Sony and Canon suck? Why I left both (mostly) for Fuji.

I am one of those people who love to switch systems if it's not working out for me.

In the beginning there was Canon and it was good.

I started with Canon (40D) and stayed there for a while.  Getting a 5Dii (then a 5D classic because I liked it so much) then eventually a 1DIV.  When I got the 1DIV I realised what I was missing out on in the AF world.  So soon after I decided to switch to Nikon.

Photo taken with the 40D. I think he wants me to switch to Fuji… pity the Xpro1 didn't exist yet (my son who is now 10 years old)

Then there was Nikon and it was also good.

So thanks to my buddy Scotty's convincing I got a Nikon D3s.  One thing I preferred right away is I found Nikon needed less tweaking in post compared to Canon. Also, Nikon tend to have more control buttons and knobs, which I liked.  The D3s also was/is amazing in low light (it's only 12MP so you'd expect it to be pretty good). The awesome AF was great and the low light was awesome, but I hankered for more MP.

D3s is actually a pretty nice camera. Nikon just lacked the Video chops for my needs at the time.

So I got a D800.  I liked this camera a lot, so I also bought a D800s.  Both of which were/area amazing cameras.  I also picked up a D7000, but that camera sucks IMHO so I won't talk about that.

Turns out I don't really need 36MP, but it's sure fun to play with…

BUT at one point I started to get into video a lot more than I was, so I decided to go back to Canon (which at the time were kicking Nikon's butt video wise).

Canon was good for a while.  By then Canon had their legendary (IMHO) 1Dx camera, which I owned and used for a long time.  I also picked up a 1DsIII VERY cheap off Donald (as mentioned above).  He was going to convert it to an infrared camera, and me, not being the biggest fan of infrared photography, I had to save it from that fate, so I bought the 1DsIII.

Fuji came and left fairly quickly.

Around this time, I can't quite remember exactly when.  I bought the Fuji Xpro1 (a fairly new camera at the time).  It was good, but as people may remember it was a very quirky camera at the beginning.  Now it's a lot better because Fuji love to improve their cameras with firmware, but I found at the time I wasn't really digging the Fuji vibe man, so I swapped my Fuji Xpro1, 14mm 2.8 and 35 1.4 for a Zeiss 85 1.4 for Canon mount.  My friend I swapped with (Donald) was unsure, but ended up loving Fuji.  I was happy too.  I had a new lens.

At one point I kind of wished I wanted something lighter for every day use. I considered going back to Fuji, but I remembered how quirky the Xpro1 was… Being a Full Frame user/lover I decided the new camera that had just come out the Sony A7 was the way to go.  My wife decided to be nice and buy it for my Christmas present, so I went for it.

Which brings us to the beginning of this story of…

So, I had a A7 with kit lens and the admittedly excellent Zeiss 55 1.8.  I also had a Canon 1Dx, 1DsIII, Sigma 35 1.4 art, Zeiss 85 1.4, 24-70 2.8L II and 70-200 2.8L IS II.

Then Donald decided he loved Fuji so much he'd upgrade to the X-T1.   He loved that camera so much he gave me back the Xpro1.  So I had a Xpro1 and no lenses… but it was nice of him to do that.

One day I was at a shoot with Donald. I had my A7 and he had his X-T1.  I was super impressed how LIGHT is was and how HUGE the EVF was compared to the Sony.  I was actually quite jealous…

You see, though I'm sure people will disagree with me, I never really enjoyed the Sony. It was an ok camera I suppose but I felt it was a bit big for daily use (being full frame you get a large flange on a lot of lenses that kind of defeats the point in some ways) and I was increasingly leaving it at home. I also never really liked Sony colours.  They tend to be on the warm side for me and look terrible under artificial light.

So I tried selling the A7 to see if I could, I told myself, if I sell it, I'll use the money to buy a couple of Fuji lenses to go on the xpro1.  I worked it out that it would be lighter and more compact than the A7.

