With March officially underway, James Maher told us his thoughts on the new Fuji X100V camera, while Andrew Ford told us best practices in how to move from Photoshop to After Effects. Jeremy Gray continued his series on the Nikon Z system, Michele Grenier gave us her thoughts on some standout booths at WPPI and Levi Sim told us about using AF-C for still life macro photography.
The new Fuji X100V: A review of the most important camera of the decade - Recently, Fujifilm released a fifth-generation update of their flagship X100 line with the Fujifilm X100V, an update two years in the making from their incredibly popular X100F camera. I have been shooting with the X100 series of cameras since the first version was released nine years ago, primarily for street and travel photography and some other personal work, and it has had a transformative effect on the way that I shoot and on my photography as a whole. Fuji was kind enough to lend me their new model for review. What is the Fuji X100? For those unfamiliar with the history of the Fuji X100 (and my grand claim for it being the most important camera of the decade), the original X100 was released in February 2011. It launched Fuji as one of the leaders in the mirrorless camera market and took the camera world by storm. The X100 was and is a high-end camera in a gorgeous, compact and retro rangefinder-style body. The camera mixed a flashy yet understated design — a nod to the film cameras of old — with high-end image quality, low-light performance and brilliant ergonomics. The camera handled incredibly well and had dial-controlled operation. It included a state-of-the-art viewfinder with electronic and optical options. But most importantly, I would argue that the camera’s biggest quality has been the restraint that was shown in its development. This camera felt like it was built by photographers. The X100 significantly influenced many companies, the mirrorless camera market as a whole and helped to push it where it is today. A camera with restraint The restraint aspect needs to be focused on, as the X100 used an APS-C sensor and built-in 23mm (35mm equivalent lens) with only an option to purchase 50mm and 28mm equivalent attachment lenses and nothing else. Both features on the surface may seem like something that would have held the camera back, but I would argue that they actually allowed the camera to shine. The image quality and colors that come out of this camera are a direct result of that — absolutely stunning. The X100V is certainly not for everyone (for everyone else that needs zoom lenses and more primes, there is the Fuji X-T4), but this camera is the right option for a lot of people, even if they may not know it. For my personal, travel and street work, I only use 35mm and 50mm lenses and so this camera is everything that I need. The focal lengths are perfect for these genres. For those that are wary of sticking to prime lenses like these, I highly suggest trying them. The restraint, I believe, can make you a better photographer (depending on what you like to shoot, of course). You learn to eventually see as the lens sees and the shooting experience becomes very nuanced and more spontaneous. Who is it for? The Fuji X100V shines for street and travel photographers, but it can work incredibly well for most genres and I use it a ton for daily architecture photography. The camera is for anyone who wants to make photography a daily part of their life and take their camera around with them as often as possible. It’s for anyone who likes to photograph in a simple, relaxed and less complicated way. This camera is pure. What’s new in the Fuji X100V? While holding true to its overall form, the design of the X100V still manages to be slightly sleeker than its predecessor and uses a new aluminum coated in satin for its top and bottom plates. For the first time, the X100V includes a two-way tilting touch screen, which is so thin that you barely know it’s a touch screen at first. And the hybrid viewfinder — one of the star features of the camera — is now updated with an improved electronic screen. The camera body is newly weather resistant, although the lens is not, so you will have to purchase an addition to weather seal the lens. This being said, I have photographed in the rain significantly with older X100 models (with an umbrella) and allowed the camera to get fairly wet while never having a problem. A weather-resistant body will make me that much more comfortable doing this. The camera includes a newly developed lens (part of the reason for the two-year timeframe for release), which has better corner sharpness, improved close-distance focusing, and it shows less distortion than previous versions. The sensor is new, sharing the same 26.1-megapixel sensors as the X-T3 camera. The image quality and colors have always been incredible on the X100 line of cameras, but you can certainly see an improvement. The camera also now includes 4K video. Finally, the