Monday, November 5, 2012

Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless <b>camera review</b>

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 mirrorless camera review


Hear any mention of retro-styled cameras with exorbitant price tags and it's hard not to get suspicious. That kind of talk brings to mind Leica's incessant re-branding of Panasonic Lumix models, or those unicorn limited editions out of Japan that just leave us baffled. But it's okay, you can relax with the Fujifilm X-Pro1. At $1,700 for the body only it's crazily expensive, sure, but not when you compare to an $8,000 Leica M9-P. Besides, it's a legitimate heir to a strong line of Fuji shooters that includes the much-loved X100 and the more accessible X10. That's a strong pedigree, and no matter how deeply you peer into its mirrorless aperture, the X-Pro1 should offer up enough technology to stop you being cynical.

Like what, you ask? Well, a genuinely surprising bespoke 16-megapixel APS-C sensor, for starters, plus a hybrid viewfinder designed to keep everyone happy all of the time, and a Fuji X lens mount that already has a Leica M9 adapter available (plus others, like Nikon, if you scan eBay). It all adds up to something special, but before you go tweeting this article to whimsical rich uncles, there are also some complicating factors you ought to be aware of. Even in a utopian paradise where everyone could afford this sip of photographic luxury, it's far from certain whether everyone would choose it over other interchangeable lens cameras. Read on past the break and we'll explain why.

Unboxing could be a full-on culture shock for the uninitiated. The X-Pro1 is designed to appeal to rangefinder lovers who dig over-sized control wheels along with over-sized everything. That's not everyone's tipple: we gave the camera to a seasoned photojournalist freshly returned from the Middle East who normally shoots on a Nikon D3, and she was repulsed. In her mind, it was too big to be a compact, too conspicuous, and too retro for her: "I'd be embarrassed if other photographers saw me with this."

That said, it's all subjective. Yours truly also has a foreign news background, though I've generally shot video rather than stills, and I experienced no such allergic reaction. On the contrary, the X-Pro1 brought back memories of when my first employer sent me off with a celluloid Nikon F3 to "go and learn about lenses." Yes, I was surprised by the size: at 140mm (5.5 inches), the body is significantly wider than the new Olympus OM-D Micro Four Thirds camera and 20 percent wider than even the non-ILC Canon G1 X.

Image

No one could dispute that the X-Pro1 is solidly built and surprisingly lightweight for its size -- around 650 grams (1.4 pounds) with the 35mm lens attached, and easily usable with one hand. However, despite all its volume and mass, this camera is not weather-sealed, which will put some serious photographers off from the get-go.

The moral of the story? You need plenty of hands-on time with this camera before you take the plunge, and you need to be clear on what type of (hopefully dry) applications you want it for. Oh, and don't feel obliged to splash extra on the LC-Xpro1 leather case if you already use a camera bag -- it isn't strictly necessary considering the natural sturdiness of the chassis, and it perhaps pushes the retro thing a tad too far. On the flip side, it'd go great with safari shorts.

Image

One of the biggest contributors to the X-Pro1's size (and no doubt its price) also happens to be one of its most useful specs: the hybrid viewfinder, which has been carried over from the X100. It simply caters for any possible situation, by allowing you to switch between optical and electronic modes. Optical gives you the brightest and most direct view of your subject because you're looking at them straight through a piece of glass. Electronic mode, which has an 800 x 600 resolution (or 1.4 million dots), gives you the most precise preview of your final image, with framing and focus displayed before you press the shutter. Both modes can be overlaid with all the information you need, including a live histogram, spirit level and lens-matched frame guides optical mode. Helpfully, the OVF also changes its magnification automatically when you switch lenses, so you get a broadly more similar view to what your lens sees. Overall it's not quite as natural as a DSLR's reflex system, but it's as good as you'll get on a compact.

Of course, there's also full viewing through the three-inch LCD panel, with an effective resolution of 640 x 480, which we found to be bright and clear when shooting outdoors. It's even usable in direct (albeit British) sunlight, which we guess is at least partly thanks to the RGBW configuration.

Image

Before we get to the controls, a quick word on the lenses: there's already a Leica adapter in case you just happen to have some Leica lenses lying around, and a few others out of Hong Kong, but for now the camera is natively stuck with the three prime lenses for its all-new mount. These are truly delicious: an 18mm f/2.0 lens for your wides, a 35mm f/1.4 beauty for general use and a 60mm f/2.4 for zooms, portraits and macro photography. All these lenses come with quality metal hoods.

What we'd really like is a nice, fast and quiet zoom lens to go with this camera and it's all-new mount, and Fuji assures us that such a thing is in the works. Working with the currently available lenses will reduce your hit-rate if you're not already used to 'thinking' in terms of primes and planning ahead so that you have the right glass equipped for the shot you want to grab. For someone who's been raised on a lazy diet of powerful zooms, this is bloody difficult, but it can hardly be blamed on the X-Pro1. Over time, the discipline required to shoot with primes can only be healthy to learn.

