03/22/13

Fujifilm X-E1 and the 18-55 f/2.8-4.0 Kit Lens

This camera has got me freaking out. Why? Well, over the next couple of weeks I'll be posting some images that has impressed me so much, I'm now thinking about selling everything else and buying a second X-E1 and all of their lenses.

I went on my usual walk around the west harbour in Frankfurt to test the Fujifilm X-E1 and the 18-55 f/2.8-4.0 kit lens. Don't bother looking at the images on the rear LCD, you'll just be disappointed. Although some people love to shoot this camera in jpg mode I still prefer raw and I'm glad that I did. These raw files have so much latitude in them I just couldn't believe it at first. They are rich, very Leica-like in texture and I really feel that this is no ordinary kit lens. I think most users have realized this by now because if you buy the lens on it's own, you'll have to pay some €600 for it at the time of this post.

Let's start with the first image.

1129

X-E1
Focal Length: 24.3 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/1800 sec
ISO: 200

Dil 03/22/13 19:01 comments (0)

Viewed 1129

• Fujifilm • X-E1 • 18-55 f/2.8-4.0

02/18/13

Cameras

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Nikon V1

It really was a wet, windy and miserable as I headed home from my walk. Really not ideal for this type of system testing. The sky was just pure grey, but I had to get an image of one of my favourite buildings on the tour. I know what it looks like when a good lens is used and I must say that the 18.5mm f1.8 lens held it's own. Converted in Nik SFXII.

Now, what was I saying about that 30-110mm lens?

944

NIKON 1 V1
Focal Length: 18.5 mm
Aperture: f/4.0
Exposure Time: 1/320 sec
ISO: 200

Dil 02/18/13 19:00 comments (0)

Viewed 944

• Nikon • V1 • docks • Nik • SAFXII

02/17/13

Cameras

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Nikon V1

I kept the 18.5mm f1.8 lens on the camera for the rest of my tour along the River Main. Some of you may know that I tend to do the same route whenever I test a new lens or system and tend to take the same type of images. This is because I know what the images should look like when a good lens is used. These have been cropped into the squre format that I like so much these days (I'm still waiting for the first company to bring out a square sensor in a small format camera). I looked across the Main at this heat generating plant and noticed that the sky was gray but the smoke coming out of the stack was although gray, it was a different shade of gray. I wanted to see how the camera would deal with these different shades of gray.

Not bad at all considering the small sensor. I noticed that dialing in -.3 to -.5 EV exposure compensation really did something for the images. My permanent setting is now -0.3EV. It does tend to blow out the highlights if your not careful.

986

NIKON 1 V1
Focal Length: 18.5 mm
Aperture: f/4.0
Exposure Time: 1/320 sec
ISO: 200

Dil 02/17/13 19:00 comments (0)

Viewed 986

• Nikon • V1 • Nik • SFXII

02/16/13

Cameras

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Nikon V1

Again with the 18.8mm lens stopped down to f5.6 for a lot of depth. It takes me time to get used to a system, especially when a new sensor comes into play. I had thought that f5.6 would give me more depth of field that what I actually got so that was a surprise. Must remember to stop down some more next time but then with these small sensors, diffraction kicks in relatively quickly. I don't think stopping down past f8 will do much for image quality. That should be the limit.

1202

NIKON 1 V1
Focal Length: 18.5 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/50 sec
ISO: 100

Dil 02/16/13 19:00 comments (0)

Viewed 1202

• Nikon • V1 • bridge • locks

02/15/13

Cameras

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Nikon V1

This is where I changed to the 18.5mm f1.8 lens. The 10mm would have been too wide for my taste. Stopped dows to f2.8 for a little more depth of field as I wanted more of the locks in focus. Small, fast and sharp and gives me a 50mm lens in 35mm terms. Quite nice but the system is still lacking in lens selection. I believe Nikon are planning on bringing more lenses onto the market for this system but I'll wait to see how it develops. not sure I'm going to keep the system right now and I intend to use it a little more as a take everywhere camera before deciding. I just wish the 10-30 would be a little better than it is, maybe I've got a dud one.

