View From My Keys :: 29th April 2012

This installment of View From My Keys is based around guitar machine heads. For those that don't know one end of a guitar from another, machine heads are those 6 (in this case) knobs that are used to turn gears, that in turn twist the posts that hold the strings. As the strings are tightened the pitch rises.

From a photography view, these were all shot with the X-Pro1 at 1/60th of a sec at f1.4 and 1600 ISO. I edited the three photos in Lightroom 4 using a split tone preset that I made recently for my wedding photography.

These shots were taken at AM Rehearsasl which is one of the best equipped and spacious studios in Scotland.

Fujifilm X-Pro1 & Nikon DSLR Wedding :: Part 2

I arrived in Glasgow on Saturday at around 6:40am, but as my train to Aviemore wasn't due until 7:15am, I ventured outside and took a few shots for my 35mmStreet blog using the X-Pro1 and the 18mm f2. I highly recommend taking a walk around this or any other city while most people are still in bed. There's an eerie feeling when a place that's always full of hustle and bustle is strangely quiet and empty. If you've seen the movie '28 Days Later' you'll know what I mean.

I arrived at Aviemore at 10am. The train station looks more like something out of a cowboy film, rather than Scotland's main skiing town. I used to ski here regularly and in fact, often stayed in the hotel where today's reception is being held. The train journey had only been 2hrs 45min, but it was much colder here and it was raining...not the best day for a wedding! My camera bag was very heavy, but I decided to go for a walk to kill some time before heading to the reception venue.

When I arrived at the venue, I decided to shoot some table details using just the X-Pro1 and available light. I started with the 18mm f2 and got some wide shots of the room and tables. The 18mm (27mm equivalent) was a nice focal length for getting right into a corner and cramming in the full room. I then switched to the 35mm f1.4 and shot some close-up details of the tables. The camera was doing fine on Aperture Priority mode, but I did set Custom White Ballance using the ExpoDisc (more about the ExpoDisc later). The X-Pro1 was doing a good job with the details and all from natural window light, so I didn't take the Nikon out of the bag. In fact, if I had been using my D300s at this point I would have been shooting with flash to achieve a low ISO...result for the X-Pro1!

After a short lunch break to fuel up for a long day shooting, I made my way to the Groom's hotel room to shoot some candies of the guys. The room was tucked away at the back of the hotel and was small and dark with light coming from just one window. Again I used the X-Pro1 at high ISO's rather that the Nikon with flash. Even the Fuji was struggling with such low light and my shutter speed was a bit lower than I would have liked, but it still got the job done and I knew I would be converting these shots to black and white...another result for the X-Pro1!

I broke-out the DSLR and flash to shoot in the foyer of the hotel, which again was pretty dark (hotel people don't like to make photographers lives any easier). At one point I had to shoot groups of four or five people in a small vestibule in the front entrance to the hotel. I had to use the Nikon 24mm f2 and I wasn't happy with the results. When the Groom and the two best men were about to leave in one of the vintage cars, I grabbed a few shots of them on the back seat with the Nikon, but changed to the Fuji so I could use a higher ISO. The thing I hate about using flash for car shots is that more often than not, I'm trying to work around the light hitting the roof of the car and creating a big shadow across the subjects face. Again the Fuji was doing well. So far I had been using the Fuji lot's more than I had expected and the thought did cross my mind a few times that I was maybe using it too much. After all, it was the first time I had used it at a wedding and this was really a test. All might be looking good for the X-Pro1 at this point, but I was missing more shots than I would have with my DSLR's due to the auto focus lag. People moving in low light is not the best scenario for the X-Pro1!

I grabbed a few quick shots of the bride and her bridesmaids in her room (again using the X-Pro1), but as time was really pushed I didn't get to try out anything worth talking about. In fact it was a case of snap snap, let's go. It was so much of a rush that I left my camera bag in the brides room. Now in my defence, I don't usually have a bag when shooting at weddings. I usually have a double BlackRapid strap with a DSLR on each side, a prime lens on each body and another one in a lens case on my belt. So after shooting the Bride and Bridesmaids getting into the car (mostly X-Pro1), I jumped into my pre-booked taxi and shot off to the church to take some photos and catch the bride arriving. It was only after travelling a few miles in the taxi that I realised my bag was still in the bride's room back at the hotel. So it was a choice of going back to the hotel and screwing-up the plans or making the most of the equipment I had, which was a Nikon body with the 35mm f1.4G and the X-Pro1 with the 18mm and 35mm. Of course although I had three lenses, I only had two focal lengths which would mean I would half to shoot the Fuji mostly with the 18mm. I had been planning on shooting with the 35mm on the X-Pro1 most of the day. I would at this point like to praise BlackRapid, as the RS-5 strap that I was using for my DSLR has a front pocket that held three spare X-Pro- batteries and zipped inside pocket with my extra memory cards. My Nikon had a battery inside and one in the grip, so I knew all I had to do was work around two focal lengths.

