Category : Pilgrim’s Chronicles

 

Since Catherine Martin asked about the Fuji X100s I thought I might go forward with a little more about this extraordinary camera.  While the X100s has many wonderful features and performance parameters that makes it special, it not so much what it is capable of that makes me enjoy it, but what it makes me capable of!

 

The cameras doesn’t call attention to itself, it allows you to be in the moment and see and quickly capture that moment.  The image below is one of my favorites because of how much I love and appreciate the subject, and it would not have been captured if I had been struggling with controls when it happened.  It’s my partner in His Light, Jim Begley in old Baptist Missionary church in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

 

 

 

This shot was a much more studied image off the tripod in Canonsburg Park, during last years Nashville event.  This monochrome shows the extreme quality of the 23mm lens on the X100s.

 

 

It’s the “always have it with you camera!”.  When Jim took me to visit a famous glass blowing artist he knew in Danville, Kentucky, I didn’t even take a “serious” camera.  I was wowed by his work and with the help of the X100s was able to carefully pull off some available light hand held work!

 

 

……..and another!

 

 

I’m an admitted “texture addict”, I see it everywhere I go, and when you can have a small compact camera capable of capturing it, well, that is a good thing!

 

 

When Jack Graham and I did a workshop out in Death Valley we visited the Rhyolite Mines Ghost Town, and I stumbled on some “Freaky” art, just had to shoot it, the monochrome out of the X100s was stunning!

 

 

At our lunch stop we had a surprise guest for our outdoor lunch, a burrow, gotta have a camera ready!  X100s!

 

 

How about capturing your friends in the field like Ted Thelin in Death Valley!  The X100s is a great “photograph your friends” camera!

 

 

 

The 35mm equiv. lens on the X100s is limiting at a place like Bad Water in Death Valley, but still very usable as evidenced below.

 

 

Sometimes when the light is magic at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley and all you have with you is the X100s, you just have to make do!

 

 

It’s more versatile than you would think, has quality to spare, and is my constant companion!

 

 

Want the tech info on it?  Read the DP Review article linked below!  They gave it their Gold Award 83% score, among the highest ever!

 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x100s/

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

There you go Catherine!

 

 

 

If this is “My” perfect system how does that help you???!!!  Well, building a system is all about knowing who you are, what you like to shoot, and what suits you!  I’ve been working on my system for the last 45 years, and it has changed many, many, many times, call me fickle, but every change was because I learned something!  Since this is a teaching moment, let me walk you through the process:

 

1.  List the kinds of subjects you shoot.  If you shoot sports, or NASCAR, or dangerous reptiles, you’re going to need very specialized gear.  If you are a travel photographer you will want to have a smaller, lighter system, or if  you shoot nature you will want a system with a wide range of lens focal lengths and close-up gear!  Get the point, first step is;  know thyself!

 

2.  Decide what brand you prefer. Let’s face it there is a lot of great stuff out there, and it is all different in some ways, my advice is pick the size camera you like (small – medium – large) and then pick the one that feels the best in your hands!  Read up on the lens system and see what other, more experienced shooters, are saying about the quality of the glass.  Read the test reports and see what people think of the brand.  Read a lot and average out what you’re hearing!!!!  Run your own tests too, it’s easy now that you can rent gear!

 

3.  Determine how much you want to carry and how you are going to work with your system?  If you’re young and strong you may love carrying a 70 lb. back pack full of gear.  Then again if you’re almost seventy and seen better days,  maybe not so much!  If you are going to carry a lot of stuff, or if you can’t, you need a plan!!!  I’ve got a plan, more on that later!

 

4.  Make a reasonable estimate of your budget.  Let’s face it, “almost” no one can buy it all, and even if you could, re-read point three.  Once you know what you can afford you can make better choices.  Keep in mind that the more you spend does not always mean the more you will get!  There are some gear with high value out there.

 

So my “current” perfect system is listed below, and then some images on how I pack  it!

