x-e1 – Light Priority

Wonderful Copenhagen, part 1

April 30, 2014by roryprior3 Comments

I went to Copenhagen with my partner for a short holiday this April. Copenhagen is a really beautiful city that strikes a good balance between preserving its history and being modern. I’ve been meaning to see more of Europe for some time now, so it was great to experience a bit of Scandinavia. Denmark is sufficiently different from the UK to be really interesting, but familiar enough to feel comfortable. This is helped particularly by the excellent English most people are able to speak, that makes life so much easier for foreign tourists. We were very lucky with the weather, although it was grey and wet on the day we landed, every other day was glorious sunshine and blue skies.

One advantage of the poor weather on the first day, was that when we got to see the famous Little Mermaid statue it wasn’t crowded with tourists. A couple of days later when we passed it while doing a canal tour, people were swarming over it like flies. Every cloud has a silver lining as they say!

Architecture

I’m going to try and structure this article around topics, so lets kick off with architecture.

This curvy office building, which is the headquarters of financial group SEB, has an organic feel. The 60mm is great of picking out little details like this with minimal distortion.

The National Gallery of Denmark neatly ties old and new with a glass covered atrium. Here I used the 18mm in portrait, but decided later to crop square as the rest of the image wasn’t conveying anything extra particularly.

This is a detail of the arches around the square at Christiansborg Palace. Taken during golden hour, I love the warm light and soft shadows.

Culture

Bicycles are everywhere in Copenhagen, even where they shouldn’t be! Most main roads have cycles paths and separate traffic lights for cyclists to keep things safe.

I didn’t spot many restaurants that specialised in Danish cuisine, most places sold Western or Asian food. I was surprised by the prevalence of sushi restaurants in particular. I liked this grungy old neon sign for a seafood restaurant.

This obelisk outside the old university building is one of many public artworks around Copenhagen. Almost everywhere you go you’ll find impressive statues. Despite the intense near mid-day sun the X-E1 did a great job metering this scene and I managed to avoid lens flare luckily. I use a screw-in filter on my 27mm lens and I’m sure it helped here.

Christiania is kind of a hippy community where drug use is rife and many people are openly using marijuana. In the so called ‘Green Light District’ there are lots of signs requesting visitors not to take pictures, so the shot above is more on the outskirts. It’s a shame as the center is very visually interesting, with the old buildings covered in elaborate graffiti.

Below is another shot from Christiania.

Nyhaven is one of my favourite areas in Copenhagen. The canal is surround by beautiful painted buildings, lots of which contain bars and restaurants that spill out onto the street. Various old wooden sailing vessels and other historic boats are moored along it too, further adding to the atmosphere. The shot above was taken on a Sunday evening when it was relatively calm and peaceful. During the daytime and on Friday and Saturday night the place was heaving with people.

I’ve got too many photos from Copenhagen to put them all in one post, so look out for part 2 of this article soon.

Article, Photos

Autumn in the Valley

November 26, 2013by roryprior

The seasons are distinct here in Yorkshire, during autumn the valleys become full of a beautiful array of hues as the leaves and moors change colour. The images here are all from my X-E1, mainly using either my trusty 60mm f2.4 or newly acquired 18mm f2. There are a couple shot with my 50mm Takumar as well.

X-E1 60mm, f6.4, 1/105 sec

The grasses and reeds on the moors change colour throughout the seasons, here augmented by drifting clouds of mist. It’s amazing quite how quickly the mist moves and changes, in the time it takes to walk a short distance to recompose a shot the mist can have completely cleared an area.

X-E1 50mm Takumar, f5.6, 1/300 sec

X-E1 50mm Takumar, f5.6, 1/250 sec

This shot and the one above were taken in Cragg Vale which had just seen its first light dusting of snow for the winter up on the hill tops. The densely wooded hillsides positively glowed in the bright morning sunshine.

X-E1 18mm, f8, 1/125 sec

The low winter sun can make even mid-afternoon feel more like golden hour. The long shadows it creates can also be a nice element in your photos. I liked the contrast here between the increasingly leafless trees and the almost spring-fresh look of the grass.