Now, those controls: they're perfect, or at least almost perfect. There's no ISO dial, but we're beginning to realize that Engadget staff may be more concerned about that than the average photographer, because we're forced to take so many close-up shots of gadgets in low-light situations. What we get instead is three other dials that all make a ton of sense for most situations, plus the aperture ring on the lens itself.

The shutter speed dial works exactly like you'd expect, except it has a slightly superfluous lock button to stop you accidentally shifting it out of Auto. To its immediate right sits the exposure compensation dial, which feels like a more natural part of the workflow as result of not being a two-stage setting like on many other compacts and DSLRs. The dial is too easy to knock accidentally, but only until you learn to be a bit careful.

Image

At the back of the camera is a mystery dial that at first seems to be useless -- especially when you make a habit of never reading the manual. But when you discover what it does, there's a genuine "Oh, right!" kind of moment. This dial works hand-in-hand with the Q button, which brings up a quick settings screen. This screen is comprehensive rather than customizable: every likely adjustment is offered; you use the direction buttons to navigate the grid and select the one you want to change; finally you twiddle the anonymous dial to choose the right setting. You don't have to accept your changes, which means that all these settings are brought within a three-step reach. Three separate actions just to change ISO or white balance might sound like a lot, but the point is that you can access them without taking your eye away from the viewfinder (because the Q screen appears as an EVF overlay as well as on the rear panel) it works a treat.

In addition to Q, there's also an assignable Fn button next to the shutter release. You can stick ISO or any other function on this button instead if you prefer, but it won't really speed things up: it's still a three-stage process to hit Fn, select ISO with the arrow keys and then hit Menu / OK to accept. Other functions will have less steps and therefore make more sense, such as depth of field preview.

It needs to be said that the X-Pro1 with the prime lenses doesn't auto-focus as fast as a regular DSLR kit, especially in low light, and the focusing is noisier too. You could spend $1,000 on a Nikon D5100 and a fast lens and get better AF performance, including the ability to get macro shots without having to tell the camera first. There's something slightly icky about that thought, and it's a reminder that our skeptical photojournalist friend might have a point -- in fact, the slow autofocus was also one of her biggest criticisms. It's so bad the continuous focus mode seems almost redundant -- we couldn't use it to track anything, even the object was right in the center of the frame. The shot above was taken with continuous focus, and neither the guy nor the houses are sharp.

Shooting from a standing start was less rapid -- it took around five seconds to power up, focus through the EVF and snap a shot. Using the OVF or rear LCD reduced that to four seconds. This is all way slower than the Sony NEX-7, for example.

Image

Meanwhile, the Drive performance was great. Shooting RAW+Fine duplicates at the 6fps drive mode setting, we fired off 11 shots in 1.8 seconds before the buffer filled up, which is just under 0.2 seconds between each shot. Shooting Fine JPEGs we could keep going, achieving 37 images in the space of 11 seconds, with slightly inconsistent gaps between each shot, ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 seconds.

Image

Another positive is the battery life: we repeatedly lost track of it, for the simple reason that it lasted so long. As these words are being written, the camera has been used on five separate occasions over four days without being recharged, with 680 Fine JPEGs, 100 RAW images and four minutes of 1080p video captured. The battery still shows two out of three bars. It took another 11 minutes of 1080p to finish it off.

The X-Pro1 does crash occasionally -- three times for us so far. We simply loosened the battery to restart the camera, and it wasn't so annoying because we tended to be previewing images when it happened. Hopefully it's something future firmware updates will fix; Fujifilm has a decent track record in that respect.

Ah yes, the magic ingredient: the X-Pro1's bespoke Fuji X-Trans CMOS sensor. It's the right size for the resolution: anything smaller than APS-C would make the 16 megapixels too crowded, while anything bigger would make focusing even harder. More importantly, though, it delivers surprising results: images you just could not predict and that you almost don't deserve. If you've ever taken a shot on celluloid, processed it and then thought "Wow, did I shoot that?" then you'll know what we're on about. If photography were an Olympic sport, this sensor would be the equivalent of nandrolone.

In our hands, clumsy shots were transformed into hobby-level art. In the hands of a street-fighting pro like Steve Huff (see the More Coverage link), the results are just awesome. Why? Well, maybe it has something to do with the extra randomness in the sensor's array of red, green and blue pixel units.

Regularly arranged color pixels can cause moire interference and false colors, which forces manufacturers to send light through an optical low-pass filter before it reaches the sensor. Like Nikon's D800E, the X-Pro1 does away with that filter, but due to the random pixel arrangement Fuji claims we should see all the benefits and none of the drawbacks of that omission. Certainly, we saw no moire patterns in our shots -- just wonderfully sharp images with incredibly stable colors that bring a sense of un-realness in the same way that celluloid used to.

Image

We didn't mess too much with the in-camera digital filters, which promise to replicate the look of different Fuji film stocks. Those kinds of things can be done in photo editing software afterwards, but nevertheless it was nice to have these options and play with them occasionally to add some subtle nostalgia.

Image

Images at high ISO settings were pretty good compared to other compacts we've reviewed, including the NEX-7 and the G1 X. Shots at ISO 3200 looked fine, and where we did spot grain at higher sensitivities it had a pleasant mottled look to it -- in keeping with the X-Pro1's analog vibes. We wouldn't reel 'em off at ISO 25600 necessarily, but there's nothing scary about 6400 or 12800.

