Ritchie Roesch

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Day 3, Part 1 – Mount Rushmore

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Four Fathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

On the morning of the third day of our South Dakota trip, which was the first full day in the Black Hills, after breakfast, we headed out to see Mount Rushmore National Monument. This is an iconic landmark of America. The heads of four quintessential presidents were carved into the rocks: George Washington, the first president and Revolutionary War general, on the far left, Thomas Jefferson, the third president and author of the Declaration of Independence, on the middle-left, Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president and Rough Rider, on the middle-right, and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president and slavery abolisher, on the far right.

Gutzon Borglum is the sculptor who, along with his team of over 400 people, carved Mount Rushmore, which is an incredible work of art. The work began in 1927 and finished in 1941. It was mostly carved by careful use of dynamite. Borglum was a renown artist even before Mount Rushmore, but this is certainly his biggest and best known accomplishment.

When we arrived we were surprised to learn that our National Parks Pass didn’t do us any good. There is a “parking fee” (but no entrance fee), and they offer no discount for those who have an annual pass. The parking garage, which resembles something you’d find at a large airport or downtown, is a big expense, I’m sure, so I certainly understand the need to charge money to park. I just think that, if you have an annual pass, they should give a discount of some sort.

The way that this monument is set up is you traverse a walkway towards the sculpture, with things on your right and left as you make your way down. It kind of feels like much of it was an afterthought instead of integrated design. Still, it’s laid out in such a way that you could choose to get as much out of it as you want. Except, when we were there, half of the trail and the Sculptor’s Studio were closed. Still, we found the museum to be interesting enough.

Mount Rushmore Monochrome – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Our ten-year-old and eight-year-old kids did the Junior Ranger program. This is a great way for them to not only learn about the park, but to be engaged and excited about it. Afterwards, once they had completed the requirements, they were sworn in as Junior Rangers and received a badge. This was a highlight of the trip for them.

The four heads are very large, but it is difficult to really appreciate the scale from the main viewing area. There is a trail that takes you closer, and it isn’t until you reach the end that you can better appreciate the size of the carvings. After we left the park we decided that Mount Rushmore was a neat place to see, but mildly disappointing. On the other hand, it made us want to watch the Alfred Hitchcock classic North by Northwest, which takes place, in part, at Mount Rushmore.

One takeaway from visiting this place is that photography is a lot like sculpting. Borglum’s job wasn’t all that much different from yours and mine, except the tools are different. He removed all of the stone that wasn’t Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. What was left was his great work of art. When you and I compose, our job is to remove everything that doesn’t belong so that what we are left with is the strongest image possible. Often less is more.

The photographs in this article, which are all camera-made JPEGs, were captured using a Fujifilm X-Pro2 with a Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens attached to it. I really like this camera-lens combination, and I thought it was a good choice for the location. One of the things that I appreciate about my X100F is the simplicity and restriction of one-camera and one-lens, and I found that not changing lenses on the X-Pro2 while at a location provides a similar experience.

Forefathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Heads Up – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

George – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

George Washington – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Monumental Proportions – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Junior Oath – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Getting Ranger Badges – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Junior Rangers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Making Connections – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Securely In Father’s Arms – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Along For The Ride – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Josh, Joy, Jon & Forefathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Amanda, Johanna & Forefathers – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

American Heroes – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Monumental – Mt. Rushmore, SD – X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Avenue of Flags – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

State & Federal – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Umbrella of Liberty – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Day 3 – Part 2 Day 4 – Part 1 Day 4 – Part 2 Days 5 & 6

Fun With RNI Films App

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

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A couple of weeks ago I downloaded a photo editing app called RNI Films. It’s got a ton of different film simulation presets, including Negative (color and black-and-white), Slide, Vintage and Instant. With one touch you can transform your digital image into something that resembles analog film. It sounded like an app that I would appreciate, so I gave it a shot.

The RNI Films app is free to download. It comes standard with quite a few different film presets, but you can add more for a price. I believe to unlock everything is around $20, which is cheap but kind of unnecessary as it comes with a lot in its basic package. I did purchase one film pack for $4 to get a certain film simulation that I thought I’d like.

The different film presets seem accurate. I have personally used some of the different films that they are attempting to simulate, but many of them I have not. I don’t think it holds up in comparison to Alien Skin Exposure, which, as far as accuracy is concerned, is tops. But for a free or cheap cellphone app, it’s quite good. You get a look that appears analog instead of digital and seems reasonably close to actual film stock. Using this app, I think that you could convince some people that you shot film when you didn’t.

One issue that I have with RNI Films is that there are too many choices. I wish that I could keep a dozen that I really like and get rid of the rest. It takes forever to flip through each preset one-by-one, so it’s important to remember which ones I want to use and where they are located. The process is very slow going if you are browsing.

I don’t see a good way to incorporate this app into a regular workflow. I shoot Fujifilm because their JPEGs are good, which allows me to achieve the look that I want with less time and effort. I have created a bunch of different film simulations that I can use in-camera, and most of the time I don’t have a need to post-process. I believe creating the look that I want in-camera is more authentic than using software to manipulate an image. Sometimes, though, it is not practical (or it might even be impossible) to achieve the desired results straight-out-of-camera, so an app like RNI Films could be a good option for quickly and easily getting the right look. I see this as being helpful occasionally, and remaining unused most of the time.

Where I have found this app to be the most fun is re-imagining photographs while waiting. If I’m at the post office standing in line I can open up the app and create a slightly different version of one of my pictures. If I’m at the auto shop waiting for the oil change to get done, I can re-imagine one of my pictures there. Wherever and whenever I find myself with time to kill, I can open up the RNI Films app on my phone, pick one of my pictures and run it through some film presets. Maybe I’ll create something that I like, maybe I’ll prefer the original version better. You don’t always get better results with this app. Most often you just get a different result, which may or may not be as good as the original. But it’s fun to see how different film presets change the look of an image.

The photographs below show the before-and-after from using this app. For a few of the images I prefer the RNI Films version, while the rest I think the original version is better. I didn’t document which presets I used because I was lazy. I just found the ones that I thought would work for the photograph at hand, and went from there. Obviously what I feel would work best for me and my pictures might not work best for you and vice versa.

