Fujifilm

Tip For Shooting X-T3 And X-T2 Together

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EV Dials

Set them like this

I was just packing for a two day shoot and was reminded how I have to set my X-T2 and X-T3 differently to make them operate the same. I thought it might be of interest to anybody else that uses these two cameras as a pair.

This only applies if you use the front command dials to control ISO and set shutter speed and aperture manually. In other words, the cameras are in full manual and the front command dial is being used to adjust exposure. This works well for me in concert photography as I need as much light as possible, so shoot wide open. I also know I can’t go lower than 1/125th second when I’m zoomed all the way in with the 50-140mm f2.8 (OIS on). So my variable is ISO and I want to be able to adjust it with the front command dial and then press it to lock ISO. One more press and ISO can be adjusted again. This prevents me from moving ISO unintentionally.

The X-T3 works this way when the ISO dial is set to C. Each press of the front command dial cycles through ISO - EV. But when the X-T2 is set to C it cycles through F - EV - ISO. If The X-T3 is set to 0 on the ISO dial, ISO is always live on the front command dial and can’t be locked. This might be sounding a bit complicated at this point. So in short:

  1. Settings Menu - Buttons and Dials - ISO Dial Setting - COMMAND (on both cameras).

  2. Set X-T2 ISO Dial to 0 (zero)

  3. Set X-T3 ISO Dial to C

  4. Use the front command dial to adjust ISO and press it to lock/unlock the wheel (both cameras).

Fujifilm X100F: Auto Detect WCL & TCL Lenses

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If you have a Fujifilm X100F (update: or X100V) and the older mk1 WCL-X100 wide angle, and/or the TCL-X100 teleconverter lenses, and you’re still diving into the menus or using up an Fn button to tell the camera when any of these are attached…read on.

The X100F has a magnet next to the front element of the lens (under the surface), as does each of the newer mkII lenses. So when the WCL or TCL are screwed on to the font of the camera, these two magnets react to each other and the camera automatically switches to whichever lens is attached and corrects for barrel distortion. How does the X100F know which of the two lenses are attached I here you say? Simple; The polarity of the magnets are reversed on each lens. So the magnet on one lens pulls and the other pushes. But the original two conversion lenses don’t have magnets on them.

I bought a packet of really small magnets on Amazon UK and I crudely attached them using gaffe tape inside of the lenses next to the rear element. But they were either not strong enough or too slim. So I attached a second magnet on to each of them, this time just held by their own magnetic strength. They then worked as they should and although I meant to go back an do a neater job, I’ve never got round to it and the magnets have never moved at all. I might go back and use one magnet on each, with a bit of black Sugru to stick them down and raise them up at the same time.

The boxes that come with each of the conversion lenses actually have magnets inside the lids. If you don’t mind destroying your boxes you can cut these out with a sharp knife and use them.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Move the magnet over the front of the lens (close to the FUJINON logo).

  2. Check the viewfinder to see the point where the W or T symbol appears.

  3. Make a note if it was W or T and keep the magnet facing in the same direction (polarity).

  4. Place a piece of tape on the aperture dial where the magnet reacted (don’t move the dial).

  5. Now screw each lens and place a piece of tape on them at the same point as the camera’s

  6. Remove the lenses & attach a magnet using tape inside the back of the lens (see picture).

  7. You might need to re-check the polarity to make sure it’s correct for each lens.

  8. Screw the lenses on and check that the camera automatically switches to WCL or TCL.

  9. If the camera doesn’t automatically adjust, add another magnet on top of the first one

That’s it. No more menu diving or using up an Fn button. Plus, you’ve just saved a load of money buying the WCL or TCL mkII’s.

Good luck.

Touched-Up: A Fujifilm X-E3 Review

Small but perfectly formed (from the front), the X-E3 is a good looking camera

Small but perfectly formed (from the front), the X-E3 is a good looking camera

Back in the early days of the X-Series, I shot with the X-Pro1 and the X-E1 together (one on each side). Although their performance wasn’t even close to the super-powered X-100F, X-Pro2 and especially the X-T3 I shoot with now, they were so nice as a working pair. They were like the same camera in slightly different skins. As the X-Pro1 grew long in the tooth and the X-E2 came along, I started to use the X-E2 and the X100S (then the X100T) as a working pair. I was so into the X-E2 (and by that time the X-T1 had came along) that I didn’t think my setup had any room for the (then) soon to be released X-Pro2. That seems strange now because my X-Pro2 is always with me. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’ve always loved the X-E cameras.

So when the X-E3 was announced I had that same feeling. My X-E2 was sitting in my desk drawer getting very little action and I was wondering if there was a space for this latest version in my current line-up. There’s only one way to find out. So I took one out for a week to see how it performed.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first thing I noticed when I opened the Peli case, was just how small it looked and felt. It’s only slightly shorter than the X-E2, but it seems a good bit smaller in a few ways. The design on the front is a little cleaner I would say and the front grip is pretty much the same.

Not quite as wide as the X-E2 but it makes quite a noticeable difference

Not quite as wide as the X-E2 but it makes quite a noticeable difference

TOP PLATE
The top plate is almost the same as the X-E2, but the X-E3 doesn’t have a built in flash. There is no dedicated ISO dial, but the shutter speed dial is a little on the small side for an X-Pro2 style dial. The Fujinon logo has been left off, as it has on the X-Pro2, but I’d like to see a return of this logo on the top plates of all rangefinder style cameras.

MEET ME ROUND THE BACK
The back of the camera is where things get real (as the hip kids say). On the plus side, the thumb grip is perfect and results in the X-E3 being much more comfortable and safer to hold than it’s predecessors. The joystick has also been included. Fantastic! There are now three buttons along the back of the top plate (next to the viewfinder), like the X-Pro2. The diopter is to the left of the viewfinder, but recessed enough so’s not to get changed by accident. 

IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME
Let's get the D-Pad touchscreen and button placement thing out of the way. As a photographer that owns and uses many X-Series cameras (often using two at a time), it drives me crazy that button placement has not become standard across all X-Series cameras. The X-E3 has the play button at the bottom, which is typically where the Back/Display button would be. For me, the Play Button should be at the top (below the joystick), with the Menu/OK button below that. Obviously different departments design each camera, but I wish all X-Series rangefinder style cameras could get a standard button layout.

X-E2 back with D-Pad and a much more tactile thumb wheel.

X-E2 back with D-Pad and a much more tactile thumb wheel.

I love the D-Pad on all my cameras. It's basically 4 function buttons in a small space that I can control in the dark without taking my eye away from the viewfinder. I have the D-Pads on all my cameras set up (as much as possible) the same way. But the D-Pad has been omitted from the X-E3 (even though there's space for it). This is a deal breaker for me. I was worried that this would become the norm going forward, but I was happy to see a D-Pad on the X-T3.

I mostly hate touch screens, but I find the one on the X-T3 very useful for video recording. I would have left it off of the X-E3 though. Like the touch screen on my X70, I turned it off on the X-E3. But before I turned it off, I went out and shot some street photography. The touch screen function buttons, where you can swipe at the top, bottom, left and right side of the screen is the worst feature on any camera I have used. Every time I lifted the camera to my eye, something else had changed and it took me a while to work out it was that dumb touch screen. But it does have one useful feature…called OFF.

The Auto switch is so useful when shooting street photography, jumping from full manual to auto

The Auto switch is so useful when shooting street photography, jumping from full manual to auto

I was super pleased that the X-E3 has an Auto button on the top plate. I use this often on my X70 as I tend to shoot street photography totally manual with the focus also set to a fixed distance (click HERE to see my post about zone focusing). But when I step inside a building and the light changes or if I want to grab a quick shot close up or far away without upsetting my settings, I simply switch to Auto, grab the shot and switch back to manual. Love it!

Image quality is exactly the same as the other X-Series cameras as they all share the same sensor

Image quality is exactly the same as the other X-Series cameras as they all share the same sensor

SIZE MATTERS
The X-E3 is very small, even smaller than the X-E2, but it feels so comfortable in my hand. Part of it is due to the front grip, but mostly to the rear thumb grip. Although this camera is a standard X-Mount and can take any of the XF or XC lenses, it is definitely better suited to the smaller lenses. I automatically attached the 18mm f2 straight away when the body arrived, and it's just perfect for it. Although the 18/2 could do with an updated mkII version with internal focusing and even weather-proofing (if that's your thing), it's still a great little lens and so well suited to the X-E3. But basically, any lens that is physically small, like the 27/2.8, 35/2, 23/2 will be great on this camera. Obviously, the larger X-Series lenses will work on this camera but will be very front heavy.

WHO IS IT FOR?
Where the X-E2 felt more like a backup for the pro photographer with the X-Pro1 or X-Pro2. I feel the X-E3 is aiming more at people that love shooting with smartphones but want to take it up a notch. It would be a fantastic little vlogging camera, but lacks the flip round screen of the X70.

I hate a smeared LCD screen but there's no escape with a touchscreen

I hate a smeared LCD screen but there's no escape with a touchscreen

CONCLUSION
The X-E3 is a damn fine camera. The performance in such a small body is stunning! And though It bothers me a that they omitted the D-Pad, I do think this camera will do extremely well for Fujifilm. New parents that want to document their kids life in very high quality won’t go wrong with this with a 35/2 lens attached. At the moment, I’m shooting with an X-T3, X-T2, X-Pro2, X100F and X70, so I don’t think the X-E3 has a place in my bag. But if I needed a small compact video camera, this would be the one. Which is the very reason my Kage Collective buddy Kevin Mullins bought one. More about that at www.f16.click

LIKES

  • Auto Button (like on the X70 and X-T20)

  • Joystick

  • 24 Megapixel sensor

  • X-Processor Pro III

  • My Menu

  • Rear Dial Auto Focus (needed on the X-Pro2)

  • Front Dial ISO (needed on the X-Pro2)

  • Design (very handsome little guy)

  • Thumb grip

  • Trash /Drive dual purpose button

  • AF Mode ‘All’ (this should be on all X-Series cameras)

DISLIKES

  • Touchscreen function buttons (it’s just not my bag baby)

  • No D-Pad

  • No ISO Dial

  • Button layout different from the X-Series rangefinder style bodies

WISHES

  • ISO Dial

  • D-Pad

  • Top-plate Fujinon logo (on all Fujifilm cameras)

  • Front Fn Button

JJC Square Lens Hoods For Fuji X-Series Lenses

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If you're not a big fan of the supplied plastic lens hoods with some of the Fuji glass, you might be interested in the lower profile square ones available. I bought these ones by JJC on Amazon (U) for £28 each, which is less than half the cost of the Fuji versions. These hoods are metal and extremely well built. They fit on the lenses tightly so there's no chance of them coming off. They have flat covers on the front that slides over the lip at the front edge, which means your old lens caps can go straight in a drawer with the original hoods.

The JJC lens hoods are only available for the 16mm f1.4 and the 23mm f1.4, but the latter also fits on the 56mm f1.2 (as you see in the pictures here). Although the 90mm f2 has a 62mm filter thread like the 23 and the 56, the lens hood mount on the 90 is different so none of them fit that lens.

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Unlike the original plastic hoods, the JJC square ones can't be reversed on the lens for storage. But these metal hoods are so small that I leave them on the lenses permanently. They fit all of my bags and have a smaller footprint than they would with the plastic hoods reversed. I'm not a fan of lens caps because they slow down the time it takes to remove my camera from the bag and shoot, so I tend to leave them off. But these flat JJC ones take up very little room in a pocket in my bag and are handy to stick on in dusty conditions.

JJC name and model number can be placed at the bottom of the lens or the top (as shown here).

JJC name and model number can be placed at the bottom of the lens or the top (as shown here).

You can buy the JJC metal lens hood for the 23mm f1.4 and the 56mm f1.2 Amazon UK

You can buy the JJC metal lens hood for the 16mm f1.4 Amazon UK

A Quick Custom White Balance Tip Using iPhone

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You know that damn slogan that we're all sick of hearing? You know the one “The best camera is the one you have with you”. Quite often that camera is an iPhone, or at least that's the way the slogan started out. Well, I've put a new slant on that by saying “The best white balance card is the one you have with you”. Yup, just as annoying.

But if you happen to have a white iPhone (or possibly any phone with a silver back), then you have a white balance card that's always with you. I'm a big fan of ExpoDisc's or Colour Checker Passport and I use them often, but sometimes I'm out and about without one of those or they’re in my camera bag at the other side of a theatre and I'm at the front of the stage as a show is about to begin. That's when I pull out my iPhone and set a custom white balance from the back surface. I have a clear bumper case on my phone so that I don’t have to remove the phone to do this. I'm a Fuji shooter but although setting a custom white balance on your camera might be a little different, it won’t be that far away from what I do.

Here's what I do.
1. Go to Custom White balance (I have al my white balance settings on the right D-Pad on all my cameras.
2. Activate the custom white balance patch.
3. Take a shot of the back of my phone making sure my exposure is as near as possible and all of the white balance patch is filled with the silver grey of the phone. Make sure that the light you are trying to balance is hitting the back of the phone.
4. Press OK to accept the new custom white balance and then take a shot to see how it looks.

Now your white balance is locked in and this is the number one method to speed up your workflow. If you want to change white balance in Lightroom (or the editing program of your choice), all you need to do is select all photos and make sure Auto-Sync is on. Adjust white balance on a single photo and all the rest will have the same adjustment applied too.

Workaround For Fuji X-T2 Video Problem

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Even with the release of the huge hog beast they call the X-H1, The X-T2 is still a great camera for video. But locking in your settings is a problem, especially if you shoot at 24 or 25 FPS. 

THE PROBLEM
For decent video, we need to lock in our three exposure controls (Aperture, shutter speed and ISO). Aperture is mostly ok because we set it on the lens, but the aperture rings on some Fuji lenses have little resistance and are easy to move without realizing. ISO is pretty good as we can set it on the top dial and press the lock button. Or we can assign ISO to the front command dial and press said dial to lock it (this is the quickest way). But shutter speed is a real problem if you like to shoot at 24 or 25 FPS. We can choose 1/60th of a sec on the shutter speed dial on the top plate, but to get it down to the required 1/50th of a second we need to use the rear command dial. So far so good, but the rear command dial doesn't lock and they tend to be as loose as a loose thing. I've had this move on me multiple times and it drives me nuts. I don't know why we can’t press the dial in to lock it the same way the ISO dial works.

THE SOLUTION
But there is a solution to this problem that allows us to lock in any of the exposure triangle settings or lock all of them at the same time. Here's how to do it. You will find all of these settings in the menu under Settings - Button/Dial Settings

1. Make sure the rear command dial (or the front command dial if you have them reversed) is set to adjust shutter speed by 3rd stops. You will find this on page 1 of the above-mentioned menu, SS Operation.
2. Next, you will need to change one of your Fn buttons on the X-T2  to 'Lock Settings'. This is on page 4 of the Button/Dial Settings menu. I use the AF/L button because I have back button focus assigned to the rear command dial.
3. Now, with the camera back in normal shooting mode, press the Fn button that you assigned to Lock.
4. Choose 'Function Selection'' and then tick the boxes you wish to lock. I have Shutter Speed ticked, but you might also want to lock Aperture, ISO or both. 
5. Now when you want to lock in your setting you just click that Fn button and choose Lock Settings - 'Selected Function' and your Settings will be locked and can’t be moved by accident. This will also lock your shutter speed dial on the top plate, so remember to turn the lock off when you want to change the settings.

That’s it. Any questions just leave them in the comments below and I'll answer them as best I can as soon as I can.

Bastards

Photo by Kevin Mullins

Photo by Kevin Mullins

My Kage Collective buddy Bert Stephani, who a lot of you will know as a Fujifilm X-Photographer, excellent photographer and all round nice guy, has had his camera gear stolen.

Bert is based in Belgium and while he was out doing a talk at a local camera club, thieves were breaking into his house and stealing most of his camera gear. He is a professional photographer, so he depends on his equipment to be able to make a living. Not only was Bert doing the talk for free, but he often works on a project to help refugees. Nice guys don't just finnish last, they get humped!

Here is a list of his stolen gear, plus serial numbers. It was stolen in Belgium, but it could easily pop up anywhere in Europe and could be available internationally through Ebay.

Fuji GFX50S SN:71005024 (Fuji strap was attached, contained 2 Lexard cards, probably without battery charger or any of the other supplies accessories)
Fuji GF63mm SN: 75A02439
Fuji GF110mm SN: 76A01409

Fuji X-T2 It has one of the special customized serial numbers: BERT S1 (There was a green strap attached, probably without a battery charger, flash or any other accessory, there were 2 SanDisk cards in there.)
Fuji XF16-55mm SN:56A23230 (probably without lens cap, was attached to the X-T2)
Fuji XF50-140mm can't find the serial number, it didn't have the tripod collar attached
Fuji XF100-400mm SN65A07297

These items will probably be offered without box, lens cloths, or any of the accessories they should come with. If you see anything that might be Bert's, please contact him at bert@bertstephani.com

Fujifilm New Product Releases (7th Sept 2017)

It’s a big day for Fujifilm today with the release of several new products and some significant announcements. You'll find full details on Fujifilm's own site, but I wanted to do a brief roundup for those of you who are as lazy as I am when going through the news.

1. The new Fujinon XF80mm f2.8 R LM WR Macro will be another stunning lens and I have it on good authority that it might even top the 90mm f2. I've seen some great sample pictures from this lens and they were absolutely stunning.
Take a look at the latest X-Series lens roadmap HERE.

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3. The long awaited X-E3 camera body is finally here. Like the X-E2 and X-E2s that came before it, the X-E3 is amazing value for the money (£849 in the U.K.) when you consider how close the specs are to the flagship X-Pro2. If you can live without an optical viewfinder, this might be an option for you. It would also make a great second camera or backup to the X-Pro2. Here's a list of some features

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  • First X-Series camera to feature Bluetooth for transferring photos to smartphones and tablets.
  • Touch screen (not tilting) with smartphone usability.
  • 24.3 megapixel sensor with latest X-Processor Pro.
  • 4K Video.
  • Brand new auto focus algorithm that is 50% faster at tracking than the current models.
  • Focus joystick as found on the X-Pro2 and X-T2.
  • Extreamly handy auto switch from the X-70.

2. The Fujinon GF45mm f2.8 R WR is the 6th lens in the GF System. If you are interested in the medium format Fujifilm GFX, then this new 45mm f2.8 will be a beast of a lens. What a system the GFX is turning into!
Take a look at the latest GFX lens roadmap HERE.

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4. New Firmware for the X-Pro2, X-T2, X-T20 and X100F is also announced today, but won't be available until November and December this year.

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X-T2 Firmware v3.00

1. New AF tracking algorithm for moving subject

Thanks to the newly developed image recognition algorithm, the update enhances AF-C to track moving subjects twice as fast as previous firmware. In addition, the update also enhances tracking to be able to capture up to 50% smaller moving subjects than before.

2. Support “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO”

Once connecting a camera to a computer via USB cable, the “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO” enables users to convert RAW files with X Processor Pro. The fast batch processing will also be available. The “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO” can be downloaded from the FUJIFILM website for free.

3. Improve radio flash controller usability

The upgrade allows users to shoot with compatible third party studio flash in high speed sync. or TTL mode via their radio controllers.

4. Support for backup/restore of camera settings via FUJIFILM X Acquire

Once connecting a camera to a computer via USB cable, the “FUJIFILM X Acquire” allows users to backup/restore camera settings to/from a file. Copying all camera settings from one camera to another is available.

X100F Firmware v.2.00

1. Support for backup/restore of camera settings via FUJIFILM X Acquire

Once connecting a camera to a computer via USB cable, the “FUJIFILM X Acquire” allows users to backup/restore camera settings to/from a file. Copying all camera settings from one camera to another is available.

2. Supports “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO”

Once connecting a camera to a computer via USB cable, the “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO” enables users to convert RAW files with X Processor Pro. The first batch processing is also available. The “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO” can be downloaded from the FUJIFILM website for free.

3. Improve radio flash controller usability

The upgrade allows users to shoot with compatible third party studio flash in high speed sync. or TTL mode via their radio controllers.

5. A Fujifilm/Magnum Photo Collaboration

15 Magnum Photographers will explore the theme of “HOME” for the project. Known for their wide range of approaches, Magnum Photos members produce documentary photography that encompasses art and photojournalism. Sharing the agency’s legacy for humanistic photography, associated with its founding in 1947, Magnum’s contemporary practitioners are united by a curiosity about the world. This project invites them to explore a universal subject familiar to us all

“Home” is not only defined as a space for physical living. It holds various other associations that are emotional, biological, cultural and societal. These 15 photographers have been given an open brief to explore the subject through their own individual practices, the resulting work reflecting their personal take on a subject that we all record photographically.

X-Pro2 Firmware v4.00

1. Addition of 4k video mode

The update adds 4k video using the X Series famous Film Simulation modes.  You can input audio from an external microphone (Excluding HDMI output for recording).

2. Support for tether shooting via USB or Wi-Fi

After connecting a camera to a computer, the compatible software (*1) will enable users to transfer images taken with the camera to the computer and save them in a specified folder, or to control the camera from the computer. 

3. New AF tracking algorithm for moving subject

 Thanks to the newly developed image recognition algorithm, the update enhances AF-C to track moving subjects twice as fast as previous firmware(*2). In addition, the update also enhances tracking to be able to capture up to 50% smaller moving subjects than before.

4. Support “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO”

Once connecting a camera to a computer via USB cable, the “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO” enables users to convert RAW files with X Processor Pro. The first batch processing will also be available. The “FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO” can be downloaded from the FUJIFILM website for free.

5. Improve radio flash controller usability

The upgrade allows users to shoot with compatible third party studio flash in high speed sync. or TTL mode via their radio controllers.

6. Support for backup/restore of camera settings via FUJIFILM X Acquire

Once connecting a camera to a computer via USB cable, the “FUJIFILM X Acquire” allows users to backup/restore camera settings to/from a file. Copying all camera settings from one camera to another is available.

X-T20 Firmware v.1.10

1. Touch panel operation when using the EVF

The firmware update will make it possible to use the touch panel while looking into the viewfinder. According to the operation method, it's possible to set the effective range of the touch panel to the full screen, right half, left half, or OFF.

Participating Magnum photographers

  • 　Antoine d’Agata (France)
  • 　Jonas Bendiksen (Norway)
  • 　Chien-Chi Chang (USA)
  • 　Thomas Dworzak (Georgia/Iran/Germany)
  • 　Elliot Erwitt (USA)
  • 　David Alan Harvey (USA)
  • 　Hiroji Kubota (Japan)
  • 　Alex Majoli (Italy)
  • 　Trent Parke (Australia)
  • 　Gueorgui Phikhassov (Russia)
  • 　Mark Power (UK)
  • 　Moises Saman (Spain/Peru)
  • 　Alessandra Sanguinetti (USA）
  • 　Alec Soth (USA)
  • 　Alex Webb (USA)
  •  

Photo Exhibition

  • 　New York
  • 　London
  • 　Paris

6. Fujifilm X Raw Studio

FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO enables users to quickly and easily convert RAW files with outstanding image quality, once a camera is connected to a Mac or PC via USB cable.   

Exceptional image quality is retained, as the X RAW STUDIO system utilizes the X Processor Pro in the camera instead of the CPU in the computer, 

Due to the increasing size of RAW files, users have found batch conversion to be an issue, as it takes more and more time as a result. However, using the high performance “X Processor Pro” processor, this batch conversion is handled far more efficiently as a result.

This new software is due to be available from late November 2017.

Key Features:

  • -    Convert RAW images on the computer (Single / Batch Process)
  • -    Preview converting images
  • -    Save, load, or copy conversion profiles
  •  
  • *Specifications, window images subject to change without notice.
  • *RAW conversion is compatible with a RAW file taken by the same model as the connected camera.  

