Monthly Archives: January 2016

When I was still working for Nikon, standing at the counter of the Nikon booth at Photo Plus we were showing, for the very first time, the new Nikon D4!  A customer walked up and actually asked me this, “What do you know about the D5?”  You have to be kidding me!  Hey I get it, we are enthusiasts, we love the gear and we can’t wait to see what the next model will be like, so in keeping with that spirit, and since we have just gotten news of the X-PRO 2,  someone actually emailed me and asked,  “what do you know about the X-T2?”  Nothing I can share, but let’s play some make believe!

Let’s pretend that I got a call from one of the chief engineers in Japan with Fuji and they asked me, “Bill, the next camera is being developed now, what would you like to see in the replacement camera for the X-T1?”  Now,  first, I did not get that call!  But I do  have some deep desires about what I hope is coming, so let me list what I would say to them, if they asked.  Keep in mind I absolutely do not know if any of this is coming, but if it was coming and they took my advice I want the camera above,  if  you look close it is the X-T2  BF Edition (stands for Bill Fortney Edition) hey I said let’s pretend!!!!!  Pretending is free!

Here is what I want:

I want it available in Black and Graphite (I would love to see the Black be Nitron coated with a very fine crinkle finish, dull matt black!  Hey, just saying, looks great on some 9mm combat pistols!

Leave the ISO dial exactly where it is now, just bump the capability as in the X-PRO 2

Keep the customizable Q menu but expand it to two pages!

I would love the same sensor and X Pro processor  in the X-PRO 2

A high eye point EVF finder with more resolution and magnification and  faster refresh rate.

Improved shutter of the X-PRO 2 with 1/8,000th second mechanical speed.

Bracketing by 1/3 stops all the way up to 2 full stops and at least 5 frames, 7 would be even better.

2 SD card slots as in the X-PRO 2,  one for UHS-II High speed cards

Include the ACROS monochrome film simulation 

Same auto focus system in the X-PRO 2 with more focus points and faster response.

Higher resolution LCD that tilts as it does now  but both horizontally and vertically

Eyepiece correction for viewfinder that locks or is harder to turn.

Self Timer than can be set and remain on until the user turns it off.  User selectable range from 1 to 14 seconds.

Panorama assist for making manual pan shots.

Artificial horizon viewable in the LCD designed like the one in Nikons

Improved battery condition meter as in the X-PRO 2

Keep the same battery, work on better power management, but leave it alone, everyone already has a tons of batteries!

4 way buttons on the back slightly larger with a defined click into operation, no need to gum up the camera with sugru!

….and hey, thanks so much for what you’ve already done for us, I for one truly, deeply appreciate it, you’ve changed my photographic life!

NEW LENSES DOWN THE ROAD:   

A 16-120 f 2.8 Red Badge (Constant Aperture) that focus as close as the 18-135

A 10mm f 2.8 rectilinear corrected for night photography!

A 120mm f 2 with same basic formula as the 90mm f 2, tack sharp, of course it would be!

A 50-200 f 3.5 constant aperture Red Badge, tripod collar.

So if you guys are out there listening, hope some of this comes true, and hey I give you permission to make a BF Edition, just saying,  you have my permission!!!!  LOL

Blessings,

the pilgrim

Snow stuff from today, all hand held with the 100-400, love that lens!!!!

Let me be clear, as I said yesterday, I have not seen an X-PRO 2, an d I have not held one, or shot with one!  I am very excited that I will be getting one of the very first, actual production cameras, but I want to talk about what I think this new camera means to all of us Fuji-holics!  I have read everything I have seen on the web, and it is a large volume of information,  some articles and reviews I’ve read are from people I know and trust implicitly!  So for now, I am going to assume that much of what I’ve read, from trusted sources, is true and accurate, and I have no reason to doubt these folks!

So I think the importance in the release of the X-PRO 2 is it further cements the belief that Fuji is truly committed to elevating their X-System with products of ever increasing quality and functionality!  Let’s start with the sensor and processor.  We now have the first jump in resolution in a Fuji X camera and the added 8 megapixels will definitely make a difference.  My fear all along was what would this do to two factors, noise, and the lens performance of the sterling Fuji glass.  More resolution always puts more demands of glass.  I love the exceedingly high level of sharpness of the current lenses, I wanted so badly to believe that adding 30% more resolution would not tax them too much.  My trusted sources say the lenses are more than up to the tack and look even sharper with this new 24.3 mega pixel X-Trans sensor!  So what about noise, it is being reported by almost everyone that uses the camera that the new sensors has gained at least one additional stop of low noise at hight speed, translation 6400 now looks like what we were getting from 3200!  Great news indeed.  The new X-Pro processor is said to be 4 times faster, making every function much smoother and of course faster!

