The New Zoom

For the last few months, I have been stricter on my Thursdays. That's the only day when I have no clinics, and I have decided to devote the day for 'me' time. Yes, there were the occasional lunch meetings, or even worse, the ones which started at 5pm, but I would try to keep those to the minimum. I also tried to keep distractions to the minimum on those days and would stay away from the hospital as much as I could.

I was lucky last Thursday, when I was able to have lunch with Anita as well as took a new zoom I got last weekend for a bit of a spin.

It was a Fujinon on the X-T1 and I have been waiting for this lens for a good part of a year. The original announcement was made at the beginning of 2014 about a new pro-level standard zoom for the Fuji X-series. So, I ordered one in and was contacted by my usual dealer last week. It was the Fujinon XF 16-55mm 1:2.8. And it was a monster.

A much bigger lens than I thought, which was a surprise as it didn't carry an image stabilising motor on it. Using it on the X-T1 took some getting use to, and I had high hopes for the output.

It focused amazingly fast and accurately, and the results out opened was pretty sharp. But I had a problem. Since the beginning of the year, my main system had been the Sony A7 mark with Leica lenses. They were primes of course, and once you used the Leicas, nothing else came near them in terms of sharpness.

Although I understood the quality and the convenience of autofocus, the X-T1 with the new zoom was not the most mobile of setup. It was like carrying my EOS 7D with the 17-55 f2.8 zoom all over again. Although I must be honest, that the results from the Fujinon in terms of colour rendition and sharpness were much better.

I may take the combo for another spin this weekend, but my initial impression was somewhat flat. I was expecting a bit more. Maybe the Leica lens were poison! I am willing to give it another go though, and hopefully find a bit more joy. I will be posting more on the Fuji and Sony comparisons later ....

The Zoom Samples

As highlighted by my previous entry, the main thing which struck me with the new 10-24mm Fujinon zoom was how much contrast generated by the glass. It was more than I could handle.

Add to that the tone generated by the deep colour, it could certainly exaggerate dull palate. Luckily during the day that I tested it, the sun was out - albeit a harsh one.

Can't wait to try the lens for architectural shot and really test the perspectives. So far, I couldn't detect any barreling or vignetting. Stopped down to f5.6 certainly improved the sharpness aplenty.

More X100 Loveliness

All the photographs were taken around Pavilion and Sungai Wang, right after I got hold of the camera. I must say that I was still not familiar with the real potential of the device. The main write-up is here.

 

The Fuji X100 is Here!

Yes! I have taken the plunge. I have been monitoring the reviews on this little beauty since the beginning of the year, and has set my sight as a replacement for my LX-3.

Many alternatives came and went. I tried the PEN-3, the GF3, and even the Leica X1. But there is something unique about the X100. It was solidly built, it has a large APS-C sensor. And the lens were super sharp. To top them all off, the leaf shutter and the range-finder style layout. I really couldn't ask for more.

I was close to plunging on the PEN, but at the end of the day, I would just stick the pancake lens on it. The X100 comes with a superb lens to start with. So the argument about needing a zoom did not come into the equation as far as I am concerned. I could still use my EOS 7D for the serious business if I needed to.

So, as soon as I got the unit, I took it out for a quick spin around Pavilion - where else. These were the results. All were from RAW files, with a bit of curve adjustment on Aperture. No sharpening or colour manipulation done. I also cropped them into 16:9 aspects, and added in the borders and watermark. This was from the first spin. Imagine how it would be once I become more familiar with it.

More photos could be seen on the slideshow here. There are also more photos in this post.