{"id":8732,"date":"2013-08-08T15:16:44","date_gmt":"2013-08-08T15:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=8732"},"modified":"2013-08-08T15:24:15","modified_gmt":"2013-08-08T15:24:15","slug":"after-two-years-of-obsessing-finally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=8732","title":{"rendered":"After two years of obsessing, finally………"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It all started in February of 1969!\u00a0 Freshly graduated from U. K. (the University of Kentucky ), and living at home with my mom and dad, I was flush with cash, or the promise of it!\u00a0 I had just been hired to a whopping five thousand dollar a year contract to teach high school and was going to get a hundred bucks more, a year, to coach football!\u00a0 With money in my pocket, for the first time, I had always wanted a good camera, so after much study and research, I\u00a0 bought a Nikkormat FTN\u00a0 and a 50mm f2 lens! That combo cost me $165., those were the days!!!\u00a0\u00a0 Within a few months I had added Nikkor 24mm f 2.8 and Nikkor 105mm f 2.5!!!\u00a0 As they say, “the rest is\u00a0 history!”\u00a0 O.K. well, at least that’s what I say!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For the next 44 years the love affair has continued!\u00a0 I owned and used; Nikon Fs, F2s, F3s, F4s, F5s, I even had an F6 when I joined Nikon as the NPS Rep for the Southern U.S.\u00a0 By then film was gasping for air, and I shot my last three rolls of film with her!\u00a0 I have over 25,000 color transparencies and 10,000 black & White negatives from my film days past!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then the new streak began with the digital age; D1s, D2s, D3s, and D4s, ( and lots of other various Nikon bodies, and dozens, and dozens, and dozens of lenses!!! ) Yes, I admit I had a few little flings, a Konica once, a Leica, a Minolta, and even a Canon G9, egads!!,\u00a0 but they never lasted very long, and she, (Miss Nikon), always took me back!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Millions of miles, thousands of breath taking scenes, incredible experiences, and four decades slid by, in what seemed like 15 minutes!!!! Over time we grew used to each other, we knew each others limitations, mine, far greater than hers, but some how we made it work!\u00a0 She was the one constant in my photographic life, the palms of my hands shaped like a Nikon!\u00a0 A photographic relationship made in Heaven!\u00a0 I was sure she and I would stroll, and then hobble into the sunset together!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A doctor\u2019s office visit:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So many sad stories start with a visit to the doctors office.\u00a0 My doctor said, “Would you like some more shoulder surgery?”\u00a0 I responded, “would you like me to sock you in the jaw??!!”\u00a0 ( My doctor is also a good friend and he’s use to my, sometimes, caustic manner!) He explained that if I wanted to preserve my remaining, good shoulder, I was going to have to stop carrying a 25 + pound camera bag!\u00a0 No options, \u00a0no excuses, just do it, or check into the hospital and go under the knife again!\u00a0 Not ever wanting to face shoulder surgery, and rehab again, I started a search for how to reconfigure my gear to get the weight way down, but it just wasn’t happening!\u00a0 No matter how much I eliminated, my bag still weighed too much, and the “I have to have its\u2019” kept the weight too high!\u00a0 It seemed there was no way!\u00a0 I was truly worried!\u00a0 Was this the end of the road for me as a serious shooter??!!\u00a0 I started the search for a small, mirror-less, carry system, but honestly, everything I looked at was falling way short of what I wanted!\u00a0 Don’t get me wrong there were some interesting systems, but none met my “very” specific desires<\/span>!<\/p>\n

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Then it happened …….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was Nick’s fault,\u00a0 (Nick Coury, my dear friend and brother at Durys Camera in Nashville), \u00a0he introduced me to her!\u00a0 She was much smaller and lighter, but really well built, and oh how sharp her lenses were.\u00a0 Nick may have introduced me to her but I was the one who decided to take her for a spin, don’t blame Nick!\u00a0 After a romantic afternoon of shooting the Fuji X-Pro 1, with my hands all over her, I went back and downloaded the files. There it was, starring me in the face, and as Judy Garland sang in the nineteen fifties, “You Made Me Love You!”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You made me love you<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t want to do it<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n You made me love you<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n And all the time you knew it<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n I guess you always knew it.<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n You made me happy sometimes, you made me glad<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\n But there were times, Dear, you made me feel so bad.”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I told myself, you’re too old to have these kinds of feelings again, that spring in your step, that perpetual smile, waaaaay too old!\u00a0 But I did!\u00a0 The beat of “Addicted to Love” pounded in my head!\u00a0 Miss Fuji X had me head over heels!\u00a0 TIME OUT!\u00a0<\/strong> Now fortunately we’re not talking about a marriage here, this is photography after all!\u00a0 Surely I can have a new photographic love, and not have to walk away from the other love of my photographic life<\/span>?\u00a0 It’s not a sin to love them both, and thank goodness, because I can’t imagine my photographic life without either one of them!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With all the choices, why Fuji?!?! Certainly other, lighter systems exist, and some very fine ones too! \u00a0\u00a0It was one thing; IMAGE QUALITY<\/strong>, period!\u00a0 If a camera won’t make a killer image, I’m not interested!\u00a0 In the world of DSLRs, nothing, and I truly mean nothing, (as of this writing), comes close to a D800\/800e, end of sentence!\u00a0 But, the Fuji X series comes shockingly close, and it weighs a third the weight, and costs half as much!\u00a0 It really doesn’t matter anyway, can you spell anesthesia?!\u00a0 No, no more surgery for me!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From somewhere in the back of the auditorium, I heard a question yelled out; ” Mr. Fortney, please quantify your definition of IMAGE\u00a0 QUALITY?”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Happy to do so my friend, for me Image Quality is:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Resolution high enough to make great, sharp, large, and I mean, feet by feet, prints!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Accurate, attractive, richly saturated color, with boat loads of dynamic range.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. The noise at high ISO, needs to be noiseless to at least 1600!\u00a0 ( the X-E1 does that coasting, very, very usable all the way to 6400!).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