Schwabacher Landing Beaver Dam – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X-E1

RNI Films App Edit

35mm Film & Yashica – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

RNI Films App Edit

Bubble Hazard – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

RNI Films App Edit

Conoco – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2

RNI Films App Edit

Little Blooms, Big Blooms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

RNI Films App Edit

Window Rose – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2

RNI Films App Edit

Blossom Branch – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

RNI Films App Edit

Red Lamp – Antelope Is. SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

RNI Films App Edit

Seattle Center – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

RNI Films App Edit

Early Morning Bloom – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2

RNI Films App Edit

Road Trip: Black Hills, South Dakota – Days 1 & 2

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Threatening Sky – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

A couple of weeks ago my family and I took a road trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. I visited that area when I was a little kid and don’t remember much of anything. Mostly what I remember is getting a piggy bank with the four presidents’ heads on it. My wife and kids had never been. We decided that it would be a great travel destination, so we hitched up the RV trailer and went.

Living in the Salt Lake City, Utah, metro area affords us the opportunity to see all sorts of great places. It’s closely located to many iconic sites of the American West. We can get to most anywhere west of the Great Plains within two days of driving, and many places can be reached within one day. To get to the Black Hills required two days on the road, although, if we weren’t pulling the trailer and really stretched ourselves, we might have been able to make it in one day.

Approaching the Wyoming boarder the landscape changes significantly. Even though you cross the Continental Divide several times while traversing the Rocky Mountains, the scenery becomes rather boring. While it is quite clear that these are not the same Rocky Mountains that John Denver penned songs about, there is a certain beauty in the emptiness, especially with building thunderstorms around.

We spent the night in Alcova, Wyoming, which is a tiny community along the North Platte River. It’s also the halfway point between our house and Mount Rushmore. This is where the scenery starts to become interesting again. The hills slowly become more green and trees begin to appear here and there, eventually becoming thick pine forest in South Dakota.

On the second day of our trip we arrived at our campsite north of Custer and south of Hill City in time to cook dinner and enjoy a campfire. Everyone was glad to be out of the car and at our destination. The fresh pine air felt great to breathe in. We spent the evening settling in and relaxing, as we had plenty of things planned for the next two days.

The only pictures that I captured on the drive out was at the camp in Alcova, Wyoming, and at a gas stop in Edgemont, South Dakota. Mostly I just wanted to “get there” so I kept pushing forward instead of stopping for photography. I saw plenty along the way that would have been worth the time to capture, so maybe on another trip through the area I will take my time. Once settled in at our camp in South Dakota I pulled out the camera again and captured some more images.

All of the photographs in this article were captured using a Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Meike 35mm lens. I really like this combination a lot. On this trip the lens was brand new so I was still figuring out how to best use it. I had other gear with me, but on these first two days I stuck to just this one camera and lens, more for the simplicity of it than anything else. These are all camera-made JPEGs, mostly Classic Chrome and Acros, although Velvia, PRO Neg. Std, and PRO Neg. Hi were also used. Enjoy!

Grey Reef – Alcova, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Rusty Cactus – Alcova, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Old Wood Fence Post – Alcova, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

N. Platte River – Alcova, WY – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Flowers & Rail – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Gas Tanks – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Sinclair – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Conoco – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Big Cookie, Little Girl – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Camping Face – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Adventure Joy – Hill City, SD – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Campfire – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Leaning Tree – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Black Hills Monochrome – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Partly Sunny – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Ominous – Hill City, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Day 3 – Part 1 Day 3 – Part 2 Day 4 – Part 1 Day 4 – Part 2 Days 5 & 6

A Benefit of Being A Photographer

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

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When we purchased our 2011 Nissan Titan there were just four of us: my wife and I plus our two young children. Since that time we’ve added two more children. This truck has been paid off for a couple of years now, and that’s a big plus because there ain’t no car like the one you already own, but it has only five seats. We couldn’t all sit in it at the same time.

We made it work for the last year, using our other vehicle which does seat six (eight actually), but that car isn’t ideal for towing our travel trailer. You may have noticed, if you are a regular Fuji X Weekly reader, that we like to travel. It seems like every month or two we are off to somewhere amazing, like the Grand Canyon or Canyonlands or Seattle or most recently Mount Rushmore. We needed a vehicle that could keep up with us, so we set out to purchase a new truck that has a seat for all six of us.

I really loved the 2011 Nissan Titan, and I put a lot of miles on it. We definitely used it. It was good to us, never once giving us trouble. I didn’t want to sell it, but I needed to sell it in order to purchase something else. It was time, so I put it on the market. I used my Fujifilm X-Pro2 to capture some pictures for the ad.

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One benefit of being a photographer is that I know how to make nice-looking pictures. For used cars, there are ads after ads with thoughtless snaps, mostly quick cellphone shots. They do very little to sell the vehicle. They don’t grab anyone’s attention. They are very boring, unappealing and pragmatic. I didn’t want that for my truck. I was going to do it right and create my own advertisement images. I was going to make my ad stand out from the crowd by making beautiful pictures that potential buyers would find attractive and idealistic. This was a truck that they’d want to come see for themselves.

It certainly worked! I sold the truck quickly and for a price above the Blue Book value. My photographs are what sold my truck. And, really, this is how everyone should be doing it, except most people don’t know how to create good photographs. They only know how to make thoughtless snapshots. Perhaps there is a business opportunity for someone to create car ad photos for those hoping to sell their vehicles.

The lesson is that you can use your photographic know-how to your benefit in situations that you might overlook. It certainly paid off for me with the sale of my truck. Maybe there are things for you where your photography could become invaluable in whatever the situation is. Use it to your advantage! Get out your camera and create some “professional” pictures for it, whether it’s selling a car, house, boat, yard sale, or something else entirely. I’m sure with some imaginative thought, you could come up with all sorts of things where your photographs could unexpectedly benefit you.

Fujifilm X100F Aperture Series: f/4

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

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f/2 f/2.8

If there’s one aperture that I use more than the rest on my Fujifilm X100F, it’s f/4. It seems to be the sweet spot, with corner-to-corner sharpness and maximum sharpness in the center. Bokeh is quite nice, although not heavily pronounced. It has enough depth-of-field to be useful in almost any situation. It seems like the best all-around aperture on this camera.