Inside the small church was dark, but that wasn't the only problem. Just as the bride was about to walk down the isle, the minister told me that I couldn't take any photos during the service. There was no time to clarify the boundaries or reason with him, so I had to wing it. As I was behind the minister, I shot during the singing with the X-Pro1. At this point, I really wished I had brought the X100. I could have shot as much as I liked with it's awesome silent mode. When it came to exchanging the rings and the first kiss, it was open season and I shot what I wanted, it was too late to stop me.

I used both the Fuji (no flash) and the Nikon (with flash) to capture the couple walking down the isle. I shot with the X-Pro1 and the 18mm until the couple got close and then moved quickly to the Nikon with the 35mm for waist up shots. When we got outside I had no option than to shoot the group shots with the Fuji 18mm. I hadn't noticed how much lens distortion the 18 produces round the edges, at least not until I had people at the edges! This wasn't ideal, but remember my bag was back at the hotel. The 35mm on the Nikon was ideal for head shots of smaller groups as it ended up being a 50mm.

Back at the hotel and the X-Pro1 was doing what it did best, low light reportage. The couple had a guest book close to the window and I knew that it would make great high contrast black and whites. After that, I used both the Nikon and Fuji for some formals on the hotel staircase and then it was time for the first dance.

The first dance was scheduled for 8:30pm and my train was due to leave at 9:02pm. I've never shot a wedding where the first dance was on time and I was non-stop clock watching. So I was somewhat relieved when the first dance started at 8:35 pm and I also shot the second dance and I was done by 8:45pm. I packed my gear back into the bag, said goodby to the wedding party and I was off like a shot. Luckily the train station was just across the road from the hotel, so I made it with time to spare.

Conclusion I ended up shooting more with the X-Pro1 than the DSLR, which was a surprise and not what I was intending to do. The Fuji shines in reportage style shooting and people really don't take that much notice of you when mingling amongst guests with this camera. I've never been happy shooting these type of shots with flash, and my Nikon D300s & D300 are not great at high ISO's. The 18mm f2 is nice to get wide shots at the alter, showing the church environment, but I wouldn't want to use it for group shots (35mm is wide enough). The 50mm in my opinion, could be left on the X-Pro1 90% of the day. I'm now leaning towards buying the Fuji 35mm when it comes out in 2013, but there's plenty of time to change my mind before then. I'd be happy to use the X-Pro1 and the X100 in situations where the light was low (bride and groom hotel rooms) or where I needed to be more discrete (mingling with the guests or during the ceremony). But I wouldn't want to shoot a full wedding with these cameras due to the lag between focus and firing, far too many important shots could be missed.

Will I Continue To Shoot Weddings With The X-Pro1? All this leaves me with a problem. As I mentioned before, I usually shoot with a double BlackRapid strap with a DSLR and prime lens on each side. This allows me to move quite fast as I don't need to carry around a camera bag. There's no doubt in my mind that I need to go full frame, my lenses are geared toward it and I need the low light capability. The D800 is just overkill for what I'm doing, so I'll probably be changing my D300 for a D700. But I need to decide if I'm going to stick to two DSLR's or a single DSLR and the X-Pro1 and X100. If the later is the way I'm heading, focal lengths would probably be (full frame sizes) the X100's 35mm, X-Pro1 with the 50mm and a D700 with the 35mm 1.4G and 85mm 1.4G

Case For Fuji Lenses I bought a Lowepro 1M Lens Case for my X-Pro1 glass. I did intend getting the 8cm x 6cm, but when I went to the camera shop (yes a real brick and mortar store), I spotted the 1M. I thought there was a good chance of a lens falling out of the smaller case, plus the 1M is just deep enough to take the 35mm X-Pro1 lens with the lenshood attached. The Lowepro cases have a SlipLock double Velcro attachment to fix them to your belt or camera strap. They also have a couple of loops that could be used to attach a lanyard if preferred. It turned out to be essential on the day and I would recommend picking one up if you have the 18mm and the 35mm combo.

