The Really Right Stuff has two Fujifilm X-Pro 2 camera plates available for preorder. I wish they had some product photos for us to share of their regular plate and l-plate. Their plates look well designed if you are in the market for one their site is worth a look.
image courtesy of The Fujifilm Blog
I have been spending a lot of time researching product photography lately, because it is an area I need to improve to better present my equipment reviews on the web. While doing so, I came across a novel approach on The Fujifilm Blog that is worth sharing. I am often amazed at the various methods photographers have come up with to accomplish product photography inexpensively, but the Fujifilm Blog’s method is probably the quickest/easiest setup I have come across yet.
Surprisingly everyone that ventured a guess on the site, in person and on Youtube, did so correctly. The Brielle Murch video is indeed the one filmed with a Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux M ASPH. Surprisingly, no one mentioned the different exposure as being the primary reason for picking one video over the other. Youtube introduced more compression than I expected, and it greatly diminished the differences between these two lenses, yet the “Leica Look” shined through. I considered presenting screen captures for comparison so that you can see the small differences between these lenses, but after going through several hundred frames of each video I really can’t pick which would be the best/most fair/most accurate. Generally the Summilux looks better, but sometimes the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R has an edge.
To me the biggest advantage of all between these lenses comes from handling. The Summilux manually focuses on the X-Pro2 very well, through the EVF or on the LCD, which makes the focus by wire nature of the XF56 very noticeable and off-putting. The Summilux has a level of sharpness to it through the EVF and LCD that the XF56 does not, which makes achieving critical focus significantly easier and faster. While I didn’t change the focal point in these videos, I imagine tracking a subject manually with the XF56 would be futile, because the image looks very flat when it is in focus or close to in focus.
There is only one week left to take advantage of the big Fuji sale if you haven’t already. Don’t forget to pay attention to how the sale is affecting used lenses on sites like Amazon, because there are some exceptional savings to be found during extended sales.
X-SERIES CAMERAS
Fuji X-T1
X-T1 + 18-135 (save $300): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
X-T1 + 18-55 (save $300) Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
X-T1 Black Body (save $300): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
X-T1 Graphite (save $300): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
Fuji X-T10
X-T10 body (save $150): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
X-T10 + XF 18-55 (save $150): Amazon / Adorama
X-T10 + XC 16-50 (save $150): Amazon / Adorama
Fuji X100
X100T (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
Fuji X30
X30 (save $100): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF LENSES
Fujinon Fixed Focal Length Lenses
XF 14mm F2.8 R (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 16mm F1.4 WR (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 18mm F2 R (save $100): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 23mm F1.4 R (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 27mm F2.8 (save $100): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 35mm F1.4 R (save $100): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 56mm F1.2 R (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 56mm F1.2 R APD (save $400): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 60mm F2.4 Marcro (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 90mmF2 R LM WR (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
Fujinon Zoom Lenses
XF 10-24mm F4 R (save $200): Amazon/ B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 R LM(save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM WR (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
XF 50-140mm F2.8 R LM WR (save $200): Amazon / B&Hphoto / Adorama
Fujinon Teleconverter Packages
XF50-140 + 1.4x TC (save $350): B&Hphoto
XF100-400 + 1.4x TC (save $350): B&Hphoto
Mirrorlessons has a detailed analysis of everything ACROS has to offer and how it compares to Fuji’s original monochrome simulation. The author covers the built-in color filters, and when it is best to utilize them. He also provides many landscape, and portrait examples, with each simulated color filter in action so you can decide what you prefer.
I have not had time to dig deeply into tweaking ACROS yet, but it’s definitely improved my understanding of the film simulation. The author does a good job of explaining his perspective, and I agree with him when he makes definitive statements like preferring weak grain over strong grain due to it’s more organic look. This article is not to be missed if you are an ACROS fan.
It seems I am not the only person impressed with Fuji’s ability to produce great video via film simulation. EOSHD calls the Fujifilm X-Pro 2 a Leica killer, which is quite a claim considering the effort Leica’s been putting into video with newer Leica cameras like the SL and S. The Fujifilm X-Pro 2 isn’t perfect, but it allows you to produce stunning images and video, when you put the time into understanding the system. Check out EOSHD’s video centric review if you’re interested in learning more.
