Please enjoy this second test video that I made with the DJI Inspire Pro at Chambers Bay, WA.
Chambers Bay
in Travel
Flying Above the Vance Creek Bridge
in Travel
Vance Creek has become one of my go to places for adventuring. It's relatively close and an easy hike. Although a lot of work has been done to make the trail make difficult, the final destination is always worth it.
On this particular trip, I brought along my newly acquired DJI Inspire Pro. I had the Phantom 3 Professional, so I knew the basic controls, but this would be my first flight with the Inspire Pro.
My main goal for this trip was to capture the sunset over the hills seen in the video. That was the plan, but poor planning didn't allow that to happen. Little did I know, the sun sets behind the hills so there is little light in the valley. It was a unfortunate miscalculation but a good life lesson. I left the location thinking that I would not have any useable footage but did manage to make the clip above. I'm happy with the result considering that it was my first time using this particular drone.
Sony A7Rii v. Fujifilm XT-1
in Review
If you've kept up with my blog up until now, you know that I own the Fujifilm XT-1. As you can probably tell, I also recently got my hands on the Sony A7Rii. In my mind, these two camera bodies do pose as competition to one another.
You may think that I'm crazy, but hear my out. Of course the A7Rii almost undoubtedly destroys the XT-1 based on specs. The A7Rii has a 42mp full-frame sensor while the XT-1 only has a 16mp APSC sensor. The A7Rii has in body image stabilization, shoots 4k video, and a great native ISO range. The XT-1 has some features...
Let's just face it, the XT-1 is very, let's say humble, when compared to the A7Rii. I believe that the XT-1 does pose as competition because there is a very big subculture based around it. Also, the people who are looking at form factor, is probably looking at both bodies as they are very similar in size. I've also heard a lot of argument (from Fuji shooters) for the XT-1 because it has more "soul". For those who want the best of the best (specs wise), they will no doubt be swayed by the A7Rii.
I'm not here to argue about specs. In this comparison, I want to talk about practicality and how I approached the situation. I have a high megapixel monster (Nikon D810). What I was looking for next was a lightweight travel/everyday camera. I initially bought the XT-1 because it was available. At the time, the A7Rii was sold out everywhere. After I bought the XT-1, the A7Rii became available everywhere. That's just how life goes right?
My initial impressions of the XT-1 were great. It was small, lightweight, and there were a lot of great prime lenses for it that were also small and lightweight. What more could I ask for? The answer is resolution. The XT-1 takes surprisingly sharp images, but 16 megapixels can only go so far. The images from the XT-1, looked great when you get everything right in camera. I don't want you to think that you can't adjust levels, crop, and everything else in post. I just want you to be realistic and don't expect to be able to do something like pull shadows after underexposing by like 5 stops. You shouldn't do that in any situation, but my point stands. One thing that I did notice about the XT-1 is that it is sharp, until you zoom in 1 to 1. The resolution just isn't there to do a lot of cropping. Of course this also depends on the situation. This led me to a constant want of more resolution. Where else can I get massive resolution in a small package? The Sony A7Rii of course! So, I got the A7Rii and now we are here.
I purchased the A7Rii with the Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA Lens. This lens is currently ranked as the 2nd sharpest lens in DXOMark's database, so the image quality should be present. After using the combination for about a week, I'm left asking myself, "Was it worth it?" I purchased the body for $3198 and lens for $898. The grand total was $4096.
So what's my problem? Why am I even questioning my purchase. To be honest, the 42 megapixel sensor really just didn't blow me away. The combination gave nice sharp, contrasty, and saturated images, but they weren't all that amazing. I actually think that the D810 took higher resolution images based on my results from the past. This is perhaps attributed to the A7Rii's 11+7 raw compression. I'm not going to go greatly in detail about this, but long story short it's a compressed raw format that doesn't allow users to take full advantage of the camera's abilities. There is a fix via firmware coming in the near future. Sony announced earlier today that 14 bit uncompressed raw will be coming to the A7rii. This is good news, but it doesn't really influence my decision.
