CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

On the 1st January 2023 I stopped being an official Fujifilm X-Photographer after nearly 8 years in the programme.  All good things must come to an end but I now look to the future as an Ex X-Photographer. Since April 2015 I have had the immense pleasure of being associated with Fujifilm, working with the most forward thinking camera company in the world as they developed the X-Series and GFX medium format systems.   For seven years I have been able to give the Japanese manufacturer my thoughts on new cameras and lenses and test them before launch.  I have also been asked by Fujifilm to be part of some launches, with the 100-400mm and X-Pro2 in Tokyo, the launch of the X-T2 in Paris and at Le Mans both in 2016.  I was also part of the test team for the X-H1 in 2017, filming at the WEC race in Bahrain (see video at the bottom of this blog post). I also remember sitting in a meeting room in Tokyo in October 2015 with four fellow X Photographers and asking for a long telephoto prime lens.

Today (2nd November 2022) Fujifilm have announced the new X-T5, the fifth generation of the X-T line of X-Series cameras that was launched in 2014. I have a special affection for the X-T as it was the X-T1 that persuaded me 8 years ago to move completely to Fujifilm from Nikon, which I had been using professionally for 18 years.   I was involved with the European launch of the X-T2 in 2016 in Paris and at Le Mans, I have owned and used all four generations for my work and currently have two X-T4s, so when I was given the opportunity to test the new X-T5 prior to launch I jumped at the chance.  In the summer I bought the newly launched X-H2S, having previously tested one at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.  With the launch of the 40MP X-H2 in September I was going to have to choose between adding the X-H2 or the X-T5 as the second body alongside my X-H2S.  As an X-Photographer I was aware of the specs of the X-T5 a few months ago and on paper it looked like it was a contender to replace

  I have been flying a drone for commercial and personal work since 2018 and have held a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Permission for Commercial Operations / Operational Authorisation since April 2019.   In that time I have owned several DJI drones (Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2, Mini 2). All of these drones can shoot 4K video which has been used for my clients but, apart from the Phantom, I have never been that happy with the still images coming off these drones.   However, in November 2021, DJI launched the Mavic 3 and, for me as a professional photographer, this is a game changer with regards to capturing aerial photographs with a drone. I am not going into a full in depth review of the DJI Mavic 3 as there are plenty of technical reviews available since the drone's launch and subsequent firmware update.   However, with it's micro 4/3rds main camera and an additional telephoto camera as well, the Mavic 3 is a big step up from the previous drones.  Th

  Regular readers of my ramblings will know that the Fujinon XF10-24mm f4 has been a workhorse for my style of photography since I purchased the lens back in May 2014.  In May I wrote a feature on my first six years with this lens using it for landscape, sport and wildlife. Recently Fujifilm announced a Mark 2 version of this lens, with a marked aperture ring and, most importantly for my work, weather resistance.  As an X Photographer I contacted Fujifilm UK and they sent me a test lens to try out in Bahrain where I was working on the final round of the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship. What's The Difference? Size wise the lens are very similar, as can be seen in the image above where the new lens is on the left and the older version on the right. The newer lens is slightly less 'chunky' but the overall height is unchanged. On the side of the MK2 the two switches that control OIS and Auto/Manual aperture have gone and the aperture ring is now marked with F4 to F22

  On Thursday evening in the European Le Mans Series paddock at the Autodromo Internacionale do Algarve in Portugal we conducted an interview with Hollywood star Michael Fassbender, who has been racing in the five round series this year with Porsche team Proton Competition.  We wanted to catch up with him at the end of his first season of endurance racing and get his take on racing in a top European championship. As the ELMS press officer I wrote the questions and did the filming, while with my colleague Sophie Liger asked Michael the questions. The interview was filmed on two Fujifilm X-T4s.  The main interview camera was fitted with the XF16-55mm f2.8 lens and this was fixed to a 3 Legged Thing 'Jay' video tripod.  The second X-T4 was used by me handheld and was fitted with the XF90mm f2 lens.  I also used a GoPro Hero 8 Black to give a rear view of the interview (see still image below). All three cameras were set to record in 4K25 with the final video produced in 1080P for s

A couple of weeks ago I recorded a webinar for Clifton Cameras on using the Fujifilm X Series for Sports Photography.  In the video I talk about how I started, the different genres of photography I shoot, how I travel with my camera gear and also how to take sports images with a 'wow' factor in motorsport, canoe slalom, water skiing, eventing, cricket and rugby. The video was published yesterday and here it is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Carter is a Haida Filters Co-Photographer -  CLICK HERE  to see his profile MacLean Photographic runs Photography Workshops in East Lothian and the Borders of Scotland.   CLICK HERE  for more details and avai