Flash | FUJI X WEEKLY

Flashing Cactus — Using a Godox Lux Master in the Desert

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Ritchie Roesch

I really like Godox flashes. They’re good quality, easy to use, oftentimes retro styled, reasonably priced, and fun to use. The Godox Lux Junior is my personal favorite mainly because it is compact and lightweight. I also like the Godox Lux Cadet; it’s also fairly small and light. Either one of those are fun to use, but I’m not really a flash-photography guy, so I only occasionally utilize them.

I paid for my Lux Junior out of my own pocket, and wrote briefly about that flash in Getting that ’90’s Film Look with Fujifilm Cameras. Perhaps because of that, Godox sent me a Lux Cadet, which I discussed at length in Using a Godox Lux Cadet for a ’90’s Film Look. More recently, Godox asked if I’d be interested in trying the Lux Master. I said sure; however, I probably should have researched a little before agreeing. Anyway, the flash arrived, and I was a little surprised by the size of the box. The Lux Master is neither compact nor lightweight!

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not good, because the Lux Master is definitely a pro-level flash (and only $250, which seems like a bargain for what it is). If you are an event, wedding, or portrait photographer and do flash photography, the Lux Master is one to strongly consider. Or, put on a fedora hat with a paper containing the word PRESS on it, and you could be an old-fashioned photo journalist. I don’t have anything negative to say about the Lux Master, other than it’s a little too much for my photography. I’d use a Lux Junior or Lux Cadet over the Lux Master any day of the week, personally, just because those suit me better (mainly, the size and weight). But, there are some people who need a bit more, and that’s where the bigger flash comes into play. If you need a pro-level flash that is retro cool and affordable, the Lux Master should be high on your list.

There are two main ways that I use an external flash with my photography. With the X100-series I sometimes use the built-in flash for daylight fill, but for the Godox flashes I use them either to get a retro ’90’s look (for lack of a better description… essentially, Film Simulation Recipes combined with flash) and/or creatively use shutter drag (slow shutter speed with intentional movement combined with flash). That’s how I typically use the Lux Junior and Lux Cadet, and how I initially was using the Lux Master.

*Fujifilm X-T5 + Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 + Godox Lux Master flash*

But then I decided I’ve probably covered that topic enough, and maybe you’d like to see something else. So I waited until sunset, grabbed my Fujifilm X-T5 with the Godox Lux Master attached, and headed out into the desert. How about some cacti photographi? (BTW, that spelling error was intentional). I live in the desert and photograph cactus regularly, but not often when combined with a flash. I did this after-sunset desert trek a few different times, and came away with a few good pictures.

Obviously there’s a pretty significant difference between after-sunset photography with and without a flash. How bright the flash is set, how close the subject is to the camera, and the exact light situation will all affect the outcome. I don’t know if I came away with any good tips to pass along, other than try and try again. For a lot of images, finding the right flash and camera settings often took three or four or five tries, sometimes more. It was a fun little project to do, and I think the experimental nature of it (for me, anyway, since it’s not something that I normally do) was somehow both therapeutic and thrilling. Even if you don’t do much flash photography, something like the Lux Master could be a good training tool to help improve your photography. Or it could be just for fun.

The photographs below are all camera-made JPEGs captured with a Fujifilm X-T5 + Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 lens + Nostalgic Americana Film Simulation Recipe + Godox Lux Master flash:

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X-T5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 R WR:
Amazon, B&H, Wex, Nuzira
Godox Lux Cadet:
Amazon, B&H
Godox Lux Junior:
Amazon, B&H, Wex
Godox Lux Master:
Amazon, B&H

Using a Godox Lux Cadet for a ’90’s Film Look

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Ritchie Roesch

*Godox Lux Cadet — Fujifilm X-E4 — Fujinon 35mm f/2*

The easiest way to recreate a ’90’s film aesthetic, which is really popular right now, is to use a Fujifilm camera loaded with a Film Simulation Recipe, plus utilize a flash. The nostalgic snapshot pictures from that era were often captured with cameras—whether a disposable QuickSnap or FunSaver, or a cheap point-and-shoot—that had a built-in fill-flash; the use of a flash plus a Fujicolor or Kodak print film palette are essential elements of the look. I have a number of Film Simulation Recipes that will produce a convincing aesthetic, and for this project I used Kodak Max 800, which is one of my favorites for flash photography.