When I bought the D810 on 9/22/2014, I paid $3099.99. Today on 9/15/2015, the price has dropped to $2996.95 from an authorized US seller and $2294.99 from a grey market reseller on eBay. In less than a year, the camera has dropped $805. I have to admit, I'm a little bit butt hurt about this. Just imagine the loss I would take if I were to decide to sell the D810 used. On launch around October of 2013, the Sony A7R costed $2298 and can be purchased today via an authorized US vendor for $1898 and from a grey marketed reseller on eBay for $1489. What do you know, a depreciation of $809. Although the timeframe between the A7R's launch and today is larger than that of the D810, I believe that it is still relevant to this argument. No doubt the A7Rii's price will depreciate. This is almost certain as Sony seems to push out new camera bodies every couple of months. The A7Sii was actually just announced today! Prices will depreciate and new products will continue to roll out. That's just how consumerism works.
To sum that rant up, buying the A7Rii with the 55mm lens today would cost me $4096. For my use, I would be paying this sum simply for the increase megapixel count over the D810, in body image stabilization, and the form factor. The other features that the A7Rii provides don't really apply to my applications. Are these things worth $4096? I keep bringing that sum up because it's $4096!!! That money can be put to a lot of good use.
I don't think that the A7Rii is a good investment for someone in my situation, someone who has already invested a lot in another system and already has a high megapixel camera. The in body image stabilization is nice, but not for that price. I have the XT-1, so I don't really need another small/lightweight camera. I can deal with it's lower resolution for that kind of money. I can always pull out the D810 when I do need the resolution for professional jobs.
As of today, I would rather wait for the imminent price drop of the A7Rii, or perhaps the A7Riii/A9, than spend the $4096.
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Street Photography with the Fujifilm XT-1 & Fujinon Primes
in Review
I bought the Fujifilm XT-1 for two purposes, street photography and minimalism. The XT-1 is quite small and I wanted to keep the form factor by using smaller and lighter weight lenses. I felt that this would mean using primes. I've always enjoyed using primes more because they force you to think about the image. I started out shooting with nothing but a 35mm lens and am very comfortable with it, but I wanted to try a few different focal lengths before make the decision for suture use. The four lenses that I wanted to try were the Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16mm (24mm) F1.4 R (Weather Resistant) Lens, Fujinon XF 23mm (35mm) F/1.4R Lens, Fujinon XF 35mm (53mm) F/1.4 Lens (not pictured above) and Fujinon XF 56mm (85mm) F/1.2 Lens. Street photography has been dominated by the idea that the 35mm and 50mm focal lengths were the go to, but there's more out there.
Something that I find interesting when I see people compare Fuji lenses is that they always talk about how one lens is heavier than the other and that is a problem. I find this amusing. Sure weight and size should come into consideration since that's the whole reason why I bought this system, but it's not that big of a deal when considering these small primes. The size and weight are so similar between the lenses that it shouldn't even be considered. It is noticeable when you're holding one next to the other, but if you put it on your camera and one lens seriously affects you more than the other, I think you have more serious issues to worry about. Either you really need to invest in a gym membership or consult a doctor. These lenses are tiny compared to their DSLR equivalent! A DSLR's 35mm F/1.4 or a 85mm F/1.2 equivalent is huge and bulky!
I will not get into the technicalities of each lens in this blog. That can be found almost anywhere else. I'm more into the practical use of these lenses in terms of street photography and that's what I will try to express. Fujinon lenses have come to be known for their high quality and great optics. You can examine the images yourself and determine which you think is the sharpest. I personally don't worry about this too much because I see no point in pixel peeping when the XT-1 only has a 16mp sensor. If it were the the Nikon D810, Sony A7r II, or the Canon 5DsR, then it would be a different story.
Along with each lens review will be some sample pictures taken with each.
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Fujifilm Fujinon XF 16mm (24mm) F1.4 R (Weather Resistant) Lens
Prior to taking this lens out on the streets, I could not imagine ever needing a 24mm equivalent prime. I have the 24-70 F/2.8 for the Nikon system and I played around with it at 24mm to see what it would be like. I felt that it was so wide and thought that it would be impossible to get good composition without standing directly next to someone. This was a huge turn off.