Using Custom White Balance On The X-Pro1 My shooting method this weekend was to go full manual as much as possible and use the ExpoDisc to set exposure and custom white balance. I also wanted to cut down on the amount of flash that I use. Setting custom white balance on the X-Pro1 is almost as simple as on a Nikon, as long as you set the Fn (Function Button) to White Balance, which isn't a big deal as the ISO is so easily set using the Quick Menu button. If you have the camera set to Custom White Balance already, it only takes 4 clicks to set WB. Press Fn ~ OK ~ Take a shot ~ OK. Obviously you would place your ExpoDisc or grey card in front of the lens before you take the shot.

ExpoDisc A wedding day is so hectic, so although my intentions were good, I didn't use the ExpoDisc as much as I had hoped. This was partly due to time and partly due to me forgetting. I will try to use it as much as possible on future shoots. I did find the X-Pro1's Auto WB actually done a better job in mixed light sometimes, but that would not keep everything consistent from shot to shot.

X-Pro1 With Flash I did use the X-Pro1 with the EF-20 flash a few times, but it wasn't reliable. When the flash did fire, it gave nice natural results (especially with the flash power set to a minus EV. The problem was that the flash would turn of and sometimes it took two or three pushes of the on button to get it to work again. The re-cycling time is also slow and you end up with more shots where the flash didn't fire than when it did. The camera won't focus until the ready light ins at least flashing.

After The Update To Firmware v1.01 I've just had a chance to test the auto focus focus after the latest firmware update and there is a huge difference in speed and accuracy. I tested it in a room that has given me the most problems with the AF. The walls are all cream and the lighting is Flouresant tubes. The focus is now locking on much faster and there is a lot less lag. Obviously this depends on how far the lens has to travel. Four feet to infinity is still not going to be "smokin' fast", but if the lens is focusing a short distance, say shooting portraits or taking shots of different people in a group, then it's much quicker and much improved. I've noticed with the X100 firmware updates that Fuji make tweaks to the camera performance and don't mention it in the contents of the firmware update. I look forward to many more updates to the X-Pro1

Less Of The Chatter You Lot :: X-Pro1 Firmware v1.01

The nice people at Fujifilm have released v1.01 firmware for the X-Pro1 and all three available lenses. Yes that's right firmware for lenses...it's a first for me as well!

This update is essential as it get's rid of the annoying lens chatter. I honestly thought that we were stuck with the clicking as it seemed more of a hardware thing. You do have to update the firmware in the camera and then each of the lenses for it to work. Don't bother resetting the clock or your settings until you update the firmware in the camera and all your lenses, as it resets the camera each time. The chattering is almost inaudible now, I think it's even quieter than the X100.

Here's a list of the improvements in v1.01

• 1.Reduction of chattering noise from iris of lenses in shooting mode.
• 2.Improvement of phenomenon that parallax compensation does not work under condition of manual focus with OVF bright frame mode.
• 3.Improvement of phenomenon that OVF quality as low visibility due to too bright OVF under the condition of power save mode during pressing the shutter button halfway.
• 4.Improvement of phenomenon that delete function does not work after viewing continues shooting mode images.

Fuji X-Pro1 & Nikon DSLR Wedding :: Part 1

I have a wedding on Saturday and will be taking the Fujifilm X-Pro1 along with my usual Nikon DSLR kit, well minus the 2nd DSLR. I'm not sure how this dual kit set-up will work, but I hope it's smoother than packing my camera bag. I'm using my trusty Lowepro CompuTrekker AW, which has been my main bag for the past 3 years and I've never had the urge to change it. As you can see from the photo above, the Fuji kit is much smaller than the Nikon kit...but will it be up to the task? I guess I'm about to find out and so will you in part 2.

My bag is pretty full and there's even more stuffed in the front pocket and inside pockets, including BlackRapid straps, Gels for the Speedlights, Flashbender, chargers, memory cards...etc. Although not in the photo, I've decided to take my X100 along for the ride too, just incase I run out of battery power on the X-Pro1. I'm trying not to take too much gear as I'll be traveling by train for 3 hours either way and I'll have to carry this stuff all day. It will be interesting to see how this set-up works out. I'm wondering if it would be possible to shoot with two lenses for each body, with the spare lenses in a couple of Lowepro lens cases on my belt. I'm thinking 35mm equivalent focal lengths of 27mm (Fuji), 35mm (Nikon), 53mm (Fuji) and 85mm (Nikon). A nice selection of focal lengths which would give me something wide for each body and also nice portrait lenses for each too. Another plus point would be the apertures, one f2 and three f1.4's...nice!