autofocus is noticeably improved, which may actually be the deciding upgrade factor for many people. The autofocus is very good, particularly for a mirrorless camera of this size. Night shooting Night shooting needs to be highlighted with this camera, as I tested it up to ISO 6400, and the quality at 6400 was astounding. This camera will allow you to do fast-moving or indoor street photography in near darkness. The noise is minimal and looks very pleasing. Silver or black and white? The camera comes in both a gorgeous silver-plated and understated black-plated design, and I think the choice depends on what you prefer to shoot. The silver-plated design is stunning — just the look of it makes photography feel more fun. People will constantly notice the camera and make comments about how beautiful it is (including many, “nice film camera” comments). For these reasons though, I prefer the black-plated model, particularly for street photography. While still sleek and beautiful, the camera looks so understated that people stop noticing it and the comments stop. This makes it much easier to shoot with for street photography. Tips for street photography with the X100V The X100 includes a menu option for silent shooting, which I keep on all the time except for when shooting
Moving from Photoshop to After Effects - It may seem daunting to learn the robust interface of After Effects — Adobe’s visual effects, motion graphics and compositing application. But if you are a designer or photographer familiar with Photoshop, you’ll already know some aspects of the program. Let’s explore some of the similarities. Creating motion graphics, even on a basic level, is a useful skill that can increase your value. Like Photoshop, After Effects is a massive program filled with complexities. Fooling around with settings, stacking effects, and just getting inquisitively creative is often the best way to learn. It’s one of those programs that’s so deep you will never feel that you’ve mastered it, but Photoshop was the same way at first, right? After Effects Layers First, you’ll encounter the concept of Layers, which can be added to a Composition’s Timeline. Just like Photoshop, Layers on top will cover Layers below. Because video moves over time, Layers are in a Timeline instead of a Layers Panel. If you’ve ever created animated GIFs in Photoshop, you’ve had a taste of the Timeline concept. The Timeline allows Layers to have start and end points in linear time instead of being static. Because these Layers aren’t static, you use something called Keyframes to set attribute values over time. Filters and effects put on Layers also have values that can be changed over time. This is how you apply various motion/changes to the Layers. Working with PSD files After Effects supports PSD files (converted to RGB for a clean import). When importing a file, you have the option to import as Footage, Composition or Composition – Retain Layer Styles. Importing as Footage will flatten your PSD to a one-layer image. The Composition option will keep individual Photoshop Layers. Composition – Retain Layer Styles keeps individual Photoshop Layers AND the original dimensions and anchor points of each Layer. This is useful if you are animating different Layers of the image separately. Layer Styles and Blending Modes After Effects also supports Layer Styles and can preserve them when importing Photoshop Layers. In the Layer menu of After Effects, you can also apply the same Layer Styles that Photoshop offers, such as Satin, Outer Glow, Bevel and Emboss, etc. What about Blending Modes? Yes, After Effects has that too! This includes Multiply, Add, Overlay, Color Dodge and many more. Masks, Shapes and Text — oh my! Like Photoshop, After Effects has Masking tools, supports Transparency (Alpha Channel), and can create vector shapes. The Character and Paragraph panels are almost identical. Animating text is a great way to begin to learn about keyframing attributes such as position, rotation, scale and opacity. And, of course, effects When it comes to effects, After Effects has hundreds of built-in plug-ins. Hundreds of third-party effects are also available for purchase. Some built-in effects will be familiar to the Photoshop user, especially ones found in the color correction and blur/sharpen categories. Just like Photoshop, effects can be applied on a per-Layer basis or can be applied to an Adjustment Layer to affect the Layers beneath. Multiple Layers can be selected and adjusted at the same time in After Effects. You can also make Nested Compositions, which is similar to a Group in Photoshop. You can apply an effect to a Nested Composition to alter all the Layers inside. After Effects has great built-in tutorials for getting started from the ground up, but hopefully you now feel confident that your Photoshop knowledge will help you with some aspects of After Effects. Now you’ll just need time to explore the rest of the amazing things the program can do!