In use as a street photography lens, this was actually a very good lens. As previously stated, it is very wide. You have to know this and know that you will have to get close to people. You won't necessarily be face to face, but expect to be within a couple feet of your subject if you expect to fill the frame with the person or subject.
The nice thing about a wide lens like this is that pretty much everything is in focus and because of this and the high quality optics, you will get very sharp images. If you like to shoot from the hip, this is the lens for you. Just point the camera towards the general direction and shoot. It will most likely be wide enough to capture your subject and more, so you'll be able to crop the image and get a favorable composition. Some may consider this as cheating or being sneaky, but I believe that it is a valid technique and there is a place for it. This is perhaps my favorite thing about this lens.
The people that may not like this lens are those who don't like to get up and personal with their subjects. If you want framing to be correct in camera, you have no choice but to get closer. This is meant to be a wide angle lens. Sure you can shoot at the hip and crop down as mentioned, but 16mp only goes so far. Image quality will deteriorate and the image will turn to mush.
Fujinon XF 23mm (35mm) F/1.4R Lens
Good ol' faithful. When I was learning photography, I had no choice but to use a 35mm focal length. This was the only lens that I could use on the cameras in photography class. When I moved on, I kept the habit and bought a 35mm lens for my own personal cameras.
It is arguable to say that 35mm is the new standard focal length. It is considered to be good for pretty much every kind of photography. You can take portraits, landscapes, street photography, pretty much anything. It's not too long and not too wide, it's just right.
This lens is close to perfect for my applications. Even though size was not part of my consideration, I would have to say that this may be the perfect companion for the XT-1. The combination is perfectly balanced that when placed on a table, my XT-1 stands up straight and doesn't tip over as if front heavy. Of course, this doesn't matter to me. What matter was the lens' flexibility. It may be redundant to say, but this lens can do anything. It may look like I really seem to be leaning towards this lens as my favorite, because it is. There's nothing bad that can be said about this lens in my opinion.
Fujinon XF 35mm (53mm) F/1.4 Lens
This was the first lens that I bought for the Fuji X system. It is cheap and effective. There is no 50mm equivalent for the Fuji system so 53mm is as close as you're going to get. 50mm was the old standard and is still widely used today. People consider 50mm to be the closest to the human eye's own focal length. This is arguable for various reasons and a topic of another discussion. Saying this, I personally feel that it 55-56mm is the best representation of the eye so this lens is close to perfect in that regard.
Even though this is one of the cheaper lens from Fuji, it is still very very good. Images are sharp and it produces great bokeh when wide open.
My only complaint is that this focal length is getting towards the longer end of the spectrum. If you know that you're going to be working in very tight spaces, this may not be the lens for you. If your subject is within a few feet from you, forget about getting a body shot. It's just not happening. There's nothing wrong with the lens in terms of image quality or anything of the sort, the lens is beautiful, it's just that the focal length is a bit long.
This lens is not pictured above because it had to be sent back. Not because of quality issues or anything but because my copy did not come with a lens hood cap. I'm contemplating very hard on whether or not to pick up another copy since there is a very good rebate/sale going on that makes the lens very tempting.
Fujinon XF 56mm (84mm) F/1.2 Lens
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that the Fujinon XF 56mm (85mm) F/1.2 Lens is at the top of Fuji's lens selection in terms of image quality. Don't get me wrong, image quality is great, but I think that the 16mm and 23mm are actually better. This is just my opinion and based on my perception of the images captured by each.
Is it possible to walk around and do street photography with a 85mm equivalent focal length? Of course it is. The reach is nice when your subjects are a bit further away or you just don't feel like getting close. The reach is also a huge disadvantage because it requires you to have a good amount of space between you and your subjects. If your street photography consist of head shots and you are constantly in crowded spaces, this is the lens for you because you won't be able to capture anything but your subjects face or other parts of their body. In my use, I often faced the problem of not having enough room to frame the shot. I just couldn't back up enough to get the shot that I wanted because 85mm is on the telephoto end of the spectrum. Keep this in mind and give yourself some room.
Something to note, I find this lens hard to use wide open just because of the nature of a F/1.2 lens. The depth of field is so shallow that if your subject moves just a bit, that shot is gone. You will miss focus and have to try again.