The kind folks at Godox sent me a Lux Cadet retro-styled flash to try out. This flash pairs well visually with Fujifilm X-series cameras (such as my X-E4), and flash photography in-general couples well with Film Simulation Recipes, so Godox offered me one for free. I’m familiar with Godox flashes, because I already own and use a Lux Junior (which I paid for… almost all of the gear that I talk about on this website is purchased by me out of my own pocket). Even though Godox gifted me the Lux Cadet, they didn’t put any stipulations on what I could or couldn’t say about it; these are my thoughts and opinions, and they’d be the same if I had purchased the flash myself.

My grandfather was an amateur photographer of sorts. He shot a lot of slide film, mostly Kodachrome. He had a flash that looked quite similar to the Lux Cadet; I think it might have been from the 1960’s, but I’m not sure. Anyway, Godox gave the Lux Cadet a beautiful vintage design that looks especially great on Fujifilm cameras. While it might appear that it’s from a bygone era, the flash is definitely modern.

The Lux Cadet works the same as my Lux Junior, which means that it’s super simple to use. If you are new to flash photography, there are some important things to know. Whole books have been written on this topic, which might be worthwhile to read, but I’ll try to keep this as simple and brief as possible, and just know that there’s a lot more to this topic.

First, most cameras don’t have high-speed flash sync, so there’s a limit on how fast your shutter can be. The X100-series has a leaf shutter, so it can do high-speed flash sync (it also has a built-in flash); for other cameras, look for an X next to a shutter speed on the knob, and that’s the upper limit. On my X-E4, “180X” on the shutter knob tells me that 1/180 is the fastest that I can sync my flash, so I need to use that shutter speed or slower. Because of this, using a flash in bright daylight can be challenging—you might have to use a small aperture like f/11 or f/16, or try an ND filter.

Second, the flash is quite powerful; because you are adding in a bright light source, you might have to significantly underexpose compared to what the meter says. It’s not uncommon that I have the exposure compensation dial set to -2 or even -3. The flash can be set to A (Auto) or M (Manual); I prefer M, and often choose the lowest setting (marked by 1/64 on the flash). Each situation is unique, so the exact camera and flash settings can vary significantly picture-to-picture. What works in one scenario won’t in another, so each should be judged individually. Once you get a feel for it, the process becomes easy and natural.

*Using the Lux Cadet in bright midday sunlight*

The best time to use the flash is right around sunrise or sunset and during blue hour, which is the 30 minutes immediately before sunrise and the 30 minutes immediately after sunset. After dark is also a good time, as well as anytime indoors. In those situations, using the Godox Lux Cadet on a Fujifilm camera with a Film Simulation Recipe—such as Kodak Max 800—will produce a ’90’s film look that can be quite striking. If that’s the aesthetic you’re trying to achieve, this is probably the easiest and one of the most convincing ways to do it. You can get creative with the flash, such as intentional movement—the bright flash will freeze close objects, while things further away will be a streaky blur. There’s a lot of potential fun that you can have with flash photography.

My only complaint—if it’s even a complaint—is that a flash adds bulk and weight to the camera, so it’s less convenient to carry around. The Lux Cadet is pretty compact and lightweight compared to many other flashes, but it still adds some notable girth. Between the Lux Cadet and Lux Junior, I prefer the Lux Junior because it is slightly more compact, but I like the vintage look of the Lux Cadet more. Also, the Lux Junior uses AA batteries, while the Lux Cadet has an internal battery that recharges with a USB-C cable (included). They’re both highly affordable, and you can’t go wrong with either. The Godox Lux Cadet retails for $94.90. Even if you don’t do a lot of flash photography, it’s a good idea to have one around, and the Lux Cadet is a solid option to consider.

