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Mike, I don’t have the 12-100 f2.8 but I did have the 12-40 f2.8 and the 40-150 f2.8 along with the Olympus OMD mark 1. The lenses were surperb but the dynamic range was not there. A number of my shots in buildings were there was a range of light from dark to very light ended up being blown out.
So I looked for a solution between sensor size and quality lenses that were small and portable and followed the advice of a well known blogger and purchased a Fuji XT 1. I now have the xt2, xt20 and x100f all based on a recommendation by you.
I would think long and hard about the Olympus. I feel the sensor is just too small. The Fuji isn’t perfect and I honestly don’t think the IQ is as good as my FF Nikon, but it is good enough and great for travel. My thoughts.
The Olympus Do-Everything Lens
One of the surprises that emerged from the many (143) comments on the "Itch" post the other day was the multiple mentions given to the Olympus 12–100mm ƒ/4 lens. As Yoda might put it, compliments lots, that one got. As longtime readers know I'm not the biggest fan of zooms, at least for the ea...
Mike as long as we are on the subject of lighting, I have to add my two cents. I just purchased a new camera and one of the reasons I bought it was the pop up flash. I have the Fuji XT 2 and love it but anytime I shoot people indoors I run into problems with lighting. The XT20 Fuji has a pop up flash and I might add much cheaper than the XT2. I went ahead and bought the 20 to go along with my xt 2.
I noticed the big "pro" cameras do not come with pop up flashes. I can't tell you how many times I have used the one on my Nikon d750. In bright sun it provides some fill light to make sure the faces are properly exposed, and when taking pictures in a well lite rooms the pop up flashes illuminates the subjects perfectly.
I will say my Nikon with a light on top just works, but the Fuji is ok and that is my travel companion not the Nikon. The Nikon stays behind and I view it as my studio camera.
Lighting is so important to good photography that it is a subject all on its own. Good discussion. Thanks and happy New Year.
Bare Bulbs
Reader Crabby Umbo wrote a great comment on yesterday's post—here it is if you missed it. Like him, I started off with Speedotron, made in Chicago, although my photo school had the amateur Brown Line instead of the fancier Black Line equipment used by professionals. The first studio I was a part...
Mike, Merry Christmas to you as well. Enjoy a few days away from the blog. Thanks for all your good work in 2017 and have a happy and healthy new year.
Merry Christmas! &c.
My little writer's haven in the Finger Lakes, built 1880, restored 2012. I work on the front porch. As I do every year about this time, I'll be shuttering TOP for a few days in observance of Christmas. I hope all of you Jewish readers had a lovely Hanukkah, and I wish all of you Christians (a...
Mike, this same debate has been raging in our photoclub for several years now. I take the side that says a hard copy of a photo is just another delivery mechanism for an image, just as a digital image is a delivery system of an image. One method is no better nor no worse than the other. The generation behind us, the iPhone generation, doesn’t seem to want hard copy of images what they want is instant sharing. Digital images are perfect for them. Hard copy for us. Who are we to say what is right and wrong? It is how we chose to view the image. Good discussion, can’t wait to read all the responses to the question. Eric
The Fixed Object (A Spiky Thorny Question)
How very curious that even only a few hours after posting, we had gotten several diametrically opposed answers to the question in the the previous post. One comment, however, spurred a different but related question in my mind. Paul Giguere said, "I recently bought a Sony RX100 Mark III for $750...
Mike, well done. I have been arguing with my photo club that we do an smart phone competition. I take pictures with mine, but for ordinary things like a menu to share or dinner at a special restaurant, not fine art work. This post has inspired me to use my phone for real images not just mundane images of stupid things. Have another one of these call for images, and I will share an image. Great piece. Eric
Baker's Dozen: Smartphone Photographs
For this fortnight's "Baker's Dozen" readers' portfolio, I asked for smartphone photos, and got as many as I thought I would...lots and lots. I have to apologize to the many people who sent great shots that I won't be using today. If it's any consolation, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone's p...
Mike, I currently use the Adobe cloud with PS and LR. I plan on staying with Adobe with the classic version of LR. I normally use LR and use PS only sparingly. I will not release my photos to the cloud. They will always stay on my desk except my backups.
With that said, over a 35 plus year career in investment banking I had to change software 3 times. It is a painful process. I was younger at those times and do not have a desire to relearn a new software platform. Unless forced to change, I will continue with Adobe.
As an anology I rarely watch TV but still pay $150 a month for internet and cable so 10-20/month isn’t bad. My contribution to the good of the order.
LR Replacement Photo Editing Software
Defensively, I'm putting this up as a separate thread so people can post to it. Many of the comments on the previous post are about LR replacements, and I thought it would be more useful (at least to TOPosterity) to collate all of that information in one place under a proper post title. So, have...