Fujifilm X-Pro1 In The Studio

The X-Pro1 is an awesome camera for natural light portraits, but how about portraits with strobes? I ordered the camera back in January, when it was first announced, but the thought of it being a studio camera never crossed my mind. But I quickly became curious when I saw the results of portraits I had taken on the streets. I know that my photog buddy Patrick La Roque is also waiting with interest to see how the X-Pro1 does in a studio environment. Maybe this will be the final nail in his wallet's coffin? Check out Patrick's blog for loads of great X100 & X-Pro1 stuff.

THE SET-UP & EQUIPMENT I went old school for this test by using a PC sync cable (long one) and a light meter. I do loads of stuff with Nikon Speedlights, so I was really interested to see how or if they would work with the X-Pro1. My background was a collapsible Lastolite Black Velvet 6' x 5' and I also used a Lastolite Easybox Hotshoe softbox and stand. I placed an SB800 in the softbox and connected it to the camera via the PC sync cord. My second flash, an SB900, was set as an optical trigger (SU4 mode) and lay on it's back on the floor tilted up at 45 degrees to light the background and give separation between it and the subject. I set the front light to 1/8th power, the X-Pro1 to 250th of a second and ISO to 200. I should have read the manual as the maximum sync speed is actually 1/180th sec (see CONS). I sat in position and took a meter reading (taking the PC sync cable from the camera and plugging it into my Sekonic light meter) from in front of my face which gave me f4 which was fine. I usually shoot strobe stuff about F8, but I wanted a shallower depth of field for these shots.

THE MODELS The most difficult models to shoot are my own kids. With other peoples kids, I'm the stranger with the camera and they tend to sit still and behave. When you shoot your own kids, they don't sit still and they don't want to spend time being photographed when they could be outside playing with their friends. My son Teo can't sit still for more than 5 seconds, so the best way to keep him in front of a background is to let him do what he loves, tell stories. His actions become very animated and can look like poses (like the photo at the top of this post). My daughter Janel walks away everytime the flash fires and announces "that's us done". So this is a good test for the X-Pro1's auto focus.

THE CONS (or my stupidity) The SB800 would go into sleep mode if there was a gap between shots and would not fire when the shutter was pressed, but would be back on for the next. I'm pretty sure this is just a matter of switching off the sleep mode in the Speedlights.

The main con is that you get the odd shot where half the frame is black (see left) due to the flash firing when the curtain is half way across. I shot all these photos at 1/250th of a second, but the maximum flash sync speed for the X-Pro1 is 1/180th of a sec. So rather than this being a con, I'm amazed that only a few of my shots have the dreaded black line across them.

EVF is not very good for this type of shoot as the camera ups the brightness of the viewfinder to the point where it's mostly blown out. This could turn into a plus if your scene was just too dark to see.

THE PROS The OVF is actually really good for studio shooting and I was really surprised at just how few shots I got out of focus. In fact almost all of them were because the kids were moving so much. Another great thing that I hadn't thought about, was how little you have to chimp due to the viewfinder display giving a 2 second view of the shot. This really is a big deal, as you can easily lose the rap-ore with a subject if you're constantly looking at the back of the camera.

IF YOU'RE WONDERING HOW SHARP THESE PHOTOS ARE, HERE IS A CROP ON THE EYE OF THE PHOTO ABOVE

I was shooting with the 35mm f1.4 and it is absolutely, positively, one of the best lenses I have ever used. It is razor sharp and renders colours perfectly (the colours in these photos are untouched). Just look at the red Chinese dress below. I don't know how much is down to the sensor and how much is down to the lens, but there's something magical that happens with skin tones from the X-Pro1...It's beautiful!

CONCLUSION The X-Pro1 is without doubt a fantastic studio camera and I'm going to be torn as to what I use for portraits, my Nikon gear or the X-Pro1. If I'm using Nikon Speedlights for a location portrait shoot, the SU800 Commander Unit is really great as you can set each light individually from above your camera. Maybe it's time to think about the new Pocket Wizard Plus III's? Or maybe a set of Elinchrom lights with Skyport transmitters?

