Weekly Email - 9-28-12 - Radio City Heads Up

This week I went to a DJ show at Radio City Music Hall.
Billed as the first time a DJ has headlined at the famous venue, I had never heard of Avicii when Todd called with the invite.

Doing a little research into this performer he is ranked #6 in the world by DJ Magazine - who knew!  Avicii has a few hits we've all probably heard at some point if you've been to Vegas or a club recently.  The mix called Levels had the house literally rockin
g when he "spun" it.  It has a nice chorus remix of Etta James's 1963 Somethings Got a Hold on Me.  The Who's Teenage Wasteland was a great mix.

I tried to take in the light show and he has an interesting stage look since he performs inside a large head which is painted with a myriad of lights.  Here is the before and after of how much can be triggered with color and light.
The images were shot with the Fujifilm X-E1 with the 18-55mm lens and Canon 5DIII with several lenses.  Most at ISO's 1250-2500.   

 

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com 

Fujifilm XF1 First Look

When the buzzer rang I jumped with excitement to meet the delivery guy at the elevator.  I anxiously opened the box and found three XF1 cameras ready to take a quick tour of NYC.

The camera is unique in many ways.  Styling, operation, design and overall handling is definitely different than a "regular" point n shoot.  Similar to the X10, the XF1 has a manual zoom lens - but this model takes it a step further - or should I say back a step into the body to create a slimmer camera.

Without fail people new to the camera are struck by its beauty.  Then they are confused by how to turn it on.  Then they are wowing at the process and the sharp, bright screen.  

I've asked 10 people now which is their favorite color and tan is leading (male audience 7 to 3) by a smidge, then red, then black.  The feeling is the tan just oozes that retro feel.

Now because these are pre-production models I am not here to give pixel peeping images.  As I've mentioned several times before I feel there are many way more qualified bloggers and reviewers to handle that task.  I just want to be able to share some features and a quick look.  Just like with the X-E1, I wasn't trying to make an exclamation, I feel judging the image quality wasn't really an issue since the X-E1uses the same sensor as the X-Pro1, and thus with that lineage, to me it is going to make astounding images.  That's what I saw.

I love having XF1 F/1.8 lens at 25mm.  I know that most of the time I will be using the lens at 25mm for my street shooting and social situations.  Party shooting is where I'll get into the zooming and yes the aperture does close down a bunch.  All the specs are down below the images here.
http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujifilm_xf1/index.html  
I look forward to reading the reviews when the camera ships!  Until then it looks like a winner to me.

The NEW E-Fn button allows quick access to popular functions and can be programmed as you like for several camera operations.