Some of my favorite images were captured with the aperture set at f/4. I use it for street photography, still-life, family snapshots, landscapes–anything really. It’s large enough for use in low-light situations and small enough for bright-light scenes. It’s a good set-it-and-forget-it option. If I could use only one aperture on this lens, f/4 would be my choice.

Ilford Harman Technology – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Walking Man – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Thoughts Grow With A Cup of Joe – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Train Watching – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Look What I Drew – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Man In The Straw Hat – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Fortuity – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Train Ride Through The Christmas Tunnel – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Christmas Joy – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Jump – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Caramel Macchiato – Sandy, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

Expedition Lodge – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X100F @ f/4

f/5.6

My Fujifilm X100F Kodak Portra 400 Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Jump – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Fuji X Weekly reader Luis Costa asked me if I could create a Kodak Portra 400 film simulation recipe for the Fujifilm X100F. I liked the idea and thought it would be a fun challenge, so I agreed. What I didn’t realize is that challenge was the keyword, as this was extremely difficult to figure out. I gave up a couple of times, but then some inspiration pushed me forward, and eventually I got it right. Or, at least, very close to right.

Portra 400 is a daylight balanced color negative film made by Kodak. There have been four different versions made since it was introduced in 1998: the original film (1998-2000), 400NC and 400VC (2000-2011), and the current version (2011 to present). I’ve used Portra 400NC (“neutral color”) and 400VC (“vivid color”) in the past, but I’ve not shot on Portra film for at least a decade, and I’ve never used the current one. There isn’t a huge difference between the different Portra 400 films, but there are small distinctions as they each have a slightly varied look.

As the name implies, this film is designed for portraits, and has a warm tint in order to enhance skin tones. Being daylight balanced means if you use it on a cloudy day, indoors, under artificial light, etc., it will look different. It’s designed for use in daylight, and using it in other circumstances will skew the white balance (which could be good or bad, depending on the image).

White balance became both the key to this film simulation recipe and the problem. I first tried auto-white-balance (with a white balance shift of +2 Red and -5 Blue), and I got good results a few times and not good results a bunch of times. Next I set it to Daylight (using the same shift) but it wasn’t quite right. Then I tried setting the Kelvin value, starting with 5600K, but couldn’t find one that was correct. Finally, I used Custom White Balance, but it took seven or eight different measurements before I got it right. I did get it right, though.

The measurement that worked was out the back door of my house midday, slightly back-lit, partly cloudy with a lot of green in the scene. Interestingly enough, once I got it right I then tried to get the same custom white balance on my X-Pro2, but it measured slightly different. My suggestion is to use auto-white-balance, and once you capture an image that looks right, use custom white balance to make a measurement of the scene and set it. I think that should work, anyway. Otherwise, just keep trying to get the custom white balance right by taking different measurements until you find one that looks good.

Hello Summer – S. Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Edited using RNI Films app, Kodak Portra 400 preset.

Country Red – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Edited using RNI Films app, Kodak Portra 400 preset.

Nailing down an exact Portra 400 look is tricky business because it depends on which version of Portra 400 film you are talking about, plus whether it was scanned (and which scanner) or printed (and which chemicals and paper). To verify that I was close, I put a couple of images through the RNI Films app on my phone using their Portra 400 preset, and compared it to my Portra 400 film simulation recipe. It was very close, but who knows how accurate their Portra preset is and what exactly it is supposed to be simulating (which film version and process). It was good verification that my recipe is at least in the ballpark, as I’m sure their preset is in the ballpark. I also examined images captured with actual Portra 400 film. I don’t think any film simulation is going to be an exact match because there are too many variables, but I think it’s perfectly alright to not be 100% spot on, as long as it gives the right impression, and this recipe does just that.

There are a few of the settings that I’ve debated, going back-and-forth over what’s most accurate. I think that the white balance shift gives the right color cast, but perhaps a bit too strongly. I’ve tried changing it, but, to me, this is what looks most correct. I’ve tried the shadows at +3 but think +2 is better. I’m still not completely convinced that highlights should be at -1 as sometimes 0 looks better, but more often -1 looks right to me. Sometimes I think that color should be at -2 and not -3, but -2 almost looks too saturated. There is certainly room to play around with the settings if one doesn’t completely agree with what I’ve chosen.

The most difficult part of my Kodak Portra 400 Film Simulation recipe will be getting the white balance correct. I didn’t find an easy way to achieve it. It’s going to take trial-and-error. With any luck you’ll get it on the first try. There are three custom white balance settings, and you can make three different ones and see which gives the best results. Just remember that Portra is a daylight balanced film, so measuring a daylight scene will give you a better chance of getting it right.

Here’s the recipe:

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +2
Color: -2
Noise Reduction: -3
Sharpening: +1
Grain: Strong
White Balance: Custom, +2 Red & -5 Blue
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1 to +1-1/3 (typically)

The photographs labelled “Portra 400” (which are all of them except for the two RNI Films examples) are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. I did slightly crop a couple of them, but no other adjustments were made, just minor cropping.

Greens of Summer – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Summer Wildflower – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Tiny Bugs On A Rosebud – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Bloom Alone – S. Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

A Coffee Cup – S. Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Obligatory Cat Pic – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Hanging Prints – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Window Box – S. Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Bottle Vase – S. Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Ground Coffee Beans – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

May Clouds Over Wasatch – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Window Clouds – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Standing Tall – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Tonka – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Bike Repair – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – “Portra 400”

Click here for my complete list of Fujifilm X100F film simulation recipes!

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Lens Review: Meike 35mm f/1.7 for Fujifilm

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Meike 35mm f/1.7

I had a birthday a few weeks ago. I also had an Amazon gift card. So I browsed Amazon for something to buy myself in celebration of becoming older. I was looking through Fujifilm accessories when I stumbled across a cheap $90 prime lens, the Meike 35mm f/1.7. A prime lens for less than $100? I added it to the cart, proceeded to the checkout and submitted the order.

And I immediately regretted it.

I mean, I’m older and supposedly wiser. What kind of piece-of-junk lens am I going to get for so little money? It will, most assuredly, be poorly made with subpar optics and I’ll never use it. I had wasted my money, no doubt about it, I thought. I should have purchased something else. Oh, well. The order had already been placed.

