Thursday, June 27, 2013

Fujichrome Velvia 50 8x10 - The Last Shipment of Large Format




*Note - this post is ONLY about Velvia 50 Large Format Sheet film - NOT about 35mm and 120mm formats which will be here for years to come.*

Fujichrome Velvia 50.  The name alone elicits so many colorful visuals for anyone who has ever shot the film.  Introduced in 1990 Velvia 50 fast became a landscape and stock favorite around the world and gave competing products at ISO 25 and 64 a run for their money.  The speed and sharpness comparisons as well as the ease of the E-6 process vs the other chrome process led to a swift lead in sales for professionals around the globe. 
The film is still kicking and offers a unique way to see the world.  One I happen to love.  Bold and sharp!  A way many of us have waited almost a decade for digital to come close to.  Getting that Velvia blue sky is tough with many digitals.  The blue doesn't quite hit the rich navy side but stays a bit too cyan for me in many cameras.  
So as time would have it the last order of Velvia 50 8x10 hit the USA shores this week and was sold to a photographer who bought up the last 12,000 sheets of 8x10 film!
Ponder that for a minute.  Is that a commitment to chrome film or what??!
For those less familiar with Velvia's colors and sharpness I encourage you to pick up a roll and maybe even a processing mailer (Fujifilm sells them for ease after shooting) and give it a whirl.  There is nothing better to test your mettle than a roll of chrome film.  The ultimate test of metering.  Not a lot of room to mess up and when you do you will see it in the positive staring back at you and confirming that yes indeed you screwed up and you don't want to do it again.  This isn't about shooting RAW and pulling back an exposure by two stops or more and lightening shadows.  Chrome shooting is about getting it right and then you get to enjoy that thrill.

So what does 12,000 sheets of 8x10 film look like?  See it below for yourself!
Velvia 50 is still sold in 35mm and 120mm.   Fujichrome Velvia 100 and Provia 100 are both available in formats: 35mm, 120mm, 4x5 and 8x10.  220 is gone from all film types now.
Fujifilm continues to produce chrome film in several flavors!

 3 pallets of film hit the sales floor!  600 boxes of 20 sheet film packs in 5 boxes to a case.  120 cases.






One of my favorite Twin Towers shots from an old ball filed in Hoboken








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 


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

New Fujifilm XF27 2.8 Lens



The new Fujifilm X-M1 is a terrific camera.   The X-M1 is fast and agile and it is also amazingly compact - yet it will not suffer on the terrific image quality due to the large APS 16mp X-Trans sensor which has performed so well in the current X series models.  Users familiar to the X system will notice the shades of X-E1 and X20 in the camera layout.  I can see myself and many others picking one up to complement my X arsenal.   I also need to try it out with the M-Adapter to see how the focus peaking works with Leica lenses on the new LCD.  Hopefully more on that soon.  
After a short time with it to evaluate the feel and ergonomics I set out to shoot with the XF27 standard lens on my X-E1.
As always - I am not doing a review of the camera - that will be left to the professional sites. 
One of the highlights I enjoy is the tilt LCD.  A very welcome addition to this capable body.  I do not have one yet - but look forward to shooting the X-M1 soon.

I got to work with the standard XF27mm lens for a few days and look forward to more time with it - but for now a quick peak.  Full details of the lens below.  Follow up note - I was using a pre-production lens without the latest firmware on my X-E1 and X-Pro1 (which has since been released) so the lens was not being seen at its fullest capability.  These are quick snaps and I apologize for the missing metadata.  The lens is solid and incredibly compact.  No surprise there from an XF lens.
 These images were NOT all shot with the X-M1 - but some were and I'm working on a page of X-M1 images. This is a page showing the XF27mm.
 Here is where the flip out screen works for grab shots.





























ISO 320  F/6.4 @ 1/150th
 Images shown with their 100% screen grab.
ISO 200  F/4.0 @ 1/2200

 
ISO 400 F/5.0 @ 1/60th



ISO 200  F/4.5 @ 1/45th



ISO 400 F/2.8 @ 1/400th
Sometimes in camera double exposure is fun.