So one of the questions that I see on the web a lot is "Can the X-Pro1 replace a Canon 5DmkII, mkIII or a Nikon D4? Absolutely! It's not great for shooting fast moving subjects (especially sport), but for everything else, the X-Pro1 is proving to be a very capable camera and in some cases it out performs DSLR's. Fuji made a great move by releasing 3 prime lenses at launch, which shows the stunning image quality. I won't be buying any zooms when they're released as I love primes and would rather zoom with my feet to get the sharpest images. I thought I knew what the X-Pro1 was going to be like before it even arrived...it's an X100 with a jacket on, right? But the X-Pro1 surprises me almost on a daily basis. I'm looking forward to getting more creative with this camera.

Fujifilm X-Pro1 Lens Review :: 18mm f2 & 35mm 1.4

The lens choice's for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 at the moment are 18mm f2, 35mm f1.4 and the 60mm f2.4 Macro, or in 35mm terms they would be 27mm, 53mm & 90mm. More glass will be available nearer the end of 2012 and I have included a lens roadmap at the bottom of this post. At the moment I have the 18mm and the 35mm, so I can only speak of them, but the finish will be the same across the range. Although light in weight, each lens is well built with all metal body, flange and lenshood. They have a black satin finish with plastic aperture and focus rings. I have read a lot of reviews on the web that say each lens is made of plastic...not so! Even if they were, high end Nikon glass have plastic bodies and cost 3 time the price of the Fuji glass, so plastic doesn't always equate to cheap. The lens caps for the squared off lens hoods are made of rubber and come off easily, but I would recommend using them when your camera is in the bag, but not when you're walking around. You will loose them! Each lens is also supplied with round centre pinch caps too, but they're a bit fiddly.

TAKEN WITH THE 18mm f2 at 1/45th sec , f9 and 200 ISO DESATURATED IN LIGHTROOM

The 18mm f2 is nice and sharp with only a very very minimal amount of softening at the edges. I have seen more softening on Nikon and Canon glass at similar focal lengths, so there's nothing to complain about here. Bokeh is very good with almost circular highlights and buttery smooth out of focus areas. The aperture blades chatter when the amount of light passing through the front of the lens changes. If you remember Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, it,s like a tiny Skippy inside your lens. The same thing happens in the X100, but it's tiny blades are almost silent and nowhere near as noticeable. I'm not sure why these cameras have to do this, but I'm sure it's one of the reasons why battery life is so bad in the X100 and X-Pro1. Even if the camera's aperture, shutter speed and focus are all set to manual, skippy still chatters away inside the lens. The focus ring is smooth when turning, but a rubber grip would have been better as the plastic can be a bit slippery.

THIS SHOT OF THE DEAD CAT WAS TAKEN WITH THE 18mm f2 at 1/30th sec, f2 and 400 ISO

THIS SHOT OF THE DEAD CAT WAS TAKEN WITH THE 35mm f1.4 at 1/50th sec, f2.8 and 1250 ISO

The 35mm f1.4 is an amazing little lens. On the down side, it's aperture chattering is a little bit louder than the 18mm, but in every other way it's a stunning piece of glass. It's as sharp as a tack, even wide open at f1.4 and the bokeh is as smooth as butter. The focus ring on my copy doesn't feel as smooth as my 18mm's, but I'm sure they all feel that little bit different copy to copy. The length of the lens with the hood attached is quite a bit longer than the dumpy 18mm, but it's not to bulky. The back element is much deeper set into the lens than the 18mm too. The aperture ring on my 35mm has a bit less resistance than the 18mm, but I have shot with the 35 more, so the 18mm might loosen up (I hope it doesn't though). In short, the 35mm f1.4 is an amazing bit of glass that in my opinion, Fuji couldn't have done a better job on.

TAKEN WITH THE 35mm f1.4 at 1/50th sec , f4 and 1600 ISO

A lot of people have complained about the high cost of the X-Pro1, but each X mount lens is actually very affordable, in fact three times more affordable than the two main manufactures, but with no less quality. The chattering is a bit annoying, but you do get used to it...a bit. I was going to hold off for the upcoming 23mm (35mm equivalent), but I needed something wide. I'm really pleased I got the 18mm and as I have the 23mm on the X100, I might not even bother buying one for the X-Pro1. I am keen to see the super-wide 14mm when it arrives near the end of 2012. I'll list the X-mount roadmap bellow (apertures may change when the lenses finally arrive).