A couple of days later a package arrived at my door. Inside was a box that contained the Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens that I had ordered. I opened it up with low expectations. It felt plenty hefty, though, and not lightweight like something made from cheap plastic. I removed the lens from the box and it looked and felt solidly built, mostly made of metal. My senses were telling me that I had ordered a vintage lens from the film era, perhaps the 1960’s, and not a brand-new lens made for digital cameras.

Meike 35mm on Fujifilm X-Pro2

The Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens looked good and seemed like a quality item, but what about the optics? Was it going to perform well? Why was it so darn cheap?

I attached it to my Fujifilm X-Pro2 and immediately noticed a quirk. The aperture ring is smooth and doesn’t click at the different f-stops. That’s a little odd. I have a Helios 44-2 lens that has two aperture rings, one that clicks and one that’s smooth, and so it’s not a new concept, but it is an unusual choice.

Another quirk is that the spaces in-between the f-stops, marked by numbers on the lens, are far apart when the aperture is large and close together when the aperture is small. For example, it takes quite a turn to get from f/1.7 to f/2 but going from f/8 all the way to f/22 is a tiny turn, and trying to stop on f/11 or f/16 is a tough task.

This is a manual focus lens and the focus ring is smooth. It seems to have the right amount of give, not too firm and not too loose. There is a focus distance scale on the lens, something that is too often missing today. The front element doesn’t rotate and it has 49mm threads.

Meike 35mm on Fujifilm X-Pro2 with coffee

I was shocked when I reviewed some frames that I had captured with the Meike 35mm lens on my X-Pro2 and saw how crisp they were. It’s sharp. Very sharp, in fact! I would expect this sharpness out of a lens that costs much more, but not out of budget glass. From the perspective of creating crisp images, this lens is right up there with the best. And it looks good attached to the X-Pro2.

I was then shocked by the amount of vignetting and the soft corners when using a large aperture. This is why the lens is so cheap. When wide open the Meike 35mm is almost unusable. I say almost because you could use the flaws as an artistic tool to give your images character. Things noticeably improve at f/2, but it’s still pronounced. By f/2.8 I would say that the vignetting and soft corners are minimal enough that you could live with them, but they don’t fully go away until f/8. Apertures smaller than f/8 suffer from diffraction. There is a small amount of chromatic aberrations that can be found when the aperture is f/4 and larger, but overall it’s well controlled. There’s a fairly pronounced pincushion distortion, which you’ll notice if you photograph a brick wall.

Bokeh, which is the quality of the out-of-focus area of an image, looks very good with this lens. When wide open there is a slight swirly effect, similar to the Helios 44-2 but less pronounced. When the aperture is large the subject separates nicely from the background.

The Meike 35mm f/1.7 is an excellent budget standard prime lens option for your Fujifilm camera. It’s all manual, which I like but some people might not. It has lots of character, something that’s often missing from modern lenses. It certainly has plenty of flaws and there is a reason why it’s cheap, but overall it performs much better than the price point would indicate. Even if the MSRP was $150 (instead of $90) it would still be an intriguing option. If you don’t already own a standard prime lens for your Fujifilm camera, this is one that you should consider, and, because it’s very inexpensive, it should fit into everyone’s budget.

Securely In Father’s Arms – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Conoco – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 35mm

Sinclair – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Big Cookie, Little Girl – Custer, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Camping Face – Custer, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Campfire – Custer, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

White Flower Blossoms – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Green Hills Under Grey Sky – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

State & Federal Symbols – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Monumental – Mt. Rushmore, SD – X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

George – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Mount Rushmore Monochrome – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Ominous – Custer, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Flowers & Rail – Edgemont, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Getting Ranger Badges – Mt. Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

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One Year Later

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

My wife, Amanda, and I just celebrated Johanna’s first birthday. Yes, our little daughter turned one-year-old. If you follow Fuji X Weekly I’m sure you’ve seen many pictures of her. The time has flown by!

When Amanda was nine-months pregnant, just before Johanna was born, I did some portraits of her in a forested area near our home. One year later we returned to this same location and I photographed both of them together. It’s kind of a before-and-after, except it’s a whole year later.

It’s neat to see the difference a year makes. So much has changed. It’s good to look back, as it makes it easier to appreciate the now. I hope to return next May and do this again, perhaps make it an annual tradition.

Amanda, 9 Months – S. Weber, UT – Fuji X-E1 & Helios 44-2

Amanda & Johanna – S. Weber, UT – Fuji X-Pro2 & 60mm

Engagement Photos For One – Portraits of Fianceé After Couple Splits

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

On To New Adventures – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X-Pr02 & 16mm f/1.4

I’m not a portrait photographer and I don’t usually do portrait photography, although I’ve found myself in that genre many times over the years. It’s simply not my forté and so I avoid it. Because I am a photographer, I get asked fairly often to do portraits, and sometimes I oblige. Recently I was asked to capture some engagement pictures for someone I know. The future bride and groom are big Disney fans and they had made arrangements to do the photo shoot at The Real Up House in Herriman, Utah.

You’ve probably seen the Disney/Pixar movie Up, where the grumpy old man and the tag-along Wilderness Explorer go on an adventure to South America by using a bunch of helium balloons to transport a house. There’s a home in Utah that closely resembles the one from the movie, even down to the smallest details. This is where the couple wanted to have their engagement photographs captured, and, for a fee, you can do just that. It was all set up and everything was good to go.

Except that the soon-to-be bride and groom called off their engagement a couple days before the photo session was scheduled to happen.

I encouraged the now-ex-fianceé to still go through with the photo session. I told her it would be therapeutic and empowering. I suggested that it might help her feel better about herself. She agreed, and so she kept her appointment and we went–just her and I.

It wasn’t the best time of day for a portrait photo session. The couple had scheduled the noon appointment before consulting with me. I did what I could with the light that was there. I used a Fujifilm X-Pro2 with a Fujinon 16mm f/1.4 lens and a Fujinon 60mm f/2.8 lens, as well as the Fujifilm X100F, which has a built-in 23mm lens. On both cameras I used the PRO Neg. Hi film simulation for these images.

The ex-fianceé had a good time. She said that she was very glad that she went and didn’t cancel the appointment. I think it was good for her to go. If anything it shows that happiness is a choice, and she chose to be happy despite the circumstance. That’s self-empowerment! That’s what these pictures are about.