So I did, I ended up liking it so much I bought an X-Pro2, which was a very surprising camera to me.  I did a lot of tests comparing it to the 1Dx and found the differences between Full Frame and this modern APS-C sensor had become so minor it didn't bother me anymore.  I found the noise levels to be more than acceptable and the details/colours to be very pleasing.  Added to this is MUCH improved colour with Lightroom with the new sensor (see more about that HERE).   Also the Auto Focus had been vastly improved, making it (at the time) about 1/2 to 1/4 slower than the 1Dx (which is a very snappy camera).  Also the ergonomics of the Fuji system is much nicer than Canon (for me) and worlds better than Sony (for me).  Additionally, the Xpro2 marked a MAJOR turning point for Fuji regarding video and Canon at the time were dragging their feet on 4K video… so…

I liked Fuji so much I decided to leave Canon and go Fuji (banking on the XT2 being what I wanted).  I had a list of things Fuji needed to do (which I wrote about HERE) and it turned out Fuji delivered everything I wanted with the XT2.

Ergonomics/Enjoyment of use

For me the old school styling of Fuji isn't just about looks.  Having manual dials for ISO/Aperture and Shutter speed as well as exposure compensation etc. make for a very natural photography experience.  Shooting Fuji is FUN.   For me Sony are great on paper, but fall short in user experience.  Which is why I suspect I ended up hardly ever using it.  I know it sounds dumb, but Fuji have more soul.  If you enjoy shooting with a camera I feel your images will be better in the long run (you'll be shooting more and at least that's practice).

Look at all those dials and stuff. Aperture ring on the lens… wowee!

Size/weight

Fuji are definitely lighter and smaller than my old Canon system.  Sony is closer, even sometimes being a tad lighter, but generally the Sony system is bigger (longer and wider) making is sort of miss the point.

Comparing the 5Diii to the A7rII both with 85mm lenses. You don't gain much size advantage with the Sony. (Image from Petapixel).

Colours

This is pretty subjective, but to me Fuji colours are superior to Sony in nearly every way and just as good if not better than Canon.  Also, Fuji have all their different film simulation modes (being an olde school Film manufacture, they know colour science) which lets you pick the perfect look.  Sure the "film look" doesn't suit everyone's style, but I actually really enjoy Fuji Colour profiles.  I think they all look quite unique and special.  Unlike Sony/Canon/Nikon profiles that IMHO are a bit boring.

Video 

This is mainly a criticism of Canon.  I liked Canon video a lot, but they (as is their habit) dragged their heels on offering 4K in a more affordable body.  Even with the 5DIV (which has 4K) they still crippled it to protect their pro video camera line. I hate that Canon does this, so it's a major reason I left them.

Kaizen (continuous improvement)

Kaizen, a philosophy Fuji have shoveled into their products.

Sony love to improve their cameras.  They bring a new one out every 6 months or something like that after-all. 😉  It is the issue with Sony/Nikon/Canon.  They all make you upgrade your camera to get a new feature that they could easily put in with firmware.

Fuji are different, they will improve the camera you already own, for free, using firmware updates.  So the camera you own now will be almost like a completely new camera 6 months down the track.  Meanwhile the Sony user has to sell their camera and buy a new one to get new features.

Fuji seem to listen and change things when they realise their mistake.

This is related to Kaizen, but I have noticed Fuji really listen to the average user and sentiment that rises from the community.  People wanted dual card slots, we got them; people wanted better control over AF points, we got a joystick; people wanted better Autofocus, Fuji continually improve that; people panned Fuji for crappy video, they improve their video to pro-standards; etc. etc.  Fuji listen to problems and fix them, often for free (firmware).  All this makes you feel like they really want to improve their products for the customer's sake, not just to make more money.

Customer care 

Also related to the above… I'll aim this one squarely at SONY.  Sony, your customer service sucks.  I can't actually comment on Fuji in this regard because I haven't needed them. But I've had plenty of terrible experiences with Sony.  Canon and Nikon are EXCELLENT in this regard, so I won't criticize them. Sony staff are often rude and they won't fix things even under warranty as they blame you for damaging it or some other excuse.   This alone is enough for me to never touch Sony again.  Though I do like the playstation… maybe different departments in the behemoth that is Sony have different rules?

I thought this was beary punny.

Fuji aren't perfect.

Another thing I want to say is FUJI ARE NOT PERFECT.  For example, I wish they had less noise at base ISO (sure it's very "film like" grain, but I still wish for less at base ISO).