 

“My” Ultimate System

 

Fuji X-T1 body with battery pack RRS “L” bracket

Fuji X-T1 body with battery pack RRS “L” bracket  (to be added soon)

Fuji X-E2 body with battery pack RRS “L” bracket/grip

Fuji X100s camera with 23mm f 2  RRS “L” bracket and grip

 

Rokinon 8mm Fisheye f 2.8 lens   (12mm Fisheye)

Fuji 10-24 f 4 OIS                (15-36)       72mm polarizer

Fuji 14 f 2.8                           (21mm)      62mm polarizer

Fuji 23 f 1.4                           (35mm)      62mm polarizer

Fuji 35 f 1.4                           (52mm)      52mm polarizer

Fuji 56 f 1.2                           (85mm)      62mm polarizer

Fuji 60 f 2.4                           (90mm)      39mm polarizer

Fuji 18-55 f 2.8-4 OIS         (27-83)        58mm polarizer

Fuji 55-200 f 3.5-4.8 OIS   (82-300)     62mm polarizer

 

• Possible Future Additions:

 

• 16mm f 1.4                          (24)
• 16-55 f 2.8 OIS WR        (24-84)
• 50-135 f 2.8 OIS WR     (75-210)
• 120-400 f ? OIS WR       (180-600)

 

Fuji EF-X80 flash

 

Nikon Manual Lenses:

200mm Micro Nikkor f 4 IF AF     (300mm f 4)

Nikon 200mm f 4 AI-S                     (300mm f 4)

Nikon 400mm f 3.5 IF-ED AI-S     (600mm f 3.5)

Nikon TC-14B Tele-converter

 

Close-Up Lenses:

Nikon 3T Diopter  (52mm)

Nikon 4T Diopter  (52mm)

Nikon 5T Diopter  (62mm)

Nikon 6T Diopter  (62mm)

Raynox DCR-150    (Variable)

Raynox DCR-250    (Variable)

Canon 250D Diopter   (58mm)

Canon 500D Diopter   (77mm)

 

Singh Ray  Neutral Density  5 Stop  –  10 Stop  –  15 Stop   (77mm)

Singh Ray  Color Intensifier  –  Tony Sweet Soft Ray  –  I-Ray  (77mm)

Singh Ray  Split Neutral Density Soft 2 & 3 stops

 

 

 

In a Guru Gear Kiboko 22L back pack,  (now discontinued but replaced with newer better version of the same basic bag), I carry my extra bodies, shown above, Fuji X-Pro 1 (soon to be replaced with a second X-T1) and my wonderful Fuji X100s.  a Micro Nikkor 200mm lens and hood, and a 200mm f 4 moderate telephoto manual focus lens (happens to be wonderful for close-up work with diopters.)

 

 

 

 

In the other lift side of the bag is my long lens, a mint condition Nikon 400mm f 3.5 (one of Nikon’s best long lenses ever).  Now it’s manual focus, so for action it is a bear, but anything that sits still, which defines most of what I shoot, it is superlative! It is smaller and lighter than almost any current lens in it range and on the Fuji, because it is a APS-C sensor this lens, is are you ready for this, a 600mm f 3.5 equivalent!

 

 

This is the MindShift Gear Filter Hive filled with ND filters and other various specialty filters.  I got it at Outdoor Photo Gear, great place to pickup all those things you can never find!

 

Shot at the top of the page is my entire main Fuji system in a Think Tank Airport Essentials back pack, love that pack, and it holds all the “essentials” perfectly!

 

So I know what I shoot, what I can carry,  (yes I don’t carry all this at once, I put it in the back of my FJ and then fill up a tiny Think Tank Retrospective 5 shoulder bag, (for walking around)  If I need something else, I know where it is!  Affordability?  I have recycled a ton of gear purchased in the past that people still want, thus, money for the newest stuff!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

I’m reading and extraordinary book titled “The Circle Makers” by Mark Batterson.  I promise that if you go and buy it and start reading it, you will be captivated by the deep truths that are contained within it’s pages!  It’s a book about the prayer life of a prophet of Israel a hundred years before the birth of Christ.  It will give you new insight into the power and meaning of prayer. It is so powerful that after only one evening of reading it has moved me to rethink my ministry, and my approach to serving Him.

