More Landscapes with the Sony a99

I'm really starting to enjoy using the Sony SLT cameras - in particular the a99 (my a57 is on its way). So when my wife said she had an appointment on Wednesday night and I needed to be out of the house, I didn't need telling twice!

The day was gloriously fine and hot, the clouds were puffy and white, and the chances of a colourful sunset looked very promising. In the weekend I had gone to Motukiekie Beach along the coast road (see post here) but the sunset never eventuated. Still got some great shots though. On the way to Motukiekie, I almost stopped at the beach before there, at Rapahoe. At low tide you can get some fantastic reflections in the wet sand and some great views of the coast. So that was my destination this time around..

Rapahoe Beach jetty posts. Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm f/3.5 G. f/11 @ 1/13th, ISO 50

I got to the beach fairly early - at 7.30pm. Sunset was another hour away, and the setting sun was very bright. It also seemed to always be pointed directly into the lens from where I wanted to shoot from!

Recently (within the last year or so), some old jetty posts have become uncovered on the beach, and I had been meaning to photograph them for a while. I've been going to Rapahoe beach for about twenty years to take photos, so these recently(ish) uncovered old jetty posts are a very exciting and welcome addition. On my previous visits, I seem to have timed it all wrong - with the posts either completely submerged in the high tide, or left high and dry during low tide. This time, however, I was in luck. I arrived on the out-going tide, with two hours to go before low tide. Perfect timing. Now I just had to wait for the perfect light 😊

Rapahoe Bridge. Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm f/3.5 G. f/8 @ 1/20th, ISO 100 + polariser

Since I had some time to kill before the main attraction, I decided to head away from the sun, down the beach, towards a bridge I have photographed before. The light was racking down the beach and through the bridge beautifully and the polariser on the lens really made the white clouds 'pop'. The colours coming out of the Sony a99 24mp full-frame sensor are just gorgeous, and the files are incredibly robust. Both shadow and highlight detail recovery is amazing as long as you have a well-exposed image.

Old jetty posts, Rapahoe Beach. Sony a99 with 17-35mm f/3.5 G. f/11 @ 1/6th sec, ISO 50

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - the a99 is a joy to shoot landscape images with. The articulating LCD screen is clear, bright, and can be placed in the perfect position no matter your shooting scenario. For most of my landscape images - shot in 'landscape' orientation on a tripod, I lift the LCD screen up, out, and over - angled towards me on the top of the camera's viewfinder - for almost a top-down medium-format hasselblady type of shooting experience. Just wonderful. The articulation of the a99 screen has defined for me what a rear screen is capable of, and it will be very difficult to go back to one that is less flexible. Might just have to save my pennies for an a99 on my own! Yes, it really is that good.

Rapahoe Beach Sunset. Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm f/3.5 G. f/11 @ 1/8th sec, ISO 50

The above image is very similar in composition to the first image in this post. But what a difference an hour makes in terms of the lighting! There was still quite a lot of strong side-lighting coming from the setting sun to the right, but the sensor has captured plenty of detail. I was able to selectively darken the right side of the image to match the left side, with a gradient adjustment in lightroom. Once again, the richness of colour and detail coming off the 24MP sensor at ISO 50 is astounding. And I'm finding that, very much like the Fuji's X-Trans sensor, the sensor in the Sony a99 gives a very 'filmic' look. It's not overly digital feeling. The images have a subtle softness to them (although they are plenty sharp and crisp enough) that doesn't scream 'digital'. And I like it - a lot.

Rapahoe Jetty Posts, Sunset. Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm G. f/11 @ 2 secs, ISO 50.

This final image sums up the night, and the Sony a99, perfectly. It sums up the night because it has a beautiful calm, stillness to the image - which is exactly how I felt while I was there. It was a great night shooting, and has gone a long way to reviving my landscape juices...

It sums up the a99 because it's an image that I wasn't convinced I was going to get away with. And yet the a99's sensor has handled it brilliantly. To get any definition in the sunset area of the sky, I had to under-expose by two stops. As a result, the posts were completely silhouetted in the viewfinder, and in the RAW image as it appeared in Lightroom. I had basically resigned myself to a silhouette image, with the whole left-side of the composition in complete darkness. But I also took the image to see what would happen, and how much latitude I did actually have in post-processing.

