CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Why do certain cameras get 'pigeon holed' as good for one type of photography? I don't know either! Regular readers of this blog will have noticed a lot of posts using the new Fujifilm X-T1 over the past month and I have to say I am enjoying using this superb X-Series camera alongside the X-Pro1.  So what about the camera that started my Fujifilm journey back in October 2012, the X100 black limited edition?  The small, but perfectly formed, X100 is usually in my coat pocket and is still being used on a daily basis. This is a camera (along with the newer X100S) that has been pigeon holed by some 'experts' as a 'Street Photography' camera. While it does perform extremely well in this environment, the X100 is suited to a lot more photographic situations, in fact I would go as far as saying this is my perfect travel / people / landscape camera.   It does make me wonder who makes these sweeping generalisations.  Are these the same people who say you c...

Dunbar Harbour is one of our favourite places to walk, there is always something new to see and photograph.  Unlike North Berwick, the harbour at Dunbar is a working harbour with fishing boats coming and going all year round.  This afternoon the boats were tied up to the quay and lay waiting ready for their crews on the next run out into the North Sea to bring home the next catch. Walking round with the camera a coiled mooring rope caught my eye, the heavy hemp, weathered by age and the sea, produced a beautiful texture.  The rope was on the harbour walk at the end of the run of fishing boast so I was able to get the boats in the background, but out of focus as I decided to use an aperture of f2 on the 23mm Fujinon lens fitted to the Fujifilm X100. The winter scene called for a mono conversion of the image in post production and this was achieved in Silver Efex Pro2. Here are some more shots of Dunbar Harbour on this cold January day. All images taken ...

I have been going through the images I took during my recent 10 day trip to Japan. I still have images to post from Tokyo and this shot of two Japanese bikers riding through the Harijuku shopping and entertainment district of the Japanese capital caught my attention. Fujifilm X100 - Fujinon 23mm f2 - 1/45 @ f5.6 - ISO400 The shot was taken on my Fuji X100, which is the perfect street camera.  I heard the Harley Davidson before I saw it and I was ready to take the shot as they appeared, the riders weaving through the busy, narrow street. The camera was set on a low shutter speed to capture some movement in the bike and I converted the image to mono in Silver Efex Pro to give it more of a timeless feel. I also added a vignette in Color Efex to focus the viewers attention on the bike. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It ...

Mount Fuji is one of the iconic landmarks of Japan and last year I took plenty of images from ground level.  This year, along with my FIA WEC colleague Lisa Crampton, we stopped at the mountain on our way down to Suzuka from Tokyo airport to get a closer look at Fuji-San and attempt to climb the 3775 metre (12389 ft) volcano. Driving up to the 5th station at 2440 metres the Fujinomiya Trail to the top is clearly marked and well worn.  The climb is not difficult but it is tiring and takes 3-4 hours on average.  We arrived at 2:30pm and with the sunset due at 5:20pm we decided to see how far we could get up the trail. The trail is marked with ropes and the path covered with loose rocks and shale from the volcano.  There are parts that are steeper than others but it is never a need to be a mountaineer.  That said warm closes, plenty of drink, choclate and sturdy boots are a must as at 12...

After three events in three weeks I have ten days at home in Dunbar before I head off to the next FIA World Endurance Championship event in Japan, which will include a visit to the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka the weekend before.   The weather in this part of Scotland has turned decidedly autumnal with a fresh breeze coming off the North Sea.  This doesn't bother me in the slightest as I just wrap up warm when out taking photographs. In fact I welcome the change in the weather as a front approaches the clouds become very dramatic, as can be seen in this image of South Beach in Dunbar this afternoon. Image taken with a Fujifilm Finepix X100 and 23mm f2 Fujinon lens ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support thi...

After all the colourful images I have posted from the trip to Austria I decided that I need to return to a mono theme for today's post.  Walking around the village of Rattenberg where we stayed during the recent European Le Mans Series race at the Red Bull Ring, situated 6km from the village, I photographed some of the typically Alpine houses and working buildings.  I decided to work these images in black and white as the olde world feeling of the village suited the mono look.  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 you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support this blog - thank you for helping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

This shot of the Corran Lighthouse at Ardgour was taken on the Fuji X100 while waiting for the ferry across the mouth of Loch Linnhe.  The lighthouse is no longer in use but is now self catering accommodation.   FROM THE WEBSITE:   Corran Lighthouse Lodge is situated on the shoreline of Loch Linnhe, a beautiful tidal sea loch on the West Coast of Scotland near Fort William.  Accommodating up to 10 guests in five en-suite bedrooms the Lodge is at the gateway to the magical Ardnamurchan peninusla.  From the Lodge there are fabulous views down Loch Linnhe across to the magnificent Glencoe mountain range and Ben Nevis.   CLICK HERE for the website. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY CLICKING THE NEW GOOGLE ADVERTS It doesn't cost you anything to click on an advert but we get a small fee for every click thru from Google and this helps support t...

LCD screens are an important part of all modern digital cameras.  Not only do they provide a playback facility to check the composition and exposure of an image, they also provide the means of composing the image in the first place - in the case of some compact, and low end cameras, the only means.  Over the years the LCD has grown in size and is more vulnerable to scratches so it is therefore vital to protect this important part of the camera. Once applied you wouldn't know the Expert Shield Screen Protector was there Nikon provide a plastic cover for their DSLR LCD screens, but these aren't 100% secure (more on this later), and the screen on the Fuji X100 doesn't have the facility for an external plastic cover. So when I found out about the screen protectors from Expert Shield I was interested. Easy to follow instructions with lens cloth provided to eliminate air bubbles when apply the screen protector I received two protectors for my X100, a normal glossy ...

Anyone who reads this blog will know that the Fujifilm Finepix X100 is my favourite walkabout camera. It can produce images that rival the much larger Nikon D800, it is beautiful to look at and is so well screwed together that I'm sure it will last me years.  My X100 is a limited edition 'black' version and came with a few special extras in the box when I bought it last October. In March 2013 Fuji unveiled the X100S, an updated version of the X100 with improvements in several areas including the use of a 16mp X-Trans sensor from the X-Pro1 / XE-1, full 1080P HD video and a faster AF system.  I played with an X100S at the Focus on Imaging Show in March but last week I was able to get my hands on one for a long term test. X100 on the left and the new X100S on the right REAL WORLD TESTING: Like all my tests on this blog there is nothing scientific about how I go about assessing a camera. I use it in real world situations and then report how I found using th...