Waiting For Paradise Falls – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm f/1.4

Me – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Letting Go – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm f/1.4

Float Away – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Clubhouse Color – Herriman, UT – Fuji X-Pro2 & 16mm f/1.4

Just Me – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm f/2.4

Squirrel – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Squirrel Friend – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm f/2.4

Happiness Is From Within – Herriman, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 60mm f/2.8

My Fujifilm X-Pro2 Dramatic Classic Chrome Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

This film simulation recipe, which I’m calling Dramatic Classic Chrome, is the first that I’ve created for the Fujifilm X-Pro2. Up until this point all of them have been for the X100F; however, what I’ve discovered is that these settings are 100% compatible with all X-Trans III cameras. I figured that this was the case, but it wasn’t until my X-Pro2 arrived in the mail a few weeks ago that I was able to verify it. Any of my recipes will work on the X100F, X-Pro2, X-T2, X-T20, X-E3 and X-H1, even though the title says, “My X100F Film Simulation Recipe” or “My X-Pro2 Film Simulation Recipe.” Use this on any and all X-Trans III cameras, including the X100F.

I was experimenting with the JPEG settings on my X-Pro2, and specifically I was attempting something that looked vintage-film-like, perhaps similar to cross-processed slide film. I didn’t have a specific film in mind, just a certain look. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to achieve exactly what I had in mind, but what I did create I like, and I think it’s actually a good Classic Chrome recipe. It’s a little bit grittier and dramatic than my standard recipe.

Interestingly enough, the look changes a bit depending on the light and lens. In high contrast situations, you’ll get a high contrast image, with dark shadows and bright highlights. In low contrast situations, you’ll get a good amount of contrast with shadows and highlights that retain their details. This film simulation definitely has a film-like quality, but not any specific film or process. Perhaps it’s in the neighborhood of Agfa transparency film that’s been cross-processed, but that’s not really accurate. Maybe Ektar that’s been push-processed a couple stops? I’m not sure about that, either.

Securely In Father’s Arms – Mount Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

One thing that I did different with this film simulation recipe is set Dynamic Range to auto. In auto the camera almost always chose DR100, so you could just set it to DR100 instead of auto and get the same results. I did not use DR200 because I wanted more contrast, although on a couple occasions, in really high contrast scenes, the camera chose DR200. I’ve yet to find a situation where the camera chose DR400.

Something else to point out is, while I have the saturation set to 0 in this recipe, on some photographs I changed it to +1 and some other photographs I changed it to -1, situation specific. I think 0 is good for most pictures, but some seem to look better with just a little more or a little less color saturation.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR-Auto
Highlight: +3
Shadow: +3
Color: 0
Noise Reduction: -3
Sharpening: +1
Grain Effect: Strong
White Balance: Auto, -1 Red & +1 Blue
ISO: Auto up to 12800
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 or +2/3 (typically)

***Update***
The correct white balance shift for this recipe should by +1 Red & -1 Blue.

Example photos, all camera-made JPEGs, using my Fujifilm X-Pro2 Dramatic Classic Chrome Film Simulation recipe:

Monumental – Mount Rushmore, SD – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Starry Nites – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Waiting To Arrive – SLC, UT – Fuji X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

National Drink – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Red Drum – Unitah, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Bike Flag – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Empty Carts – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Yellow Door – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Train of Thought – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Instamatic – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16-50mm

White Flower Blossoms – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

Yellow Pots – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Radius Lines – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Slow – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

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Photoessay: Antelope Island State Park, Utah – Part 3: Fujifilm X100F

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Great Salt Lake & Wasatch Range – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifiom X100F

Part 1 – Fujifilm X-E1 Part 2 – Fujifilm X-A3

Antelope Island State Park is a special place, but I think it is especially wonderful near sunset. That’s when the rather ordinary rocks reflect the sun’s colors, becoming vivid and rich. It’s when you can really appreciate the reflections in the typically smooth water. The crowds leave and everything becomes peaceful. It is, hands down, the best place in Utah to experience the setting sun.

A visit to Antelope Island is like a taking a vacation. It’s stepping into another place, even though, for me, it’s only a short drive. It’s like travelling without all of the travelling. It’s a quick one-day staycation, if you will, but I always feel rejuvenated and more balanced when leaving.

The photographs in this article were all captured using a Fujifilm X100F. This camera is the perfect travel camera because it is small and lightweight enough to fit into a large pocket and it’s never in the way, yet it delivers exceptional image quality. A couple of these images received some very minor touch ups with Snapseed, but are otherwise all camera-made JPEGs using my different film simulation recipes.

Sunset Rock – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Painted With Warm Light – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Cracked Earth – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Frary Peak Behind The Rocks – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Light Around The Corner – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Sun, Stone & Water – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Rocks Above The Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Lake From Lady Finger Point – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

An Antelope Island Evening – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Island Joy – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Warm Light Over Antelope Island – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Sunset From Lady Finger Point – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Dipping Sun – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Three Gulls – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Part 4 coming soon!

Possible Workaround For Custom White Balance Shift

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

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The one question that I’ve been asked the most, by far, since starting this blog last year is whether or not custom white balance shifts can be saved on the X100F. Some of my film simulation recipes, such as Vintage Kodachrome and Fujicolor Superia 800, require different white balance shifts. Auto-white-balance allows you the option to save one white balance shift that’s always on (as long as auto-white-balance is selected), but you can’t customize it for each set of custom settings.

What I’ve done, and it’s not convenient but it works for me, is simply remember what the shift is and adjust it whenever I want to use one of those film simulation recipes that require a shift. For example, I know that Vintage Kodachrome requires +2 Red and -4 Blue and that Fujicolor Superia 800 requires -2 Red and -3 Blue, so I manually make the white balance adjustment before making the exposure.

Fuji X Weekly reader Luis Costa has a different workaround, so I thought I’d share it. The X100F has the option to program three custom white balance settings. You can set the white balance shift to something different with each one. So C1 could be for Vintage Kodachrome, C2 could be for Fujicolor Superia, C3 could be for Classic Chrome and the auto-white-balance could have a white balance shift set for something else. You could have four different white balance shifts saved for different recipes that are all programmed for easy use.

The problem with this solution is that the custom white balance settings are not auto-white-balance. It’s a custom kelvin number based on a measurement by the camera. If the light changes you have to make a new measurement. If you use a grey card and don’t rely on auto-white-balance, Luis Costa’s workaround is a godsend and you should absolutely use it. If you rely on auto-white-balance, then it’s something that you may want to try, but you might find it to be just as much work as adjusting the white balance shift each time you change recipes.