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Godox Lux Cadet:
Amazon, B&H
Godox Lux Junior:
Amazon, B&H, Wex

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using the Kodak Max 800 Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4 with the Godox Lux Cadet flash:

*After dark with city lights and intentional movement*

Getting that ’90’s Film Look with Fujifilm Cameras

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Ritchie Roesch

*Captured with a Fujifilm X100V + Kodak Max 800 Recipe + 10% CineBloom filter + Flash*

A lot of people are interested right now in achieving a 1990’s film look. If you’re unfamiliar, the specific aesthetic is that of cheap 35mm point-and-shoot and disposable cameras. You know, the 4″ x 6″ prints from the 1-hour photo lab that’s in your (or your parent’s) photo album or picture box. If you are older than 25 (and maybe as young as 20) there might be some nostalgia associated with this look. If you own a Fujifilm model, it’s not too difficult to achieve the ’90’s film aesthetic straight-out-of-camera.

While Kodak was king of film, a surprisingly significant extent of this aesthetic was influenced by Fujifilm. There are a few key reasons for this.

First, Fujifilm’s QuickSnap disposable cameras were a huge hit, and Kodak was often playing catch-up with their FunSaver line. While both were really popular, odds are that if you are looking at a disposable camera picture, it was captured on a QuickSnap, which often used a Fujicolor Superia film.

Second, for those pictures captured on reloadable point-and-shoot cameras, while Kodak sold more film, Fujifilm sold a heck-of-a-lot, too. The majority of pictures were likely shot on Kodak emulsions, but a very large chunk were captured with Fujicolor film.

Third, a lot of 1-hour photo labs used Fujifilm’s machines, chemicals, and paper. Even if the film was Kodak, Fujifilm still had an influence in the final picture aesthetic. The majority of snap-shooters in the 1990’s in the U.S. were dropping their film off at cheap labs inside drug stores or box stores, such as (for example) Walmart. Because Fujifilm sold their photo development equipment and supplies at a slightly lower price than Kodak, many of these labs went with Fujifilm over Kodak. Also, if you had the film scanned by the 1-hour lab (and placed on a CD), it was likely done with a Frontier scanner by Fujifilm.

If you want to recreate this ’90’s film aesthetic on your Fujifilm camera, the best starting point is the Classic Negative film simulation, because it is closely based off of Fujicolor Superia film. Any Film Simulation Recipe that uses Classic Negative as the base is going to get you halfway there. For those who own a Fujifilm camera that doesn’t have Classic Negative (X-Trans III and older, plus X-T3 & X-T30), look for Recipes with Classic Chrome (such as Kodak Gold 200 and Kodacolor) for a retro Kodak look or PRO Neg. Std (such as Fujicolor Superia 800 and Fujicolor 100 Industrial) for a Fujicolor look.

I shot with 10 different Film Simulation Recipes that use Classic Negative as the base for this article. As of this writing, there are over 45 Recipes that use Classic Negative, so there are many more to choose from—just because I didn’t use a particular Recipe here doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t work well or that you shouldn’t try it (finding Classic Negative Recipes on the Fuji X Weekly App is easy for Patron subscribers). I do think these 10 are all good options, and they produce a variety of characteristics. Some are more contrasty and some less. Some are more warm and others more cool. Some are more vibrant and some less so. Take a look at each, and if you are drawn more to the pictures in a particular Recipe, give that one a try for yourself.

10 Film Simulation Recipes

Kodak Max 800

Fujicolor Analog

Fujicolor Superia 100

Superia Premium 400

Fujicolor Superia 1600

Fujicolor Natura 1600

Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled

Pulled Fujicolor Superia

Nostalgia Color

Agfa Ultra 100

Gear

Fujifilm X100V

We discussed Film Simulation Recipes before talking about gear because choosing the right Recipe is more critical than the gear you use. With that said, gear is important, too. One critical component is flash. While not all ’90’s film snapshots were captured using a flash, a lot were, and so it has become associated closely with the aesthetic. I used flash in all of the Recipe example pictures above.

