CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Last Sunday I wrote about the Fujinon XF 18mm f2R lens which I felt was the underrated gem of the Fuji X-Series system.   Since I got my X-Pro1 and five lenses, including the 18mm f2, I have still used the Fujifilm X100 with its superb fixed Fujinon 23mm f2 lens but have rarely used the WCL-X100 adapter, which turns the 23mm f2 into a 19mm f2, over the past few months.   I decided to go out to Ravensheugh Sands with both the X-Pro1 + 18mm f2 and the X100 fitted with the WCL-X100 to do a direct comparison between the two set ups. XF18mm f2R 23mm f2 with WCL-X100 adapter Obviously there is a slight difference in focal lengths of 1mm but the reality is there is little difference in the field of view.  It is also easy to see that the quality of the WCL-X100 adapter is on a par with the 18mm f2 lens, I certainly don't have any complaints with the quality of the images from either camera / lens. XF18mm f2R 23mm f2 with WCL-X100 adapter The bigges...

After a very stormy day on Saturday the weather was calm enough for a walk out on Ravensheugh Sands last Sunday and we spotted this paddle surfer enjoying the waves rolling off the North Sea. We stopped to watch and take some images as the low clouds rolled over Bass Rock providing a dramatic backdrop. Stand up paddle surfing is very popular in this part of East Lothian with Coast to Coast Surf School offering courses in Belhaven Bay.   CLICK HERE for the Coast to Coast website. CLICK HERE for more  on Stand Up Paddle Surfing All images taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 + Fujinon 55-200mm f3.5/f4.8R OIS 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 this blog - thank you for helping ------...

The power of the sea is something I still can't get enough of.  Walking along the beaches here in East Lothian, and there are plenty for us to choose from, I love to stop and watch the movement of the water either on the sand, or, as here, against the rocks. I also like to show the movement of the waves in my images and this means using a slow shutter speed of around 1/20 of a second, as I did in this shot at Ravensheugh Sand. Image taken on Fujifilm X-Pro1 and a Fujinon 18mm f2 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 this blog - thank you for helping ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPER...

A walk on a beautiful sunny afternoon in Links Woods behind Ravensheugh Sands provided a great subject for a couple of shots on the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Fujinon 18mm f2 lens.   Despite it still being February the weather in East Lothian is decidedly spring like, with many bushes and trees showing the first signs of budding. It wont be many weeks before the tree tops are covered in leaves and the floor of the woods with be shaded from the light.  Winter is a great time for taking images of trees. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGE...

The silver birch is a favourite photographic subject because of the contrast between the brightly coloured bark compared to the rest of the woodland surrounding our home here in southern Scotland. This is a close up shot of a silver birch tree from the woodland near Ravensheugh Sands.  The sunlight was coming from the right through the trees, highlighting the side of the bark.   Using the X-Pro1 and 60mm macro lens I captured this image showing the colours and patterns in the bark. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE...

I recently acquired the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and a quartet of prime lenses.  Of these four - 14mm f2.8, 18mm f2, 35mm f1.4 and 60mm f2.4 macro - I thought the moderately wide 18mm f2 (27mm in full frame terms) would be the lens that would stay in the camera bag the most and the 14mm (21mm equivalent) would be the wide angle lens of choice with this camera. However the reality is this is the lens I have actually taken more shots on since getting the X-Pro1.  I think the reason for this is the 14mm is physically bigger - about twice the size of the 18mm - and because of the extra angle of coverage, it is a more considered choice when out and about.   The 14mm is also an F2.8 and one stop slower than the 18mm which is an f2. Not so much of a problem on a sunny day but in low light conditions without a tripod than one stop could make all the difference. Today was a good example when we visited Tyningham Beach for a walk.  This wasn't a photographic trip,...

Another beautiful sky at sunset was the inspiration for this shot.  After heavy rain there were lots of puddles on the track as I walked back to the car.  The sun had set and the trees were silhouetted against the bright sky.  The reflection of the sky in the puddles contrasted nicely against the dark track and trees producing a very two tone image.   This shot was taken on the Fuji X-Pro1 and the Fujinon 14mm f2.8 lens.  The exposure was 30 seconds at f8 with the camera set to ISO200.  To keep everything steady I used the Slik tripod. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------...

On the way out to Ravensheugh Sands there is a small copse of trees next to the track and the area is excellent for fungi, lichen and moss.  This provided the perfect subject to test the 60mm f2.4 macro lens on the Fuji X-Pro1 compact system camera. The 60mm f2.4 Fujinon is already proving to be an extremely versatile lens having been used for landscape and now for macro images in the first week. The equivalent to 90mm in full frame terms, this short telephoto is extremely well constructed and is sharp across the lens at all apertures from f2.4 to f22. The aperture is also slightly faster than my Nikon on 105mm f2.8 micro and is less than half the size. However the Nikon does benefit from a vibration reduction system that does increase the size of the lens. I can see this lens being used on a regular basis for a lot of my work. Besides the landscape and macro the Fujinon 60mm f2.4 is also the perfect focal length for portraits. More on the new X-Pro1 system on Sunda...

My first day back in Scotland after ten days in Japan was spent fighting to stay awake with the jet lag. So I decided the best remedy was to grab the camera bag and head out to Ravensheugh Sands for some late evening photography in the bracing conditions. The day had actually been very miserable and I suspected the rainy conditions that we had in Japan for race day had followed me half way round the world.  But as 4pm approached the rain stopped and the clouds parted to give some sunshine for the final couple of hours of the day. Taking the Fuji X-Pro1 and the Fujinon 60mm f2.4 and 14mm f2.8 lenses I was able to capture the following images of the scene at Ravensheugh, there was no one else about. It certainly kept me awake for a few more hours. Fuji X-Pro1 + Fujinon 60mm f2.4 - 1.7s @ f20 ISO200 Fuji X-Pro1 + Fujinon 14mm f2.8 - 25s @ f20 ISO200 Fuji X-Pro1 + Fujinon 14mm f2.8 - 1.2s @ f20 ISO200 Another Milestone Reached ...

The landscape around Dunbar ranges from agricultural, to coast and to moorland and s ometimes the landscape changes in a very short space.  Take this field of winter cabbage, it is situated less than quareter of a mile from the sand dunes behind the beach at Ravenhaugh Sands.  I was draw to the field by the mass of green and the texture in the leaves.  Using the shallow depth of field of the Nikon 50mm lens I was able to focus on one area of the field and throw the rest of the frame out of focus. Both images were taken on a Nikon D800 fitted with a Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AF-D 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 this blog - thank you for helping ---------------------------------------------------...

Continuing our exploration of the East Lothian coastline we headed out to Ravensheugh Sands, which is located near the village of Tyninghame, five minutes from Dunbar by car.   The beach is about 3 miles long and is pristine golden sand, with large dunes behind.  And we had this little piece of paradise almost all to ourselves, there were just one other couple walking their three dogs in sight. Images taken on a Nikon D800, Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 AF-S, Lee 0.9 ND Soft Grad filter ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MAC...