December in Vancouver is usually marked by wet, rainy weather that drags on for weeks. So last Sunday when we got a tip that the sun might appear for a few hours we were eager to grab this rare opportunity.
When we left the house it was still raining but I grabbed my Fuji X100S anyway. As soon as we arrived at Port Moody Rocky Point Park, the weather started to improve. The clouds were breaking up, giving way to the first rays of sunshine. At the same time and very unusually for the time of day, random patches of fog blanketed some areas of the park. What a great opportunity!
We took some family and landscape shots – all with the Fuji X100S.
When we got home, I started looking at the images and it dawned on me that three years after the debut of the Fuji X100/S camera, it’s still the one I enjoy using the most. It is still the camera I grab when I leave the house. It is still the camera that works with me unlike any other camera on the market (see our full review here).
It’s not that I haven’t tried others. For a few days, I brought home the Ricoh GR. Sure it has very good image quality and a great lens but its plastic feel and lack of a viewfinder and dedicated knobs made me long for the Fuji X100S. Then there was the Nikon Coolpix A – a total non-starter for so many reasons I am not going to waste your time. Most recently, I tried an FF Sony with its 35 mm Zeiss lens. Sure, it had great image quality but somehow felt dry and uninspiring (and expensive).
It is unbelievable that three years after Fuji introduced the X100, no other camera manufacturer has been able to come up with a contender to match the usability, portability, quality and the “joy” factor of the Fuji X100S.
In fact, I have been shooting with the X100S so much that this “One Camera, One Lens” combo has become the natural extension of my sight.
What freedom!
and some from Buntzen Lake
© Olaf Sztaba Photography. All rights reserved.
Great photos indeed.
I am a bit worried by the amount of work required on the development side tho get such results… My dream is to get photos out of the camera that would require minimal work on development and although I read a few times that the JPEG from the Fuji’s were excellent, it seems you are still processing quite a lot your shots afterwards.
Correct? or maybe you can elaborate?
Thank you!!
Antoine
Olaf,
First, thanks for sharing these photos. They’re brilliant and really show what this remarkable little camera is capable of.
Next, a question. Your photos look amazingly sharp. How? Is this mostly from the camera’s processing or from NIK Silver?
Frederick,
Thank you for your kind comments.
We use Irridient Developer software, which has a truly remarkable deconvolution sharpening. Highly recommended.
All the best,
Olaf
There’s a secret about your post. ICBKTTIHTYY
I think you hit a bullseye there fellas!
Outstanding!
Thanks
Olaf
Wow,
Nice shots.
Thank you for visiting.
Olaf
A couple of these shots are sheer magic!
Jim,
It’s very kind of you.
All the best,
Olaf
That dog has real character! I’m not normally that taken by pictures of pets but this is a lovely portrait, well framed. There’s a bit of a Kodak Tri-X feel to it I think – have you post processed it or is this just a result of the mist? Thanks.
Don,
Similarly as you I usually don’t photograph pets. However, when I was photographing my family, this dog came out of nowhere and started barking at me. Instinctively, I turned around and took this image. It was only a second or two and the dog run away. Indeed, it pays off to pay attention to what’s happening around you. I didn’t plan to take this photo but it turned out great.
Thanks for visiting.
Olaf
Don,
Forgot to mention, I used NIK Silver Pro – my favourite tool for B&W photography. Highly recommended.
Olaf