Mike so well said and so true. It is always about the content. My happiest moments in photography is exploring a new, at least to me, city with my little Fuji x100 series or my XT2 with a prime lens on it. I get some wonderful pictures. Many are really sharp and exposed correctly, but even the ones that are not, it is still fun to capture the life of a City, and tell it’s story through my 70 year old eyes. Keep grinding them out. Eric
There is No Such Thing as Image Quality
There is no such thing as "image quality" in expressive photography. There are only properties. This might seem counter-intuitive, or argumentative, or even subversive. Many people who are happily engaged in the discussion about technical properties have fully integrated the term "image quality"...
Mike, congratulations. Very nice post and one I am sure was not easy to write. Keep up your good work. All the best Eric
Open Mike: About Detox (OT)
[Note: This post was significantly edited on Wednesday evening. I shouldn't have written, as I did, about the program I've used for my recovery from alcoholism, because I am unable to be anonymous in the context of TOP. If you'd like to read the original post, please email me personally with you...
Mike, I have been following your posts on the 35 mm lens or equilvant version of 23 mm on the Fuji platform. I love the 35/23 focal length but also love the 50/35 focal length. I have the Fuji 35 which lives on my XT2 and the X100f which has the 35/23 on it. Over the years my best shots where done with one of those two focal lengths. As I get older I sure appreciate the small lighter versions that Fuji produces. At one point I owned the Nikon 1.4 35 mm lens which I used on several FF Nikons. It produced some terrific IQ but was way too heavy to be considered a walk around lens. I still own my big iron but seem to use my Fuji gear more and more. Keep it up Fuji and keep up the good writing and topics. They seem so relevant to me now for some reason. All the best Eric
The Snout-Nosed Fujicrons
The 35mm camera pioneer Ernst Leitz GmbH, the historical forerunner of the current Leica Camera AG, dubbed its lenses according to speed (maximum aperture): Summilux, Summicron, Elmarit, etc. Leitz lenses with a maximum aperture of ƒ/2—at one time considered very fast—were known across focal len...
Mike, I really like Sony. I had a Sony computer once and probably would have bought another but sadly they don't make computers anymore. I had a Sony TV and liked it, but they don't make TVs anymore. Big diverse companies like Sony all live by ROIs ( return on Investment). Sony seems to have a bad habit of leaving an industry when things become too competitive. Not saying that Sony will be gone but with all their development costs to introduce a new camera so frequently the ROIs may not be what the share holders expect. With that said I agree with you, I believe there will be consoladition within the industry. Fuji/Nikon type of consolidation. It may be good for the photographers in the end.
Scary Future
I'm not much for predictions—I'd rather analyze the past—but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that in three years, there will be three fewer digital camera companies than there are now. The way I count there are 12 of them, not including smartphone makers. Canon, Nikon, and Sony are the t...
Mike, the first image just begs for a longer focal length. Stay with one camera and buy a few lenses. It is a great subject and wonderful light but you need to be closer. Who said to take a better picture get closer. With this image it is true. Enjoy your weekend.
Open Mike: Skychaser
We've been blessed with some wonderful weather here lately. I wish it could stay like this all Summer. This was just on the way to dinner and back a couple of nights ago— I certainly love living in an area I find photogenic—it's just so beautiful here. I think I'm starting to feel just a...
Mike, the only difference an average image and a great image is the light. The top image is a good composition but dull light. Go back and take the image again in early morning or early evening light and I bet you would have your " keeper". I try and take pictures of the same subjects at varying times of day and the difference is striking. Light as they say, is everything.
One Weird Thing About Landscape
As far as genres of photography go, we all have ones we gravitate toward and ones we leave alone. In the middle are ones we willingly dabble with but don't devote ourselves to. I'll never photograph insects, for example—don't grok bug pics—and I've always enjoyed photographing kids when I get th...
Mike, I really liked what you had to say today and what Roger said. My favorite lens photographically is the Nikon 24-70 f2.8. It just provides the best images I have ever taken; however I rarely use it lately since I got the small Fuji camera, because the lens and FF Nikon are too big and heavy. I find that despite the fact that the Fuji does not produce the quality of images that my Nikon does it still goes with me 90 percent of the time. I simply make it work. You make the lens and camera you have do the work you need done. Photoshop and Lightroom do help a lot but most lenses today are really "good enough".
A Few Further Complications In Lens Testing
Roger Cicala said you're never supposed to start a commentary with the words "Roger said." But in this case it's a direct quote, so I'll chance it...Roger said, "I'm not a lens reviewer; I just test the MTF. There's so much more that goes into choosing a lens." That's the first "meta" complicati...