Image

Image

Image

Video was less exciting. It was just typical compact camera 1080p, with handheld wobble creating all the usual rolling shutter problems, and with slow autofocus and a bit too much hunting. If tripod-mounted and set to manual focus the X-Pro1 could potentially yield decent results, but how many people will use it like that? Ultimately, Fuji has just tacked on video recording because it felt it had to, relegating it to a slot at the bottom of the drive settings menu, and we'd just as happily have gone without it.

We've got a feeling that many people who buy the Fuji X-Pro1 will do so for its particular build as well as for the output of its unusual sensor. Since both those things are subjective and hard to quantify, it makes sense to leave them aside and compare the camera against its rivals based on more concrete specs.

This brings up obvious comparisons with the Micro Four Thirds Olympus OM-D E-M5, priced at $1,000 body-only, and the Sony NEX-7 at $1,200. We haven't reviewed the OM-D yet, but our preview hinted at promises of much better autofocus. It also has five-axis image stabilization and our few test shots revealed very good high ISO performance too. The OM-D also has a faster 9fps burst mode, is drastically cheaper and overall promises to be a real challenger to the X-Pro1's perhaps more emotional virtues. On the other hand, the X-Pro 1 puts more manual controls at your fingertips, and for a lot of people that's a primary concern. The upcoming fight between these two cameras ought to be on pay-per-view.

And the NEX-7? We were smitten with it, but it's already starting to lose some of its luster compared to newer competitors. It has 10fps continuous shooting, great battery life, decent high ISO performance and EVF, but none of that elevates it above either the OM-D or the X-Pro1. Its real advantage over the X-Pro1 is the $500 savings, but then the OM-D threatens in that area too.

Another option is the X100, which has accumulated many steadfast fans due to its quality optics and goes for around $1,000. It has the same hybrid OVF/EVF in its favor, a much lower price (especially now), and primarily only loses out in terms of its less impressive sensor.

Lastly, there has to come a point where you look at what a DSLR can deliver. $1,700 can buy you a weather-sealed Nikon D7000 or a Canon 7D with cash left over for a decent lens. These cameras will deliver superior autofocus performance, less noise and quicker burst rates. The only sacrifice is the size and weight -- so you have to find those two things seriously off-putting before you rule them out.

The Fujifilm X-Pro1 is a work of art, and like any masterpiece there'll be some who hate it and others who get into heated bidding wars. If you're sensible and price-conscious, then by rights you should be waiting for the auctioneer to bring out the Olympus OM-D E-M5. Or you should be looking at the X100, or even considering a DSLR, before investing this amount of money. But if the retro form factor befits your personality, you have an abundance of cash and you care about the subtleties of the sensor's output, a powerful viewfinder and great controls, then there's every reason to buy in.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.


View the original article here

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless <b>camera review</b>

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 mirrorless camera review


Hear any mention of retro-styled cameras with exorbitant price tags and it's hard not to get suspicious. That kind of talk brings to mind Leica's incessant re-branding of Panasonic Lumix models, or those unicorn limited editions out of Japan that just leave us baffled. But it's okay, you can relax with the Fujifilm X-Pro1. At $1,700 for the body only it's crazily expensive, sure, but not when you compare to an $8,000 Leica M9-P. Besides, it's a legitimate heir to a strong line of Fuji shooters that includes the much-loved X100 and the more accessible X10. That's a strong pedigree, and no matter how deeply you peer into its mirrorless aperture, the X-Pro1 should offer up enough technology to stop you being cynical.

Like what, you ask? Well, a genuinely surprising bespoke 16-megapixel APS-C sensor, for starters, plus a hybrid viewfinder designed to keep everyone happy all of the time, and a Fuji X lens mount that already has a Leica M9 adapter available (plus others, like Nikon, if you scan eBay). It all adds up to something special, but before you go tweeting this article to whimsical rich uncles, there are also some complicating factors you ought to be aware of. Even in a utopian paradise where everyone could afford this sip of photographic luxury, it's far from certain whether everyone would choose it over other interchangeable lens cameras. Read on past the break and we'll explain why.

Unboxing could be a full-on culture shock for the uninitiated. The X-Pro1 is designed to appeal to rangefinder lovers who dig over-sized control wheels along with over-sized everything. That's not everyone's tipple: we gave the camera to a seasoned photojournalist freshly returned from the Middle East who normally shoots on a Nikon D3, and she was repulsed. In her mind, it was too big to be a compact, too conspicuous, and too retro for her: "I'd be embarrassed if other photographers saw me with this."

That said, it's all subjective. Yours truly also has a foreign news background, though I've generally shot video rather than stills, and I experienced no such allergic reaction. On the contrary, the X-Pro1 brought back memories of when my first employer sent me off with a celluloid Nikon F3 to "go and learn about lenses." Yes, I was surprised by the size: at 140mm (5.5 inches), the body is significantly wider than the new Olympus OM-D Micro Four Thirds camera and 20 percent wider than even the non-ILC Canon G1 X.

Image

No one could dispute that the X-Pro1 is solidly built and surprisingly lightweight for its size -- around 650 grams (1.4 pounds) with the 35mm lens attached, and easily usable with one hand. However, despite all its volume and mass, this camera is not weather-sealed, which will put some serious photographers off from the get-go.

The moral of the story? You need plenty of hands-on time with this camera before you take the plunge, and you need to be clear on what type of (hopefully dry) applications you want it for. Oh, and don't feel obliged to splash extra on the LC-Xpro1 leather case if you already use a camera bag -- it isn't strictly necessary considering the natural sturdiness of the chassis, and it perhaps pushes the retro thing a tad too far. On the flip side, it'd go great with safari shorts.

Image

One of the biggest contributors to the X-Pro1's size (and no doubt its price) also happens to be one of its most useful specs: the hybrid viewfinder, which has been carried over from the X100. It simply caters for any possible situation, by allowing you to switch between optical and electronic modes. Optical gives you the brightest and most direct view of your subject because you're looking at them straight through a piece of glass. Electronic mode, which has an 800 x 600 resolution (or 1.4 million dots), gives you the most precise preview of your final image, with framing and focus displayed before you press the shutter. Both modes can be overlaid with all the information you need, including a live histogram, spirit level and lens-matched frame guides optical mode. Helpfully, the OVF also changes its magnification automatically when you switch lenses, so you get a broadly more similar view to what your lens sees. Overall it's not quite as natural as a DSLR's reflex system, but it's as good as you'll get on a compact.

Of course, there's also full viewing through the three-inch LCD panel, with an effective resolution of 640 x 480, which we found to be bright and clear when shooting outdoors. It's even usable in direct (albeit British) sunlight, which we guess is at least partly thanks to the RGBW configuration.

Image

Before we get to the controls, a quick word on the lenses: there's already a Leica adapter in case you just happen to have some Leica lenses lying around, and a few others out of Hong Kong, but for now the camera is natively stuck with the three prime lenses for its all-new mount. These are truly delicious: an 18mm f/2.0 lens for your wides, a 35mm f/1.4 beauty for general use and a 60mm f/2.4 for zooms, portraits and macro photography. All these lenses come with quality metal hoods.

What we'd really like is a nice, fast and quiet zoom lens to go with this camera and it's all-new mount, and Fuji assures us that such a thing is in the works. Working with the currently available lenses will reduce your hit-rate if you're not already used to 'thinking' in terms of primes and planning ahead so that you have the right glass equipped for the shot you want to grab. For someone who's been raised on a lazy diet of powerful zooms, this is bloody difficult, but it can hardly be blamed on the X-Pro1. Over time, the discipline required to shoot with primes can only be healthy to learn.

Now, those controls: they're perfect, or at least almost perfect. There's no ISO dial, but we're beginning to realize that Engadget staff may be more concerned about that than the average photographer, because we're forced to take so many close-up shots of gadgets in low-light situations. What we get instead is three other dials that all make a ton of sense for most situations, plus the aperture ring on the lens itself.

The shutter speed dial works exactly like you'd expect, except it has a slightly superfluous lock button to stop you accidentally shifting it out of Auto. To its immediate right sits the exposure compensation dial, which feels like a more natural part of the workflow as result of not being a two-stage setting like on many other compacts and DSLRs. The dial is too easy to knock accidentally, but only until you learn to be a bit careful.

Image

At the back of the camera is a mystery dial that at first seems to be useless -- especially when you make a habit of never reading the manual. But when you discover what it does, there's a genuine "Oh, right!" kind of moment. This dial works hand-in-hand with the Q button, which brings up a quick settings screen. This screen is comprehensive rather than customizable: every likely adjustment is offered; you use the direction buttons to navigate the grid and select the one you want to change; finally you twiddle the anonymous dial to choose the right setting. You don't have to accept your changes, which means that all these settings are brought within a three-step reach. Three separate actions just to change ISO or white balance might sound like a lot, but the point is that you can access them without taking your eye away from the viewfinder (because the Q screen appears as an EVF overlay as well as on the rear panel) it works a treat.

In addition to Q, there's also an assignable Fn button next to the shutter release. You can stick ISO or any other function on this button instead if you prefer, but it won't really speed things up: it's still a three-stage process to hit Fn, select ISO with the arrow keys and then hit Menu / OK to accept. Other functions will have less steps and therefore make more sense, such as depth of field preview.

It needs to be said that the X-Pro1 with the prime lenses doesn't auto-focus as fast as a regular DSLR kit, especially in low light, and the focusing is noisier too. You could spend $1,000 on a Nikon D5100 and a fast lens and get better AF performance, including the ability to get macro shots without having to tell the camera first. There's something slightly icky about that thought, and it's a reminder that our skeptical photojournalist friend might have a point -- in fact, the slow autofocus was also one of her biggest criticisms. It's so bad the continuous focus mode seems almost redundant -- we couldn't use it to track anything, even the object was right in the center of the frame. The shot above was taken with continuous focus, and neither the guy nor the houses are sharp.