The state of the Nikon Z system, part two: Prime lenses - In my previous article surveying the state of Nikon’s mirrorless Z system, I looked at the trio of cameras currently available: The full frame Nikon Z6 and Z7 cameras and the DX-format Nikon Z50. Cameras are certainly the main component of any photographic kit, but you cannot take photos without a lens. During the time since launching the Z6 and Z7 cameras in late 2018, Nikon has released a dozen native lenses for their new Z mount, including a pair of APS-C lenses for the Z50. Among these lenses, many of them are oriented toward enthusiasts and professional photographers. These are denoted as S-series lenses and they include better weather resistance and a customizable control ring, which lets you control camera and lens settings such as ISO, shutter speed, aperture and focus. In this lens article, I will be looking at the prime lenses in the Nikkor Z lens lineup, all of which are currently full-frame (FX) lenses. In a separate article, I will be covering the FX and DX (APS-C) lenses in the Nikon Z system. My hands-on experience with Nikkor Z prime lenses is limited to the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S lens, which launched alongside the Z6 and Z7 in 2018. Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S Price: $1,050 USD Availability: March 2020 Widest prime lens available for the Nikon Z system Max diameter x min. length: 3.33 in. (84.5mm) x 4.27 in. (108.5mm) Weight: 1.11 lb. (505g) 77mm filter thread 14 elements in 11 groups 3 extra-low dispersion elements Includes Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coating 9 aperture diaphragm blades Angle of view: 94° Minimum focus distance: 7.87 in. (20cm), resulting in 0.19x maximum magnification Includes multi-focus system for fast and smooth autofocus The Nikon 20mm f/1.8 AF-S lens for Nikon F mount is one of my favorite wide prime lenses. Thus, it has long been a staple in my bag, especially for nighttime photography and I’m excited to try the new version for the Nikon Z mount, as it should deliver strong overall performance. However, it will be interesting to see how the Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S performs with respect to comatic aberration because this is particularly important when photographing the night sky. Great for: Landscapes, night sky photography (hopefully), environmental portraits and general low light photography Nikon 24mm f/1.8 S Price: $1,000 USD Max diameter x min. length: 3.07 in. (78mm) x 3.8 in. (96.5mm) Weight: 15.87 oz. (450g) 72mm filter thread 12 elements in 10 groups 1 extra-low dispersion and 4 aspherical elements Includes Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coating 9 aperture diaphragm blades Angle of view: 84° Minimum focus distance: 9.84 in. (25cm), resulting in 0.15x maximum magnification Slightly longer in focal length than the Nikon 20mm f/1.8 S lens, the 24mm f/1.8 S lens is a standard focal wide-angle prime lens; most camera systems include a similar optic. I have not shot with this lens, but it’s a safe bet that it’s a solid choice for landscape, architecture and reportage work. Great for: Landscapes, architecture, environmental portraits, reportage and general low-light photography Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S Price: $850 USD Max diameter x min. length: 2.87 in. (73mm) x 3.39 in. (86mm) Weight: 13.05 oz. (370g) 62mm filter thread 11 elements in 9 groups 3 aspherical elements and 2 extra-low dispersion elements Includes Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coating 9 aperture diaphragm blades Angle of view: 63° Minimum focus distance: 9.84 in. (25cm), resulting in 0.19x maximum magnification One of the launch lenses for the Nikon Z6 and Z7 cameras, the 35mm f/1.8 S is a standard wide prime lens. The lens offers good performance and a nice depth of field effect when shooting wide open. During my time with the lens, I was impressed by its quick autofocus speeds and good center frame sharpness. The lens is also quite compact for a Z lens and results in one of the more compact and lightweight Z combos available. Great for: Portraits, reportage and general low-light photography Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S $600 USD Max diameter x min. length: 2.99 in. (76mm) x 3.41 in. (86.5mm) Weight: 14.64 oz. (416g) 62mm filter thread 12 elements in 9 groups 2 aspherical elements and 2 extra-low dispersion elements Includes Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coating 9 aperture diaphragm blades Angle of view: 47° Minimum focus distance: 1.31 ft. (39.9cm), resulting in 0.15x maximum magnification The 50mm f/1.8 lens is a standard offering in nearly every camera system due to its versatility and relatively affordable price point. Along with the 35mm f/1.8 S lens, the 50mm f/1.8 S is a compact and lightweight lens. I have not had the chance to use the lens, but user reports have been positive. It is quite a bit more expensive than the equivalent 