Quick landscapes with the Fuji X-E1

Chances to venture out and get some hands-on time with my Fuji X-E1 have been slim since I got it a few weeks back - but I had a chance to take a few quick grab shots with it on a recent trip to Westport.

Coastal Spray. Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/11 @ 1/480th. ISO 800

I did the same trip recently with the Nikon D300, and took almost exactly the same image as the one above - from exactly the same spot (see here). I actually like the above shot more, although that has less to do with the cameras and more to do with the lighting on the day.

I'm very pleased, and impressed, with the Fujifilm's X-Trans sensor and its ability to capture a large dynamic range within the one image. In the photo above I exposed to retain detail in the bright clouds, but it meant that the rocks in the foreground were very dark. Once I got the RAW file into Lightroom and started to increase the shadow slider, I was amazed at the amount of detail and colour that the file exhibited. At ISO 800 it's pretty clean too. Noise is well handled for such an underexposed area. All-in-all a great result and I'm impressed. It looks like the APS-C sensor is definitely giving me the IQ boost I was hoping for over and above the Pen E-P3's micro four thirds sensor.

Westport Tiphead Beach. Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/11 @ 1/1250th. ISO 400

Here is another 'grab' shot that has a fairly large dynamic range (I was shooting in the middle of the day). Once again, the X-Trans sensor's RAW data has delivered, with detail retained in the highlights and plenty of recoverable shadow information. Sharpening is about right with the X-Trans sensor as well, since it doesn't use an anti-aliasing filter. So far I'm finding that I don't need to apply any sharpening in post to the Fuji files.

Carter's Beach, Westport. Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/11 @ 1/1200th. ISO 400

The clouds were spectacular on this trip, and the X-E1 has managed to capture them in all their puffy glory! These literally are just grab shots, but I'm very happy with all of them. I have done a little work in post - some clarity, dehaze and shadow/highlight tweaking - but it's all fairly minimal work that I would expect to have to do with any RAW image.

Carter's Beach Driftwood. Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/11 @ 1/420th, ISO 400 (B&W conversion in LR)

So overall, I'm very happy with the quality of images I'm getting from the little X-E1. It's a lot of fun to use and IQ from even the cheap 16-50mm kit lens is very good. It does have a couple of 'quirks' that I'm learning to live with, but these are minor gripes.

For one, the histogram in the evf goes away once the shutter button is pressed halfway and the exposure is 'locked' on. I guess Fuji figure that you've spent time getting the exposure correct, so you don't need to see the histogram once the shutter button is half-pressed? I'd still like to see it in the viewfinder all the time - even the locked value.

I would also like to see 'blinkies' in the evf as well, prior to taking the image. The histogram helps, but it doesn't have very clear sides to the graph, which makes it difficult to judge clipping. The X-E1 does show blinkies, but only after the fact, during image preview. Blinkies visible in the evf in real-time would be super helpful.

But these really are minor gripes. For a small, lightweight, take anywhere camera system with excellent IQ, the Fujifilm X-E1 is darn near perfect! Add some great film simulations and it's even perfecter! From what I've seen out of the images thus far, I'd be more than happy to take the Fujifilm X-E1 on a serious travel holiday as my only camera. OMG! Have I finally, after all these years, found my 'ideal' travel camera!?  

Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. Here today...

The winter has been pretty dreary here of late, so I haven't had a lot of opportunity to get out with the new cameras. Last weekend however, it cleared up on Saturday evening, and I took the opportunity to get out with the Nikon D300 and my newly fixed Tokina 11-16mm f2.8.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
Nikon D300 with Tokina 11-16mm f2.8
f11 @ 1/320th, ISO 1600

I was quite excited to try out the Tokina since having fixed the focusing issues it was having (see post here). I do tend to struggle with the ultra wide angle lenses though - composition can be tricky, and there are a few other 'issues' you need to be careful of.

Firstly, since there's so much glass on the front of the lens, you need to be very aware of flaring and the position of the sun relative to the front lens elements. The 11-16mm has a lens hood supplied, but because they take in such an enormous field of view, the lens hoods tend not to be too deep. So care needs to be taken when composing with the sun anywhere close to the front of the lens.

The other issue you can often have with ultra-wides is when using filters. I have purchased some new filters for the Tokina, which has a reasonably large 77mm filter thread. For this trip I had attached the landscape photographers must-have filter, the Polariser. I ended up purchasing a Kenko branded polariser, which apparently is owned my Tokina, so I figured they would be a good match. But when using any polariser with a wide angle field of view, you have to be careful that the darkening polarising effect looks smooth and even across the frame - especially in the sky. If you polarise too much with an ultra-wide, the sky can look a little blotchy and unnatural. So look carefully through the viewfinder as you spin the polariser to make sure things are still looking fairly natural.

9 Mile Beach. Nikon D300 with Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. f11 @ 1/80th, ISO 1600 (Blended image)

I ran up against the 'polarising effect' when I set up to take the image above. I wanted to polarise as much as possible for the foreground so I could cut out the glare in the water pools and include as much of the reflection of the hills as possible. But when I did that, I was getting very blotchy blue areas in the sky.

To combat this, I took two images. One polarised heavily for the foreground, and another polarised lightly for the sky to remove the blotchy areas. I then processed both of the images in Lightroom, and blended them together in Photoshop.

The keen-eyed among you may have picked up on a slight issue with the images posted so far. They were shot, incorrectly, at ISO 1600! I had obviously been playing around with the camera at home a few days before and had boosted the ISO to take a couple of photos. I have tended, in the past, not to use Auto ISO, but to set it as low as possible manually. But this also means that I need to remember to check what ISO I'm on before I start shooting. And this time, I didn't. ISO 1600 isn't completely unusable with the D300, with some judicious noise reduction applied in Lightroom. But still, it isn't ideal...

Starfish. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5. f5 @ 1/15th, ISO 800

Fortunately, I realised that I was shooting with the wrong ISO eventually and started to set it accordingly. Unfortunately, it was more towards the end of the evening when the light was very low.

Another thing that was very low on this particular evening was the tide. I had decided to head out along the coast, to a place called 9 Mile Beach. At low tide, there is a chance that starfish clinging to the rocks will be exposed. I've struggled to photograph these starfish for many years, and haven't ever taken images of them that I'm happy with. But I was certainly keen to try.

Starfish on the Rocks. Nikon D300 with Tokina 11-16mm. f/6.3 @ 1/20th. ISO 800

Focusing on getting images of the starfish at the end of the evening, in very low light, was my downfall. Even though the tide was very low, and I could move around the rocks fairly easily, the starfish were still down quite low and not really that easy to get to. I had just taken a photo on the Tokina of the starfish low down on the rocks, with the hills and houses in the background (see image above), when I noticed some starfish a bit closer up. I decided I should use the Nikkor 18-70mm instead for a closer composition, so I needed to change lenses. At that moment, disaster struck!

Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 front element - with debris

I had changed lenses by doing what I always do - taking off the old lens and placing it loosely in my camera bag before quickly adding the new lens on the front of the camera, so as not to expose the sensor to the elements longer than is absolutely necessary.

Having achieved this, I went to take the lens cap off of the 18-70mm so I could use it, and promptly dropped it in a rock pool at my feet. Bugger! I bent over to retrieve the lens cap from the pool and dry it off, but I had failed to secure the Tokina in my bag properly. You don't have to be a genius to guess what happened next! Out dropped the Tokina, onto the rocks, and I watched as it fell down the rock face, bouncing around as it went, falling directly into the sea!

I'm not proud of the string of expletives that issued forth once I realised what had just happened. I was able to retrieve the lens from the sea (eventually) since it was such a low tide that was ebbing in and out - but the prognosis was obviously very grim. Of course the lens is destroyed, and unfortunately, my insurance policy has a $250 excess. The lens only cost me $300 secondhand, so even if I made a claim, I'd only get $50.00NZ out of it.

In a career that has spanned over 30 years so far, this is only the second lens I've ever ruined. So I guess that's not too bad over the long haul. I was enjoying using the lens, and am obviously upset that it's now completely ruined. But I also still struggle using an ultra-wide, so I'm not sure whether I'll even bother replacing it with the same (or slightly different) lens? If I'd dropped my Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 I'd definitely be replacing it. But the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8? I'm not so sure....  

Custom Film Simulations on my Fujifilm X-E1

Last post I outlined my switch from the Olympus Pen E-P3 to a Fuji X-E1 as my lightweight, mirrorless travel camera. I've owned it for about a week now, certainly not long enough to form any serious opinions about using it. However, initial impressions have been largely very positive.

One of my main reasons for switching was for 'better' IQ (image quality) from the Fuji X-E1's 16MP APS-C sized X-Trans sensor. Not only is it higher resolution than the Pen E-P3, but also considerably better low-light performance (apparently). I will be putting the X-E1 through its paces at high ISO's at some stage. But that's another post for another time.

The other major reason that I was keen to go the Fuji route was for their film simulations. Of course the history of Fuji is in their name - Fujifilm. So if anyone can make in-camera film simulations work, it has to be them. And indeed, many photographers (both professional and enthusiast) have flocked to the Fuji system so they can shoot jpegs straight out of camera with film simulation modes.

So one of the first things I did when my Fuji X-E1 arrived, was to sit down with it for the first few days and programme some film 'looks' into the camera based on the in-built film simulations. In this post I will go over what I've programmed into the seven custom simulation slots that Fuji allow on the X-E1, and show what they look like with the settings applied.

First off, all the Fujifilm cameras come with pre-set film simulations. The X-E1 has ten: Provia, Velvia, Astia, Pro Neg Hi, Pro Neg Standard, Monochrome, Mono +Y, Mono +R, Mono +G, and Sepia. This is what they look like:

There are differences, but they can be subtle. A simulation like Velvia is obviously more punchy in terms of colour vibrancy and contrast than Astia, whereas Provia looks very similar to Pro Neg Standard. Depending on subject matter, the monochrome filters can also be very subtle, although the differences are there if you look hard enough. Of course it can also be difficult to see the subtle differences in a compressed web file.

Of course all of these film simulation pre-sets are jpeg only. They don't get applied to the RAW file, although they will affect the view through the evf and the preview on the back of the cameras LCD screen. If you shoot RAW + Jpeg then you will get the best of both worlds; a RAW file with all the sensor information in-tact, and a camera-processed jpeg with the film simulation applied.

But the real fun to be had when using the film simulation modes is to create your own flavours. There are quite a few of these 'recipes' floating around the internet and on other blog posts, and most of them are designed to mimick the look of film stocks. I have certain favourite stocks that I enjoy shooting when I use film, so this was going to be my starting point when creating my own.

The slight downside to using the X-E1 is that it uses a first generation X-Trans sensor, which doesn't support the newer Fuji film simulations like Classic Chrome and Acros. Acros just happens to be my favourite b&w film stock, so I was keen to try and replicate this in a film simulation. I had also found a Classic Chrome Recipe which would give a similar effect on the first-gen sensor. So these are my first two recipes.

Classic Chrome

Classic Chrome. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS. f7.1 @ 1/350th, ISO 400

Classic Chrome with grain added in Lightroom

C1 Custom Setting - Classic Chrome Recipe.
A standard colour profile to replicate Fuji's new film simulation.
ISO: Auto up to 6400
Dynamic range: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Astia Soft
Highlight: +1
Shadow: -2
Sharpness: -1
Colour: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 30  Roughness: 30

This is a pleasing colour look, and will probably be my default choice for shooting colour jpegs. The classic chrome film simulation has fast become a favourite for many Fujifilm shooters, and it's not hard to see why. To give the simulations a more film look, I've had to apply some grain in post processing. Again, the newer Fuji cameras allow you to add grain to the film simulations - the X-E1 does not. Click on the grain sample image above for a better view of a 150% crop from the original image.

Acros

Acros. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f5.6 @ 1/250th, ISO 200

Acros with grain added in Lightroom

C2 Custom Setting - Acros.
A standard b&w profile to replicate Fuji's new film simulation.
ISO: Auto up to 6400
Dynamic range: 100
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -1
Base film simulation: Mono +Y
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +1
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 30  Roughness: 30

Again, this is a pleasing b&w look that will become my go-to black and white mode. I guess that the camera will live on either C1 and C2 most of the time. the other custom simulations will be for when I'm feeling in a particular mood. Just like when I shoot with real film I guess?

Also, again, a fairly tight and small grain structure has been added in post later. I would prefer the grain was added in-camera, but I'll have to 'upgrade' to a newer body for that function. I have also just downloaded Capture One Express Fuji Edition (free for Fujifilm camera owners) which has grain effects as well, so I may end up setting up a 'style' of grain that I can apply to the files when they are being imported. That would be the way to go.

Portra 400

Portra 400. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f.6.4 @ 1/420th, ISO 400

Portra 400 with grain added in Lightroom

C3 Custom Setting - Kodak Portra 400.
ISO 400 colour film simulation with a muted colour palette suitable for portraits.
ISO: 400
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Fine
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Pro Neg Stnd
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +1
Colour: -2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

Kodak Portra is one of those classic films that I knew I definitely wanted to try and simulate. I don't shoot a lot of portraits normally, and the above shot probably doesn't do it much justice. But I do hope to try this out with some portraits to see if it comes close to replicating the slightly muted, more pastel look of Portra. I may have to 'over-expose' it slightly and see if it holds up with the -1 Highlight setting?

Tri-X

Tri-X. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f6.4 @ 1/450th. ISO 400

Tri-X film simulation with grain added in LR

C4 Custom Setting - Tri-X.
Classic higher contrast street/photojournalist b&w film with more grain than Acros.
ISO: Auto - 400 up to 3200
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -0
Base film simulation: Mono +R
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 60  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

For a more contrasty, grainy look to my black and whites I like Kodak Tri-X. This film simulation mode adds the red filter, more grain, and increases the highlight and shadow contrast for a more 'street' grunge black and white look. Will also be good for more moody b&w landscapes (since I don't really shoot any street).

Ektar 100

Kodak Ektar 100. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f5.6 @ 1/250th, ISO 200

Ektar 100 film simulation with added grain in Lightroom

C5 Custom Setting - Ektar 100.
Ultra fine grain ISO 100 sharp colour film simulation suitable for landscapes.
ISO: 100 (Low)
Dynamic range: Auto
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Astia Soft
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +1
Colour: +2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 30  Size: 30  Roughness: 30

Kodak Ektar 100 is my favourite go-to medium format 120mm roll film when I shoot with my Bronica ETRS. It's a super-fine grain, contrasty and punchy film - not as punchy as Velvia, which is why the base film simulation is Astia ramped up to +2 colour. Will probably be my landscape film simulation of choice when shooting colour.

Ilford HP5

Ilford HP5. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f6.4 @ 1/420th. ISO 400

Ilford HP5 with grain added in Lightroom

C6 Custom Setting - Ilford HP5.
Faster b&w film with more grain than Acros.
ISO: Auto - 400 up to 1600
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Mono +G
Highlight: +2
Shadow: +1
Sharpness: 0
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 50  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

If I'm looking for something with a little more speed than Acros, but not as contrasty or grainy as Tri-X, then I reach for Ilord HP5. It's a do-it-all type of film. This film simulation probably won't get a lot of use, and I may swap it out for something else eventually? I'm really only just starting out with these film simulations, and I'm sure I will 'tweak' them as I go - or change them out completely? But I also like the 3/4 split with b&w/colour, although another colour simulation that's a bit more funky and out-there might eventually replace this HP5 look?

Fuji Superia 800

Fuji Superia 800. Fujifilm X-E1 with 16-50mm f3.5-5.6. f9 @ 1/400th. ISO 800

Fuji Superia 800 with added grain

C7 Custom Setting - Fuji Superia 800.
Fast ISO 800 colour negative film simulation suitable for general photography.
ISO: 800
Dynamic range: 200
White Balance: Auto
Noise reduction: -2
Base film simulation: Pro Neg Stnd
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +1
Colour: +2
Sharpness: +1
Grain effect added in Lightroom in post:
Amount: 60  Size: 40  Roughness: 40

Speaking of colour simulations that are a bit more 'out-there', I had to include an ISO 800 film in the simulations - so why not go for a Fuji 800 film? To be honest, I don't shoot a lot of 800 ISO film, so again, this may be something that makes way for another Recipe later on?

Looking at all these film simulation recipes, you can certainly see obvious colour and tonal differences. Creating, and then tweaking them, is actually a lot of fun. But it's also fairly subjective, and not an exact science. Is my Acros film simulation exactly like Acros film? No, of course it's not. Is it exactly like Fuji's own Acros film simulation setting in the later cameras? Again, probably not. But does it give me something that approaches the feel of Acros when I shoot with it? Hopefully it does.

What the custom film simulations will also do is encourage me to shoot in jpeg, to let the camera do all the processing work at the time of capture. This will 'free me up' to spend less time sitting at the computer post processing - which suits me fine. I spend all day sitting at a computer, I don't really fancy doing it all night as well! Initially, however, I will probably cover my bases and shoot RAW + Jpeg, which is something I never do. Prior to using the X-E1, I was a 100% RAW only shooter and fiercely proud of it! But of course these film simulations are only applied to jpegs, so there's really no point in spending a few days setting these simulations up, and then not actually use them!

I appreciate this is a fairly long post - but hopefully you got something out of it if you're a Fuji X-E1 (or X-Pro 1) owner with the first gen X-Trans sensor? Have you got any film simulation recipes that you use with your X-E1? I'd love to hear what you're using, and how you've set your X-E1 up. I'm still just learning all of this.  

Fuji X-E1: My new travel camera

A few posts ago (here and here) I wrote about going to Christhurch and shooting with the Olympus E-P3. Basically I argued that it was still worth carrying around a small, lighter, mirrorless camera system when travelling (vs just using your phone). But I was also aware of the Olympus Pen's sensor limitations when pushed, especially for high dynamic-range landscapes.

So as much as I prefer shooting with a dedicated camera system over my smartphone, I wasn't sold so much on the Pen E-P3. Never one to shy away from a change, I decided to sell the EP-3 kit I had, and 're-invest' that money into another small, lightweight, mirrorless system. But which one?

Ok, I'm not going to drag this out anymore than it needs to be - the title gives it away anyhow. Yes, I've purchased a Fujifilm X-E1.

Why did I move to a Fujifilm camera? And why the Fuji X-E1 specifically? I'll answer the second question first, since that's the easier one... I got the X-E1 because of the price basically. The X-E1 with a 16-50mm Fujinon XC f3.5-5.6 OIS was being sold for exactly the same price as what I sold the Olympus Pen E-P3 for. So it was practically a straight swap. Easy.

The first question - 'why the change to Fujifilm' - also isn't really that difficult to answer. I've been wanting to try the Fuji system for a very long time. They get rave reviews from both reviewers and enthusiastic owners, and of course, they have a beautiful retro quality to them that certainly helps. It's also what attracted me initially to the Olympus Pen system. So I guess if I hadn't gone Olympus, I would have gone Fuji. And now I have 😁

Fujifilm X-E1 compared to the Olympus Pen E-P3

In terms of specs the two cameras are fairly similar. The Pen E-P3 was released in 2011, while the X-E1 was released two years later in 2013. So it's a couple of years newer, has 4 million more megapixels (16 vs 12 on the E-P3) on a larger APS-C sized sensor (giving a 1.5x crop factor just like my Nikon D300), both have a built-in flash, and both are roughly the same size and weight (the X-E1 is a little bigger and heavier which is actually a bonus in my book).

Critically, the X-E1 has a built-in 2.3k EVF (electronic viewfinder), which the E-P3 doesn't. I sorely missed an evf on the Pen, so the inclusion of a very hi-resolution one on the Fujifilm is a huge bonus. It's not as good as the evf's in the Olympus E-P1's or E-P5's, it has a little 'lag' when moving the viewfinder around the scene. But it's not a deal-breaker, and I'd rather have it than not.

Reviewer's have also raved about the image quality (IQ) from the 16MP APS-C CMOS Fuji X-Trans sensor - especially at high ISOs. This is something I was very aware of with the micro four thirds image sensor in the Pen E-P3. I didn't really want to push it past ISO 800 (ISO 1600 on my E-M1), whereas ISO 6400 is very useable on the Fujifilm X-E1 (apparently). Also, the X-E1 (and Fuji X-Pro 1) use the first generation X-Trans sensor, which is talked about in almost biblical reverence in some circles. It is, they say, the most film-like X-Trans sensor that Fuji has used. The X-Pro 1 (and to a lesser extent the X-E1) is still sought after by Fujifilm aficionados because of that first gen X-Trans sensor. Luckily, despite the reverence given to the sensor, the X-E1 can be had now, second-hand, for a very reasonable price.

Perhaps the 'reasonable' price reflects both its age, but also what many see as its achilles heal - slow autofocus. The Fuji X-Pro 1 is notorious for its poor/slow autofocus, and the X-E1 was tarred somewhat with the same brush. Fuji did make the X-E1 quicker and more reliable (as they did in a firmware update with the X-Pro 1), but initial reviews were quite scathing and I guess some of the mud stuck. To be fair, slow contrast-detect autofocus was the bane of all early mirrorless camera systems - although the E-P3 was marketed by Olympus as the fastest autofocusing camera in the world on its release in 2011!

To be honest, having slower, contrast detect autofocus for my travel camera isn't a big deal. I don't want it as a 'sports' shooter, and if you know how to get the best out of contrast detect autofocus then it isn't really as slow as many make it out to be. Especially if you only really intend on using the camera in decent lighting. 

So all the specs are lining up to make this a very compelling camera as an entry point into the Fujifilm system. Great sensor, excellent size and weight for travel, h-res evf and beautiful retro-styling designed for traditional photography.

But the icing on the Fuji cake, for me (and for many others) must surely be the Film Simulation modes (of Fuji films of course). Even more than with Olympus, Fujifilm cameras are known for having superb jpeg output. So good, in fact, that many professional photographers (and serious amateurs) shoot jpeg only out of their Fuji's. I toyed with this myself when I was shooting with my Olympus E-M5 and E-M1, since you can pretty much nail exposure through the evf before you even take the photo. If you can nail exposure, see your composition 100% in the viewfinder, and have classic film simulations processed in the camera without having to spend time in post, then that's a very attractive proposition.

The X-E1 will be my toe into the Fujifilm waters. IF I enjoy the experience, then I may consider jumping back headlong into mirrorless. The X-E1 will certainly not become my main shooter, but something like an X-T1 with grip attached might? We shall see...

    

Fixing my Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 focusing issues

In my last post, I took my 'new' Nikon D300 out for a test-drive. The D300 is one of my favourite cameras of all time, so I was really looking forward to using it. I got some decent images driving along the West Coast Road to Westport (see last post), but it wasn't without its concerns.

As primarily a landscape photographer, I guess one of the first lenses I look at adding to my arsenal is an ultra wide of some description. Not that I think an ultra wide is the be-all and end-all of landscape photography - not at all. They are, in fact, incredibly difficult to use properly. You can't just slap on a 10mm lens, get absolutely everything in the frame, and expect to take fabulous images every time. If that's your modus operandi with an ultra wide lens then you're going to be disappointed with your images 99.99% of the time. But I do believe they have a place in every landscape photographers bag.

There are many options when looking for an ultra wide, although you also have to take into account the crop factor when using an APS-C sized sensor. Fortunately for Nikon shooters, the x1.5 crop applied to their lenses is not as bad as the x1.6 applied to Canon's. A 10mm lens on a Nikon D300 equates to a 15mm full-frame field of view, whereas on a Canon 50D you're looking at 16mm. That may not sound like a lot, but when you are getting down around the ultra wide angle numbers, 1mm can make quite a difference.

Be that as it may, there are still a lot of options out there to keep all users happy. Some of the most popular wide to ultra-wide offerings come from Tokina, who seem to have concentrated their attention on the wide end of the lens market. Tokina have always impressed me with their build and optical quality, together with their wide zoom range. They also seem to be fairly well priced, especially on the second hand market. The lens that caught my eye when I started looking for an ultra-wide was the Tokina 11-16mm Pro DX f2.8 and it wasn't long before I grabbed one on Trademe (NZ's version of eBay).

Tokina's advertising for the 11-16mm f2.8 as an astro photography lens

I was super excited to get the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 for a couple of reasons. First, I think it fits the bill perfectly in terms of the focal lengths I was after to compliment my standard 18-70mm lens. 11-16mm equates to around 16-24mm in the full-frame field of view, which is about as ultra-wide as I'll ever want to go. I had also read reviews that said it was a seriously sharp lens, and that edge distortion was extremely well controlled for an ultra-wide. I'm sold so far.

The second reason I was excited to get this lens was for its potential for use in astro-photography. Tokina even market this lens as being perfect for astro on their website (see above). I've never ever shot astro photography seriously. I've never really had the lens for it. But with a wide, fast, sharp (see Tokina's advertising again) lens like the 11-16mm f2.8, serious astro photography was now a real possibility. Very exciting.

My excitement turned to horror however, when I put the Tokina on my D300 for the first time. I had lined up a nice coastal landscape scene, set the aperture to f8 and the ISO to 200, and pushed the AF-On button to focus. And the Tokina went ballistic! It hit infinity focus and then whirred, clicked and shuddered like it was having a epileptic fit! Aaarrgghhh!!! This is NOT happening!?! For me, this was an entirely new lens/camera combo. A complete unknown quantity. Anything could be wrong! Was it the camera? Was it the lens? Was it the AF contacts?

I set about trying to eliminate certain possibilities and causes. I unattached and reattached the lens, just to make sure it had made proper contact. Still a focus issue at infinity. I took the battery out of the camera, then popped it back in and tried again. Still no joy. I then decided to try another lens. I attached my Nikkor 18-70mm to the D300, set up the shot again, held my breath, and pushed the AF-On button. Smooth, silent and precise focus. Yay! And Bugger!!! The Tokina has a focusing problem.

When I got home that evening, I emailed the guy who sold me the lens and let him know it had an obvious focusing issue, and that I would like to return the lens and get my money back. His reply - "Not my problem. The courier must have broken it". Houston, we have a problem.

The lens had arrived perfectly packaged, with no signs of damage, and the lens itself was in physically excellent condition. I knew it wasn't a courier problem - it was a focusing issue. When pushed a little further, the guy acknowledged that he was a Trader who hadn't actually owned the lens himself, but that he had tested it out on his D800. His full-frame D800. He'd 'tested' a DX lens, designed specifically for crop sensor cameras, on his FX full frame camera, and there was no focusing issue (according to him). Nevermind that the only focal length you can use on an FX camera is 16mm! Hardly a comprehensive 'test' of a lens I would have thought? But still, his answer remained the same - "Tough. No refund".

I lodged a dispute with Trademe (eventually the guy just stopped answering my emails), and then started a little investigating into focusing issues with the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. What I discovered both shocked me, and heartened me. It shocked me in the sense that I began to discover that this might in fact be a fairly common, and known, problem with this particular lens. But I was also heartened at the same time because there seemed to be a fix for the issue that you could perform on the lens yourself (with a couple of basic tools and the nerve to do so).

The Trademe dispute process took about a week (I have no idea what they did to try to persuade the guy to give me my money back), but ended with no resolution (surprise, surprise). Time to take matters into my own hands and 'fix' the lens myself...

The 'tools' required for the job

I had found a very useful Youtube video by Christian Schmeer here. If there's a Youtube video made about how to 'fix' this issue, then it's obviously a common problem!

Plenty of people had commented on how it had fixed their infinity focusing issues on their Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 - and only took 10 minutes to do themselves. The video is excellent, and walks you through visually the step-by-step process. It is a little daunting to start pulling apart a lens and unscrewing components, but it really is quite straight forward - and ultimately, what have you got to loose? The lens ain't really working too well how it is anyway - right?

Basically what you do is pull the clutch mechanism around the lens down to MF and carefully pull the rubber focusing ring down out of the way (on top of the zoom ring - see photo). Take the tape from around the lens and keep it to reuse when you have finished - but be careful because it will curl up and stick to itself very easily.

Lens focusing ring exposed.

Once the tape is off, pull down the plastic collar that the tape was hold together, and then pull up the focusing ring, just like you would if you were re-engaging autofocus. This will expose a slot that has a tiny screw right in the middle. Actually there's three of these slots, each with a little black screw in the middle. Make sure you are looking at the little black screws, and not the larger gold ones that can be seen in the photo opposite. You will have to rotate the focus ring to find all three of these slots and screws as at least one will be hidden behind a plastic collar.

Apparently these are the infinity focus selectors, and they are in the WRONG place! Instead of being in the middle, these screws should be all the way to the right for Nikon cameras to focus correctly to infinity, or all the way to the left for Canon cameras to focus to infinity!

What!? Why the heck wasn't this done in the Tokina factory? These lenses are sold as either being Nikon compatible, or Canon compatible - so you'd think they could get the infinity focusing screws in the right place before shipping them out to Nikon or Canon customers? But no. Let's just slap them in the middle. She'll be right! Really? The mind boggles! 

Screw is in the middle. Should be moved all the way to the right for Nikon!

I know it looks a little scary, tampering with a completely exposed focusing ring on your lens, but if you go slowly and work methodically through the steps, it's a relatively straight forward procedure. Once all three screws are placed to the right for Nikon cameras (moving one of the holes to the right will move all three), you can reverse the dismantling process to put the lens back together again. 10 mins - quarter of an hour tops, and jobs done. But does it work...?

You betcha! Worked a treat - for me at least (and for many others who have left comments on Christian's Youtube video). I did have to go back in and have a second go at it - make sure that your screws are placed ALL THE WAY to the right, since this really does control the infinity focusing selection.

Infinity focusing test. Nikon D300 with Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. f11 @ 1/60th, ISO 400

Once it was all put back together, I took the lens outside for a quick infinity focusing test, and it locked on focus every time without so much as a stutter! I still find it incredible that Tokina would ship a lens out to customers with known focusing issues. Also makes me wonder what the previous owner of the lens (not the Trader I purchased it from, but the actual photographer who owned the lens before me) thought was happening? Maybe they didn't use it very often? Maybe they never used infinity focus (hard to believe for an ultra wide angle)? Apparently Tokina have 'fixed' this issue with version II of this lens. I should darn well think so.

I wasn't thrilled to find my Tokina had a focusing problem, and I certainly wasn't happy that the seller I purchased it from was prepared to brush me off and ignore the issue so easily. I'm also not that thrilled that Trademe seem completely powerless to do anything about it.

I am, however, happy that there is a fairly simple 'fix' for the issue. And that in completing the procedure it seems to have restored my lens to good health! Long may it continue...

Nikon D300 arrives

My 'new' Nikon D300 arrived last week and I had a chance this week to try it out. It was a mixed bag to be honest. Some good, some not so good, and some horrendous! Let me explain...

Coast Road King Tide. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5. f8 @ 1/640th - ISO 200.

First, the good. I really do love the weight, the feel, the ergonomics - and even the shutter sound - of a Nikon D300. It's an amazing tool, and a real photographer's camera. It took me a couple of days to set up - creating four different custom settings for all types of photography I might find myself shooting. Generally I will have it on Group A: Landscape/Travel. But I've also set up groups for Sports, Portraits/Wedding and finally Point & Shoot. The Point & Shoot setting is really only for times when I might hand the camera to somebody else to take a photo, since all the other groups are set up for back button focusing - removing the focus control away from the shutter button. Point & Shoot is, instead, a fairly standard configuration.

I had to travel to Westport for work soon after the D300 arrived, and decided to take it with me for a couple of shots on the way up and way back, just to give it a quick test. I'm so glad I did.

Only 10 minutes down the road, I stopped to take a photo along the coast because the tide was high (it was a king tide) and the light was wonderful.

Coast Road King Tide 2. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5. f8 @ 1/400th - ISO 200

I jumped out of the car, attached the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 that had also arrived for the camera, and set myself up to take my first image with the D300. Pushed the AF-On button on the back to engage focus and; whirr-click-whirr-click-whirr-click - the Tokina went ballistic! Confused, I focused about one-third into the frame, and the lens locked on focus. I then recomposed and focused on the hills at infinity - and the lens went ballistic again! Bugger! No matter what I did, when I tried to focus on infinity, the lens shuddered, clicked and whirred uncontrollably. Not the way I had hoped my first shot with a new camera system would go!

Was it the camera, or was it the lens? I turned the camera off, then on again - still no joy. I took the lens off and then back on again. Still no luck focusing at infinity. So I took the lens off, replaced it with the Nikkor 18-70mm, and crossed my fingers. Prefect focus at infinity. No clicks or whirrs - just beautiful silent focus. Damn. The Tokina 11-16mm has a focusing problem.

Coastal Sea Spray. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5. f8 @ 1/400th - ISO 200

For the rest of the day, I stuck to the Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5, which is no bad thing. It's a truly cracking lens. I have no idea why Nikon stopped making it. I guess they have a plethora of 18 to 120 or 140ish focal length lenses that kind of make the 18-70 somewhat redundant. But for me, the 18-70mm is almost the ideal walk-around lens that will stay on my D300 90% of the time. As already stated it has near silent and super quick focusing. It also has a fairly solid construction (with a metal lens barrel), and a reasonably fast aperture (1 stop faster than the other Nikkor consumer grade zooms). The 28 to 105mm equivalent focal range is a classic range - bigger than the 28-80mm range, but not as excessive as the 28-200mm super zooms that create a few more image quality compromises.

No, it's not all perfect - there's some vignetting wide open at the 18mm end, and barrel distortion as well. But nothing that can't be fixed either immediately in-camera, or later on in post. The images I get from this lens are gorgeous. Sharp even wide-open, but even sharper when stopped down a stop or two. For the price (around $120 - $150NZ) it's an absolute no-brainer of a walk-around/travel lens.

Great Coast Road View. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5. f8 @ 1/160th - ISO 200

But I purchased the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 as my 'main' landscape lens, so I was a bit bummed that I couldn't use it. Further investigation as to the cause of the focusing issue is required, and I will follow up in another post and let you know how I get on.

I also noticed another 'quirk' with the D300 - battery indication. It seems to be having an issue with showing a full charge of the Nikon batteries (and they are Nikon original batteries, not cheap Chinese knock-offs). I know the batteries have a full charge (I've charged them myself), and that they should last upwards of 1000 shots. But I can take a few images with the indicator at full charge, then turn the camera off, only to have the level read '0%' when you turn the camera on again 5 minutes later! Taking the battery out of the camera and popping it back in resets the level to 100% again and your good to go. But I'm never sure whether it's going to show me full power, or no power, whenever I turn the camera back on. Annoying....

I've Googled the issue and it seems that updating the firmware to the latest (1.11) can sometimes fix the problem. Also, cleaning contacts for the camera and battery is a good idea. I've done both last night, so I'll see how that works going forward.

Coast Road View 2. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5. f8 @ 1/100th - ISO 200

The camera arrived in good condition cosmetically, except for one small thing - the rubber around the hand grip was coming away at the side (by the CF card door). This is also a common issue. Both D200's I've had have suffered from the grip coming loose - around the thumb area at the back of the camera. On the D300 I could pull the hand grip rubber back quite a way to expose the bare plastic underneath. Not ideal, and something that will drive me crazy. So I decided that was my first 'fix'. Initially I tried some double sided tape to see if that would hold it down enough? No joy there. So, in the end, I resorted to a couple of dabs of industrial strength super glue (being careful not to use too much) and it worked a treat. Don't think the rubber grip is going anywhere in a hurry, and it now feels very secure and comfortable in the hand. Job done!

Coastal views. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 18-70mm f3.5-4.5. f8 @ 1/100th - ISO 200

So yes, It's a mixed bag really. A few cosmetic issues that are being dealt with (if a battery issue could be called cosmetic), a major lens disaster that I'm following up on presently, and a few images in the bag that I'm happy with.

I didn't expect it to be perfect (hoped, but didn't expect), since it is an 11 year old camera. But then again, it has only done 30,000 clicks, so it's got plenty of life left. The peeling rubber was an easy fix. And I'm hoping that the battery issues also turn out to be sorted with a contact clean and firmware update? Time will tell on that score.

The Tokina lens focusing issue... well, that's going to take a little more sorting out I'm afraid. It may even get to the lens dismantling stage? But that's another post for another time...