 

I can’t encourage you strongly enough to check out this book.  It has forever changed my mission statement.

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

You know what they say about free advice,  “If you didn’t pay nothin’ for it…. that’s what it’s worth!”  O.K. so what kind of free advice am I planning to offer today?  I just read a few very interesting articles on Thom Hogan’s, “By Thom” site.  I like Thom, he seems, to me, to be an honest, thoughtful, and very informed, (he is a technical genius, by-the-way),  great writer, he’s also brought me hours of endless fun watching some of my old friends at Nikon pull their hair out!  Not everything he writes always made them happy!!!   So, as I was saying, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking which is always very dangerous, and I’ve come up with a list of things I would like to recommend to the leaders of the photo industry.  I did use to work in it, and I don’t know very much, but I know a few things.  So let’s get started;

 

For SONY:  You’re a big company and you have a lot resources, try making something that really works and try to not change it in the first 6 weeks!  O.K. that’s a little harsh, but Sony has a tendency to come up with a concept and keep changing it so that about the time you think you really like it, it’s gone.  In fairness Sony is sorta new to the photo industry (still cameras, that is) compared to the rest of the folks that have been doing it for many, many decades.  They will catch on, and when they do, everyone else will have an 8o0 pound Gorilla to deal with in the room.  Not the case with our next maker!

 

For LEICA:  You sure make beautiful, well made cameras and lenses.  Your glass is fantastic, and the build quality of your cameras is second to none, so are your prices….  I can’t really make any recommendations, you’re committed to making incredible products, no matter what it costs and you have customers that are willing to pay what you have to charge.  Honestly, if I could afford your products I know I would own some of them!  I would suggest that you make a less expensive line, but that would just be wrong!

 

For  Canon:  I certainly worked hard on the other side of the fence from you so I know how good your products are.  If I still could carry a heavy camera and bag of lenses, I’m not so sure that one of my kits wouldn’t be a 5D Mark III.  Even though I worked for Nikon, I saw a lot work from that camera and I can’t fault it, and for video it really is kicking!  I had a lot of great friends at Nikon, still do, I hope, but a lot of the Canon reps were good friends too!  Canon is the best thing that ever happened to Nikon, and visa versa!  We, the consumer have a lot of great products because they compete so hard to beat one another!

 

For NIKON:  For many years Nikon ruled the roost. they actually owned over 80% of all pro markets for a lot of years.  Canon made some major changes to their designs and the war was on!  Nikon has always been known for their tough build quality, incredible Nikkor glass, and in recent years the best best portable lighting system out there.  Now a little spanking, if Nikon had determined to built the ultimate mirror-less, serious, pro type camera, (like Fuji did), they would, I’m sure, have built something mighty spectacular, but they didn’t, and that’s why I’m shooting the X System.  I still believe you could!  I think Nikon has a heritage in the industry that is second to none, I hope they continue to grow that well deserved reputation, I know they can.  Will they?

 

For OLYMPUS:  You guys have always had a special place in my heart.  I think you’ve always made wonderful products and lately are outdoing yourselves, hang in there. Keep making those great bodies and lenses!  I know times are tough, but I believe you make something the photo world needs.  If that was not enough you’ve got Ray Acevedo!

 

For PANASONIC:  My friend Rob Sheppard loves his GH-3 and from the work I’m seeing it is pretty cool!  I got to see the new GH-4 at a recent event in Florida and the video is stellar.  Panasonic is working a portion of the market that is teeming with enthusiastic users.  Thanks to a very solid lens line you’re sitting on a winner!

 

For EVERYONE ELSE:  Have fun!

 

Like I said you paid nothin’,

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim