23mm Tryout Slideshow

This is one sweet lens and would last me longer than the X-Pro1 body

23mm Tryout

Finally I managed to take the new lens for a spin this afternoon. And the weather was gorgeous. Venue, as usual around Pavilion, walking towards Berjaya Times Square.

First I took photos of the CNY decorations at Pavilion. Then, across to Fahrenheit before heading towards Times Square. Spent a fair amount of time there - first time I was there in at least a couple of years. The place was packed considering this was CNY eve.

Next, I walked to Low Yat, emerging on the opposite side to walk along Jalan Bukit Bintang. I then doubled back towards Pavilion, stopping at Tours les Jours on the way home.

I finished things off with more snaps at Pavilion before heading home. Total walking time was almost two hours. Bright sunshine and clear blue sky. Couldn't ask for more.

So, I must admit, the lens was razor sharp even wide open in good light. Things got even better stopped down to f4.0, especially when it came to contrast.

I did notice that at f1.4 in low light and high ISO, the photos were soft. Maybe because I was snapping in jpeg, and the sensor over compensated. The contrast were also lost. The 35mm was better at low light resolution wise. It was still an amazing lens however.

With the flower shaped hood, the lens attracted too much attention for my liking. Coupled this with the slow focusing speed of the X-Pro1, there was a couple of shots which I missed. The whole unit also felt heavier than I was used to as I mainly used either the 17mm or the 35mm, but I could do with the weight. The whole setup had some heft to it.

The hood definitely helped with the flare especially in the harsh sunshine.

I must say for indoors, I still prefer the 35mm. Out in the street, the focal length of the 23mm was a winner. Maybe it was a matter of getting used to things. Or the fact that I prefer to take photos of details.

I was planning for another outing this Sunday when I would be meeting up with a few of my KLickr friends. I'll be taking it for another spin then.

Slideshow of the outing here.

Daddy Got a Brand New Lens

Yes. I deserved it. I decided to dive in and get the lens I had been waiting for for the last six months - ever since Fuji announced that they were releasing it.

It was the Fujinon 23 f1.4 for my X-Pro1. An X mount lens which on the camera would translate to 35 mm. The length I always wanted. The X100 cane with that as standard, but only recently that Fuji announced the X mount version.

Getting hold of one was a challenge. I had to put in an order and last week, I got the call that it was finally in. Went to pick it up after work yesterday, but still didn't have the chance to put it through its paces. Was hoping to be able to do that this afternoon but my boys wanted to stay indoors.

The lens was heavier than the other two I have - the 17mm f2.0 and 35mm f1.4. It also had two features which I had only found out.

First, it came with a neat and eye-catching flower-shaped hood. Due the size, I could see the hood obstructing my field of view if I peer through the optical viewfinder. Although I could just switch to electronic viewfinder, I still prefer the optical. It was one of the main reasons I upgraded from the X100.

The second feature was the MF-AF mechanism - switching between auto and manual focus. It was built into the focusing ring. You pull it in to activate manual focus, and tug it out to go automatic. It was surprisingly sturdy and reassuring. In fact, the whole lens was well-built.

With the three prime lenses, I got the 24mm, 35mm and 50mm (although closer to 53mm) covered. The f1.4 allows for some proper bokeh although it would be more prominent on the 35mm.

Can't wait to try it out on my next outing .... which may be later tonight ...

3 Months with the X-pro1

After 3 months with the X-pro1, the camera had definitely grew on me. At the beginning, it was a stunner of a camera in the hand. And as a user of the X100, I was surprised as to how bulky it felt in the hand compared to the svelte-like little sister. The shutter movement was also a surprised, as I was used to the silent X100, which employed a leaf shutter.

Let's talk about three strong points for the X-pro1.

First, the quality of the jpeg. What came out from the sensor was something I was not expecting. Yes, I knew it would be good, but not as good as I thought it was going to be. The lack of low-pass filter, made possible by the X-trans sensor configuration appeared to sharpen the results. The jpeg coming out from the card only needed minor tweaking. I have yet to use the RAW data as I use Aperture for my post work. Apple has yet to release a RAW converter for the camera. I found that using the RAW files with the X100 only added to a headache as the jpeg engine on the cameras were already top notch. Coupled with the amazing prime lens that Fuji released, we had a clear winner as far as sharp images were concerned.

Second, the white balance. As mentioned, one of the reason of using RAW was to get the white balance right. Shooting RAW allowed for more latitude as far as exposure and white balance were concerned. But still, too many choices in post just led to longer time spent processing, which in the end might not add to the quality of the results. With the X-pro1, the white balance, especially the skin tone were very much film-like. This was not surprising since Fuji made their mark as innovators in print films. My old favorites were Reala and Velvia. Natural reasons for me to be drawn to the palette of the jpegs. And the results from the X-pro1 seemed better compared to the X100 as far as white balance were concerned.

Restricting the discussion to three points could never do justice to this beautiful camera. So, for the final section, I would like to discuss about the gamble Fuji took in leasing a new camera system with a propriety mount. Fuji called this the X-mount. And the primes - three of them, the 18mm f2.0, 35mm f1.4 and 60mm f2.4 - available on the day of the launch were of a high quality.

I own both the 18mm and 35mm. Every time I go out, I was torn between the two as to which one I should have attached to the body. Over the years, I have always been drawn to the 50mm focal length. And the 35mm provided that. Add that to the wide aperture, you really get shallow depth-of-field when you snap using this lens. Some time a bit too shallow. Using primes also made you think before you shoot, and often let you feet do the work when composing.

The X-pro1 was not exactly a small investment on my part. But it had been a joy to use, and certainly fulfilled my needs. I wished that it could be smaller, with a slightly smarter focussing mechanism, but you can't have everything. I was sure that some software tweak may improve the focussing. If you were looking for a premium quality compact system camera, the X-pro1 is a good bet.

The Photowalk Slides

Apparently according to Ripi, the heaven opened the moment I left. But it looked like he had fun shooting still. Plenty of subjects around Bukit Bintang after we split.

Anyhow, below were the sideshow from the walk earlier .....