Ever since Adobe announced that Lightroom was moving to a subscription only model, I have read countless people online talk of moving on and leaving the Adobe ecosystem. The general consensus was that Adobe was just trying to wring every penny they could out of their user base and that since they were Adobe and had Photoshop and Lightroom, no one would walk away. For the most part, Adobe was right. The company made huge profits off of their subscription model and to be honest, the $10 a month they charged for both Lightroom and Photoshop wasn’t all that bad for amateur users and for professionals, it was a great deal. I however, was one of those who didn’t like being charged monthly, especially for a product that at the time was slower than the competition, more crash prone and had issues with the FujiFilm X-Trans raw files that I primarily shot.
Category Archives: Gear
Any post related to the gear I use and my thoughts on that gear.
My ‘Cheap’ Macro Setup
After posting some of my macro shots of the spider’s and insects, I’ve been asked about what kind of gear I use to create those images. Instead of buying an expensive macro lens, I’ve been able to piece together a rather inexpensive setup that lets me get close to 1 to 1 ratio. Below are some pictures and a list of the gear I use.
Starting the new year with an X-Pro2
Ever since Fuji first announced the X100 compact camera, I’ve loved the design and ergonomics of the Fuji X series. Though I never shot with old film camera’s, I immediately felt at ease controlling the most essential functions of the camera (shutter speed, aperture and ISO) from dedicated dials. I dove into the system with the purchase of a used X-E1 and never looked back. Soon after that, the X-T1 was released and I had one on order. That was about 3 years ago now. The X-T1 was much better than the X-E1 in regards to speed, but I missed the rangefinder style body. Enter the X-Pro2.
The major draw of this camera is the hybrid optical hybrid viewfinder. This gives you your choice of an optical viewfinder or an electronic one depending on your need. The optical is great for seeing outside of your frame and being able to compose shots and wait for the right moment. The electronic gives you an accurate preview of exactly what you are about to shoot. Both are useful and switching between them is just a flick of a lever away.
The X-Pro2 just feels right in the hand. The controls are easy to get too, logically laid out (to me) and can be assigned just how you like. Even the much derided ISO dial isn’t nearly as bad as others have written about it. It just takes some muscle memory to master. The focus speed is very much beyond my X-T1’s capabilities and now just generally works without being an issue. The new 24 megapixel sensor is fantastic in both resolution and noise performance at higher ISO’s.
I don’t have much to complain about with this camera. There is still much I have to learn with it, but so far, it has been a great purchase.
Tenba Cooper 13 Slim Quick Review
Ask any hobbyist photographer how many camera bags they have owned over the years and the answer surely will be high. I may be a bit guilty trying to find the perfect bag that will hold and protect all the gear I need, be comfortable to carry and also look good while doing it. Everyone wants something just a little bit different in form, function and style, so relying on others to give an opinion is quite difficult. Up until a few weeks ago, I thought I had my ‘perfect’ bag, a Billingham Hadley Pro. Then Tenba had to go and release the Cooper series.