So sure, Fuji isn't for everyone and the fact is you need to shoot what YOU are happy with.  Some people love Sony/Canon/Nikon that's cool.  The above is just my story.  I am happy with Fuji.  They aren't perfect, and I wish Adobe would improve their sharpening/demosaic algorithm more (they have improved it already but there's room to do better) or at least if we could get the Iridient guy to make his program available to PC users, or even better if he could make some sort of sharpening plugin for LR (that also works on PC) but I can live with adobe for now, at least they nailed the colours.By the way, I still own the 1DsIII and Sigma 35 1.4.  Both are very nice and I might get myself a Sigma 85 1.4 Art if Sigma ever bring that out.  Otherwise I use Fuji for everything.

Thanks for reading and if you're a Sony/Canon/Nikon fan, it's OK.  It's just my opinion.

Regards, your friend always,

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Source: Sony and Canon suck? Why I left both (mostly) for Fuji.

Creating Infrared Images in Color

Posted on Nov 23, 2016

You can add color to your infrared photographs at time of capture or later in the digital darkroom. The easiest way is in-camera. Many cameras that offer a built-in black and white mode including a sepia mode, so you can tone as you shoot.

You can also add color using the toning filters found in Pixel Genius' PhotoKit. If you like to tinker you can create the same effects using adjustments layers for Hue Saturation, Levels, Brightness and Contrast and then doing the Blue Sky channel swap that I've written about before. The actual settings are up to you and you need to make adjustments as Emeril says to "season to taste and then Bam!" In this case I added some tweaks in Vivenza and finally added the Glamour Glow filter that's part of Color Efex Pro. If I have some time over the winter, I'll try to write a Photoshop action to simplify the process and if I manage to accomplish that feat, I'll make it available here for a free upload.

The image was shot with my old Canon EOS 60D that was converted to IR by LifePixel and a Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 lens set at hyperfocal distance. Av mode exposure was 1/400 sec at f/16 and ISO 400. Original RAW file at right.

Another alternative is Brad Buskey's InfraRed Adjustment Action that adds subtle color to a digital infrared files and works best before you've converted the file to monochrome. Like all tweaks the more color you start with the more color you end up with.

My book, "The Complete Guide to Digital Infrared Photography," is out-of-print but used copies are available from Amazon at most affordable prices. Creative Digital Monochrome Effects is also not in print and has a chapter on IR photographer. It's available from Amazon at giveaway price. Pick up inexpensive copies for your favorite photographer as a Holiday gift.

Related

Source: Creating Infrared Images in Color

The Sony a99 II is a Low Light Monster

Photographer Mathieu Stern has based his YouTube channel on reviewing cheap and unusual lenses, but for his latest experiment he went a different direction. Stern created his own lens using 3D printing to see what results he could achieve.

OK Go just released this 4-minute music video for their song, "The One Moment." What's notable about this project is that most of the 4-minute video is a super-slow-motion shot captured over just 4 seconds of real time.

Sony's latest E-mount mirrorless cameras have wowed photographers with their low light and high ISO capabilities. Now it looks like its latest A-mount SLT, the new Sony a99 II, will do the same. Above is a 2-minute video showing its performance at ISOs up to 25600 in a room lit only by two candles.

President-elect Donald Trump held an off-the-record meeting with about 25 media executives and anchors in Trump Tower on Monday. At the gathering, Trump shared some complaints about the outlets' coverage of him, including the use of unflattering double chin photos.

If you've ever been to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, you've probably seen the countless tourists standing around with their hands in the air, pretending to push the tower of …

Photographer Clint Davis recently did a photo shoot with top-tier 2016 IndyCar racing drivers and their cars. He also created a series of behind-the-scenes animated GIFs showing how the composites were created.

My cats love to go outside and explore the world, but when it's raining they prefer to stay indoors and stare out the window.

After generating a considerable amount of hype, Chronos has landed on Kickstarter, and the dream of a 21,500fps high-speed camera at a price point of $2,500 is catching on like wildfire. The campaign reached its funding goal of ~$48,000 in about 5 hours after going live.

British photographer Melvin Nicholson of Preston, Lancashire, is receiving international attention this week after his photo of a "white rainbow" went viral in the media.