Depending on how you use white balance on your X100F, this might be the thing you’ve been looking for, or it might be something to try and see if it works for you or not. I did give it a try myself and found it to be a good option if the lighting doesn’t change (for instance, shooting outdoors on a sunny day), but a little cumbersome for constantly changing light.

Another thought on how this might be helpful is that you could set a white balance shift in each of the custom white balance options so that you have a reminder of what exactly the shift should be for the different film simulations. You wouldn’t use custom white balance, but simply look at what you set the white balance shift to so that you can remember what to set the shift on your auto-white-balance each time you change recipes.

Hopefully this all makes sense. It’s a little confusing to me as I read it, and I wrote it! My suggestion is to play around with the custom white balance settings and find out for yourself if it’s something that might be helpful to you. Thank you, Luis, for pointing out this white balance shift workaround!

Another Difference Between the Fujifilm X100F & X-Pro2 (or, I Hate Dust)

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Storms Over Wyoming – Rawlins, WY – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & Meike 35mm

One week ago I published an article explaining the differences between the Fujifilm X100F and the X-Pro2 with the 23mm f/2 lens. There is one important point that I left out that sets the X100F apart (either good or bad, but I believe good), and that is dust on the sensor. Anytime you have an interchangeable-lens camera, you open up the possibilities (probabilities, really) of finding dust spots in your images.

I have owned my X100F for about 10 months now. I have never encountered one single dust speck on any of my pictures captured with that camera. I purchased it second-hand, and the camera is about two-years-old. No dust, no problems. It might never have a dirty sensor!

The X100F is not weather sealed, and there is a small possibility of dust finding its way onto the sensor. It has happened to some people. If it does happen, there’s no dust-removal option built into the camera, and so you are out-of-luck. You either just deal with it, or you send it off somewhere to have it cleaned, which I understand is an expensive option. If dust does manage to land on the sensor, that really stinks! But so far, knock on wood, that has not happened and I’m hopeful that it won’t ever happen.

I’ve had my X-Pro2 for a few weeks now, and I’ve found dust spots on my pictures several times. I’m very careful when I change lenses on this camera. I never do so in an obviously dusty place. I have the lenses prepared so that it is a quick change. I never point the camera up when there is no lens attached. I set the dust-removal to activate at both start-up and shut-down, and I’ll turn the camera on-and-off several times immediately following a lens change. Even with all of these precautions, I still manage to find dust specks sometimes, like on Storms Over Wyoming at the top, which has some obvious specks on the upper-right side.

I hate dust! Dust and photography don’t mix well, and it’s been an ongoing battle since the invention of the camera. Back in the film days dust was a constant problem, and it seemed impossible to win. I would carefully clean the film prior to printing, and I would still find dust spots and lines on my prints. It’s not as bad in the digital photography world, but it is still a significant issue. It’s still an ongoing battle. And it still infuriates me! I’m just as frustrated by it now as I was 20 years ago.

With the X100F dust is no issue whatsoever, and that’s awesome! However, if dust ever does get on the sensor, that would be a big problem. With the X-Pro2, dust is a continuous problem, but most of the time it’s not tough to overcome. It only rears its ugly head occasionally, and it can be dealt with when that happens without a lot of heartache (but some heartache nonetheless). The fact that I’ve not had to deal with dust at all with the X100F is great, and the fact that I’ve already had to deal with dust with the X-Pro2 is not great. For me, that’s a significant contrast.

First Street Photography Images With Fujifilm X-Pro2

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Slow – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

The Fujifilm X-Pro2 is a popular camera for street photography. It looks cool. It has a silent shutter (the electronic one, not the mechanical shutter). It’s weather sealed. It makes wonderful images. What’s not to love? So when my X-Pro2 arrived in the mail less than two weeks ago, one of the very first things that I did with it was shoot some street photography.

I’ve had the chance to take the camera to Ogden, Park City and the Salt Lake International Airport (all in Utah), and capture some street images. I used a Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens, a Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR lens, and a Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens, all three of which are great lenses for this genre of photography. All three of them pair well with the X-Pro2. I’ll be discussing each in more detail in the coming weeks.

All of these images are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. The color photographs are Classic Chrome (a mix of my X100F Classic Chrome recipe and a new more punchy recipe that I’ll be sharing soon). The black-and-white images are Acros. Those are both great film simulations for street photography. I use these two film simulations the most, followed by Velvia, Astia and PRO Neg. Std., although I rarely use anything but Classic Chrome and Acros for this type of photography.

I look forward to even more street photography with the X-Pro2 (and X100F) in the coming months. I’ll be sure to post the images here on Fuji X Weekly, so I invite you to follow this blog if you aren’t already.

Take care!

Into The Darkness – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Famous Monster – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Button For Walking – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Urban Bicycling – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Lounge Talk – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Good Life – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Time To Clean – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Carry Out Wayward Son – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Train of Thought – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 35mm

Waiting To Arrive – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 35mm

Starry Nites – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Window Shopping – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Coffeehouse Conversation – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Sidewalk Job – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Walking & Talking – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Never Shop While Hungry – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Going Down – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Long Boarding – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm

Thanksgiving Point Ashton Gardens (Part 2)

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Caladium Leaves – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X100F

This is a follow-up to yesterday’s photoessay of the Thanksgiving Point tulip festival, in which I used a Fujifilm X-Pro2 and 16mm lens to capture blossomed flowers in the beautiful Ashton Gardens. This post has a Part A and a Part B. The first part features just a few photographs that I captured last fall at Ashton Gardens inside Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. The second part features photographs that I captured of the tulip festival last year using a Fujifilm X-E1 with a Rokinon 12mm lens and an X-Fujinon 135mm lens.

Early last fall I visited Thanksgiving Point with my family. We went to a couple different museums and then, since my wife and kids had yet to see Ashton Gardens, we made a quick stroll through it. We didn’t stay long and I didn’t take a whole lot of photographs. The camera I used was a Fujifilm X100F, which I had only owned for a couple of months at that time. These photographs are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs.