Shooting from a standing start was less rapid -- it took around five seconds to power up, focus through the EVF and snap a shot. Using the OVF or rear LCD reduced that to four seconds. This is all way slower than the Sony NEX-7, for example.

Image

Meanwhile, the Drive performance was great. Shooting RAW+Fine duplicates at the 6fps drive mode setting, we fired off 11 shots in 1.8 seconds before the buffer filled up, which is just under 0.2 seconds between each shot. Shooting Fine JPEGs we could keep going, achieving 37 images in the space of 11 seconds, with slightly inconsistent gaps between each shot, ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 seconds.

Image

Another positive is the battery life: we repeatedly lost track of it, for the simple reason that it lasted so long. As these words are being written, the camera has been used on five separate occasions over four days without being recharged, with 680 Fine JPEGs, 100 RAW images and four minutes of 1080p video captured. The battery still shows two out of three bars. It took another 11 minutes of 1080p to finish it off.

The X-Pro1 does crash occasionally -- three times for us so far. We simply loosened the battery to restart the camera, and it wasn't so annoying because we tended to be previewing images when it happened. Hopefully it's something future firmware updates will fix; Fujifilm has a decent track record in that respect.

Ah yes, the magic ingredient: the X-Pro1's bespoke Fuji X-Trans CMOS sensor. It's the right size for the resolution: anything smaller than APS-C would make the 16 megapixels too crowded, while anything bigger would make focusing even harder. More importantly, though, it delivers surprising results: images you just could not predict and that you almost don't deserve. If you've ever taken a shot on celluloid, processed it and then thought "Wow, did I shoot that?" then you'll know what we're on about. If photography were an Olympic sport, this sensor would be the equivalent of nandrolone.

In our hands, clumsy shots were transformed into hobby-level art. In the hands of a street-fighting pro like Steve Huff (see the More Coverage link), the results are just awesome. Why? Well, maybe it has something to do with the extra randomness in the sensor's array of red, green and blue pixel units.

Regularly arranged color pixels can cause moire interference and false colors, which forces manufacturers to send light through an optical low-pass filter before it reaches the sensor. Like Nikon's D800E, the X-Pro1 does away with that filter, but due to the random pixel arrangement Fuji claims we should see all the benefits and none of the drawbacks of that omission. Certainly, we saw no moire patterns in our shots -- just wonderfully sharp images with incredibly stable colors that bring a sense of un-realness in the same way that celluloid used to.

Image

We didn't mess too much with the in-camera digital filters, which promise to replicate the look of different Fuji film stocks. Those kinds of things can be done in photo editing software afterwards, but nevertheless it was nice to have these options and play with them occasionally to add some subtle nostalgia.

Image

Images at high ISO settings were pretty good compared to other compacts we've reviewed, including the NEX-7 and the G1 X. Shots at ISO 3200 looked fine, and where we did spot grain at higher sensitivities it had a pleasant mottled look to it -- in keeping with the X-Pro1's analog vibes. We wouldn't reel 'em off at ISO 25600 necessarily, but there's nothing scary about 6400 or 12800.

Image

Image

Image

Video was less exciting. It was just typical compact camera 1080p, with handheld wobble creating all the usual rolling shutter problems, and with slow autofocus and a bit too much hunting. If tripod-mounted and set to manual focus the X-Pro1 could potentially yield decent results, but how many people will use it like that? Ultimately, Fuji has just tacked on video recording because it felt it had to, relegating it to a slot at the bottom of the drive settings menu, and we'd just as happily have gone without it.

We've got a feeling that many people who buy the Fuji X-Pro1 will do so for its particular build as well as for the output of its unusual sensor. Since both those things are subjective and hard to quantify, it makes sense to leave them aside and compare the camera against its rivals based on more concrete specs.

This brings up obvious comparisons with the Micro Four Thirds Olympus OM-D E-M5, priced at $1,000 body-only, and the Sony NEX-7 at $1,200. We haven't reviewed the OM-D yet, but our preview hinted at promises of much better autofocus. It also has five-axis image stabilization and our few test shots revealed very good high ISO performance too. The OM-D also has a faster 9fps burst mode, is drastically cheaper and overall promises to be a real challenger to the X-Pro1's perhaps more emotional virtues. On the other hand, the X-Pro 1 puts more manual controls at your fingertips, and for a lot of people that's a primary concern. The upcoming fight between these two cameras ought to be on pay-per-view.

And the NEX-7? We were smitten with it, but it's already starting to lose some of its luster compared to newer competitors. It has 10fps continuous shooting, great battery life, decent high ISO performance and EVF, but none of that elevates it above either the OM-D or the X-Pro1. Its real advantage over the X-Pro1 is the $500 savings, but then the OM-D threatens in that area too.

Another option is the X100, which has accumulated many steadfast fans due to its quality optics and goes for around $1,000. It has the same hybrid OVF/EVF in its favor, a much lower price (especially now), and primarily only loses out in terms of its less impressive sensor.

Lastly, there has to come a point where you look at what a DSLR can deliver. $1,700 can buy you a weather-sealed Nikon D7000 or a Canon 7D with cash left over for a decent lens. These cameras will deliver superior autofocus performance, less noise and quicker burst rates. The only sacrifice is the size and weight -- so you have to find those two things seriously off-putting before you rule them out.