I started moving the Shadows slider to the right, to open up the shadow areas, and the colours and detail of the posts magically started to appear. This in itself is fantastic. But at ISO 50, it is also so 'clean' and noise-free.

Yes, if you can't tell, I am thoroughly enjoying using the Sony a99 as a landscape camera. I also think that the amazing glass of the Minolta 17-35mm f/3.5 G is in no small way a contributing factor to the wonderful images it is producing. I am looking forward to getting my a57 as well, but I am also preparing myself for a little bit of a let-down, since it is certainly not in the a99's league. 

But I knew this, and I can't afford an a99 (yet). But I am plotting... and hoping... and dreaming... that an a99ii might be somewhere in my future. We can but dream.

It's official - the Sony a57 is on its way

The deal is done...

I am now the proud owner of a Sony a57 SLT (single lens translucent) digital camera.

I sent my Olympus gear over to Christchurch this weekend past (thanks Levi for taking it for me), to be assessed for trade-in. Initially I was excited by a Fuji X-T20 body (see previous post here), but quickly realised I would get much more bang-for-my-buck if I went the Sony route (and I'm all for bang-for-my-buck!). You can read more about that here.

Late last evening (as I write this) I was contacted by the camera store owner who gave me a very good price for my Olympus gear (thanks Greg), and who also said the Fuji X-T20 was still waiting there for me! In the interim, I had been discussing other options with another member of his staff (hi Adam), and had come to the conclusion that the a57 was the one for me. This conversation obviously hadn't been passed on to the boss - who had even refused a sale for the X-T20 because he believed I wanted it. A quick email later, and I had outlined to Greg what I actually wanted as a trade-in for my micro four thirds gear. But how was I going to make it all happen?

My son is currently studying at the University of Canterbury (starting his second year in Computer Engineering), and Levi (who had picked up my camera gear in Greymouth) is one of his flatmates. So now Josh had my camera gear, and took it in today (as I write) to do the deal. I had outlined to him exactly what I had told Greg in my email of the previous evening, and had already received a reply from the store indicating that all would be ready when Josh got there. The stars were aligning.

Early this afternoon, I got a text from Josh saying he had the gear, and then about 10 minutes later I received an email from Greg at the store indicating the same. He also said that he had thrown in a spare battery (thanks Greg), and that I even had money left over that they would be happy to put into my bank account if I supplied them with a number. Which I immediately did. Wow! All this and money left over! How cool is that!?

So what am I actually getting, you may ask? What did I manage to score for my trade-in?

Well of course for a start there's the Sony SLT a57 body, with charger and batteries (x2). But it also came as a kit, together with the Sony DT 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 super-zoom lens (see above). This will be an absolutely perfect walk-around lens that will probably be on the camera 80% of the time. At least whenever I'm capturing 'daily' life. Yes, I know that the f/3.5-6.3 variable aperture is fairly slow. But it was on my Olympus 12-50mm kit lens as well, and I loved that lens for its versatility. And optically it wasn't bad either.

The Sony DT 18-250mm (SAL18250) is an incredibly versatile lens - ranging as it does from 27-375mm in focal length (35mm full-frame equivalent). I will, of course, test it out once it is my hot little hands. It may not be a 'stellar' performer, but it also might not be that bad? I've tested the Canon 18-55mm kit lens before against an 'L' lens, and the 18-55 held its own admirably. So we shall see.

Add to this the Sony 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 - another 'kit' lens that was cheap, but fills a niche that I like to have filled in my bag. I've written a few times before that I'm not a big telephoto shooter, but when I need it, I need it (if you get what I mean). I already know that this lens will be 'soft' wide open at 300mm. So guess what. I won't shoot it wide open at 300m 😆

With a 112-450mm focal length (in 35mm terms), as with the 18-250mm, it has a pretty impressive range. I'm sure that the 75-300mm will perform better than the 18-250 at the 200-250mm end (although that remains to be seen), so I've got it for two reasons. First because it was cheap 😂 And Second, because it will be the lens that I reach for when I want/need that extreme 450mm focal length (birds,sports,wildlife etc). I could be wrong, but I'm betting that the Sony 75-300mm will be 'good enough' for what I need it to do? Again, testing will be done.