I went to the 2017 tulip festival alone because my family was out-of-town. I was using a Fujifilm X-E1 at the time (this was several months before I purchased the X100F), and I had one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens, although I used the 12mm lens twice as much as the 135mm lens on that trip. Carrying around two lenses was much less convenient than having just one lens attached to the camera (such as the X100F or X-Pro2 with the 16mm lens), but it allowed me to capture some images that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. These photographs were post-processed using Alien Skin Exposure and Nik Collection software.

I shared this year’s Ashton Gardens tulip festival photographs yesterday, so I thought it was fitting to also show these other photographs captured at the same location. Enjoy!

Delicate Pink – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Koi Pond – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival 2017:

Tulip Blossom Monochrome – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Little Blooms, Big Blooms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

White Bloom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Tulip Bloom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

One Tulip – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Tulips By The Creek – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 135mm

Garden Statue – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 135mm

Tulips – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 135mm

Pink Tulip – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

The Secret Garden – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Tulip & Wall – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Thousand Origami Cranes – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Forest & Falls – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Colorful Floating Umbrellas – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & 12mm

Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival With Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm Lens

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Tulips In Acros – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Lehi, Utah, is a suburb of Salt Lake City. Within Lehi is Thanksgiving Point, which is a not-for-profit farm, garden, museum, sports, food and entertainment complex. It was founded by Alan Ashton, who invented WordPerfect software back in the late 1970’s. Within Thanksgiving Point is Ashton Gardens, an incredibly beautiful 55 acre oasis that seems miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city that’s outside the gate. The largest man-made waterfall in the western hemisphere can be found here.

Every year in mid-April through early-May there is a tulip festival inside Ashton Gardens. It’s reminiscent of spring in Holland. In fact, the nearly 300,000 tulips found at Ashton Gardens are imported from Holland. It really is an amazing sight to behold!

As you can imagine, if you are a landscape photographer or love photographing flowers, there are very few places that are better for capturing great images than Aston Gardens in the spring. It’s such a lovely place! There is so much beauty around every corner. If you are in the area during spring, be sure to plan a visit to Thanksgiving Point.

I went to the tulip festival at Ashton Gardens with my newly acquired Fujifilm X-Pro2 and Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR lens. It’s a very good lens that I’ve been very happy to use, and its 24mm equivalent focal-length is great for this type of photography. The X-Pro2 and 16mm combination proved to be perfect for this photographic endeavor. All of these images are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. I used Velvia, Astia, Classic Chrome and Acros film simulations for these pictures. Yes, the same recipes that I use on my X100F also work on my X-Pro2.

Bright White Bloom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Red Tulip – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Orange Blossoms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Cherry Blossom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Sun Flower – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Looking Up – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Blossoms By The Pond – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Flowers By The Stream – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Color of Spring – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

European Blooms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

And It Was Called Yellow – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Blue Bloom – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Poppies Among Tulips – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Garden Flowers – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Flowing Water Feature – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Red Tulips – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

Paper Wings – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

3 Waterfalls – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro3 & 16mm

Secret Garden Door – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

White Blooms – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 16mm

What Are The Differences Between The Fujifilm X100F & X-Pro2 With 23mm F/2 Lens?

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm f/2 (left) and Fujifilm X100F (right)

One question that I’ve been asked since purchasing the Fujifilm X-Pro2 is what are the differences between it with the Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens and the X100F, which also has a 23mm f/2 lens. Are they the exact same thing? Can they coexist in one camera bag?

The X100F and the X-Pro2 are two of the most beautifully designed digital cameras ever made. Fujifilm knows how to design great-looking cameras that also function as beautifully as they look. Nobody does form and function like Fujifilm, and these two cameras are perhaps the greatest examples of this.

When I first reviewed the pictures that I captured with my X-Pro2 and 23mm lens, I said to myself, “These are X100F images!” They looked identical. It shouldn’t surprise anyone, because the X-Pro2 and X100F share the same sensor and processor. But now that I’ve had a chance to really play around with X-Pro2, I can see some key differences between the two cameras.

Owning an X100F and the X-Pro2 with the Fujinon 23mm f/2 is redundant in many situations–it’s like having the exact same camera; however, sometimes one camera is better than the other, situation dependent. And there is no clear winner on which one is better. They are both very good, and each offers something that the other doesn’t.

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Advantages of the X-Pro2 & 23mm:

Interchangeable lens. You are not stuck with one focal length.

Faster. I won’t say that the difference is huge, but the X-Pro2 has a slightly better auto-focus system that’s also a bit quicker.

Weather sealed. If you are shooting in the rain, you’ll want to use the X-Pro2 and not the X100F.

Sharper wide open. Not only are the corners sharper at f/2 on the Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens, but the center is, as well. By f/4 there’s absolutely no difference.

Video. The X-Pro2 can shoot 4K while the X100F cannot.

Duel SD card slots. I’m not sure that I see a big advantage to this or not, but two 64GB SD cards hold a lot of pictures.

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Advantages of the X100F:

Smaller and lighter. You can’t put the X-Pro2 in any pocket, while the X100F can fit into a jacket pocket without problem.

Cheaper. The X100F will run you several hundred dollars less than the X-Pro2 and 23mm lens combo. However, if you already own an X-Pro2, buying the 23mm lens would be much cheaper than buying the X100F.

Leaf shutter & flash. This is perhaps the biggest advantage that the X100F has over the X-Pro2, and I cannot say enough good things about it.

Non-interchangeable lens. Sometimes less is more. Oftentimes limitations improve art.

Magical f/2. The Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens is technically superior when wide open, but it lacks the magic dust that Fuji sprinkled over the X100F.

Battery life. It seems that, so far, the X100F goes just a little further on a fully charged battery than the X-Pro2. I haven’t scientifically tested this, but I just find myself going through batteries faster on the bigger camera.

Built-in Neutral-Density filter. The X100F has it, the X-Pro2 does not.

Other than that, the two cameras are basically the same. If you have one, you essentially have the other. In some situations, one camera will prove to be better for that particular moment than the other. Because of this, I can see both being useful. If you need something small and lightweight or want to snap family photos, the X100F is the winner. Otherwise, the X-Pro2 will be the better choice by a hair. You can’t go wrong with either camera, they’re both good options. If you have the money, there’s a place in your camera bag for both. If it’s between one camera and the other, you’ll have to decide what’s most important to you and pick the camera that best fulfills your needs.