Mike, first I do hope you feel better. I like your comment about the snow. I live in Columbus, Ohio and we rarely get much snow. We only got a dusting with this last storm. I, like you, really like a good snow for a lot of reasons. Most of which are photo opportunities and natural beauty that come with a storm. Many of my friends run to Florida in the winter and can't understand how I can enjoy winter as I do. Maybe it's my Swedish heritage but there is nothing like the magic of a winter day. Enjoy your fine snow, and get healthy.
Blog Notes: Under Weather
I'm a little under the weather and need to take a couple of days off. That's "under the weather" in two ways—I'm a bit ill and draggin', and also we're in the midst of a fine, fine snowstorm! It's only the second appreciable snow of the Winter. The hearth, such as it is. The auditorium chair...
Mike, Happy Birthday, just turned 70 myself this year so I completely understand the anxiety of getting older. The good news is we made it this far, the bad news is we are older. Do as I do and look at each day/year as a gift to be saviored and not to be wasted. I always remind myself of that whenever I feel bored. Still lots to accomplish and more pictures to take and process. Enjoy the years ahead and carry a camera. Eric
Open Mike: I Rock!
I turn 60 today. (But I hardly look a day over 59.) I see turning 60 as a good thing. I think what it signifies is that I've transmogrified from an increasingly cranky, increasingly creaky, increasingly old- and worn-out-looking middle-aged guy to a really healthy, really energetic, really youth...
Mike, I didn't include my favorite camera because I am trading it in tomorrow on a new model. It is the Fuji X100s which I am trading on the new F. I have had the S for 2+ years and take it everywhere I go. I am optimistic that the new F will be as good and as loved as the S.
My main comment is that there are very few DSLR that are loved as much as small-portable cameras. Maybe it is just that your readership loves the small cameras rather than the larger ones or the smaller cameras are just with us all more often. Interesting question and topic for a future article. Great post. All the best. Eric
OK, So Show Us Your Favorite
So let's see a picture of your favorite camera, if you have one. (I know not everyone does, and that's okay.) The TypePad Comments Section isn't set up to accept pictures easily, but here's how you can work around it: First, you need your picture, no more than 470 pixels wide, saved as sRGB and ...
Mike, Great read, he writes a good analysis of prime vs zoom lenses. Most of my photography is travel, and thus I tend to gravitate to zoom lens; however when I look at my wall, and think about which lens I used on which image, I find that most of my best work was done with a prime lens. It can be difficult to change lenses when you are traveling in challenging conditions. Also one does not want to burden his back with a lot of glass. So with that said, I just rented the 18-135 Fuji lens from lens rental to see if it will work. I know it will not be in the same league with my 16-50 f 2.8 fuji lens, but it may replace the 55-200 and 16-50 on future trips along with the beautiful 35 f2 fuji lens. I always carry a prime where ever I go, they truly offer better IQ. Thanks again for directing us to the article. Eric
A 'Must Read' for the Weekend
It's still Friday, barely, so I can squeeze in another post before the weekend is officially here and I have to switch gears. By far the best writer on lenses on the entire Internet these days is Roger Cicala, aided and abetted by his assistant wizards and the rest of the merry gang at LensRen...
Mike, I had to jump in here because I like one your other readers are a big fan of audio books. I used to drive 30-40000 miles a year in my car and I would go through about an audio book a week. It was a great way to use the time. My favorite thing was to read a book and then listen to it. Many times it was a different book listening than reading. One of my favorite authors is your friend John Camp/ Sandford. I have read and listened to every one of his books, just love his characters.
The best books to listen to are the ones with southern characters the actors reading them make them come alive. Another great author is James Lee Burke, if you haven't read him I would encourage you to do so. I still love audio books even though I am retired I still get them. Just finished Blue Highway, a book I read 30 years ago but you reminded me of it. It was a different book this time. Thanks for the great column on reading.
Engage
When last we were talking about books, RubyT mentioned that she used to read 300 books a year. That's well into outlier territory, it seems to me. While phenoms, speed readers, invalids or the truly obsessed might log more than that, I would guess 300 books is quite a few more books than most pe...
Mike, even if you did not have a great year, your blog made my year so much richer. It is much more than photography. I just pickup Blue Highways, a book I read 30 years ago, but forgot, and am enjoying it much more the second time around. I have written down several book titles from the comment section of this post that need to be read in 2017. Thanks so very much for all your thoughtful comments about photography or life, and I hope your 2017 is better. All the best.
