shutter speed, I find myself holding and supporting the body from the bottom with my left hand and shifting my right hand to pinch the shutter dial with my thumb and pointer finger. If I then need to adjust the ISO dial, my right hand now has to support the camera while my left hand makes the necessary change. The experience becomes a bit disjointed for me and is something to really consider if you care about a seamless and modern shooting experience. 

If there was something that truly annoyed me about the camera, it would be the camera wifi. For the life of me, I cannot consistently get the camera to connect to my LG G3. I think I tried over 20 different times and several different combinations. Sometimes I get it to work and other times my phone tells me it "cannot connect to Fuji". This is really frustrating since I find the wifi integration with the X-T1 quicker and smoother to use than both my A7 and E-M1...when it works. I don't know whether to blame my phone or the camera, but all my other cameras (and even the Fuji SP-1 printer) work perfectly with my G3.  

Straight out of the camera JPEG with Velvia filter. This setting definitely made the purple sky pop. I believe this was taken at f/2 - ISO 1600.

A high ISO sample shot. At 2000 ISO (f/2.8), I was quite impressed with the noise or lack there of at this particular setting. Processed with the B&W Yellow Filter

Now that I have talked about what I don't like about the camera, I can now gush over the things that I REALLY like about using the X-T1. It is worth mentioning again that I am in love with the JPEGs I am getting straight out of the camera. This is the first camera I can say that I don't mind shooting JPEGs...IF and only IF you nail the exposure and white balance right off the back. Lucky for me, the EVF helps with nailing the exposure and the auto white balance does a decent job, though I tend to see a magenta cast on skin tones when using certain in-camera filters. If I need to recover details in the shadows or highlights, nothing beats raw. The beauty with the newest version of Lightroom, my photo editing software of choice, is that you can still apply the film simulations by selecting the desired filter in the camera profile section in the develop module. 

Under low light conditions, this camera really does a good job handling noise. While I haven't done anything scientific or performed in-home lab testing, nor do I care to do so, I feel it outperforms the OMD in this department by a small margin. The low light and JPEG performance of this camera paired with an old Olympus lens solidified that I will be investing in native Fuji lenses in the near future. I believe the 56mm f/1.2 will be my next investment. 

The Monorail at Disneyland - B&W Yellow Filter taken at f/2.8 - ISO 1000

The main reason why I wanted to revisit my initial impressions regarding the Fuji X-T1 is because I actually let my co-worker use it during our company holiday lunch outing. While casually taking pictures of our food, I saw him eyeing the camera. Knowing he is a camera buff as well, I handed it over to him and didn't see the Fuji again until the end of the event. The next day he asked me for more information about the camera and the best place to buy one. I decided to take this golden opportunity to ask him about what he liked and didn't like about it. Below is a summary of his initial impressions:

Positives

• It had a nice weight to it and felt good in the hands. It was reminiscent to his old film camera, an Olympus OM.
• The viewfinder displays the colors accurately and contains a lot of important data. He particularly liked having the histogram in the EVF
• I had the camera set to split screen. He really liked having the magnified view on the right side of the EVF. He said it was helpful for nailing the focus
• Controls are easy to change (particularly the shutter speed). He liked that he could adjust this parameter without having to remove his eye from the EVF
• He was fond of the live view and the idea of what you see is what you get. 
• The Fuji X-T1 was more responsive than his Canon Rebel T4i. He claims to have noticeable shutter lag with the Rebel.

It was really interesting to hear his answers especially since he's been praising his Rebel from the day he got it. My co-worker has played around with both my Sony and Olympus cameras and it was the Fuji X-T1 that got him to consider switching to the mirrorless camp. In fact, his only complaint about the camera was battery life, which in my opinion is a minor gripe in the grand scheme of things. I guess it says a lot about how far mirrorless has grown and Fuji's decision to design their cameras around old film bodies. 

A nice lunch with a great co-worker at Playa Provisions over at Marina del Rey, CA. f/2 at ISO 200 -  Film Simulation Pro Neg. Hi

Even at f/2.8 (ISO 200) the depth of field can get pretty thin when you get in nice and tight. Playa Provisions' famous Patty Melt - Film Simulation Pro Neg. Hi

More food porn for your viewing pleasure - the Lobster Roll lit by some beautiful hard light from the window in front of me  - f/2.8 at ISO 200 - Film Simulation Pro Neg. Hi

After spending a lot of time hand holding most of my shots, I wanted to really see the potential of this sensor under more controlled settings. There's really not much to say because in my opinion the X-T1 delivered. If I can achieve the level of clarity and sharpness with legacy glass, I have very high hopes with Fujinon lenses. The first two red ornaments were taken at f/5.6 (left) and f/2 (right) using the Astia film filter (if memory serves me correctly). The green and purple ornament is another Astia sample shot taken at f/5.6, while the blue and silver ornament was shot with the Velvia filter at f/4.  While I don't necessarily like to use the Velvia filter, I think the ultra saturated look can work under certain conditions. These shots were all taken on a tripod at ISO 200 lit only by the Christmas lights from the tree. I would have used ISO 100 but later found out that I can't shoot RAW + JPEG with this setting. This could be troublesome if I ever decide to use strobes during the middle of the day. For these conditions 200 works perfectly well. 

For the last set of shots, I decided to add the Godox/Cheetah V850 into the mix and again it didn't surprise me that it yielded favorable results. I decided to use what I think is a fairly average lens, the Olympus OM 135mm f/3.5. While it is not clinically sharp like the Olympus 75mm for the micro four thirds system, I do like the fact it has a lot of character.   

Note: One thing to keep in mind when using flash is to make sure silent mode is turned off or it will not fire a flash or a radio trigger. You find this setting in the main menu under the first wrench icon. 

Taken with the OM 135mm f/3.5 lens @ f/8, ISO 200 - Astia Film Simulation - The Sony A7 and Pentax 50mm f/1.2 was taken with the help of  the Godox V850 and an umbrella. I was really happy to capture the star bursts to the left and upper right corner of the A7. 

Another OM 135mm shot taken @ f/5.6, ISO 200 - Astia Film Simulation. A grip-less A7 and the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4.

The Fuji X-T1, simply put, is just a fun camera to use. While it has it quirks like the wifi connectivity or the inability to fire flash in silent mode, the output makes up for it in my opinion. Although I can't definitively say this camera is a keeper until I try it out with native lenses, I have high hopes it will not disappoint. As always, I thank you for stopping by and please let me know if you have any questions about the X-T1.