The Fujifilm X-Pro1 is a work of art, and like any masterpiece there'll be some who hate it and others who get into heated bidding wars. If you're sensible and price-conscious, then by rights you should be waiting for the auctioneer to bring out the Olympus OM-D E-M5. Or you should be looking at the X100, or even considering a DSLR, before investing this amount of money. But if the retro form factor befits your personality, you have an abundance of cash and you care about the subtleties of the sensor's output, a powerful viewfinder and great controls, then there's every reason to buy in.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.


View the original article here

Thursday, September 27, 2012

The cure for the VLC 2 audio skipping problem

The audio problem in the VLC Player 2.2 that causes the sound to drop out every few seconds can be cured very easily:

Simply Un-check "Enable Time-Stretching audio" under audio settings in the Prefs.




That's all folks:-)

Friday, May 25, 2012

How to Organize and Produce a Church Photo Directory for Free


Creating a church photo directory has many benefits.

* It is a great aid for pastors and families to remember who is who

* The entire congregation can benefit from photo directories, in that they can keep in touch with other people easier, and learn about others in the community.

* Staff members find the photo directories invaluable in that they can add notes to certain people, and then visually remember what role(s) those individuals play within the Church

Producing a photo directory is rather easy, but here are a few things you should do first.

* Talk with your priest/pastor/bishop about organizing a photo directory shoot, and organize one day when you will do nothing but take pictures. You need the help of the priest so that he/she can announce the photo shoot several weeks in advance, so that everyone can make sure that they can attend. As well, of course you want everyone wearing their Sunday Best!

* Find someone to take pictures. You can either find someone within the congregation, or hire a professional photographer. Advantages of in-house photography is that you can save some money, i.e., it's free. Plus, nowadays, pretty much any digital camera can take the kind of quality pictures that you need.

* However, in some cases you might want a bit higher quality if you can't find someone within your congregation. Professional photographers generally know how to bring out the best smiles in individuals, plus know what kind of lighting is necessary to create the best looking pictures. So you should decide whether someone within the congregation has the expertise you need to take high quality photographs, or look at hiring someone else.

* Send out an e-mail reminder to remind individuals and families of the photo shoots, or announce it several weeks in advance, every Sunday.

Now that you have the photographs, if you'd like to create a photo directory for free, you can do it this way.

Free Method

* Use something like Microsoft Word (or any word processing application such as OpenOffice)

* Create a table, and divide the table into sets of 2 columns. (For example, if you wanted a photograph on the left hand side, and text on the right, you would make it two columns. If you wanted two sets side by side, then you would make it four columns)

* Cut & paste the photographs into Microsoft Word. Resize them so they fit, and add the information.

* Make sure you organize everything alphabetically!

* Add pertinent information, such as the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the families you wish to add.

Alternatively, if time is important to you, and you want something that you can edit easily later on down the road, you might consider a professional photo directory application. Advantages include the following:

* It is much faster, you just import the photographs, and then the software automatically resizes it.

* Easy to edit/make changes - If you add new members, you can generally just insert the member where you want them to appear. Doing it manually might take a while, because you would need to shift everything around.

* Many other uses. Software can allow you to keep track of extra information (phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc), customize the look & feel of your directory, plus much more. Doing it by hand would take some time

* Plus many more benefits, depending on your needs

Creating a church photo directory is a pretty simple and straightforward process. Just make sure you organize a time and date with your priest/pastor/bishop to take the photographs. Then, download all the photographs to a computer, import them into a word process or a photo directory application. Organize it, print it off, and then enjoy all the compliments you get for a beautiful photo directory!




Now of course you can create a photo directory for free. But it can be time consuming, and extremely frustrating if you have a lot of pictures and are trying to do it by hand. Why not get this church directory software that makes creating photo directories a breeze? It has been picked by the Top 3 Churches in the world, every year, for the last 7 years for making church photo directories, and is currently in use by 1000's of churches worldwide. See which software has made such a difference. Click here now




Selecting Custom Photo Playing Cards


You have decided to give photo playing cards at your wedding or party and want to make sure that they turn out well. Here are a few tips for success:

Start with a good photo. This is probably the most important step because the end result depends on your photo choice.


Select a photo that best represents you. Your guests will have these photo playing cards for a long time, so you will want to choose an image that portrays who you are. Many couples use an engagement picture, while others use a casual photo where the subject(s) appear very natural.
Decide upon the orientation of the photo. If you prefer a full body shot, than a vertical image is best. If the photo is more of a close up and is wider than it is long, a horizontal orientation will work well.
Focus on the face. A standard playing card is small, fitting into the palm of your hand, so close-ups work best. A photo from the waist up tends to allow the face or faces to be truly visible and clear.

Scan your image. You will want to use a high-resolution setting when scanning your image. Experts suggest a minimum of 300 dpi, which stands for "dots per inch." If you don't have access to a scanner, many office supply stores are able to scan your photo for a small fee. Fed Ex Kinkos and Office Depot offer this as a service.

