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FUJINON XF35mm F1.4 R

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This past weekend I picked up the FUJINON XF 35mm F1.4 R and headed over to Toronto Island with it on my X-E2. The lens is a pure pleasure to shoot with, providing a 135 equivalent focal length of 53mm. It’s fast, tack sharp, and has impressive bokeh. The weather didn’t really cooperate, but here are some quick snaps with the new lens:

Toronto subway ()

Toronto subway (ISO 1600, 1/200, f/2.8) autofocused in the distance

Centerville ()

Centerville (ISO 800, 1/450, f/4.5) – small white level adjustment in post

House on Ward's Island ()

House on Ward’s Island (ISO 400, 1/110, f/5.6) – small white level adjustment in post

While I like the versatility of Fuji’s 18-55mm, I really enjoyed going back to basics with a normal prime lens. I still have both in my travel bag, but for walkabouts the 18-55mm is most likely staying in the house, car, or hotel.

I’ve updated my recommended cameras page accordingly.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.4 Released

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Attention Fuji X Series owners: Adobe has released Lightroom 4.4 which contains updated RAW image processing. You’ll definitely want to upgrade now!

As an aside, I’ve just received a X-E1 loaner from Fuji along with an assortment of lenses to test for an upcoming feature on travel photography. Also being tested is the Panasonic GX-1 and I’m waiting to hear back from Sony about their competing products.

Nikon COOLPIX P7000

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Many Nikon fans have noted that in the past few years Nikon hasn’t introduced much in the high-end compact digital camera market segment. Last month I spent a week with the new Nikon P7000 and in summary, Nikon is back!

P7000_front_lc_l

The Nikon COOLPIX P7000 specs include a 10 megapixel sensor and a 28-200mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.6  lens with vibration reduction. It records video at 720p. It offers ISO settings as high as 6400 at full resolution and 12,800 in 3-megapixel night mode. (Full specifications are here). Nikon has brought back dial controls for ISO and exposure compensation, which improves overall handling for those of us who like more control over our images.

Overall, I found the P7000 a pleasure to use, but wished it had an articulating LCD screen. One of the great things about small light cameras is the ability to hold them at waist level or place them close to the ground, but that’s difficult without an articulating screen. Despite this one snivel, the P7000 handled well, produced good quality images, and exhibited reasonable low light performance.