50mm f/1.8 lens for the Nikon F mount, which is unfortunate, but it does include improved optical features. Great for: Portraits, reportage and general photography Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct Price: $8,000 USD Availability: Soon Includes a trunk case, which costs $800 USD separately Manual focus lens Features a built-in OLED information panel and assignable L.Fn button Built-in rotating tripod collar Max diameter x min. length: 4.02 in. (102mm) x 6.02 in. (153mm) Weight: 4.4 lb. (2,000g) 17 elements in 10 groups Includes a special large-diameter ground aspherical element 4 extra-low dispersion elements and 3 aspherical elements Includes Nano Crystal, Super Integrated and ARNEO coatings 11 aperture diaphragm blades Angle of view: 40.5° Minimum focus distance: 1.64 ft. (50cm), resulting in 0.19x maximum magnification The 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens is a modern take on a classic lens. In the 1970s, Nikon released the 58mm f/1.2 Noct lens, which was a technologically advanced lens at the time of its release and remains a popular lens on the used market. Ahead of the Z6 and Z7 launch, Nikon promised that the large diameter Z mount would allow the creation of f/0.95 lenses, and the Noct delivers on this promise. The lens is a beast,
Looking back at WPPI - Looking back at WPPI without the fluff, just the real stuff. Here's my review of 10 exposing brands in a very short and sweet recap.
Are you nuts? You can’t use AF-C for macro photography! - I’ve done lots of close-up and macro photography in my career, and I’ve tried many methods to get better results. We know that focusing close to a subject is one of the ways to make a very shallow depth of field, and when you zoom in and shoot close and use a wide aperture the depth of field becomes very shallow indeed. One thing you can count on in macro photography is that the field of focus will definitely fall right in front of or behind the thing you want to be in focus ;) However, I’ve started using AF-C (AI-Servo for you Canon shooters) for macro photography, and I’m getting much more consistent results. Let me show you why. Stuff moves & AF-C is for movement You expect kids and football players to run around, and you know you can use AF-C to keep them in focus. AF-C means “autofocus continuous.” This means that the camera shifts the focus distance continuously to keep the subject in focus. You wouldn’t expect flowers and bugs to be moving so much that AF-C would be necessary, but all it takes is a little breeze and suddenly they are wobbling in and out of the field of focus. There’s nothing more frustrating than a really sharp picture of the part of the flower you’re not interested in. AF-C will let you get the right thing in focus on your flower. Just put the focus point over the interesting spot and as the wind blows the camera will continually adjust focus. You’ll end up with sharp photos of the subject because you used AF-C for your macro photography. You move & AF-C is for movement Ideally, even the macro shot I make is locked down on a tripod with arranged lighting in just the right spot. I have a few clients who pay for that in product shots, but more often I’m making a picture for my own use and publication — I don’t usually have time before deadlines to create a studio setup. Most often, I put a couple of Lume Cubes on Platypod Goosenecks and hold my camera as still as possible on rapid-fire and hope one is in focus. Even when I do set up lights, I’m usually trying to get things done quickly and can’t mess around with positioning a tripod for each shot. The other day I had to photograph three knives for an article and needed a lot of pictures of each of them. There just wasn’t time to compose each frame on a tripod. That’s why using AF-C is excellent when you’re shooting handheld. As I was leaning over those knives set on the elk mount on the floor, I was not able to stay perfectly still and was continuously wobbling about. Even so, using AF-C got me the right thing in focus. When stuff doesn’t move, don’t use AF-C So why not just keep it in AF-C all the time? Well, because the camera is looking for movement in AF-C and it often shifts the focus on purpose so it doesn’t miss the movement. That means that when you’re making a portrait and neither of you is moving, you might end up with the background in focus instead of your subject’s eyes. Use AF-S (One-Shot for Canoneers) when you’re not shooting close-up. Make more macros! The more I make macros, the more I want to shoot close-up. It’s a completely different world and you can find new and interesting compositions right where you are. Food becomes more interesting. Pebbles on the ground become mountains. Your kid’s toys become actors in your latest production. Make more macro shots and remember that if you’re having trouble with focus, AF-C might be the perfect answer.Win free prizes just for entering the Photofocus Celebrates 21 Years contest! Get started today.