….and then it must have:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A. A solidly built, metal body, (check)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

B. Real, old school, shutter speed, and\u00a0 exposure compensation knobs, (check)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

C. An actual aperture ring,\u00a0 just like in the old days, (check).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

D.\u00a0 Lenses that are right up there in quality and sharpness with my beloved Nikkors,\u00a0yep, (check!!!!)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

E.\u00a0 It’s got to feel like a real camera in my hands! (check, it does!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

F.\u00a0 …..and lastly, the images have to be jaw dropping!\u00a0 (Yep!!!).<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can you see how this affair happened?!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The same guy yells out, “where does that leave Miss Nikon?\u00a0 ” I’am so glad you asked! For over forty four years she has been with me, helping me make great images, and even greater memories, so I’m not about to leave her now!!!\u00a0\u00a0 The D4 is still my\u00a0 lifetime “do everything – picture making machine”, the digital age equivalent of the old film era F5!! High praise indeed.\u00a0 I love the Fuji X series but they can\u2019t do that, that speed, that weatherproofing.\u00a0 My D800 is my 4X5 view camera equivalent! \u00a0The single \u201cBEST Imaging\u201d camera in the world as of today!\u00a0 My Nikkor glass will never leave my equipment collection!\u00a0 Nope, they are not going anywhere, I’m just not able to carry them any great distance!!!\u00a0 Remember what started all this???!!!\u00a0 Yes the Nikons will be a trunk system supreme, and will get plenty of use when I can work close to the vehicle!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you do lots of kinds of work, you need a multi faceted system!\u00a0 No one camera or system does it all!\u00a0 There is no \u201cBest Camera\u201d,\u00a0 one that does everything so well that you need nothing else. All the gear I’ve invested in is “capable” of great imagery, if it’s being used right, in the right hands, that is now, and has always has been the biggest challenge in my career!\u00a0 And I love the challenge!\u00a0 I believe every great photographer wants to make the most of the equipment they shoot. I sure do, I love the craft!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, problem solved, I’m now geared up for anything I ever want to shoot, wherever I need to go to shoot it!\u00a0 My shoulder should be safe from the surgeon, and I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had as a shooter with both my loves!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here is my retirement years system below:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

* As of August 2013.\u00a0 * keep in mind,\u00a0 new things always arrive so, down the road, we will see how any of this changes!<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NIKON FX:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 For Speed \/ Action \/ HDR \/ Heavy Duty Build & Weather \u00a0\/ working close to the vehicle.<\/p>\n

Nikon D4\u00a0 –\u00a0 Nikon D800\u00a0 –\u00a0 Nikon D700<\/p>\n

16-35 AF-S VR f4<\/p>\n

24-120 AF-S VR f4<\/p>\n

28-300 AF-S VR f3.5-5.6. (Most often paired with the 16-35)<\/p>\n

70-300 AF-S VR f 4.5-5.6<\/p>\n

105 Micro Nikkor f 2.8 AF-S VR & Manual Focus version<\/p>\n

85 f 1.8 AF D lens<\/p>\n

200mm Micro Nikkor f 4 IF-ED<\/p>\n

* ( Full set of AI-S manual focus lenses, stretching from 24mm to 400mm, all classics!)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NIKON DX\u00a0 BODY<\/span><\/strong>?\u00a0\u00a0 Still considering the options and what may come next, no I don’t know anything!!!\u00a0 Honest.\u00a0 I\u2019m waiting to see just like you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MY CARRY SYSTEM<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 Light weight + Exceptional IQ + very high fun factor!<\/p>\n

Fuji X-E1 body.<\/p>\n

Fuji X100s<\/p>\n

Fuji X-Pro 2.\u00a0 or whatever they will call it!\u00a0 (When released)<\/p>\n

10-24 f4 OIS ( When released)<\/p>\n

14mm f 2.8<\/p>\n

35mm f 1.4<\/p>\n

18-55 f2.8-4.0 OIS<\/p>\n

60mm Micro F 2.4<\/p>\n

55-200 f 3.5-4.8 OIS<\/p>\n

Looking for 90mm f 2 or 2.8 equivalent<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

* All camera bodies ( Nikon & Fuji) outfitted with Really Right Stuff L Brackets,<\/p>\n

Fuji’s with wonderful integrated grips!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, it took over two years of study, and testing, hand wringing, obsessing, and praying, \u00a0but I know I’ve got the right systems for me now!\u00a0 What’s best for you??\u00a0 That’s for you to decide!\u00a0 Get busy testing!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blessings,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

the pilgrim<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

P.S. \u00a0A nod to Zak Arias. \u00a0I thought his wonderful review of the Fuji X100s “A Camera Walks Into a Bar” \u00a0was the most clever reviews I’ve ever read, this is my attempt to, in some small way, to return the favor!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It all started in February of 1969!\u00a0 Freshly graduated from U. K. (the University of Kentucky ), and living at home with my mom and dad, I was flush with cash, or the promise of it!\u00a0 I had just been hired to a whopping five thousand dollar a year contract to teach high school and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronicles","category-learning"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8732"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8755,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8732\/revisions\/8755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}