The controls on the new X-PRO 2 are said to be more positive in their function, better arranged and easier to use, making what was already a photographer’s camera better than ever!  The ISO dial being resident within the shutter speed knob, and the + or – 5 stop range ignite exposure compensation are both very welcome.  Early reports seem to indicate that we are getting + or – 2 full stops of bracketing, not enough in my opinion, but much better than only one stop.  I can only hope the X-T2 will give us 5 to seven full stops of bracketing.

The X70 looks like a wonderful new addition to the line and more importantly the 100-400 is a dream come true for photographers that needed the coverage of those focal lengths. The recently released 35mm f 2 and the 1.4 teleconverter have both been fantastic products!

Ron Smith shooting Deadhorse Point Sate Park!

Bill Fortney & Vinny Colucci

Arches & Cayonlands National Parks

November 9th – 13th, 2016

$995 Workshop Fee  

Early Registration before June 15th $895.

Join Vinny and I in Moab, Utah for a great November Canyon shoot, This is an excellent time to enjoy great weather, and smaller crowds, the kids are back in school!!!!    Joins for these great shooting locations!

Some of our folks having fun at Dead Horse Point.

This is one of the best National Parks in all of America, and one of the favorite workshops every year, I’m doing two this year!! the first is Sold Out!!!  If you might want to join us get a hold of Vinny at the contact info below!

http://www.vinnycolucci.com

I’ve been heavy in gear lately and I’m going to be through out this coming week!  I will be writing about the apparently (I say apparently because I have not held one yet, ^&%$!#$!?!) Fuji X-PRO 2, all is good though, I fully understand that I’m not one of the X-Photographers that has traditionally used the X-PRO 1!  The truth is I bought one some time ago and after a few months realized I just was not getting along with it and sold it.  I’ve regretted that constantly, ever since, and have almost bought a second one but knew this one was coming!  Tomorrow I will deal with the new X-PRO 2 which I will be doing project for Fuji with, a Two Week Road Trip for their Website, and I can’t wait!!!   So more on that later, but for today I want to deal with the whole gear thing.

Let’s get this out of the way, I’m a gear freak, love it, I buy way too much, love to use it, test it, and yes, fondle it!!!  Yes, I’m in therapy, but at least it’s out in the open!   I know, that’s not a Newsflash!  Not much of a spilled secret there!  But I do have a big and important “BUT” to add to this diatribe!

Even though I have an irrational love for gear, I do know it is just a tool.  No matter how incredible a camera body is or how wonderful lens is, it won’t make images by itself. Don’t get me wrong, it is important, very important, but not nearly as important as  the loose nut behind the viewfinder…….the photographer.  If a photographer is truly on top their game, technically skilled and in the zone for subject light and conditions, then the gear is a big plus in their favor, but the first part of that has to come, FIRST!

Enough about the importance of gear, now let’s talk about the spiritual aspect of all this. Is it possible to get too attached to our gear?  Afraid so.  Most people don’t ever think of the Ten Commandments when they think about camera gear, but actually one does apply!   Thou shalt have no other gods before me!   If we worship our  gear, if we find ourselves feeling way to close to it, then that is a problem.  I believe that God wants us to have good things, I think He provides them, I just know He doesn’t want us to place any of this stuff above Him.  If anyone could ever start to worship gear it would be me, but I know better than to go down that road.

It also hurts your creativity!  If you spend your time looking or thinking about just the gear, you won’t see the world you’re trying to photograph with clear eyes.  If you are really a photographer and you really want to make wonderful images, you don’t want this happening.  If you’re an equipment collector, and I plead guilty, it’s perfectly fine.  Now let’s get down to brass tacks, it’s o.k. to be both, I am a 75% shooter, 25% gear nut.  Now it’s out, but I don’t let loving the gear affect by art, or my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  I know this is a tough and thin line to walk, but let’s face it, we have to.  It’s liberating to admit your feelings and face your issues, but the result is a clear mind to apply to the craft you love so much.  But wow, is the gear fun!!!!

Blessings,

the pilgrim