CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Earlier this year Fujifilm announced that they had developed a tele conversion lens for the X100 / X100S that would turn the Fujinon 23mm f2 lens into a 33mm (50mm equivalent) by multiplying the focal length by 1.4x.  I already own the wide angle converter (WCL-X100) that converts the focal length to 19mm (27mm equivalent) and the addition of the TCL-X100 completes, what is for me,  the perfect lightweight travel camera kit.  I decided  to take the X100 and the converters down to Dunbar Harbour to demonstrate the differences between the three focal lengths now available on the X100. 19mm - WCL-X100 23mm - no converter 33mm - TCL-X100 As can be seen from the images above, the difference is not dramatic but then this it is not meant to be.   X100 with TCL-X100 Tele Conversion Lens fitted When using the X100 I tend to choose the focal length I will be using and then leave that lens on the camera for the duration mainly because the meth...

Due to the inclement Scottish weather on Saturday we decided to head out to Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, a 14th century church famous for it's intricate carvings both inside and outside the building. Rosslyn also found recent fame when it was featured in the Dan Brown book 'The Da Vinci Code' and also in the 2006 film of the same name.  This has meant that visitor numbers have risen from around 30,000 to over 175,000 per year since the film was released, bringing in more visitor revenue to allow restoration work to continue. The interior and exterior is a feast of carvings and design that has been worn by time and some destruction following the Reformation, but the beauty of the building is still visible.  The Baptistry at the end of the Chapel is a 19th century addition, as are the stain glass windows throughout the building Photography is forbidden inside the chapel so I had to make do with these shots of the exterior but interior shots can be seen on the offic...

Austria is such a beautiful country, it reminds me of Scotland with it's mountains and tree lined hillsides.  The weather for our visit to the Styrian Alps has been glorious with 30 degree temperatures and blue skies. I spotted this tree on the hill inside the Red Bull Ring circuit with a stone religious icon in the shade underneath.  The hill was covered in wild flowers so, after getting a shot of the icon on top of the hill, I decided to move down the slope to get an shot looking up with the tree silhouetted against the blue sky and white clouds. The final result is quite pleasing and I also did a mono version in high contrast but this image works best in colour with the punchy colours.  What do you think? All images taken on a Fujifilm Finepix X100 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost yo...

I love photographing patterns; whether they are clouds in the sky, buildings, layers in rocks or marks on the ground.  Take these tyre marks on the outside of the first corner at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.  I spotted these during my track inspection on Thursday, this is where I get to look at the photographers facilities and where the danger zones are.  As I'd never been to the Red Bull Ring before it is also a chance to get to know the track, the different corners and the general lay of the land. Anyway I stopped to take a shot of the tyre tracks left by cars doing donuts as I liked the patterns that had been left on the tarmac.  The image was taken on the Fuji X100  and on the WCL-X100 wide angle converter. Image taken on a Fujifilm Finepix X100 and 19mm f2 lens ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOG...

As we are moving out of Grantham in less than three weeks I have decided to visit some of my favourite photographic haunts over the next 14 days for one last time.   Yesterday morning I went for a walk up to Belmont Tower, which is situated on a hill near the village of Londonthorpe at the end of an avenue of trees.  At the other end of the avenue is Belton House and Belmont Tower is part of the estate which is now owned by the National Trust and so open to the public. This image was taken on the Fuji X100 with the WCL-X100 wide angle converter lens attached and using an 720nm infrared filter.  The exposure was 4 seconds @ f8 (ISO200) which meant I had to use the Manfrotto tripod to make sure everything was rock steady while the shutter was open. The second image was taken from a slightly different viewpoint with the X100 fitted with the WCL-X100 but this time with a Lee 10x ND filter (big stopper) and a Lee 0.6 Soft ND Grad. This gave an exposure o...

Experimenting with different filters and lenses is great in photography but sometimes it can be very expensive.  Infrared photography has been around for many, many years but with the advent of digital photography it is now easier to give it a go.   The best way is to have an old camera converted to infrared photography.  There are plenty of companies who are able to carry out the conversion, which can cost a over £100 to carry out, and once it is done then the camera can only be used for one type of photography - hence the use of an older model.   But these cameras do give the best results. A cheaper way of dipping your toe into Infrared Photography is to buy one of the cheap lenses available on eBay.  I did this recently, spending a grand total of £15 on a 77mm screw in filter.  Fitted to the Fuji X100S, the results are very striking.  I use a 77mm filter because the majority of my Nikon lenses are 77mm or less and it is cheaper to buy step...

When I'm presented with a beautiful scene, whether it is a harbour front or a wide landscape, it is very easy to get sucked into the big picture and shoot the wider shot.  Of course there is nothing wrong with this but I try to look for the little details as well that might make an interesting picture. Take this shot of a boat tied up in Tobermory Harbour on the Isle of Mull.  I've taken hundreds of shots of the colourful houses and shop fronts and of the bay looking out towards the Sound of Mull but sometimes you have to stop and look for the details. The rope was providing the perfect lead in line for the image and the boat was side on.  Standing in front of the brightly coloured Mishnish Hotel and using the Fuji X100 with the wide angle converter, I used lined the shot up along the mooring rope and placed the boat at the very top of the frame.  In post processing I converted the image to black and white in Silver Efex Pro2 and blurred the edges slightly to...

I have already posted some images from the old part of Le Mans on one pf my previous visits but I never got a good shot of the cathedral.  On Saturday night I went for dinner with my colleagues at a nearby restaurant and saw this scene on my way back to the car.   Le Mans Cathedral (Cathédrale St-Julien du Mans) is a Catholic cathedral situated in Le Mans, France. It is dedicated to Saint Julian of Le Mans, the city's first bishop, who established Christianity in the area around the beginning of the 4th century.  Next door is the Restaurant La Maison D'Elise which is also a hotel. I didn't have a tripod with me for these shots, so I was forced to crank up the ISO to 3200 on the Fuji X100.  Once again the little Fuji came up trumps, with the results showing little noise. All images taken using a Fujifilm Finepix X100 with a standard 23mm f2 lens or with a WCL X100 wide angle converter fitted (19mm f2) ----------------------------------------------...

I have a confession - I love eBay.  I use the world's favourite auction website to buy and sell photographic gear and I have never (yet) been caught out or paid too much for something. However sometimes an item is too good to be true and this week I have a prime example of this. Grantham Cemetery a great place to test the newly purchased wide angle conversion lens I have fallen in love with my newly purchased Fuji X100 pro spec compact camera and the images it produces are so sharp from the 23mm f2 Fujinon lens that they rival the shots I get from my full frame Nikon D700 DSLR and pro lenses.  However I do love wide angle images, my favourite combination with the Nikon is my 17-35mm f2.8 wide angle zoom.  So when I found out that Fuji have produced a Wide Angle Conversion Lens (WCL-X100) that makes the 35mm f2 (equivalent) lens a 28mm f2 lens without any loss in quality I thought that was the answer to my dreams.  At £249 i...