I think Fuji may have made a mistake in allowing pre-production lenses to be tested and samples from them to be posted on the web. It worked fine for the 35mm f1.4 and I don't think I have read a single review that slates that lens. Unfortunately the 18mm f2 pre-production lenses suffered from both soft edges and purple fringing. The photo at the top of this post is the type of shot that you would find purple fringing on the tree branches due to the bright sunlight coming from behind. So far, I haven't had any issues with the purple pests, but I haven't shot loads of photos outdoor in conditions that would force the issue.

So I'm really happy with the two lenses I have. I haven't felt the need for a longer focal length so far, but I probably will get the 60mm f2.4 at some point. Although it's said to be slower at focusing, it is known to be super sharp. It's also handy to have a macro lens in your bag. If you have watched my video on the Lowepro Event Messenger 150 camera bag, you might have noticed I still have a space at the bottom left of the bag for the 60mm. The X-Pro1 realy shines as a tool for shooting portraits. The skin tones and bokeh are really really great, so the 60mm is maybe a must, but I'll wait a bit longer.

Lens Roadmap

14mm 2012 18-72mm f4 IS 2012 28mm f2.8 Pancake 2013 23mm f2 2013 70-200mm f4 OIS 2013 12-24mm f4 OIS 2013

Fujifilm X-Pro1 & iPad :: A Night At The Museum

Four shots taken inside Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow (Scotland) with the X-Pro1, edited and uploaded to the web using an iPad. I used Nik Software's Snapseed to tweak the photos and Apple's connection kit to get the photos from the camera to the iPad. This is what I'll be using when I go to Italy in a couple of months. I'll also be using FilterStorm quite a bit. Anybody tried Photoshop Touch for the iPad?

Loweprow Event Messenger 150 :: What's In My Bag

I've been on the look-out for a small messenger style bag that can also take an iPad. There are a few out there that do the job size wise, but are awkward, because you need to remove camera gear to get to your iPad. I received the Lowepro Event Messenger 150 in the post the other day and loved it as soon as it was unpacked. Not only does it have a separate compartment for the iPad, it has a two tier system with dividers that attach to the side of the bag using velcro. It can take everything you see in the video above and there is still enough room in the bottom section at the left of the bag for the 60mm f2.4 lens for the X-Pro1.

The built quality is fantastic (as you would expect from Lowepro) and although I wasn't sure about the colour when I first saw it on the web, it looked perfect when I saw it in the flesh. Four of my other other five Lowepro bags are black, so this is a welcome change. Another feature that's very welcome, is the silent velcro system. As you can see near the end of the video, you simply pull the velcro tabs from one side to the other to either have the velcro function or not. The front section has good sized pockets for phones and general accessories and there is even a dedicated pouch with a velcro lid for memory cards, which after my recent disaster, I like to put SC cards inside the supplied plastic containers before putting them in my bag. Price for this bag is very reasonable and is available at Wex in the UK for £39.95 or from B&H in the US for $59.95

As you can see from the video, the Event messenger packs a lot of gear for such a small bag. There is also a smaller 100 model and the larger 250 model available. The latter holds a laptop, but is obviously a bit bulkier. I'll be sticking to my trusty Computrecker for weddings and portraits, but for street and documentary work, the Event Messenger 150 is absolutely perfect for me and will be my bag of choice for my upcoming trip to Italy.

Fujifilm X-Pro1 :: Street Portraits & Post Processing

This street portrait was shot using the 35mm f1.4 at 200 ISO, 220 sec at f2.8. It was a very sunny day, but I waited for this guy to move into the shade and then asked if I could steal his soul. He had just completed a run for Sport Relief (charity). Please click on the images and pixel peep larger files on Flickr. CONVERTED TO BLACK & WHITE IN NIK'S SILVER EFEX PRO

I love Nik Softare's Silver Efex Pro! Don't get me wrong, you can get a nice black and white out of Lightroom 4 or CS5, but Silver Efex Pro is just amazing!

EDITED IN LIGHTROOM BY ADDING +20 CONTRAST, +20 CLARITY & +0.55 EXPOSURE

It doesn't take much post to make the X-Pro1 files look even more stunning. I think I'll make a Lightroom preset to batch proccess the files, as the +20 Contrast & +20 Clarity seams to work on most photos.

STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA

Even straight out of the camera, the results are great. I'm pretty happy using this, but when you tweak it slightly (like the second image), it really shines!

HERE'S A CROP TO SEE THE QUALITY BETTER

I can't make up my mind if I prefer colour or black and white for this guy, so I've posted one of each. Let me know in the comments what you prefer. It was a very sunny day, so I'm ok with the shirt being blown-out, I'd rather that than the face being under exposed. Click HERE to see their opposites.

Fujifilm X-Pro1 :: Review

The X-Pro1 arrived a few days ago with the 35mm f1.4 and 18mm f2. I haven't ordered the 60mm f2.4 at this point, but I might add it later as the buzz on the net states that it's very sharp. I'll review the lenses in a separate post as this one will be long enough with just the camera. I would also like to use each lens exclusively for a few days, to get a real feel for them individually.

I have included a star rating (out of 5) for each section of this review.

All photos in this post are straight out of the camera (except for a little blurring on the 3rd photo) and shot in standard (provia) mode.

PACKAGING **** The packaging for the Fujifilm X Series is really nice and certainly gives the impression of quality before you even open the box. The box for the X-Pro1 is similar to the X100's, but not quite as classy on the outside or the inside. The X100's was more like a jewellery box with a silk lining. The X-Pro1 box is nice, but doesn't have the same finish and has cut-out foam for the camera (which probably provides more protection). The lenses have similar boxes and are really well padded, with slots in the foam for both lens and hood. Soft bags are included for each lens, which would protect against scratches, but not dents. The X-Pro1 body felt light when I lifted it out of the box, but it feels about right when a lens is attached. After walking around with the body and lens in my hand for half an hour, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't want it any heavier.

BUILD QUALITY **** Like the X100, the build quality is very high. The dials all have that nice old school click that is so fantastically 1970's. The leather-like finish on the body feels really good and the grip for the right hand is non-slip rubber. Everything feels tight and well made. If you equate weight with quality, you might think it feels a bit cheaper than you would have thought.

VIEWFINDER **** The X100 wins in the viewfinder stakes hands down. it's bigger and brighter than the X-Pro1. Looking through the X100's viewfinder for the first time is a memory that is permanently etched in my brain, it is simply gorgeous! The X-Pro1 is not bad by any means, it's just not as big when you look through it. I don't know why there hasn't been much said about this on the net so far. I assume the reason it's a smaller affair is something to do with the magnifying lens that slides in place when different focal length lenses are used.

CONTROLS **** The buttons on the back of the camera are much improved and are now flatter. Their new positions are a big improvement, I'll need more time before I can use them without thinking as my fingers are going to where the X100's would be. The bulge at the right hand side on the back stops accidental movement of the exposure compensation dial and is a nice grip for your thumb. It also has the Q button and the AF-L/AE-L button, but the later is not ideal if you are a back button focus kind of shooter as the button is almost at the edge of the camera, rather than under the thumb. The focus mode switch is on the front of the camera and is similar to the one found on the X10. This is much better and has the two most common focus modes (manual & single) at either end of the switch, with continuous in the middle, which saves you from having to look at the switch when shooting.

FOCUS *** Manual focus is much much better than the X100 (even after the latest X100 firmware). It's still not fantastic, but it takes less turns. The problem with using the focus ring is that the amount of turns it takes seams to be determined on how fast you turn it. This makes it hard to judge how much to turn the ring, so it can never become intuitive. In my opinion Fuji should abandon the 'by wire' electronic focus and implement a traditional mechanical approach. If you're a manual focus kind of shooter (under the age of 40 with good eyesight), then you would probably be better of with the Leica adaptor and either Leica glass or the new SLR Magic's 50mm f0.95.

Auto Focus has some issues that will hopefully be addressed in future firmware upgrades. I like to use the focus correction option in the OVF, which has two focus boxes that sit diagonally to each other. As you get closer to a subject the focus area gets nearer the bottom right box and vies versa. The problem is that even if you are in the exact same spot, the camera can change it's mind each time you half press the shutter. It doesn't do it a lot, but it does do it. Fuji is probably working on fixing this glitch and hopefully it will be improved. I first tried the AF in a cream room under Florissant light and I wasn't impressed. In fact I gave it a real bashing when writing this section, but after shooting out on the street last night at 11pm, I deleted my original text as the AF performed fantastic in very dark conditions. The focus can hunt sometimes in areas where there is little contrast, but otherwise focus is faster than it's little brother. Focus outside in daylight conditions is pretty good, although it's still very much Fuji's weakness. I hope I'm not being too hard on the focus as like the X100, it will probably take a bit of time using the camera to adapt. The two cameras are less alike than I had expected.

