CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

X-Pro2 + XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 - 1/1000 @ f5.6 ISO640 Last Saturday I attended my third rugby event to test the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and the 100-400mm lens in a sporting environment.  The event in question was the famous Melrose Sevens in the Scottish Borders, a tournament of 7-a-side rugby on a full sized pitch with teams from all over the country and some from further afield.  With games lasting seven minutes per half and only seven players compared to fifteen, the action is fast and furious and a good test for the reaction of the camera gear and the photographer. I was using the X-Pro2 with the Fujinon XF100-400mm lens and the X-T1 with the 50-140mm f2.8 with a 1.4x converter fitted.  I did try the 1.4x converter on the 100-400mm and got some excellent results despite losing that extra stop of light. I set both cameras to manual exposure but left the ISO on auto to compensate for the variable light due to the clouds moving over the town causing the brigh...

So here we are again and well into 2016. With the recent launch of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 I thought I would review what is in my camera bag before the overseas trips begin and to make sure it all fits. Because I have added the X-Pro2 and 100-400mm I wanted to see if everything would fit into the Lowepro 350AW backpack that I use for travelling.  As you can see from the picture above, everything did go in and when I weighed the bag it came out at 11.1kg fully loaded. The other point is this is the MAXIMUM amount of gear I can take, I can go lighter if I want, it just depends on the job in hand.   I also do a lot of flying - 82 flights in 2015 - and it is important that I can fit everything into one piece of carry on luggage rather than taking hard cases and trusting expensive gear to the cargo hold. So what is in the bag going into 2016? 2 x Fujifilm X-T1 bodies + one vertical battery grip 1 x Fujifilm X-Pro2 1x XF100-400mm f4....

As 2015 draws to a close I have had time to think back on what has been an eventful 365 days.   This year I have travelled near and far thanks mainly to my work for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series.  2015 has seen several trips to France as well as to Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, Portugal, USA, Japan, China and Bahrain.   I got to tick a few items off my bucket list in 2015.  I took a day out after the race in Texas last September to travel down to San Antonio to visit The Alamo .  I also took a day to see some of the old parts of Shanghai with a trip out to Zhujiajiao and the Seven Treasure water towns.  I also finally got to visit the Grand Mosque in Manama during my trip to Bahrain. Paris remains my favourite international city on the planet, with several trips to the French capital in 2015, including a family holiday in the summer.  The terrible events in November with the terrorist attac...

Yesterday I flew to Munich for the Audi Sport 2015 review where the German manufacturer celebrated their achievements during the past 12 months. The evening concluded with the revealing of the 2016 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, the car Audi Sport are confident that will regain them the World Endurance Championship that they last won in 2013 and also score them their 14th victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sitting in the audience I was only able to get this shot of the car as it was unveiled as the covers went back on as the presentation came to a close.  There are some official shots of the new car on the Audi website.  The image above was taken on the Fujifilm X-T1 and the XF18mm f2. This morning I am heading back to Scotland for a few days before I head to Paris for the FIA Awards Gala, the official closing event of the 2015 season where all the world champions for WEC, F1, WRC, WRX and WTCC will receive their trophies. --------------------------------------------...