If you're keeping track today, the score is Big Corporations: 1, Photographers: 1. Because while Carol Highsmith might have all-but-lost her epic lawsuit against Getty Images, a photographer in Germany came out on top when he took Facebook to court.

There is a big craze for Sony full frame (FF) mirrorless cameras at the moment, and seeing people rush onto that bandwagon is like watching lemmings following each other over the cliff.

Out with the old and in with the new. Nikon has released their latest update to the 70-200 f/2.8.

Last year, journalist Esther Honig published a viral series of images showing how photo retouchers in 27 countries around the world "enhanced" a portrait of her according to their cultural preferences. Inspired by that project, the UK medical website Superdrug Online Doctor just published a similar experiment that explores body image.

Canon today announced its latest entry-level DSLR, the Rebel T6 (known as the EOS 1300D in other countries). If you're looking for a groundbreaking new camera, unfortunately the T6 isn't what you're hoping for.

More often than not, when a reader sends us a link to a Craigslist ad, it's some troll (or moron... or both) asking for free wedding photos or something. That is definitely not the case with the crazy for-sale ad one of our readers sent our way today.

Here's a new 11-minute video in which Ted Forbes of The Art of Photography discusses how all the greatest and most successful photographers he has met through the years have shared one "secret" in common: "extreme determination."

Took long enough. While Canon shooters have been able to use their lenses on Sony cameras with full control since forever, Nikon shooters with AF-I and AF-S glass haven't had a fully automatic option... until now.

Instagram took another big step this week in competing more directly with Snapchat. The Facebook-owned company has launched live video and disappearing photos.

Famous photographers throughout history have produced some incredible images that have stood the test of time, but it's not only their photographs that are inspirational. Their acute insights into the creative process have guided generations of photographers and shaped the way even today's best photographers think about their subjects and scenes. If you're stuck for inspiration, or even motivation, we've put together 50 quotes from the most inspirational and talented photographers the world has seen to help you get your mojo back.

Unless you've been on an Internet fast for the past week, you've probably seen this incredible clip from the upcoming BBC nature documentary Planet Earth II. The harrowing 'chase scene' has gone viral online, and now the BBC are giving us a peek at how their crew captured this spectacular footage.

Source: The Sony a99 II is a Low Light Monster

Creating Infrared Images in Color

Posted on Nov 23, 2016

You can add color to your infrared photographs at time of capture or later in the digital darkroom. The easiest way is in-camera. Many cameras that offer a built-in black and white mode including a sepia mode, so you can tone as you shoot.

You can also add color using the toning filters found in Pixel Genius' PhotoKit. If you like to tinker you can create the same effects using adjustments layers for Hue Saturation, Levels, Brightness and Contrast and then doing the Blue Sky channel swap that I've written about before. The actual settings are up to you and you need to make adjustments as Emeril says to "season to taste and then Bam!" In this case I added some tweaks in Vivenza and finally added the Glamour Glow filter that's part of Color Efex Pro. If I have some time over the winter, I'll try to write a Photoshop action to simplify the process and if I manage to accomplish that feat, I'll make it available here for a free upload.

The image was shot with my old Canon EOS 60D that was converted to IR by LifePixel and a Zenitar 16mm f/2.8 lens set at hyperfocal distance. Av mode exposure was 1/400 sec at f/16 and ISO 400. Original RAW file at right.

Another alternative is Brad Buskey's InfraRed Adjustment Action that adds subtle color to a digital infrared files and works best before you've converted the file to monochrome. Like all tweaks the more color you start with the more color you end up with.

My book, "The Complete Guide to Digital Infrared Photography," is out-of-print but used copies are available from Amazon at most affordable prices. Creative Digital Monochrome Effects is also not in print and has a chapter on IR photographer. It's available from Amazon at giveaway price. Pick up inexpensive copies for your favorite photographer as a Holiday gift.

Related

Source: Creating Infrared Images in Color

HNTB’s Jean-christophe Dick Opens ‘Aircraft in Focus: A Photo Exhibition’ at Flight Path Museum

Fine art photographer Jean-christophe Dick introduced a collection of innovative aviation-related work during the Flight Path Speaker Series at the LAX Flight Path Museum in Los Angeles. "Aircraft in Focus: A Photo Exhibition" is open to the public and runs through Nov. 19.

