Fujifilm X10: A Personal Experience (Part II)

If there is anyone still reading this, thanks for sticking by me! If you read my last article, you would be aware that the X10 has got tremendous lowlight capabilities for a camera with such a small sensor. However, not a few days after I got the camera, I had a wedding dinner to attend last Sunday, at the Concord KL. 

I was an invited guest in this one, so I opted to leave my entire bag of toys at home, choosing to rely solely on the X10. Straight up drama, I wanted to put myself in a desperate situation whereby I would be forced to adapt to the camera, otherwise, I'd have no shots for the night.

Once again, I felt uncomfortable with M so I shot the whole evening's fanfare on the Adv. Mode - EXR Pro-Focus and Pro-Lowlight, without the in-built flash. The flash deactivates when you're set to the Adv. Mode, probably due to all that stitching. A quick recap, the Adv. Mode (which can be set by the main dial on the top of the camera) contains 3 interesting and useful functions: (1) 360 Panorama; (2) Pro-Focus; and (3) Pro-Lowlight. I used all 3 that night.

Before I start showcasing some shots, there are certain conditions in the Grand Ballroom that made shooting extremely difficult, even with a FF DSLR:

(a) There was a strong yellow overcast EVERYWHERE;

(b) The low-ceiling lights were strong, glaring, and EVEN MORE YELLOW;

(c) The walls were an orangey-yellow wood color; and

(d) General low-light everywhere.

This made my shots generally way too warm (like 2000K too warm), bad shading on the subjects faces, and of course, motion blur due to the slow shutter speed. The good news is, I'm getting used to the editing process of these Fuji files. I admit I got comfortable with the Canon RAW it's characteristics and I mistakenly thought I could carry forward the work process. Now I have an entirely different course of work for the X10. 

On to the pictures then!

Shot on EXR Pro-Lowlight Mode: You can see the dynamic range and the very, very low noise in this shot. The blurred out waiter on the right of the shot is indication of the 4 shots taken almost simultaneously and stitched together. This would later be a problem for me, since the shutter speed of this mode adjusts automatically.

Adv Panoramic Shot Mode: A true gem of a function! Needs no explanation!

EXR Pro-Focus Mode: I used this Mode extensively throughout the dinner. This Mode actually separates the subject in focus from the backgrounds, in-camera, giving the impression of really deep DOP. It does so by stitching 3 shots at once. Besides the WB which I had to correct in painstaking detail, I love the results!

EXR Pro-Focus: One of my favourite shots. However, I took many more but most of them were unusable since the EXR Pro-Focus Mode automatically shot at low shutter speeds, some faces were always blur.

EXR Pro-Focus Mode: A shot of the fortune cookie door-gift

EXR Pro-Focus Mode: I started shooting every shot in this Mode. However, it appears that this Mode only works as it should when there is a different between the subject in the front and the background.

EXR Pro-Lowlight Mode: I tried shooting this shot twice in 2 different modes. I found better dynamic range in the Pro-Low-light mode but with flatter tone. When I shot this in the Pro-Focus mode, the shot was slightly sharper, warmer tones but with more shadows on the faces.

EXR Pro-Focus Mode: This is an example of how I was struggling with the harsh overhead lighting the whole night. The lighting caused terrible highlights which even in post-processing, was impossible to correct. In fact, the more I tried, the weirder the tone got. I will have to learn how to overcome this.

M Mode - f/2.5, 1/50 ISO-800, +1.3EV: When you have strong enough, even lighting, this is when the X10 starts to shine. This shot of the evening's performers were taken effortlessly. I guess you could say I finally managed to utilize some my experience with a DSLR (I'm a Manual shooter by the way).

AUTO: This was taken on full auto, with the flash popped. I focused on the dancing couple the best I could, and almost all the shots came out decent and sharp enough.

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for October: 6 posts 179 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 165 posts 6,201 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Happily Ever After: Selvan & Natalie [21-10-2012]

Concord KL has one of the nicest ballrooms around. The fact that its located on the Ground Floor is a huge plus point for me! So what brought me here last Sunday? 

Congratulations Selvan & Natalie! You guys are an amazing, loving couple and I wish the both of you many, many years of happiness and wedded bliss.

This wedding was unique to me specifically because unlike many others who choose to lug their DSLRs around, I've decided to leave mine at home. This event was special because I chose it to be the testing ground for the Fujifilm X10 Digital Rangefinder camera. Don't complain about the quality. These shots cannot be compared with my professional DSLR so I won't even try.

Anyways, please do have a look and tell me what you think of them!!