Open Mike II: The 2017 Novel (OT)
I mentioned science fiction in the P.S. of the previous post, which brings me along to a New Year's topic. I've been racking my brain, but I believe I have read only one or only three science fiction books in my entire life. It was a thing called The Foundation Trilogy and I read it when I was 1...
Mike, couldn't the same be said of Nikon. I have been waiting for years for a real Nikon Mirrorless camera. Thankfully my Fuji works as a real substitute and the new XT2 looks like the "real deal" I don't own it yet, but may sell the "Big Iron" and replace it with the Fuji XT2.
Flurry of Fun From Photokina
Awesome descendant of my A900, Sony has at long last updated its DSLR flagship. Well, sort of a DSLR: like some other Sonys, the new A99II has what Canon used to call a pellicle mirror, i.e. a beam splitter. The image-forming light goes through the mirror, eliminating the need for the mirror ...
Mike, I just checked my pay pal account and it appears that you took some money out in both May and June, but not July. I assume you take the $6 out on a monthly basis. I keep a few dollars in the account just to pay you,and maybe some small things at B and H. Just wanted to give you a heads up. If you would rather charge by the year, I would be fine with that just let myself or us as a group know. All the best.
Site SNAFU
A number of people have contacted me to report that when they've tried to do various things here, like click on the Comments section or just come to the site in the first place, have been redirected to a donation page. I can't reproduce this glitch from here. If it has happened to you, it's not ...
Mike, when the D500 camera was first introduced, my local camera store called and wanted me to come in and look at the D500. I spent a little time in the store with the camera along with the 16-80 lens. I have to admit the size of the camera was similar to my current D750. However, with the smaller lens, the whole package was smaller than my D750 and 24-120 lens. It was attractive for travel. In the end, I decided I just wasn't ready to give up my full frame sensor yet.
When I travel I take my Fuji gear, which I love, but when I have to do a shoot that is important and I want to make sure I have some quality images I reach for the D 750 and either the 24-120 or the 24-70. The latter is the best lens,camera combination I have ever shot. It just flat out works. As a life long Nikon shooter that is just my opinion. All the best and I hope this week is better for you than last week.
Any Love for the D500?
Nikon the hibernating bear, hearing the twitter of little mirrorlesses from high in the trees, adds a flip-up screen Hey Nikonians, I know you're out there. Given how much dismay I heard during the many years of the APS-C eclipse at Nikon, and the dimming of hopes for the return of the long-or...
Mike, I shot Olympus for about two years but always felt the sensor was too small. I did love the Leica/Pany lens that would work on the camera and took some really good pictures with the EM1 and the Leica combination.
I would encourage you to stick with the Fuji, and use a tripod more. They are really cheap and light now. With Fuji you can just turn up the ISO a bit, and shoot at a faster shutter speed. You will be amazed how much better your pictures will turn out.
If that fails add a light on top of the camera and light-up the subject. Just a suggestion. I am done with GAS and trying to ignore all the noise out there about new products. I will continue to use my Fuji and Nikon gear until it breaks, or becomes obsolete. Good Luck.
Sentence: Back to Olympus
Olympus E-M1 and DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm ƒ/2.8. Tasty bokeh. Years ago, my younger brother Scott, who I think is an uncommonly wise man, pointed out to me that I was very good at giving other people buying advice, but very bad at knowing what to buy for myself. We were talking about stereos and ...
Mike, a wise teacher of mine told me once that the hardest thing about being good is you have to prove it every day. He was right, of course. It still doesn't make easier, but it helps. With that said I would love to be able to shoot an 85, let alone a 62. But I don't make a living playing golf, just a hobby.
Quote o' the Day: David Duval
"...It goes back to being a stand-up guy, an honest person who has gone through great struggles and is still working and practicing, not quitting. I've had some awful days where it takes a lot of mental will to go play golf. I shot a 62 at Pebble Beach once. Six, seven years later, I shot an 85....
Mike, Excellent post. I couldn't agree with you more. I have recently gone through a purging of the gear shed and am trying to resist re-stocking it with another brand and just focus on the art of Photography. That is what is important. I love the idea of buying a cheap lens on Ebay and just trying it for awhile to see how it performs. If you don't like it, you could probably sell it for what you paid for it, and be no worse off. We would all be better off using the extra money we spend on gear taking a photo trip, or buying a book rather than a new lens. Thanks for reminder. Also Happy Belated Birthday, you are about to enter the best years of your life. I have really enjoyed the 60's, just stay healthy.
Change Your Head
This is a photography post. But writing about the S8 subwoofer yesterday (that article took me all day to create—I'm getting slower as I slide down the backslope from the middle of middle age) reminded me of something crucial: It's still the music that matters. Yes, it's nice to have a beautiful...
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