Finally, it will all come in a Tenba 10L Solstice Sling backpack - in black. The Solstice is also second hand, but from what I can tell from the listing on their site, the only thing wrong is that it's missing its rain cover. Which I never use. So no big deal...

I wanted a sling-style backpack for the Sony gear, especially if I decide to carry most (or all) of it with me on a trip. The sling style backpacks are hugely versatile - offering the carrying convenience of a backpack, with the ease and accessibility of a messenger bag. When you get to somewhere you want to take a photo, simply 'sling' the bag around to the front for easy access to your camera. Ingenious! I used to have a Lowepro Sling backpack and loved it. So I'm looking forward to using the Tenba.

So there you have it. A camera, two lenses, and a backpack - plus change... Not a bad trade-in deal if you ask me.

The final stroke of luck... Macey's parents (my son Joshua's other flatmate) are going to Christchurch this coming weekend, and can bring the Sony gear back with them. So I haven't had to pay courier fees to get the gear there, or back again! Brilliant. It will mean that I don't get the gear until after this coming weekend - but never mind. Until then at least I've still got the Sony a99 to get along with. Not a bad fill-in option...

Landscapes with the Sony a99

My Olympus camera gear is off to Photo & Video in Christchurch to be appraised for a trade-in, and I'm now almost 100% sure that my next system will be Sony. Wow!

Spiney rock formation, Motukiekie Beach.
Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm. f/16 @ 1/6th, ISO 50. + Polariser

To mentally prepare myself for the transition, I decided to go out this weekend (as I write this) with the Sony a99 full-frame SLT camera and Minolta 17-35mm f/3.5 lens to take some landscape photos. We have had some gorgeous sunsets here on the West Coast recently, and I was hoping the same would be true of this evening. 

Alas, it wasn't to be, with no clouds in the sky and no real colour to speak of. Just flat open skies all along the horizon. Oh well, never mind. At least sunset coincided with low tide (both happened at 8.30pm), so I was able to get right out among the rocks and take some interesting rockscapes.

Motukiekie Rockscape. Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm. f/11 @ 1/6th, ISO 50 + Polariser

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... the a99 is a joy to use for landscape photography. Yes, it's bigger and heavier than my Olympus E-M1 was (even with grip attached), and the Minolta 17-35mm lens is no lightweight either. But it's also one of the lighter DSLR-style full-frame cameras you can get, and it really wasn't an issue carrying it - along with a couple other lenses, in my Crumpler messenger-style camera bag. I would, however, like to get a camera backpack to use instead of the Messenger bag, especially if I'm going on a longer walk with my camera gear.

But for this trip, the messenger bag worked fine (Crumpler's 6 Million Dollar Home), and I even took my lighter Manfrotto travel tripod instead of my heavier Slik that I usually take when using the full-frame camera. The Manfrotto actually worked fine, and I always felt the camera had a stable platform. It might have been different on a windy day, but fortunately this evening there wasn't a breath of wind to worry about.

Motukiekie Rockscape 2
Sony a99 with Minolta 17-35mm

Unfortunately this meant that the mosquitos were out in force! Little blood-sucking vermin. They really do ruin a great evening out photographing! For some reason they really love the taste of me, and I always get swarmed whenever they are around (must be my animal magnetism 😂). Very unpleasant. 

I try not to hang-around in the one spot for too long so that they don't all get the chance to converge. This can mean that I don't take my time composing an image as long as I should, because I just want to keep moving and get away from the little buggers! But fortunately the Sony a99 is very quick to set-up, and the vari-angle LCD screen makes it a breeze to see your image no matter how you have the camera positioned. It really is the best rotating  LCD screen I've ever used. Unfortunately I don't think that the a57's back panel LCD screen is as flexible!? Shame.

Because the a99 has most of its important functions mapped to a button or dial on the body of the camera, changing settings is also very quick. The 'Function' button also acts as a 'quick' menu, allowing you to change settings on the fly. I usually shoot most of my images in Apeture priority, so I have the aperture value set to change with the front dial on the camera, while exposure compensation is mapped to the rear dial. I let the camera take care of the shutter speed, and the ISO was set to the smallest native ISO the a99 shoots - an impressive 50 ISO. It's amazing to be able to shoot at these lower ISO's on a digital camera, since I'm used to a native ISO 200 on my Olympus E-M1. ISO 50 on the Sony a99 is very clean, and impressively 'smooth'.

Motukiekie low tide. Sony a99 with 17-35mm. f/11 @ 1/2sec, ISO 50 + Polariser (35mm fov)

The 24MP files that come off of this Sony full-frame sensor are just drop-dead gorgeous! Not to mention the dynamic range that the sensor can capture. DXO puts it on par with the likes of the Nikon D3x and the (much) newer Canon EOS R6. That's pretty impressive for a 10 year old camera! 

In the image above, I have actually processed it to look more like a silhouette - darkening the highlights and shadows. I wanted a more dramatic look to the image, although in reality, the sensor has captured much more detail in the shadows. And at ISO 50 it's very clean, noise-free detail.

Motukiekie low tide silhouette. Sony a99 with 17-35mm. f/11 @ 5 secs, ISO 50 + polariser

Again , more detail was captured in the shadows than is showing up here. In fact, I can see more detail in the image when it is opened in Photoshop. The internet compression isn't doing this image any favours. It does have the 'mood' I was going for though, and the colours are very faithfully reproduced. This is pretty much exactly what I saw with my own eyes when I was there.

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the sunset never really kicked-off, and with no clouds to catch the colour that was there, the photo doesn't have the kind of impact I was after. Just imagine the same scene with big orange clouds reflected in that mirror-like reflection of the water. Would have been epic! Oh well, there's always next time I guess.

Motukiekie beach sunset. Sony a99 with 17-35mm. f/11 @ 8 secs, ISO 50 + polariser

This was my last shot of the night, taken quickly as I trudged my way back to the car to head home. I was tired, had the images I thought I was going to get for the evening, and simply looked behind me as I was walking along the beach. I begrudgingly got all my gear back out in the semi-dark because I thought it was 'kinda nice', and took one shot. Turns out it's probably my favourite shot of the night. Lol

I am still struggling with motivation to go out and take landscape photos of my local area, even though I enjoyed myself once I was there (apart from those damn mosquitoes). I am still hoping that an injection of 'new' gear will help in this regard, and I am looking forward to getting the a57 and reviewing the camera and lenses that I have. If nothing else, reviewing gear actually gets me out photographing and making images. And if they turn out anything like the photos I took at Motukiekie Beach with the a99, then that's got to be a good thing...

Sony a57. Does the 'head' finally win?

I wrote in a previous post (here) about my desire to change systems and shake things up a bit in my photography. In that post, I concluded that my 'head' said I should go with a Sony a57, while my 'heart' really wanted the Fujifilm X-T20. And usually in these scenarios, my heart wins...

But not, I think, this time. This time, I might actually do the 'right' thing? I might actually go with the wiser option, and get the Sony a57. It's looking very likely...

Why is the a57 the wiser option? For a few reasons actually. First, if I did opt for the Fujifilm X-T20, then I would be purchasing the body only, and then having to source a lens elsewhere. For the money I would have left over after purchasing the more expensive X-T20 body, I could probably only afford the basic 16-50mm XC kit lens. So, in essence, I'd be trading in an Olympus E-M1 + grip, with 12-35mm f2.8, 40-150mm 4/4-5.6 and external flash - and getting an X-T20 with cheap kit lens as a replacement. Not very wise...

If, however, I opt for the Sony a57, then it already comes with a Sony 18-250mm super-zoom (not a stellar lens, but hey, better than nothing) for less than the price of the X-T20 body-only! I can probably also squeeze in a Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 as well, depending on how much they offer me for my Olympus gear. So that's an a57 body, with two lenses, for not much more than the X-T20 body on its own.

And it gets even better! Because, as I think I've previously mentioned, I already have a few stellar Minolta lenses just sitting here waiting to be used on a Sony a-mount body. Exotic lenses like a 16mm fisheye and 50mm macro. The 17-35mm f3.5 'landscape' lens. And a 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 Minolta power zoom. Add to these the aforementioned Sony 18-250mm and Tamron 70-300mm, and that's a pretty impressive line-up of glass! As opposed to the 16-50mm XC kit lens for the Fuji (sorry Fuji, no offence intended). 

So really the answer, in the end, is fairly obvious. I just have to go with the Sony a57. Especially if you also add in the fact that I still have a full-frame a99 on-loan, and can probably borrow even more glass to use with the Sony if and when I want.

The more I thought about it, the more my 'head' took over from my 'heart', the more complete and utter sense it made to go with the a57 over the X-T20. I was enamored by the Fuji because it has the 'newer' processor than was in my X-E2 - which means I could use grain settings and the Acros film simulation in-camera. Something I really wanted to be able to do on the X-E2 but couldn't.

But even then, the more I thought about that, the more nervous I became. Do I really want to go down the 'what film simulation will I use today' rabbit-hole!? It's fun - don't get me wrong. But I also found it a huge time-waster when I was using my Fuji's. It tied me up in knots more than once. My life is much simpler without film recipes to be programming.

And then there's the form-factor of the X-T20. It's small. Very small. Similar to the X-T1, but even smaller. And I really didn't like the X-T1. It was too small, too cramped, and I much prefer a more solid (larger) DLSR style camera. A lot like the a57...

The Sony a57, with its translucent mirror technology, also offers the best-of-both-worlds (as far as I'm concerned). DSLR-like handling, yet with mirrorless tech included - like the Tru-Finder evf. OK, so it's not the highest resolution evf you'll ever find, but it's an evf. And I like evf's. I love the ability to see changes in exposure through the viewfinder, in real time, with histogram overlays, levels, focus peaking - the whole works.

Yes, I've changed my mind. Or should I say, I've listened to my mind - and not my heart. If there is one thing that all photographers who have been doing this for a while agree on, it's that glass is king! Camera bodies come and go, but the glass is what makes the photo. Going 'cheaper' with the Sony a57 body makes perfect sense when you consider the lens lineup I already have access to. So it would seem that this time - finally - the 'head' has won.

OM Solutions Olympus OM-1 'Wow' camera - my thoughts

I feel sorry for OM Solutions (Olympus). I really do. But actually, I feel sorry for all the camera manufacturers releasing new camera models in this day and age. OM Solutions just happens to be the latest example in a long line of recent examples. And I'll tell you why...

There is an old expression - I don't know whether you've heard it - that goes: "They were on a hiding to nothing." Basically what this means is that, no matter what they released, they were going to get hate. I guess that also goes together with a more recent saying; "Haters are gonna hate."

Maybe, it could be argued, that OM Solutions (at least their marketing division) didn't help themselves by building this release up to be their 'Wow' camera. But did they really have a choice? They were hardly going to market the first release of their 'flagship' camera by calling it their new 'A bit better' camera!

And yet, as soon as it was officially released (and for weeks prior), the haters were already wading in with what was disappointing or wrong with the camera. And this includes some of the Olympus faithful! Since it's official release on Feb 15th, I've seen numerous posts on-line by people who have said "That's it. I'm selling all my Olympus gear. I'm done." Or words to that effect. Geez Louise! This camera must really suck!? Or does it?

Spec's wise, let's have a quick look, shall we?

For a start, it has a new 20MP quad-pixel AF stacked CMOS sensor with 1053 cross-type AF points and blackout-free shooting up to 50fps with AF and AE - 120fps with AF and AE locked! Wow! What is not impressive about that people?

