The Fuji X-System – Updated thoughts…..
Three things converged. July 1st will be my one year anniversary of retiring from Nikon. I just completed a two week trip to the Pacific Northwest, and got some of my best images of my career, and My Fuji X-System is nearing completion with the advent of “focus peaking”!
Let’s take them one at a time. I’ve not shot more than one half of one percent of my images with anything but the Fuji system in the last calendar year! That says to me that I’m settled where I’m going to be, equipment wise! In one year of shooting all the kinds of things I shoot; nature, close-up, travel, Americana, landscape, people, and some limited action, I’ve found the Fuji X-System, and in particular the X-T1 to be perfect for my kind, and style, of shooting. I’m all in, 100%. My shoulders don’t hurt, my back doesn’t hurt, I’m having more fun, and loving the resulting images, so that’s it, I’m a Fuji guy, period.
I have identified what is my “current” everyday in-the-field system below; The Think Tank belt system, that holds the 10-24, 18-55, 60mm Micro and the 55-200, all Fuji XF lenses. 90% of my every day work can be accomplished with this small. portable system. All the lenses are spectacularly sharp, and because of the incredible High ISO / low noise performance of the Fuji X-cameras, fast enough for general use. In addition I keep the 18-55 on my X-T1 with the Really Right Stuff “L” bracket. * You may notice that I have some different lens hoods on two lenses. I found a 39mm deep telephoto hood that fits perfectly on the 60mm Micro and saves room while allowing a polarizer to be adjusted with the hood screwed into the filter. I also use a metal, screw in Nikon HN-23 lens hood from the Nikon 85mm f 1.8 AF lens on the 55-200, once again allowing a polarizer in place. to turn. I have Singh Ray LB Warming Polarizers on, or for, all lenses!!! The 60mm Micro takes a 39mm which Singh Ray does not make, on that lens I use a B&W Nano coat polarizer.
In a second bag, the Think Tank Airport Essentials backpack; I carry the following back up bodies and my speed lenses. An additional X-T1 with the battery pack and Really Right Stuff “L” bracket, a Fuji X-E2, with Really Right Stuff “L” bracket and grip. 56mm f 1.2, 23mm f 1.4, 35mm f 1.4, and 14mm f 2.8 lenses. I love the 14mm and think it may be a hair sharper than the 10-24, but love the range of the zoom too, I am keeping both, but when a 14mm fits, I love that lens!!! Since Fuji has yet to make a Fisheye, which I rarely use anyway, I picked up a Rokinon 8mm f 2.8, which is surprisingly sharp for a $300. lens! I carry various close-up filter including the Nikon 3T, 4T, 5T, and 6T and the Raynox DCR-150 close-up diopter. Lots of spare batteries, and chargers, and lens and sensor cleaning supplies. All camera bodies have Wapiti Spike Straps, Hand made Elk leather) (http://www.wapitistraps.com/)
Until this trip out west I still had a major concern about the Fuji X-System; no long glass beyond the 300mm end of the 55-200 zoom. (The APS-C size sensor in the Fuji X-cameras has a 1.5 factor making all lenses the same angle of views of a lens 1.5 times longer, thus the 200mm is acting and imaging like a 300mm!) The X-T1 and firmware upgrades for previous models make Focus Peaking a reality and changed everything! I own, some illustrated below, a collection of Nikon lenses from the 1970s and 1980’s that are extremely sharp, but manual focus. Focus Peaking allows very precise manual focusing of these lenses and my in-the-field results have been spectacular, check the images below! I now have a Guru Gear Kiboko 22L+ bag loaded with my manual stuff! They are top to bottom:
a Nikkor 400mm f 3.5 (600mm f 3.5 Equiv. and with the Nikon TC-14B teleconverter it is equivalent to a 840mm f 4.5 lens)
A Nikkor 300mm f 4.5 IF-ED ( 450mm f 4.5 equivalent, and with the TC-14B 630mm f 6)
A Nikkor 200mm Micro Nikkor f 4 (Equivalent 300mm Micro f 4 or with the TC-14B 450mm f 5.6 Micro!!!! that goes 1:1)
A Nikkor 200mm f 4 lens (highly corrected telephoto of Legendary Status, as are all these other manual focus lenses, a 300 mm f 4 equivalent, and with the TC-14B a 420 f 5.6)
The drop in polarizer from Kirk Enterprises, (long discontinued!), was a gift from Jack Graham, what a guy!!! Means even more, coming from him!