 

  • Availability:

 

  • Application Software FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO will be available:
  • for Mac:    Late November 2017 
  • for Windows: Late January 2018 
  • FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO system compatible camera firmware will be available:

 

  • FUJIFILM GFX 50S:    Late November 2017 (Ver.2.00)
  • FUJIFILM X-T2:    Late November 2017 (Ver.3.00)
  • FUJIFILM X-Pro2:    Late December 2017 (Ver.4.00)
  • FUJIFILM X100F:    Late December 2017 (Ver.2.00)

X-T2 Firmware Update Needed For Shooting Video

I love the X-T2, it's such a great all round camera and very capable of handling pretty much anything you through at it. Video wasn't really something I expected to be doing with it, but it happens now and again. I had a video shoot at the weekend with the X-T2 and I ran into a potentially disastrous problem. Thankfully it's something that could be easily fixed in the next firmware update.

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

With the latest firmware update (v2.10) for the X-T2, we got the ability to set one of the front or rear command dials to control ISO. Fantastic! Here's how to:

Go to Setup Menu (the spanner) - Button/Dial Settings - ISO Dial Setting (A) The options are Auto and Command. Choose Command. Set the top plate ISO dial on the X-T2 to A. Now ISO can be adjusted by either the front or rear command dials. The Command Dial Settings Function in the same menu allows you to choose front of rear dial.

Shutter Speed (front) F. (rear)

With this configuration, the back command dial does nothing (unless you have a lens attached that doesn't have an aperture ring, like the 27mm). Both ISO and Shutter Speed are assigned to the front command dial and you toggle between which one is active by pressing the dial. The problem is that one of them is always live and can be knocked off easily.

F. (front) Shutter Speed (rear)

With this configuration, shutter speed is changed by the rear command dial and ISO by the front. The upside is that the ISO can be changed using the front dial  and then locked by pressing the command dial. Unfortunately the shutter speed is always live and so easily knocked by a third stop or two, causing rolling vertical lines that cannot be fixed in post. Video footage is useless if this happens. I must have knocked my shutter speed of at least 6 times at the weekend and will be taping the rear dial down from now on.

THE FIX

F. (front) Shutter Speed (rear) is the ideal choice in my opinion. When shooting video, I like to chose my aperture on the lens and select my shutter speed on the top plate SS dial, then make minor adjustments using the rear command dial (for instance: Set the top plate SS dial to 1/60th and then adjusting the SS to 1/50th using the rear command dial when shooting at 25 fps).

update the firmware to allow the rear command dial to be locked by pressing it (just like the front dial for ISO), we could lock both ISO (front dial) and shutter speed (rear dial).

No more moving dials by mistake!

 

Kage Collective : The Wind Of Change

After an unintentional break this year, we have returned to the monthly magazine format at Kage Collective. I think by the end of last year and having produced each month to a deadline, we just wanted to go at it differently. But the last few months of not producing much has proved to us that deadlines work, like or loath them.

We've also had a change in lineup to. Flemming and Charlene have both moved on to do other things and we wish them both well on their global travels. But we are super happy to introduce our new member Ronas Rask. Jonas is not only an official Fujifilm X-Photographer, but he actually does all those amazing product shots for the brand. Kage will be an ideal place to show of his documentary side. So now we are 7. Patrick La Roque (Canada), Robert Catto (Australia), Bert Stephani (Belgium), Vincent Baldensberger (France), Kevin Mullins (UK), Jonas Rask (Denmark) and myself have new essays on our latest issue (13).

It took me a while to get back into that deadline mentality, but I finally decided to shoot the second part of my elements with a Lensbaby series. I shot this essay on the X-Pro2 with the Lensbaby Composer Pro and Edge 80 optic. The pictures and the text took a darker turn though when the news of the Manchester terrorist attack surfaced the morning of the shoot, which game me the title of The Gentle Breeze Of The Blast .

As it's the centennial of JFK's birth, I decided to write a review of My Kennedy Years - A Memoir by JFK's photographer Jacques Lowe. A terrific book if you're a fan of the long term documentary project, which this was the mother of them all.