X-E1, 60mm, f5.6, 1/110 sec

Some interesting trivia here, in the shot above the walled area with the railing is actually an old and long forgotten graveyard. Once attached to Mount Olivet Baptist chapel. It contains a small jumble of overgrown headstones from the late 1800’s.

X-E1, 18mm, f8, 1.8 sec

Many of the valleys around here used to have their rivers harnessed to power mills, as such you’ll see many weirs, walls and mill ponds about. Sadly the mills themselves are in most cases rarely evident anymore save for the odd wall or chimney left standing.

X-E1, 60mm, f5.6 1/950 sec

Article, Photo, Photos

Heptonstall Festival 2013

September 22, 2013by roryprior1 Comment

On September 21st the West Yorkshire village of Heptonstall hosted a fantastic festival with various live acts and stalls selling local food. With my pro photographer friend Craig Shaw, I spent about 8 hours walking around taking photos armed with my X100 and X-E1. My go to lens for this kind of event is Fuji’s fabulous 60mm f2.4. It’s often maligned as being too slow to focus but I generally find it works a charm, especially with the most recent firmware update making it far faster. With its lovely smooth bokeh and decent reach, it’s ideal for capturing portraits. I’ve also been trying out the fabled 35mm f1.4, although I’m still not sure if it will earn a permanent place in my gear bag.

X-E1, 35mm f5.6, 1/640 sec

Heptonstall is the quintessential little Yorkshire hill-top village, with beautiful old buildings and narrow cobbled streets. Yet it has thus far managed to avoid becoming overly touristy like nearby Haworth. At the centre are two large churches, the oldest of which is now a well preserved ruin. That ruin formed the main stage for the days events.

X-E1, 35mm f2.8 1/850 sec

With a strong family element to the festival, an Alice in Wonderland themed parade and Mad Hatter’s tea party were part of the lineup. There were performances from local school children and CBeebies TV celebrity Mr. Bloom. Two actors enthusiastically portrayed the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit.

X100 23mm f5.6 1/170 sec

Various musicians played for the crowd including several bands. The nice thing about small festivals is that you’re often able to get very close to the performers so you’re not reliant on monstrous zoom lenses or a press badge to get some of the action.

X100 23mm f2, 1/320 sec

The X100’s 23mm lens feels incredibly wide after you’ve been shooting with 35 and 60mm. It forces you to get much closer to your subject which can lead to more interesting compositions. I’m quite pleased with how this shot of guitarist James Paul turned out. The X100 actually performs very well wide open at f2 for portraiture.

X-E1, 60mm f2.4 1/320 sec

X-E1, 60mm f2.4, 1/1600 sec

The 60mm has lovely bokeh and avoids the fringing you see around highlights on the 35mm wide open. The 35 comes into its own in darker conditions like inside the White Lion pub where I took the shot below.

X-E1 35mm f1.4 1/100 sec

X-E1, 60mm f2.4 1/70 sec

Dull lighting on the main stage during the day meant a bit of post processing was required to lighten performer’s faces and make things appear less flat.

X-E1, 60mm f2.4 1/125

X-E1, 60mm f2.4 1/100 sec

Nizlopi gave a rousing performance as it began to grow dark – a true test of the 60mm and X-E1’s autofocus system. Both performed well. The fairly dim LED spotlights didn’t do much more than add a bit of colour to the performers so quite a bit of brightening was required in post to make things pop. When shooting in these kinds of conditions I recommend switching over to manual or shutter priority and choosing the minimum shutter speed you feel will deliver you sharp results. With the 60mm I try and stay at 1/100 at a minimum.

Fuji, Gear, Review

The Right Stuff

August 20, 2013by rorypriorLeave a Comment

There’s no denying that Fuji’s retro styled cameras are things of beauty as well as incredibly powerful photographic tools. With that in mind, when it comes to customising them to personalise and improve their ergonomics, it behooves us to complement rather than degrade that classic look.

