This weblog/site was erected primarily to discuss all things photographic. Well, as many folks experience, life has kinda gotten in the way of late. Luckily, many of the perturbations are working themselves out, leaving time and mental facilities available for the artistic pursuit of photography.
Sometime last summer, in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, a kind of life summary was begun with this post, Time. It was all well and good, and then, yet again, life interceded. The second part of the diatribe was dutifully started, but honestly I cannot seem to corral enough gumption to truly finish it. The post was to start with the early Fuji imagery and the intent was to bring it to current day.
Way too ambitious, doobs. Way.Too.Ambitious. Don’t ever forget that you are a lazy assed bastage, dood!
So, lets do this another way. With the lifting of daily CV restrictions, there has been more opportunity to get out and about with a camera. So let’s ratchet back on the intent, and just start by discussing this year. Not too hard, as until recently, there has been little photographic content to discuss.
The really big change is a complete Fuji tech refresh has been accomplished. Across the board if you will. This all started last November when Best Buy put new in box Fuji X-Pro2’s on sale for about half of what they had once sold new for. At the time, there was no desire to change from the X-Pro1, but for some unknown reason, GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) set in. GAS is a well described and understood phenomena, particularly within the confines of DPReview. So an X-Pro2 was placed upon Santa Claus’ list and a bright (dark?) shiny new X-Pro2 appeared under the tree on Christmas morning.
Unfortunately, that’s when the rot set in. The 35mm f1.4 lens was put on the X-Pro2 and two days after Christmas, I went out for one of my jaunts around Lake Thoreau with the camera in tow. Handling the X-Pro2 was amazing, all the controls fell to hand with the really big inclusion being the focus joy stick. This one hardware addition makes the X-Pro2 stand out over it’s predecessor. Being able to control the focus point without multiple button presses was nirvana. The new menu structure was much more comprehensible and the pictures are all, well, spectacular:
A special thanks go out to the author of the WordPress add-in Filebird Lite. Managing imagery in WP is clunky at best and FileBird Lite provides a nice ability to do that.
So, once back, I was completely smitten with the capability of the X-Pro2.
A couple of days later, the weather turned clear and crisp, and we decided to take a ride out west to look around a bit. We were (are) in the discovery mode for our next place to live, so took this as an opportunity to get out and about. We got in Jessica, and headed west. There was no particular place that we were headed, it was nice day and so we just drove.
Somewhere out near Winchester VA, we came across this bridge, with some interesting features:
It was a great day, but handling the X-Pro2 and looking at the images was beginning to make the X-T1, the other removable lens camera in the inventory, seem decrepit.
In any event, at this point there were 4 cameras in the stable:
- Fuji x100s
- Fuji X-Pro
- Fuji X-T1
- Fuji X-Pro2
In doing some looking about, if I sold the X-Pro and X-T1 I could cover the price of a slightly used X-T2 from my favorite e-bay vendor, Map Camera out of Tokyo. The XF 18-55mm was bought from them, and it was like new for a very reasonable used price. So, the X-Pro and X-T1 were listed for sale on a enthusiast websites, and sold in rapid fashion. I’m very particular with my photo gear and keep all the boxes, and paraphernalia which then makes them easy to sell, as a lot of buyers look for that kind of thing.
The X-T2 was released within 8 months of the X-Pro2 and thus is very similar operationally. It shares the same sensor and battery, and includes the all important focus joy stick. So when all was said and done, The trade was made for about a wash in cost. Win.
The T-X2 has mostly been used for documentational purposes to date, first to shoot images inside the house when we put it up for sale and to take pictures of Jessica prior to putting her up for sale:
As life starts to allow, opportunity for things like getting outside for a walk, etc. have begun to emerge. The first time the opportunity arose, I grabbed the x100s and went for a walk. There was a lot to discover in the area, but what soon became apparent was the difference in control of the X-Pro2 and X-T2 to the x100s. The x100s was introduced shortly after the X-Pro, but the controls and menus were completely different. And even more so when compared to the newer cameras.
Fairfax City, where I live, is very photogenic with lots of attractive architecture and landscape. So in spite of the camera differences, this first photo walk was definitely a success:
But at the end of the day, it was clear. An update was needed. A quick perusal through the various photographical websites indicated that the x100f, two generations newer than the x100s, shared the sensor, controls and menu with the X-Pro2 and X-T2. So, back to my friends at Map Camera, and lo and behold, a nice pretty x100f shows up literally in 3 days from halfway around the world.
A day or so later another photo walk opportunity arose, this time with the new camera. Handling it was second nature, and the images just emerged:
Some time back, we got a message from the Smithsonian Institute that they were beginning to reopen some of the galleries with the Renwick being first on the list. They had invoked an invitation only premise, and were offering early invitations to folks on the mailing list, and we jumped at the opportunity to go.
So yesterday, we got in the car and headed to the Renwick. It’s been about 18 months since we had been in the District and were looking forward to getting out. The new (to me) x100f was stuck in my pocket and off we went.
The Renwick looked great, and the exhibits were spectacular. It was nice to see signs everywhere stating “Photography is Encouraged”. So out came the x100f and some amazing shots were grabbed:
After we were done, we walked around a bit and wound up in Lafayette Square. To be honest, I was shocked at the condition, but will not say anything further about that. Was able to grab a few shots before we left to rendezvous with Meghan for lunch:
This was a bit longish, but we’re caught up for now.
To summarize, the three cameras all share the same major physical characteristics, sensor, physical controls and software controls. This makes it easier for this old fart to learn one interface and focus on what matters, taking pictures.
Until next time:
