X100F | FUJI X WEEKLY

The Value of Prints & Quick Turnarounds

Posted on January 1, 2018 by Ritchie Roesch

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

More photographs were captured in 2017 than any year before. This has been the trend since photography began, and it will continue into the coming decades. More people are taking more pictures, especially since the inventions of digital photography and the cellphone camera. However, even though many more exposures are made today, fewer photographs are being printed. Digital photographs almost always are seen through a digital display. Most often they are viewed on small cellphone screens.

The problem with how we now view pictures is that they are quickly in and out of our minds. We see them for just a moment and then they’re quickly forgotten, rarely viewed again. Digital pictures are easily disposable. There’s nothing permanent or lasting about them. They are a dime-a-dozen, or, more accurately, a penny-a-gross. You are bombarded with digital imagery each day, and you barely pay attention anymore.

A physical print has more value because it is more permanent. You’ll look at it longer and more frequently. It gets hung on a wall, displayed proudly. It’s real and it’s rare. Maybe less people will see it, but those who do see it will admire it.

One thing that I did this year for Christmas gifts for family members was print photographs. I did not do this for everyone, of course, but for those who I thought might most appreciate it. I made canvas prints of places like the Grand Tetons and the central California coast. They’re beautiful photographs that I captured over the last couple of years, and they look especially nice printed large. These gifts were well received, with lots of excitement and gratitude by the recipients.

Ready To Party Like A Mother-In-Law – Sun City, AZ – Fujifilm X100F

I traveled to Arizona for Christmas to visit family and friends, including my mother-in-law and her three sisters. I was able to take some quick portraits of them on Christmas Eve. Because the camera I used, a Fujifilm X100F, takes great-looking camera-made JPEGs, I was able to have 10 of the exposures printed that same day. I didn’t need or use a computer or any editing software. I uploaded the images straight from my camera to my phone and then uploaded them from my phone to the lab through their website. About thirty minutes later they were ready. It was very quick and easy.

Target was open late on Christmas Eve, so I was able to purchase some picture frames. The prints looked quite nice framed, and at about midnight I had the gifts all finished. The next morning, Christmas Day, I was able to give my mother-in-law and her sisters their portraits printed and framed. They loved them! It was a highlight of the season for them, and they couldn’t stop talking about it.

It’s not the first time the quick turnaround of the X100F came in handy. I was hired a few months ago and the client needed the photographs immediately. I was paid a high premium for this service, double what I would otherwise charge (I was offered the amount by the client at the outset). As soon as I was done capturing the pictures, I connected my camera to the client’s laptop via a USB cable and transferred the straight-out-of-camera JPEGs, no post-processing done or needed. I got paid double to do half the work, and I thought that this is how all photography jobs should be. He contacted me twice afterwords to tell me just how happy he was with the photographs.

Time is money, as they say. Or, at least, your time and my time are valuable. I dislike spending hours and hours at a computer manipulating photographs. I appreciate all the hours Fujifilm has saved me by making cameras that produce great results without the need to fuss. I’m able to use my time for other, more important things.

Food Photography With A Fujifilm X100F

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Scone & Coffee – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

My wife, Amanda, likes to cook and bake. She’s pretty good at it. My kids and I are very fortunate, privileged really, to be able to taste her culinary creations on a regular basis. We are frequently treated to exceptionally tasty food. She’s routinely complimented by friends and family who have the opportunity to try something she’s made.

She hasn’t always been great in the kitchen. That’s not to say that she was bad, but simply that she’s made significant progress, striving for improvement, trying different ideas, and finding new techniques. She is constantly refining recipes. I guess the thing about Amanda is that she always gives 100% with whatever she does, so eventually, with practice, whatever it is will become great. Good isn’t good enough. It’s got to be great, and she will find a way to make it great.

I told her that she should publish a cookbook. She’s got a lot of simple yet great dishes and desserts that she makes that should be household staples across the country. I don’t know if that will ever happen, but it would be a great cookbook if she ever did write it.

I’m not one to snap pictures of whatever it is that I’m eating. But I have occasionally captured the food that my wife has cooked or is cooking. The Fujifilm X100F is an excellent tool for this job, always nearby ready to go and never in the way. I find that natural window light is best. As with any genre of photography, it comes down to light and storytelling. Tell an interesting story and do so in nice light and you’ll have a great picture.

Birthday Cake On A Plate – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Cilantro – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Tomatoes – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Apples – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Holiday Sugar Cookies – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Scone Dough – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Scone Cutting – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Icing On The Sweet Casserole – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Cinnamon Roll Casserole – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Fujifilm X100F Noise Reduction & Sharpening

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

America First Building – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Fujifilm X100F has noticeably improved noise reduction and sharpening over the first generation X-Trans cameras. That’s to be expected and may seem like an obvious statement, but it’s important to note because neither were particularly great on the early models. I don’t think it was necessarily a “Fujifilm issue” so much as cameras in general don’t do a great job at those functions, and so many people use software on their computers instead. However, things are better on the X100F, and I let the camera do many things that I wouldn’t have in the past.

I’m not sure if you noticed, but on my early Film Simulation recipes, such as Classic Chrome and Acros, I set Noise Reduction to -2 and Sharpening to +2, while my newer recipes, such as Astia and Acros Push-Process, I set Noise Reduction to -3 and Sharpening to +1. Why the change? What difference does it make?

Noise reduction will make an image look cleaner, but at the expense of sharpness. Digital noise is kind of the modern equivalent of film grain, except that it’s much less aesthetically pleasing, and a lot of people don’t like it. Because of the way Fujifilm programs the X-Trans sensor, digital noise on the X100F (and other Fujifilm cameras) resembles film grain more than typical noise–it just looks better, more analog–and so I don’t mind it being visible in an image.

Johanna & Santa – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Sharpening, which (I believe) on the X100F is a combination of an unsharp mask and micro contrast (clarity), makes an image look more crisp, but at the expense of artifacts and occasional weird effects. Apply too little sharpening and an image will look soft, apply too much and an image will look strange.

Noise reduction and sharpening work together to determine how clean, sharp and detailed a digital photograph is or isn’t. There are compromises that must be made, and keeping things balanced can be tricky. It’s important to not under or over do it with either.

After playing around with the settings, I initially determined that -2 Noise Reduction and +2 Sharpening was ideal. Not too soft, not too noisy, and not too many artifacts and such. I felt like it was the Goldilocks settings. But after a few months of use, I’ve refined it just a little.

One thing that I noticed with the +2 Sharpening is an occasional “Lego Brick” effect on diagonal high-contrast lines. Sometimes I’ll see it, and then zoom in and it’s not there. That’s due to the resolution of the monitor that I’m viewing it on, and that’s not an image quality issue whatsoever. Other times I’ll see it, and when I zoom in the Lego effect remains. That’s due to over-sharpening, and it drives me nuts. American First Building has the Lego effect on the walkway railing just above the glass. I dislike it when my photographs look “digital” because it seems unnatural. I’ve yet to see the Lego effect when using +1 sharpening.

Johanna Out On The Town – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Something I’ve noticed with the -2 Noise Reduction is a very slight waxy skin effect at really high ISOs. This waxy skin effect has been a Fujifilm issue for awhile, and it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be (not even close), so they’ve made significant progress. However, it still rears it’s head occasionally, and a simple fix is -3 Noise Reduction. The trade off is that high-ISO images don’t look quite as clean, and I question if ISO 12800 is actually usable or not because of the amount of noise.

I don’t think there’s a huge difference between -2 Noise Reduction and +2 Sharpening and -3 Noise Reduction and +1 Sharpening. It’s very subtle, and the end results are nearly identical. When you make changes to these setting there are some compromises. There isn’t a “perfect” setting. There are positives and negatives to consider. The photograph above, Johanna Out On The Town, has a little more noise because of the -3 Noise Reduction, but the skin doesn’t look waxy.

Playing around with the settings, I find that -2 Noise Reduction combined with +1 Sharpening leaves an image looking slightly soft. I find that -3 Noise Reduction combined with +2 Sharpening seems to be too much. In the middle photograph, Johanna & Santa, the +2 Sharpening is a little too much when combined with -3 Noise Reduction (note, this photo received some minor post processing). I’m being picky, and you may find what works for you is a little different than what works for me.

While on this topic, something to note is that you cannot turn off Noise Reduction and Sharpening. Zero is just the default standard setting. Even at -4 the camera is applying a small amount of noise reduction and sharpening to the images. That’s the lowest setting, and it’s much too low, in my opinion, unless I was planning to do those things myself in post (in which case I would shoot RAW, and none of this would matter).

Road Trip: Seattle With A Fujifilm X100F – Part 6, Goin’ Home (Day 6 & 7)

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Dock Remnants – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Before leaving town on our final day in Seattle, Washington, we visited one last beach, Picnic Point Park in Edmonds. This rocky beach had great views of Whidbey Island and the Puget Sound. It was a drizzly day, but for the most part the rain paused while we were there, and the sun briefly shined through the grey sky, exposing a beautiful but fleeting blue.

The kids combed the beach for seashells, unusual rocks and anything related to sea life. My wife and I took in the view, breathing in the moist Pacific air. This was going to be our last view of the ocean for awhile, and so we tried to make the moment last as long as we could. We had a great time at this spot.

It was bittersweet to leave, not just this beach but Seattle. The trip had been a lot of fun! It was great to relive old memories and make new ones. Washington is such a beautiful state. We wanted to stay longer, but it was time to go. We had a long day of driving ahead of us.

Umbrella Overpass – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Yellow Bush & Red Berries – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Driftwood – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Across Towards Whidbey Island – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Possession Point In The Distance – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Three Old Dock Posts – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Old Dock Post Remnants – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Kids Throwing Rocks – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Beach Combing – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Seashell Hunter – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Seashell Found – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Johanna’s Face – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Grey Day At The Beach – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Barnacle Heart – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

White Glove Art – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Coastal Tracks – Edmonds, WA – Fujifilm X100F

The drive across the state of Washington was long. It rained hard and then snowed crossing the mountain pass. It was mostly sunny on the west side of the state. We made good time by making minimal stops, only braking for gas, food and restrooms. The kids did surprisingly well, including the baby–they were all troopers. Our hotel was in Boise, Idaho, and we arrived very late, exhausted from the long trip.

Pumping Gas – Yakima, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Face On The Bathroom Wall – Pendleton, OR – Fujifilm X100F

We awoke the next day to wet weather in Idaho. We took our time leaving because we were no longer in a hurry. Some old friends of ours live in Boise, and we met up with them for a little while before beginning the last leg of our journey.

It was dark before we entered Utah and it was late when we got home. We appreciated that we took our time on this last day, and we didn’t feel so stressed upon arrival. It was good trip, but it was good to be home. It felt good to sleep in my own bed.

The photographs on these last two days were captured using a Fujifilm X100F, all camera-made JPEGs using my Acros Push-Process Film Simulation recipe and my Velvia Film Simulation recipe. I used my wide-angle conversion lens for some of the pictures. One fully charged battery lasted both days.

Three Leaves On Concrete – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Walk And Not Faint – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Corvair Corner – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Wet Parking Lot At Night – Twin Falls, ID – Fujifilm X100F

In the end, after seven days on the road, I captured 792 exposures, keeping 198 of them. That means I had a success rate of one in four, which is incredible! Many of those were personal family pictures, but still, I didn’t delete nearly as many pictures as with other cameras I’ve traveled with in the past. I shared 144 of those images with you in this series of posts. Perhaps I included too many photographs in each section, but I felt it was better to share too many than too few. I hope you enjoyed them!

The Fujifilm X100F proved to be a great travel camera, fitting into my pockets without a problem, never getting in the way, and always ready to capture in whatever environment I was in. The wet weather was no problem. The different light situations were no problem. I came home and had minimal post-processing–almost all of the images from this trip are straight-out-of-camera, no editing. A few needed some minor manipulation, but only a small handful of them.

Even better than the photography was the experience of the trip. People invest a lot of money in camera gear. I find it better to instead invest in experiences whenever possible. Don’t buy that new lens, but go someplace that you’ve never been and use what equipment you already have. Keep your gear simple and be content with it. You’ll be happier for it, I’m sure.

Road Trip: Seattle With Fujifilm X100F – Part 5, Bonney Lake & Tacoma (Day 5)

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Mount Rainier From Bonney Lake – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

For the third full day in the Seattle, Washington, area we planned to explore south of downtown, roughly around Tacoma. After experiencing mostly good weather on the trip, this day saw lots of rain, which is typical weather for the time of year. After breakfast and coffee we got in the car and headed south.

We drove around for awhile, seeing the different suburbs and such. It was wet outside so we didn’t stop much. We found ourselves in the town of Bonney Lake, which is a community situated in the trees with great views of Mount Rainier. The rain briefly stopped, so we got out of the car and relaxed outdoors, just taking it all in. We found a little park for the kids to play and sat by a fire to keep warm, which was very nice. We made our way down a trail through the woods. It really reminded me of the things about the Pacific Northwest that I loved as a kid.

Forest Trail – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Five Yellow Leaves – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Johanna & Mommy – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Keeping Warm By The Fire – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Kids By The Fire – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Road To Mt. Rainier – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

To Keep Us Warm – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Baby Lunchtime – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Salute Your Story – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Where The Fern Grows – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Mount Rainier Behind The Pines – Bonney Lake, WA – Fujifilm X100F

After awhile it was time to leave Bonney Lake and so we made our way to downtown Tacoma for lunch. As a kid I remember Tacoma being a bit of a rundown dump. We discovered that it’s not, but a delightful little city on the coast. I’m not sure if my memory was incorrect, or if they’ve really cleaned the place up. Whatever the case, Tacoma was a pleasant surprise.

We found a tasty restaurant in downtown Tacoma. We wanted to explore downtown, but the weather kept us from doing much. We did manage to walk around a little and see a few local stores.

We got back in the car and explored the area more. We motored across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (and back) and through the Point Defiance Park, but didn’t get out. It was just raining too much, and so we saw the sights by looking out the car’s windows.

The Harmon – Tacoma, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Bleach – Tacoma, WA – Fujifilm X100F

We hopped on a ferry boat and floated onto Vashon Island. I’d always heard great things about Vashon, that it was a beautiful place and a must-see for a visit to Seattle, and I’d never been. It was high on my agenda for this trip.

Unfortunately, the rain came down even harder and we didn’t get to see much. We found a country store and picked up some local jelly. We drove to the Point Robinson Lighthouse on Maury Island (which is connected to Vashon Island). Everyone kept dry in the car while I trudged down a muddy trail to get a picture.

It was beginning to get dark and dinnertime was approaching, so we floated on another ferry to Seattle. We had dinner at a restaurant that I ate at as a kid and remember liking. It tasted exactly as I remembered.

In retrospect, this day included too much driving and not enough fun. We should have explored less and maybe visited a museum. My wife and I agreed that this was the least enjoyable day of the three full days that we were there. Still, we did see some interesting things and there were some great moments. I came away with a few decent pictures.

All of these photographs are camera-made JPEGs from my Fujifilm X100F, using my Acros Push Process Film Simulation recipe, my Velvia Film Simulation recipe and my Classic Chrome Film Simulation recipe. One fully-charged battery lasted the whole day no problem. I left my wide-angle conversion lens at the hotel. Even though the X100F isn’t weather sealed, it got wet a number of times and survived just fine.

Point Robinson Lighthouse – Maury Island, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Part 6

Why I Dislike The PASM Dial (And Love The Fujifilm X100F)

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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When I started out in photography there was no such thing as a mode dial, often called a PASM dial. My first camera, a 35mm Canon AE-1, was all manual. If you wanted to adjust the aperture, you did so by turning a ring on the lens. If you wanted to change the shutter speed, you did so by turning a knob on top of the camera. If you wanted to set the ISO, you did so by turning a wheel around the knob. Sound familiar?

The PASM dial became a standard feature as camera technology advanced. It’s hard to find a digital camera nowadays that doesn’t have it. Turn the dial to “P” for Program mode, turn it to “A” for Aperture-priority mode, “S” for Shutter-priority mode, and “M” for manual mode. It’s supposed to make it easy to move between the different shooting modes.

I was a digital photography holdout. I liked film photography and I thought it was better than digital. I could tell whether an image was captured with film or digitally just by looking at it. There was a quality difference. However, after a number of years had passed, things changed, digital technology made huge leaps, and I purchased my first DSLR, a Pentax camera, about 10 years ago. I’ve been shooting (mostly) digital ever since.

The digital learning curve was steeper than I ever imagined. Photography is photography, right? Wrong. I didn’t realize how much different digital capture was, how much different the cameras were and how the “darkroom” on my computer was nothing like an actual darkroom. It was as if I had to learn photography all over again.

I figured that things like the PASM dial were necessary byproducts of complicated technology. You can’t take something that’s complex and make it simple, you just have to learn how to handle all the features. It is what it is, I figured, and I better get used to it.

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Fujifilm happily proved me wrong, and demonstrated that PASM dials are completely unnecessary. They looked at old film cameras, and figured out how to make complex technology simplified for the user. It boils down to aperture, shutter and ISO. It always has. It’s always been simple, but camera makers moved away from placing it in a simple package.

With the X100F (and other Fujifilm cameras), there aren’t shooting modes. You can create whatever “modes” you want, but this isn’t a mode camera. It’s about controlling what you want to control. And the controls are right where you’d want them to be and operate as you’d expect them to operate. A ring around the lens for the aperture. A knob on top of the camera for shutter speed. A wheel around that for ISO. No PASM, simply set aperture, shutter and ISO to whatever you want them set to.

That makes perfect sense to me. It’s designed for people like me who learned on manual cameras. It’s very natural, simple and logical. But I realize that many photographers have never operated a camera that doesn’t have a PASM dial. Not having modes might be foreign to them. It might take some practice to “get” it.

To achieve Program mode, simply set the aperture and the shutter to “A” and set ISO to whatever you want. To achieve Aperture-priority mode, simply set the shutter (and, optionally, ISO) to “A” and set the aperture to whatever you want. To achieve Shutter-priority mode, simply set the aperture (and, optionally, ISO) to “A” and set the shutter to whatever you want. To achieve manual mode, simply set everything to what you want. For full auto mode, set everything to “A” and you’re there. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I’m glad the PASM dial is nowhere to be found on my Fujifilm X100F. I don’t like it, I don’t need it and I don’t want it! I just want to control the things that I need to control without moving through unnecessary modes. One reason that I love my X100F is that it doesn’t have modes, and can be controlled simply and logically. I can change the aperture, shutter and ISO to whatever I want them set to without fuss. This is one aspect that makes the camera great.

Road Trip: Seattle With A Fujifilm X100F – Part 4, Downtown Seattle, 2nd Impression: Pike Place (Day 4b)

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Meet Farmers – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

After Seattle Center, the next stop on our agenda was Pike Place Farmers Market. This is another iconic Seattle site, best known for flying fish and the original Starbucks. It’s popular among locals and tourists alike, and so you can imagine that it’s very busy, packed with people.

Trying to find parking was a nightmare. With some patience and luck, we were fortunate to find a space that wasn’t too expensive and was within a reasonable walk. Once we were at the market, the crowds were so thick it was hard to get around, and it was a constant battle to not get separated from each other.

We had a list of places that we wanted to visit. We didn’t get to most of them because there were long lines just about everywhere. We did eat some delicious cheesecake. We saw some fish being thrown, which was a highlight (I really wanted to catch one, but I didn’t want to smell like fish the rest of the day). We bought some colorful local flowers.

Pike Place turned out to be both fun and disappointing. We had a good time at times, but it was overly crowded, and not a good place to take four young kids because of that. We didn’t get to experience everything we wanted, things that my wife and I had talked about for weeks leading up to this trip, but what we did get to experience was enjoyable.

As far as photography, this is a great place for street-type pictures. The biggest issue is that it’s been photographed so much, trying to capture something that hasn’t been done before by hundreds of other people is a near impossible task. Also, I noticed that many of the vendors have signs prohibiting photography, which brings up legal and ethical questions. Still, I enjoyed making exposures at Pike Place and the X100F was a great camera for this location.

Time For The Public Market – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Public Fish Market – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Pure Fish – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Silver Salmon – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Market Snack – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Exiting Entrance – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Seattle From Inside Pike Place Market – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Public Parking – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Standin’ On A Corner – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Left Bar – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Quality Always – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Local Grown – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Fresh Crab – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Soiled Babies That Way – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Seafood Stand – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Crab Toss – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Pike Place Farmers Market – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Next, we went to the Ballard Locks, which are also known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. This is where boats get lowered into the salty sea water from the fresh lake water or vice versa. The Puget Sound connects to Lake Union (which connects to Lake Washington) through Salmon Bay, which is where the Ballard Locks are located. The lake level is a little higher than the ocean, and the locks allow boats to go back and forth.

We arrived right at sunset, and the light for photography quickly disappeared. We didn’t stay very long, but we did get to see one boat go through the locks. It was the wrong time of year to watch the salmon (something this place is known for), but other sea life was active. It was an interesting stop and the kids had a good time.

Watch Your Lines – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Salmon Bay Boats – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

We ended our downtown Seattle adventure with dinner in the Ballard neighborhood. There’s a small-city-downtown area (that’s how I would describe it) with shops and restaurants. It was well after dark. Parking was terrible (had to circle the area a few times), but we found coffee and pizza that were both excellent. It was a good way to end a great day.

I exhausted the battery on the X100F for the first time, but I had a spare in my pocket. I was pretty much done taking pictures, so I only made a few exposures on the backup battery. I had my wide-angle conversion lens with me, but didn’t use it. All of these pictures are camera-made JPEGs using my Acros Push Process Film Simulation recipe, my Velvia Film Simulation recipe and my Classic Chrome Film Simulation recipe.

Upstairs Clearance – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Strong Coffee – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Part 5 Part 6

Road Trip: Seattle With A Fujifilm X100F – Part 1, Getting There (Day 1 & 2)

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Starbucks Coffee – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday I had the opportunity to take a good ol’ American family road trip from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Seattle, Washington. The drive time to get there is 12 hours from my house, and since my wife and I have four young kids we decided to break it up into two days. We began our trip with a quick stop at Starbucks for coffee, which seemed like an appropriate thing to do considering our destination.

My dad was in the Navy, and as a kid I moved frequently. Perhaps this is why I have also moved around from place to place as an adult, living in Arizona, Texas, California and now Utah. The Puget Sound area of Washington was my home a few different times as a child, and I was 12-years-old the last time that I lived there.

I was eager to see the region again and to show my family where I spent time as a kid. The longest I ever lived in one house (as a child or adult) was there, and I wanted to see what had changed and what was still the same. I felt like it would be therapeutic in a way to return. This was going to be a good trip.

On the first day we made the long drive to Richland, Washington. This was supposed to be eight hours on the road, but it took us 11 hours to get there with the all stops we made. We saw a giant “potato” being pulled behind a big rig near Burley, Idaho, and the “Niagara of the west” in Twin Falls, Idaho (which is where my camera strap broke). We arrived at our hotel well after dark and in the pouring rain. It was good to sleep.

Oversize Potato – Burley, Idaho – Fujifilm X100F

Shoshone Falls – Twin Falls, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Roesch Family At Shoshone Falls – Twin Falls, ID – Fujifilm X100F

The next day began with beautiful sunny skies and a much shorter drive. It snowed on us a little crossing the Cascade mountain range. We made good time, only stopping for gas, and arrived in Seattle early in the afternoon. It was raining off-and-on in Seattle, which is typical weather for that area this time of year. Thankfully we came prepared with umbrellas.

After checking into our hotel and settling in, we headed out for a local beach while there was still some daylight. We combed the shore for seashells and interesting rocks. The kids walked along the driftwood that’s prevalent along the rocky Pacific Northwest beaches. I love the ocean and it felt good to breath in the salty air!

I used a Fujifilm X100F to capture our adventure. This camera is excellent for travel photography because it is small and lightweight, yet produces excellent images. I attached my wide angle conversion lens on the front of the camera for the first two days. These are all camera-made JPEGs, and I used my Acros Push-Process Film Simulation recipe for all the black-and-white exposures, and my Velvia Film Simulation recipe and my Classic Chrome Film Simulation recipe for the color images. I had a spare battery with me but didn’t use it as one fully-charged battery lasted both days.

Fall Leaves, Wet Road – Richland, WA – Fujifilm X100F

No Parking That Way – Ellensburg, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Lunchtime Rain – Lynnwood, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Sticks In The Water – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Looking Out On The Sea – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Seashell Search – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Puget Sound From Hogwarth Beach – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Driftwood In The Sound – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Walking On Driftwood – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Fujifilm WCL-X100 Wide Angle Conversion Lens Alternative For The X100F (Nikon WC-E68)

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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The Fujifilm X100F has a 23mm (35mm equivalent) focal length lens permanently attached to the front of it. The built-in Digital Teleconverter does a good job of increasing the camera’s versatility, with options for 50mm and 75mm. There’s also a 50mm (equivalent) teleconverter lens that you can buy. But what if 35mm isn’t wide enough for you? What are your wide angle options for the X100F?

Fujifilm makes a wide angle conversion lens for the X100 camera series called WCL-X100 (there is also a nearly identical new version called WCL-X100 II). It’s received much praise for optical quality, and it’s been called an essential accessory for X100 series cameras. But it’s also a bit on the expensive side, ranging from $250 to $350.

I like the dramatic results you can get from going really wide angle. I find it to be challenging yet rewarding. Occasionally I wish that the X100F was more wide angle than it is. So I thought it would be a good idea to buy a wide angle conversion lens for my camera.

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Having an extra lens kind of defeats the purpose of the X100F. It becomes less pocket-sized and gains some weight. You move away from the one-camera-one-lens philosophy. I think it’s nice to have the option of going wider, but it’s not something that I would use frequently. I figured that the conversion lens would mostly sit on a shelf, seldom used. My suspicions were that I’d only dust it off occasionally when wanting to shoot more dramatic wide angle pictures.

The WCL-X100 also doesn’t change the focal length all that much. You go from 35mm to 28mm. I really liked the 18mm (equivalent) lens that I used to pair with my X-E1. The 28mm focal length of the wide angle conversion lens is a long ways off from 18mm, which is where I’d love to be if I could.

I decided that I couldn’t justify spending $250 or more on a lens that would mostly go unused and wasn’t what I really wanted anyway. I set the highest price that I’d be willing to pay at $150. Over the last few months I searched online for a WCL-X100 but the cheapest one I found was $200. I almost jumped on it, but talked myself out of the purchase because it was more than I wanted to spend.

Seattle Center – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

A couple of weeks ago I began to look for alternatives to the WCL-X100 wide angle conversion lens, figuring that I’d never find one for $150. Surely there is a third-party option, I thought. I discovered that Vivitar (also sold under a couple other brand names) makes a wide angle conversion lens for the X100 camera series, and it can be found for as little as $30. That’s a bargain!

Having owned a few different Vivitar products over the years, I know that it’s hit-or-miss with that brand, and usually miss, so I looked for some product reviews to get an idea of the quality of their conversion lens. The most glowing reviews that I found said it was mediocre. The worst reviews said it was a piece of garbage, not worth even $30. I decided to pass, hoping for something of better quality.

Then I discovered an old blog post by photographer Noah Kavic, where he figured out how to use a Nikon wide angle conversion lens on his X100 camera, and it cost a fraction of the price of the WCL-X100. I also found a few other photographers who did this same thing. I decided to give it a try!

Fall Leaves, Wet Road – Richland, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

It takes a few different pieces to make it work, but I found it all online for about $60 (including shipping). I waited for everything to come in the mail, and the last item arrived the day before heading off on a road trip to Seattle. Perfect timing! It was pretty easy to figure out how it all pieced together.

Here’s the parts list:

Nikon WC-E68 0.68x Wide Angle Conversion Lens
Attachment Ring for Fujifilm X100F
49mm UV Filter
49mm-46mm step-down adapter

The Nikon WC-E68, which converts the focal length to 24mm on the X100F, is actually more wide angle than the Fujifilm WCL-X100, which is 28mm. While 24mm compared to 28mm may not seem significant, it is definitely closer to where I want to be, and it is something I’m quite happy about. Use caution when buying the conversion lens as Nikon has similar products that won’t work–make sure it is the WC-E68 that you are purchasing. I paid $50 for mine.

Up Towards Space – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

You need an attachment ring for the X100F, which, if you buy a generic brand, can be found for under $10. Screw the 49mm UV filter (which was something that I already owned) onto the attachment ring. The UV filter is important because corner sharpness is improved when the conversion lens is placed slightly further away from the camera’s lens. The 49mm-46mm step-down adapter ring, which I found for $2, allows the WC-E68 to screw onto the camera. If you have a lens hood, it can be on or off, it doesn’t really matter.

I captured a number of photographs on my road trip using the Nikon WC-E68 wide angle conversion lens, putting it to the test, and I come to some conclusions. First, my suspicions about wanting to use the lens only occasionally was proved true. The camera is bulkier and heavier and less travel-friendly with the wide angle conversion lens attached. I found myself leaving it behind at the hotel room. With the conversion lens attached it barely fit into my jacket pocket.

Something I noticed is that there’s some obvious purple fringing in situations with a strong back-light. Lens flare is also more prevalent when using the conversion lens. I found it best to avoid shooting towards the sun, although the results aren’t horrible if you do. On a positive note, distortion is well controlled.

Seattle Grind – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

I found that there is some significant corner softness when using large apertures. At f/4 it’s downright awful. At f/5.6 it’s not great but usable. By f/8 corner softness isn’t bad at all, but it is still there a little. Even though you won’t find corner-to-corner tack sharpness, corner sharpness is reasonably good when the aperture is f/8 or smaller. The WC-E68 is a lens to use when there is plenty of available light. If you crop the exposures to 28mm you are able to remove some of the corner softness, and I wonder if this is why Fujifilm doesn’t offer a wider conversion lens. The center is sharp no matter the aperture, and I didn’t notice any significant drop in center sharpness when using the conversion lens.

My opinion is that the Nikon WC-E68 wide angle conversion lens is a decent alternative to the Fujifilm WCL-X100 if you have a limited budget, don’t plan to use it often, when you do use it you do so carefully, and you prefer something more wide angle than 28mm. I do appreciate the 24mm focal length and the fact that I only paid $60 instead of $250. The WC-E68 does a reasonable job when the situation calls for something more wide angle than the 35mm focal length of the X100F, and I will happily pair it to my camera every once in awhile.

Below are ten photographs that I captured, all camera-made JPEGs, using the Fujifilm X100F with the Nikon WC-E68 wide angle conversion lens:

Starbucks Coffee – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Oversize Potato – Burley, ID – Fujifilm X100F

Walk And Not Faint – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

No Parking That Way – Ellensburg, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Puget Sound From Howarth Beach – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Sticks In The Water – Everett, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Puget Sound Vista – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Seattle’s Space Needle – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Bubble Hazard – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Autumn At Seattle Center – Seattle, WA – Fujifilm X100F – 24mm

Don’t Buy A Cheap Crap Camera Strap

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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I love how the Fujifilm X100F is small enough to fit into a pocket. It makes it much more convenient to carry around than a bulky camera that has to be hung around your neck or stuffed into a camera bag. A small wrist strap is all that the X100F needs.

You would think that a decent wrist strap could be found for a reasonable price. I was a little shocked at how much most want for one. I did find a nice-looking leather wrist strap on eBay for $10. That’s closer to what I wanted to spend, so I bought it.

The leather wrist strap arrived in the mail and attached easily onto the camera. It was a little tight on my hand, but not too bad. I liked the aesthetic. The camera still fit into my pockets with the strap attached. I was happy with it.

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I’ve used the camera with the wrist strap attached for three months now. I’ve made a lot of exposures during that time. I wouldn’t say that I’ve abused it, but I’ve certainly put it through the wringer. It didn’t look any worse for the wear.

I just got back late last night from a road trip to Seattle. On the very first day of the trip I stopped in Twin Falls, Idaho, to see Shoshone Falls (“Niagara Falls of the west”). I made several exposures. My family was with me. We all admired the massive waterfall that sits inside a deep canyon.

As we were about to leave my three-year-old son tugged at the leather wrist strap that was attached to my X100F. It broke right off! Thankfully I had a firm grip on the camera body.

Shoshone Falls – Twin Falls, Idaho – Fujifilm X100F

The leather camera strap was crap, cheaply made and unreliable. It busted off much too easily. My camera could have fallen down the cliff and into the canyon below! It would not have survived the fall. It occurred to me that I was precariously handling my camera, and I was completely unaware because I didn’t realize the wrist strap was poorly constructed.

The lesson here is don’t go cheap on your camera strap. It’s what’s preventing your camera from falling, possibly to a tragic end. I got lucky, and my X100F is perfectly fine. Spend the extra money and buy a quality product. That’s what I’m going to do this time. I should have done so in the first place.

I still don’t want to spend gobs of money, but I see the value in having a reliable strap. I don’t want my camera to fall onto a hard surface or into a deep canyon. It needs to be securely handled, and I have to be able to trust that the strap will hold up. With some luck I will find a quality product for a reasonable price. I will keep you updated when I do.

One Camera, One Lens

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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I’ve been asked several times now if having a fixed-lens camera is a problem. Is it too limiting? Is it a waste of money? Do you wish you had an interchangeable-lens camera instead?

The Fujifilm X100F has a fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) focal length lens permanently attached to the front. It’s a great pancake-type lens that allows the camera to fit into a pocket. It’s size, weight and design make the X100F a real joy to use!

Back several months ago I was contemplating purchasing the Fujifilm X-E3 because my X-E1 was getting up there in clicks on the shutter. The X-E3 wasn’t out yet (and wouldn’t be for a little while), but I knew it was coming, and I was set in my mind to buy it when it became available.

But then my daughter, Johanna, was born. Newborn babies need a lot of care, and parents get very little sleep. I found myself up at one or two o’clock in the morning as a daily routine caring for her. To prevent myself from nodding off, I streamed every photography documentary that I could find. In a matter of a few weeks I watched a ton of different shows about photography.

Kodak Colors – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Something that I found interesting was a lot of photographers–well known, highly successful photographers–used only one camera and one lens. Some photographers owned a couple of cameras and lenses, but would never bring more than one camera and one lens with them. Many photographers used the same gear for decades.

The need for a bunch of cameras and a bunch of lenses is a fairly modern concept, as is the idea that a camera needs to be replaced every year or two. A lot of yesterday’s photographers had only a small selection of photography gear, and they kept it for a long time. They used what they had to the best of their abilities, and created some amazing artwork along the way.

I realized that simplicity is important in photography. Over-complicating things is a trap. Wanting more and more and more is a trap. It’s better to be simple and content with what you already own. Less is more in photography and in life.

At one point several years ago I had four digital cameras with lenses to go with each (plus a bunch of film gear). That was ridiculous, and so I got rid of half of it. That was still too much and so I downsized again. But I noticed, after watching those documentaries, that I still had a lot of photography gear.

Yashica Rangefinder & Fujicolor – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F

That’s when I began to consider the Fujifilm X100F. I wanted less. I wanted simplicity. I wanted one camera and one lens that I’d be happy with for years. One camera with one lens is all any photographer really needs.

Limitations are only a hindrance if you allow them to be. You are the only thing stopping yourself from creating whatever photographs you wish to create. The issue isn’t your gear. In fact, limitations improve art because they force you to be more creative. You might not think outside the box unless you have to think outside the box. Problems are opportunities for imaginative solutions.

The X100F is not too limiting. It’s not a waste of money. I do not wish that I had an interchangeable-lens camera instead. It’s the best camera I’ve ever owned, not necessarily from an image-quality standpoint (although it’s excellent), but from an experience standpoint.

My Fujifilm X100F Acros Push-Process Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on November 11, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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Back in the days before digital photography I’d sometimes push-process my black-and-white film. The technique involved underexposing the film (typically by one or two stops) and then developing for longer times. Essentially you underexpose in camera and overexpose in development, creating a correct exposure. This results in images with more contrast and stronger grain.

There are a couple reasons why one would push-process their film. First, you could shoot with less light. A lot of people used to consider ISO 400 to be a high-ISO film, but pushing that film two stops would make it ISO 1600 (really high-ISO). Second, the push-process aesthetic is bold and gritty, and you could achieve more dramatic results. So you might choose to push-process out of necessity or artistic vision or sometimes both.

The Fujifilm X100F has a great black-and-white Film Simulation called Acros, named after their Neopan Acros film. It looks wonderful, with a true film-like quality. I use this Film Simulation often. But sometimes I want a bolder, gritter, more dramatic black-and-white picture than my Acros Film Simulation recipe provides. So I created a new recipe that resembles film that has been push-processed. In other words, it has noticeably more contrast and grain.

Turbulence – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F – Acros Push-Process

There are a few important things to understand about the Acros Film Simulation. First, Fujifilm programmed the amount of grain to increase as you increase the ISO. Next, the higher you go above ISO 800 the smaller the dynamic range gets. Finally, the Digital Teleconverter can effect noise and grain, most noticeably at high ISOs.

My Acros Push-Process Film Simulation recipe resembles black-and-white film that has been push-processed anywhere from one to one-and-a-half stops. I think sometimes it looks more like ISO 100 film that has been pushed and sometimes it looks more like ISO 400 film that has been pushed. A lot depends on the ISO that the camera is set to. It’s rarely as dramatic or gritty as one could achieve with actual film, but it produces great results in the right situations. I’d actually like to see Fujifilm add a push-process Film Simulation option to their X cameras.

The differences between this Film Simulation recipe and my original Acros recipe are increased highlights and shadows (for stronger contrast), a slight refinement to noise reduction and sharpening, and the added grain effect. The changes aren’t major, but the results are noticeably different.

Acros/Acros+R/Acros+G
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlights: +4
Shadows: +3
Noise Reduction: -3
Sharpening: +1
Grain Effect: Strong
ISO: Auto up to 6400 (typically)
Exposure Compensation: +1 (typically)

Example photos, all camera-made JPEGs captured using my Acros Push-Process Film Simulation recipe:

Evening Reflection Monochrome – Magna, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Dramatic Window – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Thoughts Grow With A Cup of Joe – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Coffee Stop – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Proud Pilot – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Phone Photographer – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Cellphone Capture – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Jesus Statue – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Waiting Is The Hard Part – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Thou Shalt Not – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Pull – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

No Overnight Parking – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Michael’s – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Samick Guitar – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

LDS Temple – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Salt Lake Towers – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Temple Gate – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Church Fountain – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Little Church In The City – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Evening In Temple Square – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100F

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Placing An Attachment Ring On A Fujifilm X100F

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Fujifilm X100F with attachment ring and lens hood.

Should you wish to use filters or a lens hood with your Fujifilm X100F, you must first buy an attachment ring. Fujifilm sells an attachment ring (with a lens hood) for $70, which is ridiculous, but you can find generic brands for much less. I paid less than $10 for mine.

The attachment ring arrived in the mail yesterday, and it wasn’t immediately obvious how it connects to the camera. I thought I might have ordered the wrong product. So I researched the web to figure it out.

What I didn’t realize is there is a ring that is screwed around the lens on the X100F, which must first be removed. It’s located between the focus ring and the front of the lens. You wouldn’t know that it can twist off by looking at it, and it’s tightly on, but with a little muscle power it will turn counter-clockwise. Again, look for a ring that circles the far end of the lens, immediately after the focus ring, and rotate it off.

Can you spot the ring on the lens that must be removed?

Removed ring on the left, attachment ring and lens hood on the right.

Once the ring is removed, the attachment ring simply twists on clockwise in its place. It’s really easy, but not apparent, so I thought it would be helpful to share with you how to do it. Hopefully this is useful to someone.

The one problem with adding a lens hood is that the camera becomes less pocket-sized. It won’t fit in my pants pocket, but it still fits in my sweater pocket. Be sure to keep the ring that you unscrewed from camera, put it somewhere safe. You never know when you might want it again.

Fujifilm X100F Battery Life

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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“How’s the battery life on the Fujifilm X100F?” I’ve been asked that question a few times now.

It would seem to be a straight-forward question. It should say right in the camera specs what kind of battery life you could expect. But it’s much more convoluted than that. There are many variables.

The manual states that you can get 390 frames on a fully charged battery if you use the Optical Viewfinder, or 270 if you use the Electronic Viewfinder. If you use the LCD (instead of the OVF or EVF) it falls somewhere in-between, but Fujifilm doesn’t provide a specific number.

So where does actual battery life fall? A lot depends on your shooting habits. Do you constantly review your pictures? Do you use the flash? Record video? Continuous auto-focus? RAW+JPEG? Long exposures? WiFi? Just the way you handle the camera can have a big impact on battery life.

I’ve actually captured more than 390 frames on a single charge. It’s possible to do it, but you have to be highly disciplined, and not do any battery-draining activities. When you forget to bring the spare battery you begin to consider every way in which you can extend the battery life.

Road Through The Autumn Trees – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F

I’ve also experienced less than 270 frames from a fully charged battery. This isn’t hard to do because there are many options that will deplete the charge. I’ve managed less than 200 exposures on one battery more than once.

To answer the question, battery life on the Fujifilm X100F is anywhere between less-than-200 frames to more-than-400 frames, depending on exactly how you use the camera. That’s a big disparity!

I think having at least one spare battery is essential, and you might consider having two if you make a lot of exposures between charges. Spare batteries are cheap if you get a generic brand. I paid about $10 for mine. It doesn’t have quite the same battery life as the Fujifilm battery that came with the camera, but it’s not all that far off, either. I would guesstimate the difference to be around 10%. I just keep one spare and bring the charger along when I travel.

For just everyday shooting I don’t bring a spare battery with me. If I find that I’m capturing more images than expected, I simply do more to conserve the battery. If I’m travelling or won’t have access to a charger and I expect to make a bunch of exposures, I’ll definitely bring a spare battery. I’ve yet to feel like I needed two spares, but if I were to photograph a wedding I would certainly want extra batteries just in case. I try to ensure that I begin each day with both batteries fully charged.

Battery life on the X100F ranges anywhere from good to so-so. A lot depends on the user. I find battery life to be sufficient most of the time. For those times it’s not, spares can be purchased for very little money and they’re lightweight and compact, so it’s not a huge deal. I wouldn’t let it stop you from purchasing the camera. Yes, it would be nice if you could get a thousand shots on a full charge, but it doesn’t bother me that I don’t.

Still Life Photography With Ceramic Tiles & Fujifilm X100F

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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I try to capture at least one photograph every day. It keeps me in good photographic shape. If you are an athlete or musician you practice daily, so why should it be any different for photographers?

I usually am able to accomplish this daily routine, but sometimes life gets in the way and it’s just not practical. I don’t feel too bad when this happens. Sometimes I might even need a short break. There aren’t any strict rules. I simply understand that it’s good to photograph as much as I can to maintain or even improve my skills.

The Fujifilm X100F helps me with this goal. It’s small and lightweight, which makes it easy to carry around. It creates fantastic pictures in-camera, so I don’t have to worry about my workflow piling up. I’m just able to shoot.

On days that I’m not able to get out with my camera and capture photographs, one thing that I like to do is set up some faux wood ceramic tiles and make some still-life type images of my cameras and film. This is very quick, easy and cheap, and I feel good that I’ve made some exposures.

I found some faux wood ceramic tiles at a local hardware store, and they were only a couple dollars each. I started out with two and now I have six of them. Each one looks a little different than the next. I might lay them all flat and capture from above, or I might stand one up at a 90 degree angle and shoot from a low perspective. I use natural light from a window to illuminate the scene.

When I arrange a scene, I try to think of a story as to why the items are placed they way they are. Photography is storytelling, so things shouldn’t be completely random. Sometimes window light can be soft and sometimes it can be harsh, depending on the exact conditions, so consider how to best use whatever lighting is available (whether soft or harsh) to further tell the story. In other words, use photographic vision.

The Fujifilm X100F, which has a fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) lens, isn’t necessarily the best choice for this type of photography because of the wide angle focal length. I typically prefer telephoto for this. But the camera’s Digital Teleconverter comes in handy, and the 50mm option makes using the X100F more practical for still-life pictures.

If you find yourself stuck at home wanting to photograph something and you’re all out of ideas, try using ceramic tiles and natural window light to create some still-life images. It’s good practice and you might even capture something interesting.

B&W:

Ilford Harman Technology – Fujifilm X100F – Acros

Holga 120 – Fujifilm X100F – Acros

Classic Photography – Fujifilm X100F – Acros

Ilford HP5 Plus 400 – Fujifilm X100F – Acros

Color:

Kodak Colors – Fujifilm X100F – “Vintage Kodachrome“

Yashica Rangefinder & Fujicolor – Fujifilm X100F – Classic Chrome

Kodacolor – Fujifilm X100F – Classic Chrome

FED 5c & Film – Fujifilm X100F – Astia

Road Trip Essentials – Fujifilm X100F – Classic Chrome

Simplicity vs Complexity

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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Keep it super simple (the KISS method). Simple is simply better, right?

Why, then, are cameras so darn complicated? Why are there so many menus, options, buttons, knobs, wheels and switches? Why does it take a novel-sized instruction manual to tell you how to operate it?

There are four critical camera controls: aperture, shutter, ISO and focus. This is true for every camera, although in some cases these things might be fixed, such as a home-built pinhole camera (the aperture is a tiny hole, the shutter might be a piece of tape over the hole, ISO is whatever film was placed in it, and focus is determined by the position of the camera itself).

Fujifilm has simplified what other camera makers have over complicated. On the X100F, the aperture is adjusted via a ring around the lens. The shutter speed is set via a knob on top, as is the ISO. Focus is controlled by a ring around the lens. This is how cameras were designed for many decades. This is a simple, user-friendly setup.

When cameras became more electronically controlled, camera makers got away from simplicity, and convoluted the whole process. They changed everything, and made you use a PASM dial and dig through menus for even basic adjustments. It never had to be this way. Thankfully, with Fujifilm, it’s not.

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If you don’t want to manually control some of the settings, the X100F can auto everything. Do you like shutter priority? Set the aperture to A. Like aperture priority? Set the shutter to A. Want the camera to choose the ISO? Set ISO to A. Don’t want to manually focus? Flip the switch on the side to C or S. It can be as manual or auto as you’d like, and going back and forth is easy.

All of the less important settings can be adjusted through the various buttons, wheels, switched, etc., found all over the camera, which can be customized to taste. The Q button allows quick access to almost everything.

Different people have different needs, and prefer different features and settings. The more people demand various things, the more complex the design becomes. The X100F, which is the fourth generation in the series, has many more features and options than the original X100.

What I appreciate is that, even though there are tons of features, options, settings and buttons, the four critical camera controls–aperture, shutter, ISO and focus–are kept simple. The other stuff is kept fairly uncomplicated (all things considered), too, but the things that I adjust from image-to-image are right where they are supposed to be. The design is how cameras were meant to be designed. Fujifilm kept it super simple. Or, at least, as simple as they practically could.

My Fujifilm X100F Vintage Kodachrome Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

Kodak Colors – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summer
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day

Kodachrome is probably the most iconic photographic film ever made. It was legendary, and many people saw the world through its colors. Kodak produced Kodachrome film from 1935 through 2009, when it was suddenly discontinued.

The Kodachrome name has been used for many different films over the years. The first Kodachrome product was a two-glass-plate color negative that was introduced in 1915. Like all other color photography methods of its time, the results weren’t particularly good and the product not especially successful.

In 1935 Kodak released its next Kodachrome, which was a color transparency film with an ISO of 10. This Kodachrome was the first color film that produced reasonably accurate colors and was the first commercially successful color film. It became the standard film for color photography for a couple decades, and was even Ansel Adams’ preferred choice for color work. The December 1946 issue of Arizona Highways, which was the first all-color magazine in the world, featured Barry Goldwater’s Kodachrome images.

Kodak Transparencies – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-E1

Kodak made significant improvements to Kodachrome, and in 1961 released Kodachrome II. This film boasted more accurate colors, sharper images, finer grain, and a faster ISO of 25. While it was still similar to the previous Kodachrome, it was better in pretty much every way. A year later Kodachrome-X was introduced, which had an ISO of 64.

Another generation of Kodachrome, which came out in 1974, saw Kodachrome II replaced by Kodachrome 25 and Kodachrome-X replaced by Kodachrome 64. The differences between this version and the previous weren’t huge and image quality was nearly identical. The biggest change was going from the K-12 to the K-14 development process (which was a little less complex, but still complex). This generation of Kodachrome is what most people think of when they picture (pun intended) the film, gracing the pages of magazines like National Geographic.

I personally have shot plenty of Kodachrome, mostly Kodachrome 64. It was a good general use film that produced sharp images and pleasing colors. I haven’t used it in more than a decade. Its days are gone. Even if you can find an old roll of the film, there are no labs in the world that will develop it.

Plenty of people have attempted to mimic the Kodachrome look with their digital images. It’s not as simple as it sounds. Alien Skin Exposure software has what is likely the best one-size-fits-all Kodachrome presets, but I don’t think they’re exactly right because the results vary from camera to camera.

L.A. Trolley – Perris, CA – Nikon D3300, Alien Skin Exposure 1935-1960 Kodachrome preset.

Besides, it all depends on exactly what Kodachrome look you are after. There are different versions, including about a dozen that I didn’t mention above, each with their own slightly varied look. Perhaps filters were used in conjunction with the film (which was more common in the film era than the digital era). How it was viewed, whether projected, light table, printed or scanned, also effected the appearance. Kodachrome has a long shelf life if stored in a dark, cool space, but if not stored properly it can fade or become damaged, and maybe you prefer one of those looks over the other. It’s really tough to pin down exactly what Kodachrome looks like because there are so many variables.

Fujifilm X cameras, such as the X100F that I own, have different Film Simulation options. One of those is called Classic Chrome, which is supposed to mimic the general look of Kodak color transparency film. Some have suggested that Classic Chrome imitates Kodachrome, but I think it more closely resembles Ektachrome.

A couple of days ago I accidentally discovered a vintage Kodachrome recipe for my Fujifilm X100F, based on Classic Chrome. By “accidentally” I mean that I had no intentions of creating a Kodachrome look. I captured a RAW image and played around with it in the camera’s built-in RAW editor. I was trying to see what crazy looks I could get if I really messed around with the settings. One of the versions that I created reminded me of vintage Kodachrome.

I dug out my old Kodachrome slides, plus my grandparent’s really old Kodachrome slides (which I happen to have at my house), looked at some vintage magazines and did some internet searches, and studied what real Kodachrome looks like. Relying strictly on my fading memory isn’t always the best idea, so having actual samples to compare was useful. Thankfully I found plenty of old Kodachrome pictures from many different eras to examine.

Rubber Boots – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F, original “Vintage Kodachrome” image.

The original picture (above) that I thought looked like vintage Kodachrome was somewhat close to the 1935-1960 version of Kodachrome, but it needed some adjustments. I played around a little more and I think that I have created a pretty good Film Simulation recipe for that generation of the film. Some images seem more convincing than others, but overall I believe it is surprisingly accurate.

One thing that I’m not completely thrilled about with the recipe is the film grain. I think that strong is too strong and weak is too weak. I wish that there was a medium option, but there’s not. On real Kodachrome the grain is not uniform and tends to clump, and so the grain looks much different than Fujifilm’s more regular faux grain. Beginning with Kodachrome II the grain was more fine, and so I definitely wouldn’t pick strong grain if I was trying to simulate a later version. The reason that I chose strong instead of weak is because it furthers the impression of vintage, despite the inaccuracy.

A characteristic of the 1935-1960 Kodachrome is the color shift. Blues veered toward cyan, reds were a bit darker, and skin tones had more of a bronze/orange look. It wasn’t as true-to-life as later versions of the film, but for its time it was considered very accurate.

I think my Vintage Kodachrome Film Simulation recipe is a great way to create in-camera retro-styled images. The example photographs in this post are all straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. It’s pretty darn close to that first era of Kodachrome slide film, and while not 100% accurate, it definitely has the right aesthetic to be convincing.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +4
Shadow: -2
Color: +4
Sharpening: +1
Noise Reduction: -3
Grain: Strong
White Balance: Auto, +2 Red, -4 Blue
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to -1 (typically)

Books On A Mantel – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Two Thirds – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Pumpkin – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Leaves In The Grass – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Leaves Around A Tree – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Bicycle Trail – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Through The Fall Forest – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Autumn In The Woods – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Golden Forest – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Changing Leaves – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Changing Forest – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Red Autumn Leaf – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Seeds of Gold – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Boy Unsure – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Respect – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Autumn Canopy – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Weber River Autumn – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Log Above The Riverbank – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

Weber River In October – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X100F “Vintage Kodachrome”

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Fujifilm X100F & Color Street Photography

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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I mentioned in my article Fujifilm X100F & Monochrome Street Photography that I’m not really a street photographer, but occasionally find myself photographing within the genre. When I do I’m usually thinking black-and-white and have my Fujifilm X100F set to Acros Film Simulation. I prefer monochrome street photographs because the lighting I encounter is often not ideal for color pictures, and the abstractness of black-and-white tends to be more appropriate for the subject. Sometimes, however, I choose to capture in color.

For color street photography with the Fujifilm X100F I use my Classic Chrome Film Simulation recipe. It has a Kodak slide film look that reminds me a lot of Ektachrome. A lot of color street photography was shot on Kodak color reversal film before digital took the world by storm.

At times this set of photographs strays a little outside of what is traditionally defined as street photography. I’m not a stickler for rules. I don’t mind coloring outside the lines sometimes. I believe my monochrome street images are a stronger group, but some of these I like and I think are good pictures. I didn’t have a large selection to choose from. I think it’s about time to head downtown with my X100F.

The fifteen pictures below are my favorite color street photographs that I’ve captured with the Fujifilm X100F during the first two months of use. I hope you enjoy them!

Coffee Delivery – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Playing For The Camera – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Stopped To Text – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Shopping For Trash – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Red Bicycle – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Two Bikes – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Bicycle Blue – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Tourists At Lower Yellowstone Falls – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Getting Off The Holiday Bus – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Along The Midway Geyser Basin Walkway – Yellowstone NP, WY – Fujifilm X100F

Evening Commuters – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Waiting For The Northbound Train – Farmington, UT – X100F

The Right Move Is To Open – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Ogden’s Time Square – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Coffee & Grocery – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Fujifilm X100F & Monochrome Street Photography

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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A lot has been said about using the Fujifilm X100F for street photography. Some have even called it the perfect street photography tool. It does seem like a good camera for the genre.

I’m not necessarily a street photographer. I do dabble in it sometimes and enjoy it whenever the opportunity presents itself. I would never call myself a street photography expert.

For those that don’t know what street photography is, it can be typically defined as “candid photographs in public places” (most often urban locations). I say typically because there are always exceptions to the rule. Some street photographers pose their subjects. Some street pictures aren’t captured in public places. Some don’t even include people. Some are in suburban or rural locations. The line is grey. I stray outside the definition regularly.

I simply like capturing the quickly-gone moments. Things move fast and you’re trying to be completely inconspicuous. It’s very challenging. There is a little bit of a rush to it, since people don’t typically care for strangers taking their pictures. You have so little control over the elements. But it is also very rewarding, and some of my favorite pictures that I’ve captured are street images.

The Fujifilm X100F is a great street photography tool, but it isn’t perfect. I actually prefer ultra-wide-angle for my style, and the 35mm (equivalent) focal-length is nowhere near wide enough. I work around this, no big deal. It alters my approach significantly, but perhaps the good is that it pushes my comfort zone, which can only make me better. Sometimes the auto-focus misses, but this has become less of a problem the more that I’ve used the camera. I’ve tried zone-focus (which is a manual-focus strategy), but I haven’t done it enough to be good at it with this camera.

For my black-and-white street photographs I use my Acros Film Simulation recipe. I just love the way it looks and very rarely do I edit anything. The camera just makes fantastic-looking pictures! I don’t even shoot RAW anymore. I cannot tell you just how much time this has saved me, but it’s a lot!

The twenty pictures below are my favorite street photographs that I’ve captured with the Fujifilm X100F during the first two months of use. I hope you enjoy them!

Train Watching – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

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

Coffee & Wifi – Orem, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Walking Man – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Skateboarding – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

One Step At A Time – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Departures – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Tortilla Maker – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100F

McWaiting – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Library Stairs – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Smoke And A Coffee – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Never Too Old To Learn – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Ack! – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Bike & Rider Shadow – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Multitasking – Riverdale, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Creative Minds – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Girl By The Escalator – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Baggage We Carry – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

City Creek Directory – SLC, UT – Fujifilm X100F

The Lonely Internet – Orem, UT – Fujifilm X100F

Fujifilm X100F & Lens Flare

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Ritchie Roesch

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Lens flare is something you either love or hate. People who love it seek it out and purposefully include it in their images. People who hate it use a lens hood. Lens flare occurs when there is a light source in front of the lens that is much brighter than the rest of the scene (such as the sun).

The lens on the X100F is “Super EBC” (Electron Beam Coating), which is a fancy way to say that Fuji uses a crazy-looking machine that has a vacuum chamber and electron gun to apply 11 layers of coating onto the lens. This coating is supposed to minimize lens flare.

Looking At The Sun – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X100F – ghosting flare

Modern lenses are precision engineered to maximize sharpness and minimize flaws. The less distortion the better. Lenses today are superior to older lenses if pure image quality is the goal.

I loved pairing my old Fujifilm X-E1 with vintage glass. Modern lenses are great, but in their precision they lack character. It’s the flaws that make a lens unique, that give your pictures that extra something that new glass simply cannot.

Orange Leaves – Lehi, UT – Fujifilm X100F – veiling flare

Modern lenses will give you the greatest pure image quality, but in a cold and clinical way. Think of music. A digital song lacks flaws, but it also lacks the warmth found on analog vinyl. Using a vintage lens is like listening to a song spun on a record.

One complaint that I had read about the X100F prior to purchasing it is lens flare. There are some people who think it flares too much and that it’s kind of weird looking (not the typical lens flare that one would expect). An easy fix is a lens hood, but that makes the camera much less pocket-sized.

Tricycle In The Woods – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-E1 & Helios 44-2 – veiling flare

I don’t want to get too technical here, but there are different types of lens flare (and different lenses will render the same type of flare differently). What I find most prevalent on the X100F is called “veiling flare” which is more of a hazy flare. The lens controls what is known as “ghosting flare” (which is probably what most people picture when they think of lens flare) really well, but it can still be found if you point the lens towards the sun. There is also a little bit of “sensor flare” which is caused by the light reflecting off the sensor and back onto the lens (a side effect of the lens element being so close to the sensor), but it’s also controlled well.

I can definitely see why people might not like how the X100F handles lens flare, but I actually appreciate it. It reminds me a lot of how the Russian-made Helios 44-2 renders lens flare. It’s a flaw, no doubt, but it gives photographs character. It’s an unexpected uniqueness. It’s not so cold and clinical and precise. It’s almost as if Fujifilm attached a vintage lens to the front of the camera (except they didn’t). So I like it. You might not, and that’s OK.