The Fujifilm X100V has a great fill-flash built into the camera, making it an ideal choice for this style. It also has a leaf shutter, which makes flash photography much easier. There are other Fujifilm cameras that also have a flash and leaf shutter, such as the X100F, X70, and XF10 (to name a few), but the X100V is the only one that also has Classic Negative.

One problem with using the X100V is that the fixed lens is too good. It’s not really believable as a ’90’s point-and-shoot (although there are some examples that have high-quality glass). To tone it down a little, I used a 10% CineBloom diffusion filter, which helps to produce a more analog-like rendering.

When using the Fujifilm X100V, choose the Classic Negative Recipe of your preference, screw a diffusion filter onto the lens (you’ll need an adapter if you don’t have one already), and turn the flash On (TTL). You’re now good to go!

Fujifilm X-E4 + Lens + Flash

Of course, you don’t need a camera with a built-in flash to do this. My Fujifilm X-E4 doesn’t have a flash, for example, but by attaching an external unit, such as my Godox Lux Junior, to the hot-shoe on top of the camera, I can now do flash photography. This is a lot trickier than using the X100V, and takes some practice if you don’t have experience with a flash, but it is certainly one way to do it.

What I do appreciate about this approach is that the camera is interchangeable-lens, which means you can use a more lofi option, such as the 7Artisans 18mm f/6.3 II. This is softer glass with strong vignetting, and perhaps not one you’d use much for other purposes; however, for replicating the aesthetic of a cheap point-and-shoot it is great!

Combining the Fujifilm X-E4 with the 7Artisan 18mm f/6.3 II lens and using the Godox Lux Junior flash is an affective way to replicate a ’90’s film aesthetic. All of the Fujicolor Analog and Agfa Ultra 100 examples above were captured with this combination, as well as some of the other pictures. If you don’t have a built-in flash on your Fujifilm camera, this is a good way to achieve the look.

While the picture quality from cheap point-and-shoot and disposable cameras were not considered great, this is how many important memories and ordinary life moments where captured in the 1990’s. Many people look back with fondness on these photographs. The image aesthetics conjure up nostalgic feelings, so it should not be too surprising that this look is currently in-style. You can achieve it yourself on your Fujifilm camera without much fuss—it’s mostly just choosing the right Film Simulation Recipe and turning the flash on.

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X100V — Amazon B&H Moment
Fujifilm X-E4 — Amazon B&H Moment
7Artisans 18mm f/6.3 II — Amazon B&H
Godox Lux Junior — Amazon B&H

Find these Film Simulation Recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.

Fujifilm X100V Hack: Turn Daylight Into Blue Hour

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

*Duskflower* – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V – captured during daylight.

I love photographing during the “blue hour” of dusk and dawn. The time right before sunrise and just after sunset, called twilight, is great for photography. While it’s called the blue hour, twilight is technically closer to an hour-and-a-half, but for practical photographic purposes, you have around 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening where the light is great for capturing pictures, so an hour total each day. That’s a small window of opportunity that’s easy to miss.

There are challenges to blue hour photography because the available light is limited and constantly changing. You’re using slow shutter speeds, large apertures and high ISOs. Or you are lugging around a tripod. These aren’t necessarily “bad things” they’re simply a part of blue hour photography, but there is an alternative that eliminates these challenges.

You can do faux blue hour photography anytime of the day with your Fujifilm X100V. It’s a simple trick, really. It requires three things: underexposure, warm high-shutter-speed flash, and a white balance adjustment. With a little slight-of-hand—I mean, technical knowhow—you can create pictures that appear to have been captured during the blue hour but are in fact daytime images.

The first thing you’ll need to do is underexposure your pictures by at least 3 stops from what the meter says that it should be. Most of the pictures that I captured required the exposure to be adjusted to -3 2/3 to -4 1/3, which means you’ll have to go manual, since the exposure compensation dial only goes to -3. You are basically setting the luminance of the background in your pictures, and you want it to be dark. It can be tough to judge in the moment what the exact exposure should be, and it takes a little trial-and-error to get it right, so be patient, as it might take a few tries to get an image that you’re happy with.