ISO 200  F/5.6 @ 1/50th

ISO 1600  F/2.8 @ 1/100th
 The garage flea markets of 24th street.  NYC.
ISO 1600 F/2.8 @ 1/50th

ISO 1600 F/2.8 @ 1/70th

ISO 1600 F/2.8 @ 1/100th

ISO 640 F/2.8 @ 1/20th

ISO 640 F/2.8 @ 1/105th

ISO 200 F/5.6 @ 1/1400th

ISO 400 F/6.4 @ 1/1480th

ISO 200 F/16 @ 1/480th

ISO 200 F/5.6 @ 1/800th

ISO 200 F/5.0 @ 1/105th

ISO 200 F/5.6 @ 1/1600th

ISO 200 F/3.6 @ 1/1600th

ISO 2500  F/2.8  1/170th




FUJIFILM LAUNCHES THE HIGH PERFORMANCE XF27MM F2.8 COMPACT LENS

New XF27mm lens features a small footprint and outstanding image quality
Valhalla, N.Y., June 24, 2013 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation today announced the high performance FUJINON XF27mm (41mm*1) F2.8 lens, a compact and lightweight single focal length lens for use with the X-Series Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera Systems that include the award-winning FUJIFILM X-Pro1, FUJIFILM X-E1 and the all new X-M1. The XF27mm F2.8 gives photographers excellent craftsmanship and remarkable image quality that is ideal for landscape, street and portrait photography.
“With today’s announcement of the high performance XF27mm, photographers now have a new lens choice and a perfect complement to the compact X-Series that will allow them to capture stunning, high quality images in a wonderfully slim design,” said Go Miyazaki, president and chief operating officer, FUJIFILM North America Corporation.
FUJINON XF27mm F2.8
The all new FUJINON XF27mm lens gives users a fast F2.8 lens with a fixed focal length that is similar to that of the human eye, providing accurate and natural results based on the photographer’s view.
The FUJINON XF27mm F2.8 lens features:
• A slim footprint measuring 23mm in length and weighing only 2.75oz that encourages easy, everyday photography
• Autofocus design that uses a high-torque DC motor to shift each of the 7 lens elements in 5 groups (including 1 aspherical element)
• A seven blade round diaphragm for distinctive bokeh for photography complemented by a shallow depth of field
• Advanced optical design that allows the maximum amount of light to enter into the sensor for sharp and clear images, and a Super EBC coating for effective control against chromatic aberrations
• High quality, metal construction focus ring
In order to optimize the FUJINON XF27mm F2.8 lens, Fujifilm designed the lens without an aperture ring to deliver a compact and lightweight body. Users should update their camera body’s firmware to enable aperture adjustment with the camera’s command dial.
Firmware can be found at http://www.fujifilm.com/support/digital_cameras/.
The FUJINON XF27mm F2.8 lens will be available in July 2013 for $449.95.
The current Fujifilm lens family includes the following FUJINON XF and XC lenses:
• XF 14mm F2.8
• XF 18mm F2.0
• XF 27mm F2.8
• XF 35mm F1.4
• XF 60mm F2.4
• XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 OIS
• XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 OIS
• XC 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OIS
*1 35mm format equivalent
About Fujifilm
FUJIFILM North America Corporation, a marketing subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation consists of four operating divisions and one subsidiary company. The Imaging Division provides consumer and commercial photographic products and services, including:  photographic paper; digital printing equipment, along with service and support; personalized photo products; film; and one-time-use cameras; and also markets motion picture archival film and on-set color management solutions to the motion picture, broadcast and production industries. The Electronic Imaging Division markets consumer digital cameras, and the Graphic Systems Division supplies products and services to the graphic printing industry. The Optical Devices Division provides optical lenses for the broadcast, cinematography, closed circuit television, videography and industrial markets, and also markets binoculars. FUJIFILM Canada Inc. sells and markets a range of Fujifilm products and services in Canada. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmusa.com/northamerica, go to www.twitter.com/fujifilmus to follow Fujifilm on Twitter, or go to www.facebook.com/FujifilmNorthAmerica to Like Fujifilm on Facebook.  To receive news and information direct from Fujifilm via RSS, subscribe at www.fujifilmusa.com/rss.




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 

A Quick Look at the 1972 Hasselblad 500C/M

Just a few snaps of the awesome and durable 500C/M.