Model Name	FUJIFILM XF1
Number of effective pixels*1	12.0 million pixels
Image sensor	2/3-inch EXR CMOS with primary color filter
Storage media	Internal memory (approx. 25 MB) SD / SDHC / SDXC(UHS-I) memory card*2
File format	still image JPEG (Exif Ver 2.3)*3, RAW (RAF format), RAW + JPEG (Design rule for Camera File system compliant / DPOF-compatible) movie H.264 (MOV) with Stereo sound
Number of recorded pixels	L : (4:3) 4000 x 3000 / (3:2) 4000 x 2664 / (16:9) 4000 x 2248 / (1:1) 2992 x 2992 M : (4:3) 2816 x 2112 / (3:2) 2816 x 1864 / (16:9) 2816 x 1584 / (1:1) 2112 x 2112 S : (4:3) 2048 x 1536 / (3:2) 2048 x 1360 / (16:9) 1920 x 1080 / (1:1) 1536 x 1536 <Motion Panorama> 360° Vertical 11520 x 1624 Horizontal 11520 x 1080 180° Vertical 5760 x 1624 Horizontal 5760 x 1080 120° Vertical 3840 x 1624 Horizontal 3840 x 1080
Lens	name Fujinon 4 x optical zoom lens focal length f=6.4 - 25.6 mm, equivalent to 25 - 100 mm on a 35 mm format. full-aperture F1.8 (Wide) - F4.9 (Telephoto) constitution 6 groups 7 lenses (4 aspherical glass molded lenses included)
Digital zoom	Intelligent digital zoom approx. 2x (up to 8 x when combined with optical zoom)
Aperture	F1.8-F11(Wide) F4.9-F11(Telephoto) 1/3EV step (controlled 6-blade aperture diaphragm)
Focus distance (from lens surface)	Normal Wide : Approx. 50 cm / 1.6 ft. to infinity Telephoto : Approx. 80 cm / 2.6 ft. to infinity Macro Wide : Approx. 3 cm - 3.0 m / 1.1 in. - 9.8 ft. Telephoto : Approx. 50 cm - 3.0 m / 1.6 ft. - 9.8 ft.
Sensitivity	Auto / Equivalent to ISO 100 / 200 / 250 / 320 / 400 / 500 / 640 / 800 / 1000 / 1250 / 1600 / 2000 / 2500 / 3200 / 4000* / 5000* / 6400* / 12800* (Standard Output Sensitivity) * ISO4000 / 5000 / 6400 : M mode or lower, ISO12800 : S mode
Exposure control	TTL 256-zones metering, Multi / Spot / Average
Exposure mode	Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Shooting modes	SP Natural Light, Natural Light & Flash, Portrait, Portrait Enhancer, Landscape, Sport, Night, Night (Tripod), Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Party, Flower, Text, Underwater MODE DIAL EXR, AUTO, P, S, A, M, C1, C2, Movie, SP, Adv.
Image stabilizer	Lens shift type
Exporsure compensation	-2.0EV - +2.0EV 1/3EV step
Shutter speed	(Auto mode) 1/4 sec. to 1/2000* sec., (All other modes) 30 sec. to 1/2000* sec. * 1/2000 sec. at small aperture, 1/1000 sec. at full aperture
Continuous shooting	TOP Super High : approx. 10 fps (Size M, S) High : approx. 7 fps (Size L, M, S) Middle : approx. 5 fps (Size L, M, S) Low : approx. 3 fps (Size L, M, S) *SD memory card with a class 4 write speed (4 MB/sec.) or better is recommended. *The frame rate varies depending on the shooting conditions or numbers of frames in continuous shooting. others Best Frame capture : Super High : approx. 10 fps 8 / 16 frames (Size M, S) High : approx. 7 fps 8 frames (Size L, M, S) / 16 frames (Size M, S) Middle : approx. 5 fps 8 frames (Size L, M, S) / 16 frames (Size M, S) Low : approx. 3 fps 8 frames (Size L, M, S) / 16 frames (Size M, S)
Auto bracketing	AE Bracketing : ±1/3EV, ±2/3EV, ±1EV Film Simulation Bracketing : PROVIA / STANDARD, Velvia / VIVID, ASTIA / SOFT Dynamic Range Bracketing : 100%, 200%, 400% ISO Sensitivity Bracketing : ±1/3EV, ±2/3EV, ±1EV
Focus	mode Single AF / Continuous AF, Manual AF (One-push AF mode included) type TTL contrast AF, AF assist illuminator available AF frame selection Multi AF, Area AF, Tracking AF
White balance	Automatic scene recognition Preset : Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light, Underwater, Custom, Color temperature selection
Self-timer	10 sec. / 2 sec. delay
Flash	Auto flash (super intelligent flash) Effective range : (ISO AUTO (800)) Wide : Approx. 50 cm - 7.4 m / 1.6 ft. - 24.2 ft. Telephoto : Approx. 80 cm - 2.7 m / 2.6 ft. - 8.8 ft.
Flash modes	Red-eye removal OFF : Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro. Red-eye removal ON : Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro.
Hot shoe	-
Viewfinder	-
LCD monitor	3.0-inch, approx. 460,000 dots, color LCD monitor, approx. 100% coverage
Movie recording	1920 x 1080 pixels / 1280 x 720 pixels / 640 x 480 pixels (30 frames / sec.) with stereo sound Optical zoom (manual) can be used.
Photography functions	EXR mode (EXR Auto / Resolution priority / High ISO & Low noise priority / Dynamic range priority), Face recognition, Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Film simulation, Framing guideline, Frame No. memory, Histogram display, Best frame capture, Advanced mode (Advanced filter, Motion panorama360, Pro focus, Pro low light, Multiple exposure, Individual shutter 3D), High Speed Movie (70 / 120 / 200 frames/sec.), Electronic level, Advanced Anti Blur, Recording movie in the EXR Auto mode：Automatic Scene Selection. (Auto,Macro,Landscape,Night,Portrait,Portrait+Night,Backlight Portrait), E-fn (extended function) BUTTON CUSTOM SETTING
Playback functions	Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Multi-frame playback (with micro thumbnail), Protect, Crop, Resize, Slide show, Image rotate, Voice memo, Histogram display, Exposure warning, Photobook assist, Image search, Favorites, Mark for upload, Panorama, Erase selected frames, RAW conversing
Other functions	PictBridge, Exif Print, 35 Languages, Time difference, Silent mode
Terminal	Video output NTSC / PAL selectable with Monaural sound Digital interface USB 2.0 High-Speed HDMI output HDMI Mini connector
Power supply	NP-50A Li-ion battery (included) CP-50 with AC power adapter AC-5VX (sold separately)
Dimensions	107.9(W) x 61.5(H) x 33.0(D) mm / 4.2(W) x 2.4(H) x 1.2(D) in.
Weight	Approx. 225 g / 7.9 oz. (including battery and memory card) Approx. 204 g / 7.1 oz. (excluding battery and memory card)
Operating Temperature	0°C - 40°C
Operating Humidity	10% - 80% (no condensation)
Guide to the number of available frames for battery operation	approx. 300 frames CIPA standard
Accessories included	Li-ion battery NP-50A Battery charger BC-50B Hand strap Lens cap USB cable CD-ROM Owner's manual
Optional accessories	Li-ion battery NP-50 Battery charger BC-45W A / V cable AV-C1 Soft case SC-XF DC coupler CP-50 AC power adapter AC-5VX