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for October: 5 posts 168 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 164 posts 6,191 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Fujifilm X10: A Personal Experience (Part I)

This is an amazing camera with a world of possibilities. Some of us (who bothered) have already seen the amazing capabilities of this simple digital rangefinder camera, most notably in Lindsay Dobson's website. Lindsay is a professional photographer who despite utilizing some amazing equipment in her work, rates the X10 highly. Check out her website at:

http://lindsaydobsonphotography.com/blog/locations-portraits-fuji-x10-and-5d-mkiii-lifestyle-portrait-photographer-hampshire/

While in no way I can pass off to be as talented as Lindsay, I share her optimism with regards to this amazing little gem of a camera. Follow me while I continue to explore what this baby can do, with special focus on being able to use the X10 as a genuine, viable (albeit limited) back-up camera body for professional gigs.

The Contents:

This X10 comes with the standard CD's and warranties, a lens cap, a USB cable, one battery and a compact charger. If you don't know what a USB cable is, digital photography may not be for you. In addition to this, local retailers are bundling the X10 with a mid-range Class 4, 8G SD memory card as well as Fuji's luxury leather case. On-line pictures indicate a black leather case for the X10, but I've got a brown one. The old-skool black body fits snugly in my hands and coupled with the traditional-looking brown rangefinder leather case, this baby attracts more looks than my sexy self.

Oh, and there's also a lens hood included. This handsome metal hood is purchased separately mind you, and it is necessary if you decide you want to fit in ND filters to the X10.

Disclaimer: This is not my photo. Its taken from the Fujifilm website. This is what is included in the box.

Disclaimer: This is not my photo. Its taken from the Fujifilm website. This is the handsome metal lens hood, which is sold separately by the way.

Disclaimer: This is not my photo. Its taken from the Fujifilm website. The cameras sold locally are mostly bundled with a Class 4 SD card and this lovely Fujifilm luxury leather case. Amazing vintage rangefinder look. I love this.

I won't go into the specifications of this camera like many reviews. I believe if you are able to visit my site, you can take the trouble to visit Fuji's website for the details if you wish. More importantly, you need to be aware that the sensor in the X10 is significantly larger than those in regular point and shoot cameras, but it in no way can compare with the monster sensors in it's APS-C older brother, the X100 or even Canon's G1X. But as a wise photographer once said, "If I wanted amazing resolution, IQ and quality of shot, I would have just stuck with my full-frame DSLR". The point is, while this is a lovely camera, nevertheless it is very limited and the trick to it is to be able to work your way around the limitations. Capish?

First test:

My early test was in my office building at about 7:30pm. the entire ground floor is shown in low-light with some highlight coming from the corridor lighting. The X10 has several Modes you can set it to (in the  main dial above). One of these is the Adv Mode (which I take to mean 'Advance'). In this Mode you have 3 cool options: 1) 360 degrees Panorama shot; 2) Pro Focus; and 3) Pro Low-Light.

I tried shooting it in Manual, but the noise was horrendous. Clearly this does not operate as easily as my trusty 5D. This will take some getting used to. Perhaps there is some way to curb this, but I have yet to reach that milestone. So I dialled in the EXR Pro Low-Light Mode and went to town with it.

EXR Pro-Focus Mode: This was a test shot to try out the focusing of the X10. More on this unique Mode later. Inside my cubicle there is plenty of even lighting overhead. The sharpness of the mug is evidence of the X10's fast and accurate focusing capabilities.

EXR Pro-Lowlight Mode. Very effective for night photography. It hasn't been tested to the fullest yet but the results are encouraging. The editing here is imperfect as I have yet to fully grasp the editing process required of the X10. Notice the lack of detail on the leaves in the far end of the shot. Nevertheless, the pebbles on the ground has retained some detail. This shot has been further post-edited by me.

EXR Pro-Lowlight Mode: Taken outside my house. I tried shooting in M again but the noise was unbearable. This Mode captures 4 frames instantaneously and stitches them together to produce a picture with high Dynamic Range and low noise. Incredible. Notice that the highlights are rather harsh. This will return to haunt me unless I find a way to sort this out. This shot has been further post-edited by me. Another interesting point, I have yet to see the 'white orb' problem plaguing earlier models of the X10.

EXR Pro-Lowlight Mode: Similar to the above shot. This shot has been further post-edited by me.

What the EXR Pro-Lowlight Mode does is it instantaneously shoots up to 4 frames and stitches it together to improve the overall dynamic range, while keeping noise low. I must say that this works brilliantly. In the above picture, you can see that the pebbles at the bottom of the shot maintain some clarity, but the tree in the back of the shot is blurred out. This amateur shot could well be because I'm still new to this baby. Time will tell if the shots get better, but for now, it looking promising! I later found out that my editing process would have to change with this camera. More of that later, just bear in mind the editing process is currently in its infancy.

So what do you think?

Next Up: Indoor shots - Daytime and Nighttime!

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for October: 4 posts 131 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 163 posts 6,154 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.