1035

NIKON 1 V1
Focal Length: 18.5 mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure Time: 1/160 sec
ISO: 100

Dil 02/15/13 19:01 comments (0)

Viewed 1035

• Nikon • V1 • locks

02/14/13

Cameras

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Nikon V1

Again taken with the 10mm f2.8 lens. Seems quite sharp with good micro contrast. Liked the clolours in this shot. I must say that all of the images in these posts were taken in raw format and developed in LR 4.3 and finished off in Photoshop. I just can't bring myself to use LR from start to finish. I get better results finishing off in Photoshop. Maybe I just lack practice in Lighroom. We'll see how that develops in the next few months.

908

NIKON 1 V1
Focal Length: 10 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/13 sec
ISO: 100

Dil 02/14/13 19:01 comments (0)

Viewed 908

• Nikon • V1 • Christmas

02/13/13

Cameras

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Nikon V1

Taken a week or so before Christmas with the 10mm f2.8 lens.

Thoughts: Nice little system, quiet, fast focusing and pretty sharp. Not really all that impressed with the 10-30mm kit lens. There are much better one out there (especially the Panasonic m4/3 14-45 kit lens). I was going to purchase the 30-110 lens for the system but that can wait for the present although I've seen some positive reviews of the lens. Very surprised at how fast it focused on certain subjects. The 18.5mm f1.8 lens (35mm=50mm) is sharp and a nice lens to use. Dynamic range could be better but this is a 1" sensor after all. This could turn out to be a jpg camera for me although I normally only shoot in raw format.

902

NIKON 1 V1
Focal Length: 10 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/15 sec
ISO: 100

Dil 02/13/13 19:00 comments (0)

Viewed 902

• Nikon • V1 • carousel

02/12/13

Cameras

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Nikon V1

Some time ago a colleague of mine pruchased this system and has ever since used it for his holiday trips. He says it's quick, sharp and produces nice files. I wasn't tempted because the price was really too high for a system like this when it was first imtroduced. After all, it does have a small sensor in there reducing the dynamic range of the images. Noise was a factor too.

However, at the end of 2012, Nikon reduced the price of the V1 system and since I was still getting some input from my colleague I decided to purchase the system (body + 2 lenses) at a very good price.

The image is what I purchased: Nikon V1 (because of the inbuilt viewfinder), the 10-30 kit lens together with the 10mm and 18.5mm lenses.

In the following posts you will see some inages taken from my first outing with this system.

1007

NEX-5N
Focal Length: 51 mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Exposure Time: 1/8 sec
ISO: 100

Dil 02/12/13 19:00 comments (0)

Viewed 1007

• Nikon • V1

12/27/12

Cameras

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Panasonic LX5 still going strong.

I try and make it back home once a year to visit family and friends. This year was no different and I always take a P&S camera with me. I just don't want to be burdened with anything big. The one that I've had around now for a couple of years is the Panasonic LX5 which produces some fine images.

Panasonic have now released the LX7 and, as always, I was wondering whether to upgrade or not. Thinking about it, I asked myself what can the LX7 offer what the LX5 doesn't. I just couldn't answer that question so it looks like the LX5 is going to stay. The image above is typical of the quality I get from this little camera.

1700

DMC-LX5
Focal Length: 19.2 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 1/640 sec
ISO: 80

Dil 12/27/12 19:00 comments (0)

Viewed 1700

• Panasonic • LX5 • Wales • Caernarfon • beach

11/30/12

Cameras

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Panasonic G5 mounting the Panasonic 12-35 f2.8

This is also one of the first images taken with this combination, it's actually image #43 on the counter.

I stated in my last post that if you use the electronic shutter on the G5 then the shutter sound is non-existant. This is true but it does bring some drawbacks with it, namely: ISO is limited to 1600 and the flash is disabled. Burst mode in high speed is also disabled and the shutter is maxed at 1 second. Now, if I made a list of pros and cons for using the e-shutter then my pros would win every time. The disadvantges that go with the e-shutter doesn't influence my way of using the camera in any way. So, I'll be using the e-shutter most of the time. Stealth mode so to speake.

1703

DMC-G5
Focal Length: 35 mm
Aperture: f/7.1
Exposure Time: 1/800 sec
ISO: 160

Dil 11/30/12 19:01 comments (0)

Viewed 1703

• Panasonic • G5 • 12-25 f2.8 • Clouds

PhotoBlog of Random Images

Fujifilm X-E1 and the 18-55 f/2.8-4.0 Kit Lens

Nikon V1

Nikon V1

Nikon V1

Nikon V1

Nikon V1

Nikon V1

Nikon V1

Panasonic LX5 still going strong.

Panasonic G5 mounting the Panasonic 12-35 f2.8

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