• *1 Number of effective pixels: The number of pixels on the image sensor which receive input light through the optical lens, and which are effectively reflected in the final output data of the still image.
• *2 Please see the Fujifilm website to check memory card compatibility.
• *3 Exif 2.3 is a digital camera file format that contains a variety of shooting information for optimal printing.

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com 

Fujifilm FinePix 800EXR Arrives

The new F800EXR is part of the F-series of digital cameras in the FinePix line-up.  Known for impressive image quality and great features - the F-series has a long history of innovative performance.

The F800 is the first F series camera to include WLAN and GPS functions.  These allow you to easily transmit your images from your camera to a smart-phone or iPad, as well as utilize your position to find notable landmarks and geo-tag your photo travels.  Great for some - eh for others.  I took it for a spin this week and found it to be interesting and at times helpful.

Here is the link to full specs and descriptive features - 
http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/digital_cameras/f/finepix_f800exr/index.html

There really are some neat new features in this camera - 

Let's look at the most obvious one first - the powerful 20x zoom which in addition has a 69x zoom with digital enhancement.  This zoom range covers from 25-500mm optically and then stretches way out to 1725mm!!  But is it useful you ask?  You're prob thinking what use will it be if the images look like smears of pixels?  Check them out here and see if they are worthy - considering this is once again a 1725mm shot with a small point n shoot camera!  Note the distance of the clock and the Empire State Building is about a half-mile away.

The camera also has the usual "prosumer" features such as RAW shooting and easy access exposure compensation which I love using.  The GPS data can be imprinted onto the image if you want, which can be seen in some shots here.

This worker is shot at 500mm on the side of the building.

Note the imprint of the Flatiron Building

In camera flash with leaf shutter high speed shooting allows for daylight fill flash!

Exposure compensation allows you to expose as you like with a simple twist of the control wheel.

