The Java Jive

The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 is amongst the most exciting new cameras in recent months. It seems Fujifilm listened to the fans of the X100 and went back to the drawing board with a vengeance.

It’s quite large – nearly identical in size to the Leica M9 and won’t win any beauty contests. But if the sensor is as great as Fuji has stated, this could be a reasonable alternative for many photographers looking to have a backup to their DSLR and for some, replace the heft and size of DSLRs. DPreview has a preview online and has stated, “in terms of detail resolution the X-Pro 1 should punch above its weight based on pixel count alone – indeed Fujifilm is claiming it will out-resolve the full frame 21MP Canon EOS 5D Mark II”.

As my primary camera is the Canon 5D Mk II, I’m curious and slightly skeptical about this claim. Tests and reviews shall see. I won’t be dumping my bag of L’s and the 5D2 anytime soon, but a high quality, more portable supplement would be welcome.

It’s great to see Fujifilm release cameras more inline with the needs of experienced photographers. Their first three prime lenses are fast and are hopefully just the start of future lenses to be released. (something with 35mm FL would be nice and perhaps something wider than the 28mm equivalent they’re releasing). For someone looking at the Sony NEX-7 or similar mirrorless cameras, this could be a promising alternative. Let’s wait until the reviews start rolling in.

Canon needs to step up to the plate. The Canon Powershot G1 X ain’t gonna cut it.

Exciting times indeed.

Specs:

• Fujifilm-designed 16MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor
• Novel colour filter array to suppress colour moiré, no optical low-pass filter
• EXR Processor Pro image processor
• Dual-magnification hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder
• Analogue dials for shutter speed and exposure compensation on top of camera
• All-new, fully electronic X lens mount; 17.7mm flange-to-sensor distance
• Three ‘XF’ lenses at launch: XF 18mm F2 R, XF 35mm F1.4 R, and XF 60mm F2.4 R Macro
• Prime lenses have traditional-style aperture rings (1/3 stop increments) and large manual focus rings
• Revised rear-panel control layout
• On-screen ‘Q’ control panel and redesigned tabbed menu system
• Focal-plane shutter, 1/4000 sec max speed
• 3.0″ RGBW 1.23M dot LCD

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The beautiful bamboo forest in Kyoto. Nature’s cathedral.

The massive bamboo elicits a low rumble of beckoning; rhythmically leaning into their neighbors as if politely exchanging thoughts.

Canon 5D Mk II | Canon 17-40mm | f/22 | 30 seconds | ISO 50

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Gion, Kyoto, Japan. I absolutely loved strolling the quiet streets of Gion in the light rain. I hope to return again in the near future to explore more of this magical place.

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My brother and I spent quite a long time trying to capture this bridge but the weather wasn’t cooperating.

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Canon 5D Mk II | Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM | f/20.0 | 6 seconds | ISO 100

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There was this fantastic pulsing sculpture lit up and morphing into different colors. I put my camera down and set the timer for 8 seconds. You can barely see in this smaller version but there was a man sitting perfectly still by the base.

Tokyo, Japan

Canon 5D Mk II | Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM @ f/22 | 8 sec | ISO 100

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‘Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has puzzled us before seems less mysterious, and the crooked paths look straighter as we approach the end.’

- Jean Paul Richter

Photo taken on Seminyak Beach, Bali, Indonesia

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I’ve been slacking on the blogging front, mostly due to my workload and recent travels to Indonesia and Puerto Galera, but also due to the fact that I’ve been posting in various other places (Google+, Twitter, Facebook, 500px, etc). I realize many bloggers have jumped ship for an easier, micro-blogging style of presenting a lifestream, but I have no desire to abandon this blog no matter how busy I get.

Here are some of the other ways to keep track of my photography and travels (the links are directed to my various profiles):

Google+

I find Google+ to be a great place to discover new photographers. I’ve been seeking a viable alternative to Flickr for quite sometime. I think Google needs to figure out where this is going, but it seems to have far more more traction than Buzz. It’s also grown much more quickly than I had expected. In only two months of being active, I’ve developed over 5,600 followers. I’ve been using Twitter for nearly 5 years and have only about 1,400 followers. Not that the number of followers necessary reflects any significance.

500px

500px is an interesting development. I receive far far less “views” on photos there and have almost no social contact or feedback – and that’s ok – cause the minimalistic design and clean portfolio options trump the cluttered feeling one gets when viewing Flickr. I’ll be uploading less work here but more of my culled photos.

Twitter

Even after nearly 5 years, Twitter still has a purpose. I’ve gone through many phases with its use, but it’s still unbeatable in terms of reaching certain groups, colleagues, resources and perspectives.

What are your preferred social media tools? Do you still see a place for blogs?

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