X100 At the beach

[Chris Dodkin]

Took the X100 out for a test drive today - walked down along the beach at lunch time.

Not ideal lighting at midday, but a good range of subjects to shoot and test the handling of the camera.

First thing I noticed was that I needed the ND filter dialed-in, as I was shooting RAW which is native at ISO200 - and the camera was struggling with shutter speeds when opened up.

No big deal, the X100 has a built in ND filter which did the job nicely.

If I'd had my lens hood adapter (which hasn't arrived yet) I could have used a polarizer to get two stops of ND effect instead.

Shot everything in aperture mode - used the OVF and the LCD - which wasn't too bad even in bright light, but was difficult to see when using low to the ground in Macro mode - I can se why people like cameras with tilt view screens!

No hood yet - so bear that in mind as well - Colour balance is 'different' to Canon's - may take some dialing in for my PP - had to Auto Tone a couple to get them looking correct.

All in all, very happy for a first pass

My standard opening test view - f8 - Daylight WB in PP

Tried to use the built-in horizon indicator, but Photoshop's RAW converter is more accurate for level!

Wide open at f2 in macro mode - PP in Topaz (Looks familiar eh!)

Macro image of Ice Plant bloom - shifted the AF point to the bloom in the lower part of the frame - worked a treat

Arrow af f2 - PP in Topaz

Rusty Post in Macro mode - PP in Topaz

Rusty dinosaur

Nature reclaiming from man

My standard lifeguard tower shot - nice blue sky even without polarizer - some light fall off at edges of frame

Pebble Beach - wide open and PP in Topaz - shot into the sun with no hood

Salty Driftwood - Macro mode

Cliff erosion - Macro mode f2

Tidal wash - f5.6 - PP in Topaz

Sea Foam - Macro Mode

Cliff Graffiti - Macro Mode f2.8

Lone Rock - f2

Standard test F8 beach scene

Seaweed - f2.8 in Macro Mode - shot into the light

Holy Rock - f2.8 Macro Mode

 

[Pete Askew]

Looking good Chris and a mighty fine set for a first outing too. Like the B&W sand especially.

 

[Brian Moore]

I agree with Pete, Chris. Nice set. I find #2 especially appealing. I like the rusty post wi' the rusty wire rope also--very Chris Dodkin-esque that one. I also like the BW one of the wee path wi' the arrows point at us.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Looking good Chris and a mighty fine set for a first outing too. Like the B&W sand especially.

Thanks Pete - knew you'd like Tidal wash - it's right up your Straße!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I agree with Pete, Chris. Nice set. I find #2 especially appealing. I like the rusty post wi' the rusty wire rope also--very Chris Dodkin-esque that one. I also like the BW one of the wee path wi' the arrows point at us.

Thanks Brian - some of them were a bit of a re-run from previous camera outings, but that makes for a good comparative test I think.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

#2 does it for me, but good shots all round.

 

[Kev Pugh]

Nice Chris, Rusty post and wire sits nicely in my fave box.....but they are all very nice, looks like you had fun playing with the new toy.

 

[Paul Lange]

Nice set Chris, the more I read and see things about the new Fuji cameras the more I get interested. I also see you have resisted the temptation to go overboard with the Topaz software. I tried the trial versions for a bit and found that it was very easy to end up with a very corny image very quickly. Your PP is quite subtle, I would not have guessed it was done in Topaz.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Thanks chaps

Rob - #2 is a re-run of a shot I took with 'real film' and a fast 50mm lens a while ago, sort of a favorite subject and a good tsp of the lens when wide open.

Here's the original - shot at f1.2 on Ilford PanF - Canon EOS 1n

Kev - it's really brought a smile to my face using the Fuji - it's fast and easy to handle, and I ended up shooting in a different way because of that, which is the whole point (as I attempted to justify it to the wife!)

Paul - Topaz 'Adjust' does have some OTT pre-sets, definitely 'art' rather than photography in many cases - but the enhancement tools are great, and the B&W set are just winners. The Fuji is definitely an interesting camera - there's an awful lot of capability in a very small package.

 

[Jim Kuo]

I always use hoods with my Canon lenses, but do you find a hood makes a significant difference for wide angle lenses like ones on X100?

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I figure it's only going to help keep down unwanted flare, improve image contrast, and at the same time provide mechanical protection for the front of the lens.

I've never understood those people you see walking around with their hoods reversed on their lenses, shooting away.

If you're going to bother to bring the hood with you, why not turn it around and use it!

 

[Pete Askew]

Do they have their sunglasses perched on top of their head and jumper draped over their shoulders too Chris?

 

[Jim Kuo]

Thanks Chris. I always use a hood when I shoot with my Canon since I don't use an UV filter, a hood is the only protection I have to prevent accidental contacts to the lens that sticks far out the camera body.

I feel less worried about this with the X100's pancake lens, plus it's easier to store it in the bag with a smaller profile.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Agreed Jim - the hood does make bag storage a pain.

I dug out my old Billingham 'man bag', which I originally bought for a trip to Egypt back in '95 - and that takes the X100 and hood nicely, along with a spare battery and a couple of filters.

It's nice carrying a small set-up rather than the usual DSLR and lenses for a change!

 

[Jim Kuo]

Yes, it's nice to have the option not having to carry the DSLR kit all the time.

I use my old Canon G5 case (which fits perfectly) and carry the camera using a man bag not too different from yours.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Do they have their sunglasses perched on top of their head and jumper draped over their shoulders too Chris?

Most likely Pete - they also drive a Lexus and wear loud checked shorts