  

The camera has some neat built in filters for some creative photo capture.  Here are some quick snaps I did with the internal filters. Descriptions of the filters are online, but they are - Toy Camera, Pop Color, Minature (blurs top and bottom half of image), High Key, Partial Color and Dynamic Tone:

  There is also a neat double exposure mode.  Sure limited application - but nice to have since it is left out on many high end cameras.

 Virtually every camera has a pano sweep mode and the F800 has several choices for your pano from 120 - 180 - 360 angles of view.  Click to enlarge.

The F800 has a retail price of $349.95.  Check it out if you are in the market for a camera.

Model name	FinePix F800EXR
Number of effective pixels *1	16.0 million pixels
Image sensor	1/ 2-inch EXR CMOS with primary color filter
Storage media	Internal memory (approx.30MB) SD/SDHC/SDXC(UHS-I) memory card*2
File format	still image JPEG (Exif Ver 2.3)*3, (Design rule for Camera File system compliant / DPOF-compatible) RAW 3D still image MPO compliant movie H.264(MOV)
Number of recorded pixels	Still image L : (4:3) 4608 x 3456 / (3:2) 4608 x 3072 / (16:9) 4608 x 2592 M : (4:3) 3264 x 2448 / (3:2) 3264 x 2176 / (16:9) 3264 x 1840 S : (4:3) 2304 x 1728 / (3:2) 2304 x 1536 / (16:9) 1920 x 1080 <Motion Panorama> 360° Vertical 11520 x 1624 Horizontal 11520 x 1080 180° Vertical 5760 x 1624 Horizontal 5760 x 1080 120° Vertical 3840 x 1624 Horizontal 3840 x 1080
Lens	name Fujinon 20x optical zoom lens focal length f=4.6 - 92mm, equivalent to 25 - 500mm on a 35mm camera full-aperture F3.5(Wide) - F5.3(Telephoto) constitution 11 groups 14 lenses
Digital zoom	EXR Auto mode: Intelligent digital zoom approx. 2x (up to approx. 40x, with 20x optical zoom) Other than EXR Auto mode: Intelligent digital zoom approx. 3.4x (up to approx. 68x, with 20x optical zoom)
Aperture	F3.5 / F7.1 / F10(Wide) F5.3 / F11 / F16(Telephoto) with ND filter
Focus distance (from lens surface)	Normal Wide : Approx. 45 cm / 1.4 ft. to infinity Telephoto : Approx. 2.5 m / 8.2 ft. to infinity Macro Wide : Approx. 5 cm - 3.0 m / 1.9 in. - 9.8 ft. Telephoto : Approx. 1.3 m - 3.0 m / 4.2 ft. - 9.8 ft.
Sensitivity	Auto, Equivalent to ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400* / 12800* (Standard Output Sensitivity) * 6400 : M mode or lower, ISO12800 : S mode
Exposure control	TTL 256-zones metering, Multi / Spot / Average
Exposure mode	Programmed AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Shooting modes	SP Natural Light, Natural Light & with Flash, Portrait, Portrait enhancer, Dog, Cat, Landscape, Sport, Night, Night (Tripod), Fireworks, Sunset, Snow, Beach, Underwater, Party, Flower, Text MODE DIAL EXR, P, S, A, M, SP, Adv, AUTO
Image stabilizer	CMOS shift type
Exposure compensation	-2.0EV - +2.0EV 1/3EV step
Shutter speed	(Auto mode) 1/4 sec. to 1/2000 sec., (All other modes) 8 sec. to 1/2000 sec.
Continuous shooting	TOP Super High : approx. 11fps (Size M,S) High : approx. 8fps (Size L,M,S) Middle : approx. 5fps (Size L,M,S) Low : approx. 3fps (Size L,M,S) * SD memory card with a write speed (4 MB/sec.) or better is recommended. * The frame rate varies depending on the shooting conditions or numbers of frames in continuous shooting. Best Frame capture L : 8 frames (3/5/8frames/sec. ) M, S : 8/16 frames (3/5/8/11frames/sec. )
Auto Bracketing	AE Bracketing : ±1/3EV, ±2/3EV, ±1EV Film Simulation Bracketing : PROVIA / STANDARD, Velvia / VIVID, ASTIA / SOFT Dynamic Range Bracketing : 100% / 200% / 400%
Focus	Mode Single AF / Continuous AF (EXR AUTO, Movie) Type TTL contrast AF, AF assist illuminator available AF frame selection Center, Multi, Tracking