The X100 Spoiled Me

I got my X100 secondhand on eBay, at the time for a very respectable sum of £659. It came with every accessory you could want – the leather case, the lens hood, soft release and even a Thumbs Up grip. After totting up the value of these accessories I was initially sorely tempted to put them up on eBay and just keep the X100 itself, but I quickly realised they really complemented the camera, not just visually but practically. The case protects the camera from knocks and scuffs and keeps off light rain. The Thumbs Up grip significantly improves the handling, making one handed operation much better. The lens hood is of course essential, especially with the X100’s lens being a little prone to flare. Although mainly it provides some protection to the front element and provides a useful 49mm filter ring. The only accessory I didn’t find myself using was the soft release, which has stayed in a drawer until recently finding a home on my X-E1.

As I got my X-E1 new I didn’t have the luxury of having several hundred pounds worth of accessories thrown in. Initially I tried my X100’s Thumbs Up on it as the top plate has basically identical dimensions. It fitted reasonably although needed to protrude a little further to mount properly. I quickly decided it was unnecessary. The bare X-E1 has better ergonomics than the X100 right from the outset and its larger lenses deter one handed use in my experience.

Half Case

When it came to getting a case I looked at some of the 3rd party half cases but decided to stick to Fuji in the end. The X100 leather case is lovely and very nicely made. Its main short comings are lack of a tripod mount and no access to the memory card and battery slot. The X-E1 half case fixes the most serious issue by making the memory card and battery slot accessible through a little flap. The X-E1 case also significantly improves the finger grip on the right side of the lens, giving you a better hold on the camera.

Where the X-E1 case falls down, is the supplied strap. To put it bluntly, it’s a piece of crap. The leather backed part is far shorter than the X100 version, the backing is cheap, plasticy and rough edged. I decided I needed to find a 3rd party strap to replace it almost immediately.

Neck Strap

I learned about Gordy’s Camera Straps from the excellent Fuji X Files blog. They custom build leather camera straps, letting you pick the exact length, colour, neck pad and lug covers. I was impressed with how reasonable the price was and decided to order myself one. I’m glad I did because it’s an excellent strap. Thick leather, very nicely finished. As with all leather goods it takes a little while to break-in, but after only a few photo walks it’s already becoming nice and supple.

Soft Release

As I previously mentioned, I didn’t find the soft release necessary on my X100. The shutter button is big and comfortable enough to use unadorned. However the shutter button on the X-E1 seems slightly smaller and something about it doesn’t feel quite as sure beneath my finger. The soft release nicely corrects that and provides a big concave surface to rest my fingertip against. The shutter button is such a critical part of a camera getting the right feel is important.

Other bits and pieces

As a former Nikon shooter I’m used to having scuffed bits of plastic screen protectors on my cameras. With the X100 I didn’t bother, the full case keeps the screen well protected and I’ve yet to put the slightest mark on it. With the X-E1 I’ve not been quite so lucky and managed to put a slight scratch on the screen after just a couple of months. I’ve since bought a Swido Diamond Clear hard screen protector that is doing an admirable job of protecting it from further damage.

The other must have accessory for your Fuji camera is a bit less glamorous but critically important – spare batteries! The Fuji’s like to chomp through batteries at a speed that will shock DSLR owners who are used to weeks if not months between charges. I’ve got several generic spares for my X100 and a single spare for my X-E1. You can buy official batteries if you like, but I’ve not had any problem with generic ones.

Article, Photos, Project

Project: Alexandra Shed

August 14, 2013by rorypriorLeave a Comment

Shed is rather a diminutive term, but Alexandra Shed was the last remnant of Hawksclough Mill. A large cotton (or woollen) mill on the edge of Mytholmroyd on the bank of the Rochdale Canal in West Yorkshire, that had stood there since the mid-1800s. When I saw it was starting to get demolished I realised I had a unique opportunity to preserve a little bit of West Yorkshire’s industrial heritage through my photography. All shots taken from public rights of way.

X-E1, 18mm f5.6 1/550 sec

The mill from the canal side, showing the oldest part of the remaining mill building. The part demolished chimney just pokes up above the roof at the rear. The old mill chimney had been taken down while the building was still in use, presumably for safety reasons.