"Mr. Dick's work reflects the beauty of today's aircraft, the airports that serve them, and the open skies where they fly," said Lynne Adelman, president of Flight Path Museum and Learning Center.  "He captures a spectacular drama of light and color in each of his photos."

In addition to his fine art photography, Dick is a pilot and works as an aviation planner for HNTB Corp. He has been involved with the Tom Bradley International Terminal Expansion at Los Angeles International Airport and advanced planning for the Terminal D Replacement at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Dick has exhibited his photographs at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, the Museum for Flight in Seattle, the Los Angeles Fine Art Building and various other venues in Southern California and nationwide. He received a first-place photography award for his collection at the 2016 Beverly Hills Art Show.

"As a young boy, I was fascinated by aviation and pursued my passion by becoming a licensed pilot and took up fine art photography," said Dick. "I am honored to have the opportunity to share my collection of airport and aircraft photographs with so many museum visitors who are also aviation enthusiasts."

Creative by nature, Dick pursued new methods and techniques, including infrared photography where he uses custom modified cameras to capture light that goes unseen by the human eye. Through his technique, the rendered images provide a new unseen perspective on what would be a familiar scene.

Source: HNTB's Jean-christophe Dick Opens 'Aircraft in Focus: A Photo Exhibition' at Flight Path Museum

This is what your photo stream looks like when you're a NASA astronaut

Since 1996 NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit has racked up 370 days aboard the International Space Station and 13 hours of space walking.

Along with conducting scientific experiments, taking photographs is part of the job — and that's just fine with Pettit, an enthusiastic snapper since he began with a Brownie camera in the sixth grade.

Pettit has compiled an extraordinary collection of awe-inspiring photographs from space in "Spaceborne" (Press Syndication Group, $59.95). The new book has his infrared images of an erupting volcano in Patagonia, underwater coral dunes in the Bahamas and amoeba-like incandescent auroras. It also has the astronaut's poetic musings on celestial wonders. (He compares the beauty of flying through an aurora to being miniaturized and inserted into a neon sign.)

Nighttime is his specialty: lighting storms, passing comets and city lights.

"When you're in orbit looking down at Earth, you can see entire mountain ranges and discern geologic structures that are impossible to see on the ground," he says.

An infrared photo of an active volcano in the Patagonia region of South America. (Donald R. Pettit)

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During a 2003 expedition, Pettit used spare parts to create something called a barn-door tracker, which allowed for sharper high-resolution photos of city lights from the orbiting space station.

He says his favorite vantage point was the station's cupola, a dome-shaped module with seven windows pointing toward Earth and about eight cameras prepped with a variety of lenses. "It's the most marvelous place to do observation or photography,� �� Pettit says. "You just grab one and start clicking."

Technology allows astronauts to more easily share their experiences as modern-day explorers, he says. "One of the best ways to do that is through photography."

A Pettit self-portrait in the cupola of the International Space Station. (Donald R. Pettit)The aurora borealis seen from the International Space Station. (Donald R Pettit)Vista point: Cameras are set to fire in the cupola window. (Donald R. Pettit )

Follow The Times' arts team @culturemonster.

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Source: This is what your photo stream looks like when you're a NASA astronaut

Wordy Wednesday #236 “Infrared Caboose”

Posted on Nov 16, 2016

I made the above photograph at the Colorado Railroad Museum while shooting with my friend Mark Toal. The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on 15 acres at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado. The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of Colorado's flamboyant railroad era, particularly the state's pioneering narrow gauge mountain railroads.

This particular photograpah is actually a composite of several infrared images because on this particular day, this  caboose was being used for a children's party, with kids and their parents going in and out of the caboose. I tried waiting but just kept shooting hoping to get an image without birthday celebrants but that never happened so I created a composite image that reminds me of the HBO show Carnivàle, despite that show being about the circus—maybe its the effect of the toned infrared photo, who knows…

I shot the image with a Panasonic Lumix G5 converted to infrared capture by LifePixel. Lens was a 15mm Voigtlander with an exposure of 1/250 sec at f/11 and ISO 400.

My book The Complete Guide to Digital Infrared Photography is currently out of print but you can get a really affordable used copy or collector-priced new copies of the book from Amazon.com.

 

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Source: Wordy Wednesday #236 "Infrared Caboose"