White balance	Automatic scene recognition Preset Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm White), Fluorescent light (Cool White), Incandescent light, Underwater, Custom
Self-timer	10 sec. / 2 sec. Delay / Auto release / Auto release (Dog, Cat)
Flash	Auto flash (super i-flash) Effective range: (ISO AUTO) Normal Wide: Approx. 15 cm - 3.7 m / 5.9 in. - 12.1 ft. Telephoto: Approx. 90 cm - 2.4 m / 2.9 ft. - 7.8 ft.
Flash modes	Red-eye removal OFF Auto, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro. Red-eye removal ON Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro.
Hot shoe	-
LCD monitor	3.0-inch, approx. 460,000 dots, TFT color LCD monitor, approx. 100% coverage
Movie recording	1920 x 1080 pixels / 1280 x 720 pixels / 640 x 480 pixels (30 frames / sec.) with stereo sound. Optical zoom function can be used.
Photography functions	EXR mode (EXR Auto/Resolution priority / High ISO & Low noise priority / Dynamic range priority), Face recognition, Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Film simulation, Auto release, Auto release(Dog,Cat), Framing guidline, Power management, Frame No. memory, Advanced mode (Motion panorama360, Pro focus, Pro low light, Multiple exposure, Individual shutter 3D), High Speed Movie (80 / 160 / 320 frames/sec.), Advanced Anti Blur, Date stamp, Monitor Sunlight mode, Connect to Smartphone and Tablet Devices. (Geotagging setup), Recording movie in the EXR Auto mode：Automatic Scene Selection. (Auto, Macro, Landscape, Night, Portrait, Portrait+Night, Backlight Portrait), Advanced Filter (Toy camera, Miniature, Pop color, High-key, Dynamic tone, Partial color : red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
Playback functions	Face Detection, Auto red-eye removal, Multi-frame playback (with micro thumbnail), Crop, Resize, Slide show, Image rotate, Voice memo, Exposure warning, Auto rotate playback, Photobook assist, Image search, Favorites, Mark for upload, Panorama, Erase selected frames, Photo navigation, Histogram display, Connect to Smartphone and Tablet Devices (Uploading Pictures : Individual images, Selected multiple images, View & Obtain Images)
Other functions	Landmark Navigator, PictBridge, Exif Print, Print Image Matching II, 35 Languages, Time difference, Silent mode
Terminal	Video output NTSC / PAL selectable with monaural sound Digital interface USB 2.0 High-Speed HDMI output HDMI Mini connector
Power supply	NP-50A Li-ion battery (included) / CP-50 with AC power adapter AC-5VX (sold separately)
Dimensions	105.1(W) x 63.3(H) x 36.0(D) mm / 4.1(W) x 2.4(H) x 1.4(D) in. (Minimum depth: 24.9mm / 0.9in.)
Weight	Approx. 232g / 8.1oz. (including battery and memory card) Approx. 212g / 7.4oz. (excluding battery and memory card)
Operating Temperature	0°C - 40°C
Operating Humidity	10% - 80% (no condensation)
Guide to the number of available frames for battery operation	Approx. 300 frames (AUTO mode)
Accessories included	Li-ion battery NP-50A Battery charger BC-50B Plug Adapter Hand strap USB cable A/V cable CD-ROM Owner's manual
Optional accessories	Li-ion battery NP-50 Battery charger BC-45W DC coupler CP-50 AC power adapter AC-5VX 3D Digital Viewer FINEPIX REAL 3D V3

• *1 Number of effective pixels: The number of pixels on the image sensor which receive input light through the optical lens, and which are effectively reflected in the final output data of the still image.
• *2 Please see the Fujifilm website to check memory card compatibility.
• *3 Exif 2.3 is a digital camera file format that contains a variety of shooting information for optimal printing.

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com