O.K. this would all be great if this wonderful, and fast long glass works!? Is it sharp on the Fuji X-System cameras? I’ll let you be the judge, keep in mind these are all images with the 300mm f 4.5, the 400mm f 3.5 and 200mm Micro are even sharper. If you do not need auto focus, and I don’t, I think these images will sell my point! Feel free, in fact PLEASE, single click any image to see it larger! A big plus, all these older manual focus glass is much less expensive than the newer auto focus ones, A current 600 f4 is around $12,000. for around $2,000. you can get a 400mm f 3.5 which on the Fuji is a600mm f 3.5 and much, much, smaller and lighter!
Finally to complete the system I carry a Fuji X100s which Zak Arias called the greatest camera ever made, I think he may be very close to being right!
Filters? You bet! I use a Mind Shift Filter Hive illustrated below for all the various extra-duty filters.
1. Singh Ray I-Ray (Infra Red) 77mm & Singh Ray LB Polarizer thin 77mm
2 thru 6. Step up rings for each Fuji filter (52mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm. 72mm) size to 77mm
7. Singh Ray Tony Sweet Soft Ray filter 77mm & Singh Ray color intensifier 77mm
8. Singh Ray 1 stop soft graduated ND
9. Singh Ray 3 stop hard graduated ND
10. Singh Ray Singh Ray 2 stop hard graduated ND
11. Singh Ray 15 stop Mo-Slow ND
12. Singh Ray 72mm thin LB Polarizer
13. Singh Ray 3 stop soft graduated ND
14. Singh Ray 2 stop soft graduated ND
15. Amber color correction
16. Canon 500D diopter 77mm
17. Nikon 77mm large polarizer
18. Singh Ray Mo-Slow 5 stop ND – (10) 10 stop, and 15 stop
Summing it up!
I now have a system that covers from 12mm to 840mm and a field system that covers the vast majority of my needs. One last thing, I decided on this trip that even though the cameras are lighter, with this much focal length range I “invested” in a Really Right Stuff TVC 33 Series 3 tripod and a new BH-55 LR head, mine will go in for refurbishmenet and will become my back up. Jack Graham and Jim Haverstock both use this tripod and I’ve admired their’s way too long, so one of my new tag phrases! The clock is ticking, enjoy it now!!!
Of course new things will be released and I will consider them, but even if Fuji stopped today, I have all the photographic horsepower I need to shoot what I want to shoot,and after all, isn’t that the name of the game! Of course when new stuff comes, I will review it here!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
Johnny here is the image of the 300, courtesy of Ken Rockwell:
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2014 at 4:05 pm
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Well back up to 45 lbs. I see… 🙂
Yep, but I don’t carry but 14! Love you man!
Bill, could you post a closeup of the 300 Nikon you are using. I think I have found one but i’m not a 100% sure it is the same one you are using.
Yes, I will add it to the end of story in a few minutes!
Thanks so much Bill. Time to do some checking.
Well Bill the 300 I found was not the IF version. Maybe it is the one right before the IF version as it looks the same except it extends out when focusing.
Bill,
Great images and good info! The Palouse images bring back alot of memories from our trip last year. What lens shades do you use for the 10-24 and 18-55 fuji’s?
Thanks,
Wayne
Thanks Wayne! I used the supplied hood with the 18-55 except when using a polarizer, in which case I use none, same thing with the 10-24. My thin Singh Ray polarizer does not have front facing threads, but does not vignette
.
You have just about sold me to trade in the 7D for the Fuji system. Wonderful images – your blessed to have access to such great landscapes.
I certainly am!
Alistair, I was/am a 7D shooter save for the experimental Nikon 1 tryst. I am also now a Fuji shooter. Don’t dump your 7D — yet. Image and glass quality with virtually no noise — Fuji is great. But the sensor dust and artifacts issue and slower focusing are things Fuji needs to work on. I like it when it works well — and but for those issues and the lack of a decent flash system it really does. But 7D still wins on focusing speed and if you shoot HD video, video quality. Fuji is very good but they need to address some issues. (So does Canon, for that matter!)