Continuous AF is fairly useless as the focus point is stuck in the centre of the frame.

SENSOR *****+

Waw waw waw! This is the most awesome sensor in the history of anything below the size of medium format! The colours are just fantastic and and the resolution is stunning! Fuji have created a masterpiece. That stuff I just wrote about the focus...eh, who cares about that trivia? Did I mention the sensor is jaw droppingly spectacular? As a Nikon shooter, I tend to envy some of the tones from Canon sensors, especially skin tones. But not anymore. The X-Pro1 triumphs them all. This is the first digital camera I have owned that I would be happy to use the files without any computer work. Just think how much time this could save in post. You could select your best few to make into art pieces in photoshop, but the rest could be left as they are. This is the way forward, we're losing years of our lives to computers!

SHUTTER ***** One of my favourite things about the X100 is silent mode. It really is silent and you don't even know if you have taken a photo (if you're weakening it from sleep mode you probably haven't). As the X-Pro1 has a focal plane shutter instead of a leaf shutter, it can't do silent. But...the shutter sound is fantastic. It not only has a nice fat mechanical sound, you can feel the thud coming through the camera. The shutter sound is not a daft recorded tone, it's the actual real old school sound and it's gorgeous!

HIGH ISO PERFORMANCE ***** The X-Pro1 has fantastic low light performance. I thought the X100 did well at 3200 ISO, but the X-Pro1 does it even better. I've no doubt that there's some secret sauce magic going on in the camera and I would't be surprised if it was based on the noise reduction in Lightroom 3 or 4. The X-Pro1 has that same soft creamy look, which isn't a bad thing, in fact it was a big leap forward for Adobe. Shooting at 3200 ISO is something that you won't think twice about.

CONCLUSION The X-Pro1 is a different beast from the X100. The strange thing is that the strengths of both cameras are complete opposites. The X-Pro1 is more versatile due to it's ability to change lenses, but the strength of the X100 is it's fixed lens. Sometimes the less things to think about when shooting, the better, not having the option to change lenses can be liberating. On the other hand, there have been times when I haven't bothered to take a shot because I new I couldn't get close enough to the action. Having both these cameras will give me the best of both worlds. The X-Pro1 does have the most accurate auto white ballance I have ever seen!

I was slightly worried that the X-Pro1 would take over and make me neglect the X100. Not so, in fact having the new beast has made me appreciate the X100 even more. Shooting with X-Pro1 is a joy to use and it's almost everything Fuji claims it is, but the viewfinder on the X100 is magical!

Can the X-Pro1 be used as a pro camera?...yes! Can it replace a DSLR?...yes! (unless you shoot fast action). Does it replace the X100?...no!

I think this camera will shine more in a documentary style. War photographers should welcome it with open arms. I'd rather run for my life with one of these cameras than a big DSLR and matching bulky lens. It's also a great portrait camera. I'm sure it will be great for street photography, but I wasn't feeling it as much as the X100. To be honest though, I went out on the street yesterday, but couldn't really get in the zone, which happens sometimes.

The sensor alone makes the X-Pro1 worth buying, but even if it had the same sensor as the X100, it would still be a great camera and I highly recommend it. If you had an X100 and sold it because you didn't like the auto focusing quirks, then do not buy this camera. It does focus faster in both auto and manual, but it also has some quirks. If on the other hand you are like me and thousands of others that own and love the X100, and you want the ability to go to a longer focal length, or need even better low light performance, then buy the X-Pro1 as soon as your finances allow. If you are are thinking of changing your X100 for an X-Pro1, I would highly recommend saving up the extra cash to allow you to keep both. You won't regret buying the X-Pro1, but you will regret selling the X100.

I'll be posting more shots here over the next few days, months, years, so please come back now and then or follow me on twitter for updates @derekclarkphoto. I will also be posting black and white street photography to my other blog at 35mmStreet.com. My documentary website DerekClarkPhoto will be shot almost exclusively with the X series cameras.

I will review the lenses in a future blog post.

I have just received a fantastic bag from Lowepro, so if you are in the market to buy a great bag that's suitable for the X-Pro1, X100 or just system cameras in general, check back here for my review next week.