Request a sample before placing an order. Photo quality can vary greatly, so you will want to get an actual card, from a previous order, in your hands. This will allow you to judge photo clarity.

Determine if and where you would like the personalization displayed. Most people like the copy on the bottom of the card. Be sure to limit the amount of information you include to the name of the guest of honor, event and date. This will prevent you from ending up with very small words or having the words interfere with the photo.

Give yourself time to order. Product of photo playing cards can take up to three weeks, so you will want to get started earlier than later. Include time for shipping when determining your timeline.

Ensure that you receive an email proof of your playing card image. It should include both the image as it would be displayed on the cards as well as your message.




Joyce Kreger is a party planner and recommends these custom photo playing cards offered at Cool-Party-Favors.com.




Thursday, May 24, 2012

DIY Holiday Photos


The holiday season is upon us! For any of you camera enthusiasts out there, this is the perfect time to put those cameras to good use. Use photos to show and tell people about your holiday traditions, whatever you celebrate this time of year. It's the perfect time to take advantage of the free on-camera talent that you have - your family and friends!

Here are some tips on how to capture your next holiday get-together using your point-and-shoot camera.

Photographs Tell Stories

The whole point of documenting an event in a powerful way is to tell a story in pictures. Like all stories picture stories have a beginning, a middle and an end that take people through the experience. If they weren't there, you want them to feel as if they were. If they were there, it reminds them of the experience in intimate, loving detail.

Many people celebrate many holidays during this time of year, but let's use Christmas as one example of a popular holiday gathering because most people know the general events surrounding the holiday:

1) Check your gear - make sure you have enough batteries and space on your memory card. Bringing a tripod may be cumbersome, but if you don't mind the extra weight, it's good to have. For various alternatives to tradition tripods, see the Resources section at the bottom of this post.

2) Let people know what you're doing-"I'm going to be taking photos for a slideshow for later," or "I'm creating a Christmas story book we can all enjoy." This helps people relax and enjoy the spirit of the event when they know what you're doing with the photos.

The Beginning, Event and End

All good stories have an introduction, a main event and an ending or conclusion. For the photographer, this means shooting photos that show each of these phases.

THE BEGINNING - When photographing your event, there are several types of photos or shots that will anchor your storytelling. These are called: Establishing shots and consist of portraits, detail photos and pre-event or preparation photos. The various kinds of establishing shots tell the beginning of your story. They not only introduce the viewer to your story, they set the mood for the story.

To document an event most effectively, you have to get there early, at least an hour before it begins. Begin putting your story/day together by taking "Establishing shots." These will set the time and location for your photo documentation. Establishing shots put the rest of the photos that you'll be taking in the right context for what you do with the photos later, such as creating a photo album, photo book or slideshow.

Examples: Wide shot of your mom's house / A highway sign that says, "Welcome to Townsville," or a shot of your parents opening the door.

Preparation Shots - When there's a big event, there's always preparation in the background. This is a good time to take some candid shots of people getting ready before the big event so your viewer feels the excitement and anticipation begin to build.

Examples: Mom taking the turkey out of the oven / Kids sneaking under the Christmas tree / People getting dressed or ready for the big day, especially if they rarely get dressed up (teenagers, children, etc). Think fun and silly.

Detail Shots - Your photos don't have to have people in them all the time and it's better if they don't. Details shots will help enhance the flow of your photos and give viewers a chance to appreciate the details of the day. Detail shots can help evoke a mood or emotion as well. You'll shoot these throughout the day, not just in the beginning.

Examples: Shots of decor in the house, like twinkling Christmas lights / Close-up of hands breaking an egg and other food shots / Shot of window looking out / A family pet sniffing presents / Shots establishing the weather - snow or frost on a window or ledge, leaves changing color in a tree in the yard / Flowers or candles / The centerpiece on the table or the table set and waiting for guests to arrive.

Portraits - Portraits help remind everyone of who was at the event. A group shot, or poised portraits are great, but candid shots are more fun and interesting for the viewer. Think natural light and candid shots as well as posed portraits. Use light coming in through windows, firelight and lights from sources in the room more than you use flash. You'll tend to capture some of your best portraits when people are unaware you're there. Hard to do, but so worth it! You'll also shoot these throughout the day as well. They can be hard to get if you wait, so shoot them as you see them.

Examples: Close-up of someone unwrapping a present/ Staring thoughtfully into the fireplace or out a window/or admiring the tree / Portraits involving parent and child / children playing or sleeping / Think about a portrait of carving the turkey or ham.

THE MAIN EVENT -This is the moment of truth. As a storyteller, it is best to be an observer at this point, watching reactions and grabbing photos of the emotions you see - surprise, laughter, joy, tears and smiles. Don't be afraid to walk around and document what you see, but don't be in your subject's face. Being too obvious with your camera will take away the spontaneity, and probably their enjoyment of the event. There's not much to photograph when people are eating, so sit down and be a part of the event.

Examples: Unwrapping or handing out of gifts / Family pets playing with wrappings / Goings on of people during event / The interaction of babies, toddlers, children and animals / Food being served or eaten / People playing video games, watching television, having snowball fights or playing sports in the yard / People interacting, cooking, cleaning up in the kitchen.