X100, 23mm f4 1/80 sec

From the road side you could look in on the part of the building that saw the most recent use with what appears to be a little old stock left behind from the former blenders and slitherers.

X100, 23mm f5.6 1/90 sec

X-E1, 60mm f5.6 1/40 sec

The view further back in the building is revealed as the demolition crew work back from the road side. That rear wall is part of the original 1800s mill building. Note the old windows and doors had been blocked off.

X100, 23mm f5.6 1/40 sec

From the canal side at the base of the chimney where part of the rear wall had collapsed. Note the old pulley wheel on the collapsed wooden framework.

X-E1, 60mm f5.6 1/240 sec

I’d hoped they might repurpose the old mill building once the more recent part had been stripped away, but sadly it too came down brick by brick.

X-E1, 8mm f8 1/150 sec

The building had been derelict for quite some time and part of the back wall had collapsed, allowing nature to start to reclaim the land.

X-E1, 60mm f5.6 1/125 sec

X100, 23mm f5.6 1/90 sec

X-E1, 60mm f5.6 1/125 sec

With the middle of the building ripped away the well worn staircase is in plain view. Note the fold down side boards that presumably made it possible to raise or lower carts without needing a lift. You can see a mangled cart in one of the early shots above.

Today nothing of the old building remains apart from a 1 story high wall composed of the old mill’s rear wall. Where it had collapsed its been repaired with reclaimed stone. The old windows and doors all bricked in. Now Alexandra Shed is just a memory for those who once worked there and who passed it in their daily travels. If you know anything more about this old mill I’d love to hear from you, get in touch.

Article, Fuji, Gear, Photos

Old Lenses, New Tricks

August 6, 2013by roryprior1 Comment

When I got my X-E1 I decided to get a mount adapter so I could try out some old film lenses to open up some more creative possibilities. After a bit of research it seemed like m42 screw mount lenses would be ideal. They’re cheap and plentiful as the mount was popular across a wide range of cameras for several decades. I mentioned to my Dad I was interested in getting some m42 lenses and it turned out he had some near mint condition Pentax Takumar’s from his college days. So I took possession of a 50mm f1.4 SMC Takumar and 135mm f3.5 Super Takumar. These old lenses were made at just the right sort of time to have damn good optics and have basic lens coatings which help minimise flare and improve contrast.

Summer, 135mm, 1/₅₀₀ sec

Both lenses have nice bokeh, the 50mm in particular. The 135mm can show some quite pronounced bokeh fringing wide open so is best used stopped down slightly, at least if being used for a colour shot. It’s impressive how sharp they both are considering their age and the demands placed on them by a 16 megapixel APS-C sensor.

Canalside Garden, 50mm, 1/₁₀₀ sec

I find focusing the lenses fairly straight forward using the magnified view to check for critical focus. The X-E1’s 2.0 firmware which added focus peaking definitely makes things easier still. Shooting moving subjects is undoubtedly a challenge so you need to carefully consider your composition and pre-focus as much as possible. The 135mm’s focus ring requires a considerable amount of turning to go through its range which has the advantage of making focus very accurate, but the downside that it can be frustratingly slow if you’re in a hurry.

Impervious to Water, 135mm, 1/₃₂₀ sec

There are lots of great m42 lenses out there that are easy to adapt to use on mirrorless cameras (and less easily on Canon and Nikon DSLRs). If you stick to names like Pentax and Zeiss you won’t go far wrong. Of course there are plenty of super cheap lenses from obscure branded Russian, Japanese and German companies and some may be fantastic, but it will be a lot more hit and miss. The older a lens is the more likely it will have performance issues on today’s cameras, so if you want a lens not just to use as a toy or special effect purchase, go for a later model with coated glass. Also beware of dust and fungus – never buy old lenses from sellers who don’t show you the innards or at least guarantee the glass is clear. A few dust spots won’t hurt and are inevitable, but fungus and other nasties will degrade the optical quality. Also make sure aperture rings are functional as they can seize up after decades of inactivity. On auto m42 lenses you may need to adjust the auto/manual switch before the aperture will close so beware of that.