I agree on focusing speed, I’ve not experienced any dust issues though seeing a naked sensor every lens change is scary! Artifacts??? Not sure about that, I’ve not experienced any, but I have long since quiet renewing my annual pixel peeper membership! I don’t use flash hardly at all so, once again just for me, not an issue. The 7D is a fine camera, don’t dump anything until you are sure!
Can’t get enough of these Fuji posts! Two questions: where did you get that little red shutter button cap for your X100s; how are you putting Nikkor lenses on your Fujis?
Red button, hundreds of choices on Amazon.
Fotodiox Nikon to Fuji lens adapter also from Amazon, around $15.!
Further comment on dust. When working for Nikon I was part of a campaign to save newspapers money on sensor cleanings. We learned several things that cut down on dust by over 90%!
1. Keep rear lens caps and the rear mount and lens elements very clean! 99% of dust is attracted to the sensor from the rear of the lens during imaging as the sensor is electrically charged and acts as a magnet for dust!
2. Always blow off the sensor with a good strong blower brush often!
3. Hold the camera face mount down when cleaning and changing lenses, gravity works!
4. Try to avoid “wet” cleanings as much as possible!
I do most of that! 🙂 The dust issue appears to relate to dust under the sensor glass which isn’t visible when using a scope. It’s a QC issue and some bodies have gone back to Fuji for that reason. A couple weeks ago I had a NPS guy look at both of mine (ostensibly to clean the sensors) and although the top of the glass appeared clean there was still dust and some substance under it. Couldn’t get the sensors clean as a result. He recommended returning to Fuji. Saw several similar posts. The Fuji lenses are great but the zooms do have a way of sucking dust in.
Zooms do certainly breath.
Bill
Do you know if you can use the the autofocus teleconverters on lenses like the 300 f4 ais edif?
John
No you can’t. It can potentially damage the autofocus and information contacts! Hope all is well in Jersey!
Hi Bill,
I recently picked up the Fuji XT-1. So far I’m enjoying it even thought I only have the kit lens. I’m told the 10-22mm is a must for landscape photography. It will be the next lens I pick up. Though I won’t give up my Canon camera and lenses for the majority of what I do at this time, the Fuji is the one I will carry whenever I don’t want to lug around the big gear.
It is slow going for me to learn all the features. Do you know of any tutorials out there on the XT-1?
Thanks so much!
~ Patricia
I know some are on the way!
Greeting Bill
Is there an adapter that I can use to fit a Nikon 50 mm 1.4 ( autofocus) to an XT1.
Thanks
Bill Hinkle
Yes, it is the one for G lenses, at Amazon
Bill it was nice chatting with you today. I think I got a pretty good deal on the Nikon 300 f4.5 as I paid $125 and it had the tripod collar and the glass is pristine. If anyone is looking for this lens, Precision Camera in Austin, Texas one more at the same price. They are great folks and will treat you fairly just ask for Robert. The only difference is it does not have the tripod collar but the glass is pristine also. I shot both lenses on the XT1 and both performed perfectly, So for about $175 I walked out the door with the lens and the Nikon to Fuji adapter. Again Bill, thanks so much for your advice.
Thrilled you found a good one with the tripod collar!
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From another reformed Nikon shooter, I am with you in your 12-step program. All Nikon gear just went on craigslist, the bag cleared out and restocked (10 lbs. lighter) with Fuji X-E2 and assoc. gear. Why shoot CaNikon when I can work with a company that does not make a consumer-grade line of plasticky junk? Do I like not having to say “geez, if only it were sharp” anymore? You betcha!
Hi Bill
you have probably covered this before, but what is the correct way to use Polarisers on the Xt1. Do you have to shoot in manual to see the effect of polariser. I have the a Manfrotto 055 carbon pro 3. is using the RRS tripod the only way you can use an L Bracket on the Xt1.
Great to see your obvious joy, owning such a wonderful system.
Very Best Wishes
Seamus
Hi.
Question: what lens hood do you use for the fuji xf60 macro lens??
I am not able to locate any on the WEB.
Your assistance is highly appreciated.
thank you.
walt