Next is the flash, which you’ll use to illuminate the foreground of your pictures. Because you are photographing during daylight, you’ll be using a fast shutter. I typically used a shutter speed between 1/500 and 1/4000, just depending on the picture, which would be a problem for most cameras when combined with flash photography, but on the X100V it’s no problem whatsoever. You see, the X100V’s mechanical shutter is a leaf shutter, which means that you can use the flash at high shutter speeds (something that you cannot do with a focal plane shutter). The X100V’s built-in fill-flash does marginally work for this, but I got much better results when using the EF-X500 shoe-mount flash. I taped a DIY yellow “gel” (plastic that I cut off of a pear bag that was semi-transparent and yellow) to the flash to make the foreground warmer.

White balance is the third key to this trick. While it varies depending on the exact light, I found that 2500K with a shift of +5 Red and +9 Blue produced good results. Basically, you’ll want the white balance to be very cool, and you’ll need it to be 3200K at the warmest, which will likely will be a tad too warm.

Here are some examples comparing pictures shot normal and pictures shot with this faux blue hour trick:

The difference is huge! The normal daylight and the faux blue hour versions of the pictures above look dramatically dissimilar from each other, even though they were captured only seconds apart. This little trick produces convincing results!

The settings that I used for most of my faux blue hour pictures are:

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1 to +1
Shadow: -2 to 0
Color: -2 to +2
Sharpness: -3
Noise Reduction: -4
Color Chrome Effect: Off
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
Grain: Weak, Large
Clarity: -2
White Balance: 2500K, +5 Red & +9 Blue
ISO: 640
Flash: On, with yellow “gel”
Exposure: -3 2/3 to -4 1/3 (typically)

This isn’t a film simulation recipe, so I didn’t strictly stick with one set of settings, but instead looked at each exposure individually. Still, all of my faux blue hour pictures had similar settings, and I didn’t stray very far from it.

Even though this technique is a great way to achieve a blue hour look, there are some limitations. First, you might have shadows that don’t make sense for an after-sunset image. Second, there won’t be any lights on, such as streetlamps, car lights and indoor lights, which you’d expect to find after dark. If you want to use a slow shutter speed, you’ll need to activate the built-in ND filter, but you won’t likely get it to be as slow as you would if it were actually twilight. While the shoe-mounted flash does a decent job of lighting the foreground, you’d likely get even better results if you used strobes or off-camera flashes, but that further complicates the situation.

Despite the limitations, the technique of underexposure, warm flash, and cool white balance makes for convincing blue hour images in daylight conditions. While these settings are intended for the Fujifilm X100V, they can be applied to any camera with a leaf shutter—because of the fast shutter speeds you’ll be using, the leaf shutter is the real key to this trick. Below are out-of-camera JPEGs made using this faux blue hour technique on my X100V camera during daylight.

*Night Reeds* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Shark Boy* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Red Tree Berries* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Changing Oak* – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*September Autumn* – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Night Trunk* – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Night Trees* – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Sunflowers at Night* – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Bridge Under Moonlight* – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X100V Black Amazon B&H
Fujifilm X100V Silver Amazon B&H
Fujifilm EF-X500 Amazon B&H

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Fall at Black Island Farms

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Sun Corn – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Fall is for family field trips to the farm. In fact, my family and I went on a field trip to Black Island Farms in Syracuse, Utah, just last week. I also brought along my Fujifilm X100F.

The farm was great! We went on a tractor ride to pick pumpkins in a pumpkin patch. We saw some farm animals. We watched a pig race and a turkey race. We played on a giant playground made from stacks of hay. We made our way through a big corn maze (and didn’t get too lost). It was a nice autumn afternoon, and this was a great way to soak it in.

As far as photography goes, it wasn’t the best conditions. The midday light was harsh with plenty of bright highlights and deep shadows. And when you have four young kids, you need a free hand or two for them. But that’s where the X100F came in handy.

The camera is small enough to fit into a large pocket. Grab it when I want to snap a picture, hide it when I need free hands! Smaller is better in these types of situations, and pocket-sized is a huge plus. A DSLR is simply too big and bulky.

I used the built-in fill-flash frequently on this trip. It handled the tough lighting without fuss. The X100F has a good dynamic range, but the scenes typically exceeded the limit of the sensor; however, the flash helped fill the gap, making the light a little more even.

I used my Classic Chrome Film Simulation recipe for these photographs. I love the film-like way it renders the pictures. It has a classic Kodak slide film look. And it come straight out of the camera looking finished. These are unedited. I don’t have time to mess with RAW anymore, and the X100F speeds up my workload drastically by producing good results that don’t need editing.

The Fujifilm X100F is the best camera I’ve ever used for snapping family pictures. Go on an adventure with the kids and come back with nice pictures to supplement the great memories made. It’s so effortless. I wish that I had this camera years ago!

The takeaway is that a couple hours at the farm in difficult light can still produce a number of keeper photos when you have the X100F in your pocket. These are mostly personal family pictures, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless.

Autumn Flag – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Red Tractor – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Empty Bench – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Biting Cabbage – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Carrot Farmer – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Three Pumpkin Heads – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Say Hello – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Crate Pumpkins – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Cute Little Pumpkin – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Found Two Great Pumpkins – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Help Needed – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Pumpkin Master – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Jon’s Pumpkin – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Perfect Pumpkins Are Picked – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Trouble – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Jon Watching The Turkey Race – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Climbing Hay – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Hay, Girl – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

At The Bottom of The Hay Slide – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Jon In A Corn Maze – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Down Into The Corn – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Tattered Corn Blade – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Corn Stalk – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Nice Day At The Farm – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Leaf Shutter & Flash & X100F – Oh, My!

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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The Fujifilm X100F has two built-in shutters: electronic and mechanical. The electronic is a silent focal-plane shutter and has a maximum speed of 1/32,768. The mechanical is a nearly silent leaf shutter and has a maximum speed between 1/1000 and 1/4000, depending on the aperture. You can choose one or the other or have the camera automatically choose which it thinks is most appropriate for the situation.

When I purchased my X100F I didn’t think that the leaf shutter would be a big deal. I don’t do a whole lot of flash photography. I figured it would be a rarely used feature. Boy was I wrong!

A leaf shutter works more like an iris. There are blades, similar to aperture blades, inside the lens that open and close. It opens from the center outward. For this reason you can sync it to the flash at much higher shutter speeds. A traditional focal-plane shutter (which is found on most cameras) rolls across the frame, and doesn’t pair particularly well with flashes.

The Joy of Fishing – Huntsville, UT – Fujifilm X100F w/Flash

Leaf shutters are typically found on expensive medium-format gear. You rarely see them on other cameras. The exception is that Fujifilm has included leaf shutters on their X100 series, such as the X100F.

The Fujifilm X100F has a great built-in flash. There is a hotshoe should you want to add an external flash, but the fill-flash is more than adequate for most pictures. And Fujifilm has programmed the camera to perfectly balance the built-in flash with whatever lighting is available.

It’s truly amazing! The camera almost never gets it wrong. It just seems to know the perfect amount of light to add to the scene. The results are very natural looking. The pictures don’t scream that a flash was used.

Man In The Straw Hat – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F w/Flash

I wasn’t much of a flash-photography guy, but now I am. I find myself frequently using the built-in flash on the X100F. The flash and the leaf shutter are key features of this camera!

It makes anything from family snapshots to portraits to back-lit scenes to dim-light situations a breeze to shoot. Any setting with unwanted shadows can be made better by using the flash built into the camera.

There are many things to love about the X100F. The retro look. The classic controls. The film simulations. The camera’s exceptional ability to balance fill-flash with the rest of the frame is perhaps the best part of it. And it is all made possible by the leaf shutter.

Let’s Roll The Moon Across The Sun – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F w/Flash