THE END - The end is really the event's conclusion, winding down, or aftermath. The Main Event may fade into the end slowly, or quickly, but keep shooting. Documenting the aftermath will be a good indication of how successful the event was. It is also a great time for photo opportunities. People are happy, engaged and even sleepy as events wind down. The stressful part of the day - the main event, be it dinner or unwrapping presents, or decorating the Christmas tree - is over and people relax.

Examples: Photos of people leaning back at the table talking, laughing or enjoying a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or a hot toddy / Youngsters, exhausted by the day taking time to nap in unexpected places.

Conclusion - You've worked hard on documenting this event and if it stays in your camera all your hard work is just put to waste. Your great story goes untold until you tell it in a book, slideshow or album. While the moments are still fresh in your mind, take time to put them together where people can see, enjoy and share them. You can:

a) Build a photo gallery and share them with everyone.

b) Print them as a coffee table book

c) Make a calendar out of the best photos and give it to your relatives after the event to help them remember the fun all year long.

d) If you really want to have fun, make badges, buttons, bumper stickers or greeting cards out of your photos.

Photos tell the story of our lives and relationships better than words ever can. Photos not only help us connect our customers to our brands, but they help us connect our friends and families to our hearts and memories. May your holiday season be filled with love, memories and photos to last a lifetime.




For more information, visit Donna Santos Photography
http://www.donnasantos.com




Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Taking Great Photos - Photos With Impact


Do your photos seem flat?

In this modern day of photography, we have more tools available to use, than ever before. But are we putting them to good use? "A picture is worth a thousand words" is a mantra repeated again and again. However, how do we change those thousand words from boring to inspiring?

It is far too easy with all the resources we have, to get caught up comparing megapixels and other technical jargon instead of taking meaningful photos. The digital cameras we have today are brought to life by over 150 years of photographic growing pains. They are good. They are all good.

We can illustrate it by this point. Give the most cutting edge equipment to an amateur. This includes the latest in lenses, camera, filters, and all the other items we are pushed by retailers on a regular basis. Now take an artful professional. Give them a four-dollar disposable camera, and send the two out into the world. Who do you think will end up with the better photos? And why?

The answer is that the person who is more concerned about seeing their subject matter, and creating feeling on film is the one that is going to produce the best photos. Being concerned with 100 different buttons, and settings is going to get taxing and is certainly more than enough to distract and confuse the amateur who is eventually going to resign to have the camera set to "auto."

The fact is that the camera really doesn't matter. It is the person behind it that will make or break any photos that are produced from it. Don't get me wrong, there is a place for the terrific cameras that we have today, and I am not saying that you should junk that DSLR you just gave an arm and a leg for. But what I am saying is that many aspiring photographers would do well to clear their minds of all the rules they are trying to learn, and start to pay more attention to what they see.

Just like we can sit in front of someone whilst they talk to us and not hear a word they say, we can walk past a scene that truly displays beauty and not even notice. We need to listen more than just hear. We need to see, more than just look. Once we see something, we need to learn how to show it best. How to describe this scene; with the photo we will craft in order to best describe a feeling.

Upon starting out in photography, I was sorely mistaken when I thought taking a photograph was about reproducing reality. And this misconception still runs rampant among people with cameras in their hands. We even speak about "normal" focal lengths, as if a photo taken at the right focal length will take a page right from reality its self. This simply is not the case. Have you ever been taken at the beauty of a sunset, and had your camera handy? Perhaps from a trip or vacation you had taken. When you got the film back weeks later, and were eager to show it to friends and family something just wasn't right. Upon sharing the photo, you had to mitigate your own sense of wonder by explaining that perhaps "you just had to be there."

The fact is that they were not there. And they rely on you to tell the story. Unfortunately we often do a better job describing this vocally after the fact, instead of trying our best to get it in the photo. The photo can speak for itself, we know that because they are worth a thousand words remember? So what are your photos saying? What do they say about the mood of the scene? The mystery, or intrigue? Perhaps the playfulness of it all, or the pain and anguish in this fleeting moment on earth? We often call this capturing the moment. What are the thousand words telling us to feel?

This is easier said than done. As I said earlier, photographs are not about reproducing reality. They are about creating it. If your photo has impact, it will create a reality all its own. It might not be exactly as you remember it, but it has the ability to touch, move and inspire you and anyone who looks at it into something more than just a scene on a two-dimensional piece of paper. A photograph can create a new world for the person viewing it, only if it has impact. There are ways of inspiring this, but not until we have unbound ourselves from the boxes we so easily fall into in this information age.

In conclusion, the next time you are going to take a snap, ask yourself what story you are trying to tell, and hot it will make someone looking at your photograph feel.




Learn Nikon is a site devoted to sharing the wonderful passion of photography with amateurs to experts. Focused on being a definitive source for the aspiring photographer who wants to learn about all aspects of crafting great photos. Please visit Learn Nikon Taking Great Photos [http://www.learnnikon.com/impact-photos.php] For more insightful articles. Though the site focuses on Nikon brand cameras, many of the articles are universal.