Monthly Archives: December 2023

 

I love teaching photography and I love sharing the joy of the craft!  I am preparing lessons for an upcoming class I will hold in Corbin, January 20th.  In preparing the new lessons I reviewed a lot of my images made in the last 12 years with digital photography!  I wanted to do a sound synch with 30 of my favorite images both technically and aesthetically.  After picking 30 of my favorites I checked the exif data and was shocked to learn that all 30 had been made with cameras at least 10 years old and all with 16 mega pixels or less.  The vast majority were with the Fujifilm X-T1, a couple with the Fujifilm X-E1 and one with the X10.  I still have 2 X-T1s, and the X10, since I no longer have a X-Pro 1,  I  have substituted the X-Pro 2, (which has 24 mega pixels). All of these are big steps down from ,y current main camera the X-T5 with 40 mega pixels.)

 

One of my favorite quotes which I use a lot in my classes is from Rod Planck, who said “Technique beats equipment every time!”  I know that is true and since I have become enamored with the advancing technology in cameras, I have bought the latest and greatest ones over the past decade.  I believe after this shocking revelation of my favorite images that with great technique these 12 year old cameras can still perform admirably!

 

So For the first 6 months of 2024 I will do all my imaging with the three cameras above;  Fujifilm’s X-T1  (16 mega pixels), the X-Pro 2 ( 24 mega pixels) and the X10, my first fujifilm camera that has with 12 mega pixels.

 

I will post images I’m making, with technical details, over the 6 month period and we can judge together just how well they can perform!

 

The images below are some of the images that convinced me to do this project!

 

Shot with the X-E1 and the 18-55 lens.

 

Shoot with the X-T1 and the 60mm macro lens.

 

Shot with the X-T1 and the 18-135 lens.

 

Shot with the X-T1 hand held with the 55-200 lens and Nikon 5T diopter @ ISO 6400!

 

I can’t wait to see what can be done with this gear and strict use of great technique!  Please follow along for the fun!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

I’m working on a new set of classes for a program I’m doing in Corbin next month, and I’m discovering some interesting things!  I was attempting to find some of my favorite images and use them to emphasis the importance of image quality.  After assembling 30 images that I felt were the best both aesthetically and technically.  I checked the file info in Photoshop and was floored when I discovered that 28 of the 30 images were all shot with one camera and 20 of the 30 with one lens!

 

The X-T1 and the 18-135 zoom!!!!

 

 

What is going on.  I’ve owned X-T1’s, X-T2’s, X-T3’s, X-T4’s and the current X-T5 and of course lots of other X-Pro models, X100 models and the X-H1!  For years we’ve been told that the more mega pixels, the better!  Well…….. I’m rethinking that!  What do you gain with higher mega pixel sensors?  For a start more resolution, more pixels more detail, no question.  But how much more detail?  That is your call but in some serious pixel peeping, I found the difference is not as great as I thought it would be.  The X-T5 sure has a lot of resolution (40 mega pixels)  The 16 megapixel X-T1 still has a ton of sharpness and detail!  How about noise at higher ISO?  The image below is shot at ISO 6400 with the X-T1, if I  had shot it on the X-T5 the background out of focus green area would have shown more noise f or sure.  High ISO winner:  X-T1!

 

 

 

So, is the X-T1 the best Fujifilm camera?  I can’t say that, I can say that if today I was required to shoot only the X-T1 as my main body, I’m not sure the I would be disadvantaged!  Considering that the X-T1 is a 10 year old camera body with 16 mega pixels and they can be bought for $500. or less………  It’s a great time to be a shooter in the Fujifilm system!

 

Blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim

 

 

I live in a small town, less than 5,000 folks.  I’ve lived here over 40 years, and I haven’t been home more than about half of those 40 years, I travel to make photographs and work.  Because of that,  I have not made a ton of friends in Corbin.  Joe at the laundry, a few folks in the neighborhood where I live, some more people in our church, and my barber, Robert.  Today was a sad day for me, I went to Robert’s Barber Shop for the last time, actually called Bob’s Barber Shop because his father, Bob, started it many years ago. Sadly Bob passed away a few years ago and Robert his son, Penny, Robert’s wife and Alicia his sister, (and one of my photo students),  have remained as the barbers.  From time to time his mother, Theata, will be at the shop and I love to visit with her too.

 

So why was today sad?  After over 40 years, at the end of December,  they are closing the shop doors for good and retiring.  Robert deserves to be able to do that but I will miss him and the crew!  A man’s barber is more than someone that keeps his hair and beard under control!  Robert has been my barber, a therapist, a good buddy to talk politics with, (who mostly agrees with me or visa versa).  Over 40 years, he has become one of my few friends in our community.  I don’t think we take the time to thank those folks that enrich our lives, so that is why I am writing this!  Robert, I will miss you my friend, thank you for years of taking care of me and keeping me from being so bushy I needed a dog license!  Enjoy your retirement, you deserve it and certainly have earned it!  Expect me to stop by your place to say hi from time to time!  It’s been a pleasure my friend!   God Bless!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim