I’ve been following the Fujifilm X10 Orb issue for a while now, and what it’s really all about is becoming clearer by the moment.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
D90 Redscale Revisited
Encouraged by the results with the X10, I set out to attempt the same Redscale effect with the D90. And while it’s entirely possible to achieve a similar effect with a 10,000K white balance on the D90, the results are not nearly as pleasing.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Vello and the X10
The Vello 52mm snap-on petal lens hood is an excellent alternative that works perfectly on the Fujifilm X10.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Redscaling the X10
White balance works a little differently on the Fujifilm X10 than it does on the D90. Once you set it, you can push it further with the WB Shift.
If you set the D90 to 10,000K then start playing around with the WB Trim, it can drop down below 10,000K. On the X10, any adjustment you make seems to be in addition to the overall setting, which makes for some interesting possibilities. Like Redscaling simulation.
Set the Kelvin WB to 10,000K, then set the WB shift to +9 (red) and -9 (yellow). (the WB is still indicated as 10,000K) then, set the film simulation to Velvia, and bring the color saturation all the way up. You can also play around with sharpness and contrast.
The results are some interesting redscale simulations, better than I can get with the D90 using an orange filter. Unlike using a filter alone, more color separation information is captured, making for a more faithful redscale effect. you get nice greens, and the reds pop from the oranges. The highlights turn to a bright greenish yellow just as with film.
The really cool thing is you can set this all up in one of the two custom presets, so you can switch over anytime. Minor post-processing gets you very close to the effect you get with film.
Just another cool thing about the X10.
If you set the D90 to 10,000K then start playing around with the WB Trim, it can drop down below 10,000K. On the X10, any adjustment you make seems to be in addition to the overall setting, which makes for some interesting possibilities. Like Redscaling simulation.
Set the Kelvin WB to 10,000K, then set the WB shift to +9 (red) and -9 (yellow). (the WB is still indicated as 10,000K) then, set the film simulation to Velvia, and bring the color saturation all the way up. You can also play around with sharpness and contrast.
 |
| In-Camera Redscale Effect with the Fujifilm X10 |
The results are some interesting redscale simulations, better than I can get with the D90 using an orange filter. Unlike using a filter alone, more color separation information is captured, making for a more faithful redscale effect. you get nice greens, and the reds pop from the oranges. The highlights turn to a bright greenish yellow just as with film.
The really cool thing is you can set this all up in one of the two custom presets, so you can switch over anytime. Minor post-processing gets you very close to the effect you get with film.
Just another cool thing about the X10.
Life with the Fujifilm X10
The more I use this camera, the more I learn about the amazing things it can do. None the least of which is fooling passers by into thinking it’s a Leica.
For a while, I thought bracketing may not be part of its feature set. But I found it, hidden in plain sight, under the drive button where it logically belongs. With this button, the top selection on the multi-selector/sub-command dial, you can choose from single or multiple frames (with frame rate selection), best shot selector, or AE, ISO, film simulation and dynamic range bracketing. Wow!
Each mode has its own settings. So if you want to shoot Aperture Priority at low ISO, and Shutter Priority at high ISO, and Program Mode with auto white balance, you can set them each up that way.
Then there’s the C1 and C2 custom user settings. Say that you want to set one up for infrared with a custom white balance. You can do that. Or the other one with a custom white balance for redscale. You can do that too, because each custom white balance you set up can be saved under a different mode, includind C1 and C2. And they’re right there on the mode dial, no menus to dig through.
They’re best used to choose from amongst the extensive RAW processing options. That’s right, I can use the camera itself to process its own RAW files adjusting their exposure, white balance, WB trim, film simulation, dynamic range, color saturation, hue, highlight contrast, shadow contrast, sharpening and noise reduction. It gives new meaning to shooting RAW, especially with the “RAW on Demand” button, which is sheer genius. Wish my Nikon D90 had that.
This camera has so much to offer, and it’s truly a pleasure to use. Even the leather case is easy to live with.
For a while, I thought bracketing may not be part of its feature set. But I found it, hidden in plain sight, under the drive button where it logically belongs. With this button, the top selection on the multi-selector/sub-command dial, you can choose from single or multiple frames (with frame rate selection), best shot selector, or AE, ISO, film simulation and dynamic range bracketing. Wow!
Each mode has its own settings. So if you want to shoot Aperture Priority at low ISO, and Shutter Priority at high ISO, and Program Mode with auto white balance, you can set them each up that way.
Then there’s the C1 and C2 custom user settings. Say that you want to set one up for infrared with a custom white balance. You can do that. Or the other one with a custom white balance for redscale. You can do that too, because each custom white balance you set up can be saved under a different mode, includind C1 and C2. And they’re right there on the mode dial, no menus to dig through.
They’re best used to choose from amongst the extensive RAW processing options. That’s right, I can use the camera itself to process its own RAW files adjusting their exposure, white balance, WB trim, film simulation, dynamic range, color saturation, hue, highlight contrast, shadow contrast, sharpening and noise reduction. It gives new meaning to shooting RAW, especially with the “RAW on Demand” button, which is sheer genius. Wish my Nikon D90 had that.
This camera has so much to offer, and it’s truly a pleasure to use. Even the leather case is easy to live with.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Defining iPhoneography
Now that iPhoneography (much like Lomography) has more or less been officially established as a photographic genre, I need to differentiate it from my other categories.
On one hand, the iPhone is just another camera. But on the other, unlike my other cameras, it is in fact a lightroom, a photo album and a wirephoto service all in one. Used in this way, the works derived from it become more than just photos, and I need to define them as such. So, I have a new “genre” folder in my library named “iPhoneography” and in it I will place works that have been captured and/or post-processed solely on the iPhone.
This means establishing a firm definition of just what iPhoneography is to me. It may bridge many other genres and styles, but the one underlying principal that these images will have in common is that they will not have been touched by any other post-processing applications other than those running on the iPhone. Once an image captured on the iPhone is post-processed on the iPhone in any way, it becomes iPhoneography. Images which are captured but not processed on the iPhone may be categorized as iPhoneography, but may also be categorized under the other genres and styles in my library.
On one hand, the iPhone is just another camera. But on the other, unlike my other cameras, it is in fact a lightroom, a photo album and a wirephoto service all in one. Used in this way, the works derived from it become more than just photos, and I need to define them as such. So, I have a new “genre” folder in my library named “iPhoneography” and in it I will place works that have been captured and/or post-processed solely on the iPhone.
This means establishing a firm definition of just what iPhoneography is to me. It may bridge many other genres and styles, but the one underlying principal that these images will have in common is that they will not have been touched by any other post-processing applications other than those running on the iPhone. Once an image captured on the iPhone is post-processed on the iPhone in any way, it becomes iPhoneography. Images which are captured but not processed on the iPhone may be categorized as iPhoneography, but may also be categorized under the other genres and styles in my library.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Kodak Leaving the Camera Business
Pretty soon, you won’t be seeing a billboard like this anymore...
Kodak has filed for bankruptcy protection, and their financial advisors have told them that manufacturing cameras is not profitable for them.
That’s interesting, since Fujifilm doesn’t seem to have a problem selling consumer, or premium cameras. Are all those Kodak cameras manufactured by Kodak in the USA? I think not.
Or, is it simply that Kodak can’t attract consumers to buy their cameras? And why would that be? Why isn’t there a Kodak Retinette-D retro-styled premium
digital camera from the company that invented the digital camera in the first place? How about an economical Digital Brownie?
Kodak says it will be concentrating its consumer business on inkjet printers. Kodak should then use this opportunity to take over the market with a line of archival color and black and white inkjet printers that blow away everything else on the market. No?
We’ll see.
Kodak has filed for bankruptcy protection, and their financial advisors have told them that manufacturing cameras is not profitable for them.
That’s interesting, since Fujifilm doesn’t seem to have a problem selling consumer, or premium cameras. Are all those Kodak cameras manufactured by Kodak in the USA? I think not.
Or, is it simply that Kodak can’t attract consumers to buy their cameras? And why would that be? Why isn’t there a Kodak Retinette-D retro-styled premium
digital camera from the company that invented the digital camera in the first place? How about an economical Digital Brownie?
Kodak says it will be concentrating its consumer business on inkjet printers. Kodak should then use this opportunity to take over the market with a line of archival color and black and white inkjet printers that blow away everything else on the market. No?
We’ll see.
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