Below are a few examples of similar photographs from the two cameras. They were captured at different times and days with different (but similar) settings. All of them are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs.

Apple Blossoms – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm lens

Apple Bloom – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Sun Is Shockingly Bright – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm lens

Shocks – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Historic Beer – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 23mm lens

An Historic Place For Beer – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Fujifilm X100F Film Simulation Settings

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

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There’s been a lot of interest in my film simulation recipes, so I thought that I’d put them all in one convenient place. Hopefully this will make things a little easier for those that are looking for them. Below are the different film simulation recipes that I’ve created for the Fujifilm X100F. Simply click the links to be taken to the different recipes. If I make any more I’ll add them to this list.

Color:

My Fujifilm X100F Velvia Film Simulation Recipe

Trees, Rocks & Cliffs – Grand Canyon NP, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Astia Film Simulation Recipe

Leaf In The Stream – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Classic Chrome Film Simulation Recipe

Train Ride Through The Christmas Tunnel – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Vintage Kodachrome Film Simulation Recipe

Old Log In Kolob Canyon – Zion NP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F PRO Neg. Hi Film Simulation Recipe

Christmas Joy – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Fujicolor Superia 800 Film Simulation Recipe

Caramel Macchiato – Sandy, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F CineStill 800T Film Simulation Recipe

Where Was Your Head That Day? – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Eterna Film Simulation Recipe

Expedition Lodge – Moab, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Kodak Portra 400 Film Simulation Recipe

Jump – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Kodak Ektar 100 Film Simulation Recipe

Summer Boy – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Cross Process Film Simulation Recipe

Taos Umbrella – Taos, NM – Fujifilm X100F

Monochrome:

My Fujifilm X100F Acros Film Simulation Recipe

Walking Man – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Acros Push-Process Film Simulation Recipe

Watchtower Sky – Grand Canyon NP, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Agfa Scala Film Simulation Recipe

Truck Stop – Bowie, TX – Fujifilm X100F

My Fujifilm X100F Ilford HP5 Plus Film Simulation Recipe

Grey Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: Antelope Island State Park, Utah – Part 2: Fujifilm X-A3

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Salt Lake Sunset – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Part 1 – Fujifilm X-E1

Kit Carson and John C. Fremont, who visited the Antelope Island in 1845, gave it its name after hunting pronghorn antelope. Daddy Stump and Fielding Garr would build homes on Antelope Island over the next few years. This is a place that people have been coming to for a long time. In fact, there is evidence that native people have spent time on the island since at least the time of Christ.

Something interesting that I’ve discovered since moving to the Salt Lake City area two years ago is that most people who grew up in Utah don’t visit Antelope Island. Maybe they went on a school field trip as a kid, but they haven’t been back since. The majority of people you find on the island are from out-of-town. The locals who do visit are often those that moved to the area from someplace else. It’s too bad for those who don’t make the short trip to the island because they’re really missing out.

The photographs in this article were captured using a Fujifilm X-A3, which is Fujifilm’s inexpensive interchangeable-lens option. It shows that you don’t have to spend tons of money on gear to capture something good. Being someplace interesting with a camera is more important than what camera you have. With whatever photography gear you have, just get to somewhere photogenic and make some exposures! These are all camera-made JPEGs, and a few of them were lightly edited using Snapseed on my phone.

White Rock Bay – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Bush In The Crag – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Promontory Through Weeds – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Pyramid – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Coming Storm – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

One Buffalo – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Two Bison – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Rocky Hill & Cloudy Sky – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Rugged – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Early Spring At Buffalo Point – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Green Bush Over Orange Rock – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Rust Never Rests – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Forgotten Ranch Tool – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Red Lamp – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Lonely Blossom – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Sunset Over The Salt Lake – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Little Wave of Big Color – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

Washed Up – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A3

A Great Salt Lake Sunset – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-A5

Part 3 – Fujifilm X100F

Photoessay: Antelope Island State Park, Utah – Part 1: Fujifilm X-E1

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

Bison In The Road – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi River, the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere and the 33rd largest lake in the world. It’s massive! It can seem almost ocean-like, or perhaps more like a large ocean bay, but it is located far from any ocean. One difference between the Great Salt Lake and an ocean is that the lake is much saltier, and the only thing that lives in it is brine shrimp.

The largest island in the Great Salt Lake is Antelope Island, which is 15 miles long and five miles wide. The highest point, Frary Peak, is 6,594′, and is often snow-capped in the winter. It’s accessible by road via a causeway. Antelope Island is managed by the Utah State Park system.

Antelope Island seems like a world away from the Salt Lake City metro area, even though it is located very close to the city. It looks remote, and it must have been very remote before the road was built and the city grew. Interestingly enough, the oldest non-Native American structure in Utah is located on the island, an adobe ranch house built in 1848. The Fielding Garr Ranch was a working ranch from 1848 to 1981, and now the old ranch is open to the public for self-guided tours.

Wildlife abounds on Antelope Island, including buffalo, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, big horn sheep and many other animals. At one time it was believed that the bison herd on Antelope Island was the largest in America. There are a huge variety of birds that migrate across the area.

The water is often calm and the reflections can be incredible. There are sandy beaches. There are trails that curve across the rugged landscape. There is a unique beauty to Antelope Island that draws me back. It’s one of my favorite places to photograph. But it’s also disgusting! There’s a certain “rotten egg” smell that can be found near the shores. There are tons and tons of bugs, including biting no-see-ums, brine flies (that cover the shore like a thick cloud), mosquitoes, tons of spiders (venomous and non-venomous), among other things. It’s pretty common to see dead birds. There’s plenty to love and hate about this place. I try to look beyond the gross to see the beauty.

The photographs in this article were captured using a Fujifilm X-E1. It was my introduction to Fuji X cameras. I bought it used about two years ago and kept it for a year. I loved that camera and didn’t want to get rid of it, but I used the money from selling it to help pay for my Fujifilm X100F. Without the X-E1 this blog wouldn’t exist. Some of these photographs are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs, many of them are not and were post-processed using Alien Skin Exposure and/or Nik Silver Efex.

Part 2 of this series will feature photographs captured at Antelope Island State Park using a Fujifilm X-A3. Part 3 will feature the X100F. And the final installment will feature the X-Pro2. Enjoy!