I've always had a 35mm lens and it was a no brainer to get another since I'm so used to it, but that's also the problem. I'm so used to the 35mm focal length that it gets old sometimes. I wanted to see if there was something better for street photography.
The Fujinon 16mm (24mm) lens is such an amazing lens. I never thought that I would like a 24mm equivalent so much, but this lens has made me a believer.
There isn't much to say about the 23mm (35mm) lens. I see no drawbacks to this lens is overall a great lens. I can walk around all day with this thing and wouldn't have to worry about missing the shot because it isn't wide enough or because I don't have enough reach. The 35mm equivalent allows you the ability to move around and frame the shot much easier than any of the other lenses. Many people consider these things to also be true about the 35mm (53mm). You just have to ask yourself, would you rather have a wide standard lens or a more telephoto standard lens? The two are very close and I believe that you can work with either quite easily.
With the 16mm (24mm) and 56mm (85mm), you can only get so close or backup so far in certain situations. Lenses like the 35mm and 53mm are in the middle of normal spectrum and provides much more usability than the two more extremes of 24mm and 85mm.
For my personal use, I will be keeping the Fujinon XF 16mm (24mm) F1.4 R (Weather Resistant) Lens and the Fujinon XF 23mm (35mm) F/1.4R Lens. Even though the focal lengths are pretty close, I feel like these two lenses provide me with the most usability for my kind of photography.
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Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
in Photography, Travel
I would say that the biggest impact that photography has had on me is the fact that it got me out of my comfort zone. Photography CAN be done in your usual surroundings and the same places/subjects over and over again, but it may not yield the best result. Don't get me wrong, there may be some photographic prodigies that can make world changing images with anything, but the odds are that most people cannot do this. Taking pictures of the same subjects also does not allow you to expand your skills and try new types of photography.
I started out doing landscapes and wildlife. I told myself that I hated taking pictures of people and that I just wanted to be in the wild. Although I still tell myself this, I have discovered a love for street photography and just walking around with a camera and no direction. It allows me to free myself from an absolute project and the frustration of not being able to capture a certain image.
Before becoming a photographer, my comfort was my bedroom. I'm a homebody and just enjoy being in my own home. I knew that I would not be able to capture anything impactful where I was at so I made myself leave the house. My adventures started at various zoos because it was the closest that I could get to exotic animals. I then started to hike more and more just so I could capture those exclusive sceneries.
This leads me to the adventure that I went on early this morning. The trip started with packing up and heading out at 2 AM for Mt. Rainier. The old Hai would've just slept like a normal person, but I told myself that I wanted to do some astrophotography because it was something that I've never tried before. I knew that Reflections Lake would provide a great location to capture Mt. Rainier and because it was so high up and secluded, the stars would be very visible. There just happens to be a new moon 2 days ago so the sky would've been relatively dark.
A few miles from Elbe (a city close to Mt. Rainier), I got pulled over for speeding. I happen to be driving my Mustang. The officer ask me about the car and told me that he himself owned 27 Mustangs. I did the usual car talk with him. The conversation ended with him asking me about my upgrades and asking me to fire the car up so he could here it. I revved the car and the officer got pretty excited. He let me go without a ticket. This was the first sign that it was going to be a good night.
Reflections Lake is kind of the postcard spot to take pictures of Mt. Rainier so it is usually quite crowded, even early in the morning. This time, there was only one car in the parking lot and I didn't even encounter the owner.
I started to set up my equipment but really had no idea how I was going to get the picture. It was almost pitch black outside so autofocus was out of the question. I also had no idea of what focal length to use as I wasn't sure what I wanted to accomplish. At the end of the night, I just tried a few different lenses and settings and got a couple pretty good images. I'm quite proud of the images that I got, considering that it was a first attempt at astrophotography and the limited amount of time that I had before the sun started to rise.
The moral of the story is to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. I would've never been able to capture these images if I didn't force myself out of my house in the middle of the night and driving hours to get to the location. Had I not done this, I would've never got to see the most amazing display of stars. I would've never got to see my first shooting star and multiple afterwards. It was just one of those experiences that I will never forget. In short, get out and try something new. You never know what you will get out of the experience.