Okay, okay - yeah I get it. It's only 20MP. I got news for you buddy - you, yes YOU. 20MP is more than enough for 99% of photographers. Period. 20MP is more than enough for large billboards. 20MP is more than enough for weddings, portraits and landscapes. 20MP is more than enough for your Instagram feed and your Facebook page. It just is. If you feel inferior, and have convinced yourself that you need 40+ megapixels, then micro four thirds was never for you in the first place. Seriously! Go and buy a full frame camera for heaven's sake. Go on... off you go...

For the rest of us mere mortals, the new 20MP stacked sensor in the OM-1 will do just fine. Actually more than just fine. And if you really want to capture more pixels, then have at it with Olympus's fantastic hi-res shooting mode, which has been significantly improved on the OM-1. Due to the new stacked sensor, and improved TruePic X Dual Quad Core processor, the OM-1 can now shoot 50MP resolution images handheld with less risk of subject movement between shots (7 seconds processing time vs 16 seconds on the E-M1 Mk3). It can also create an 80MP Tripod-mounted image as well. And it spits out a RAW image at the end of it all - not just a processed Jpeg.

Is that enough Wow for you? No? Well never mind - there's more...

The new OM-1 is one of the most weather sealed cameras in the world. Environmental sealing rated to IP53 (and no, I don't know what that actually means either. But trust me, it's a lot!). Want more? It has 7 stops of 5-axis  in-body image stabilisation, increased to an incredible 8 stops with a compatible lens. OM-D are also claiming an increased dynamic range over the E-M1 Mk3 of 2 stops (that alone is pretty impressive), and, of course, better low-light performance at higher ISO's (up to a boosted maximum of 102400).

It also has a new 5.76M dot OLED viewfinder with up to 0.83x magnification, a fully articulated 1.62M dot touchscreen, and a new menu system with a more Sony/Canonesque layout and configuration. The new battery is good for 500+ shots and will, of course, allow for a new battery grip to bring it up to the weight and size of a E-M1X.

I haven't even touched on it's new AI tracking capabilities and it's video specifications (4k 60p for 90 minutes, OM-Log - yadda, yadda, yadda).

And yet people aren't impressed.... The camera isn't 'wow' enough for them. They feel the desperate need to change systems. It's a disappointment. Not really an upgrade on what they have already... (insert other rants and moans here...). Are we not entertained?

And this is why I feel sorry for OM Solutions, and Canon, and Nikon, and Sony, and all other manufacturers who have released new products in the last few years. Who remembers the internet loosing it's mind over only one card slot in the Nikon Z6 and Z7? Or the overheating at 8k with the Canon R5? Every time a new camera model is released, the interwebs are awash with haters and nay-sayers just waiting to pounce and declare their crushing disappointment in X, Y or Z.

What a bunch of winging, moaning, self-important, self-entitled, hyper-critical, technology obsessed, narcissistic, over-opinionated a**holes we've become! Just who the hell do we think we are?

All of these cameras are phenomenal achievements in design and technology. And all we can do is bitch and moan about them. I watched a Youtuber the other day describe a single card slot in a camera as a 'deal-breaker' for him, since he shoots weddings. Really? A deal-breaker? So what, may I ask did people shoot weddings with 10 years ago when there were NO camera's with two card slots?

Ok, yes, I get that we have 'moved' on, and we do now have cameras with two card slots. If you feel better shooting a wedding with two card slots in your camera, then by all means, go for it. But a 'deal-breaker'. Really? C'mon. 

Personally, I think that today's cameras are actually a bit too good. A bit too feature-packed and technology laden. Where can they really go from here? How could OM Solutions have made the OM-1 any more 'Wow' than it already is? And before you answer that - think seriously (and I do mean seriously) about what you actually need for your photography.

AI and 'computational' photography are the new buzzwords for the future of our hobby/profession. But at what stage does it then stop being about photography and become more about computer programming?

I, for one, don't need the OM-1. And probably wouldn't use a tenth of it's features if I had one. To me it really is a WOW camera. And so is the Nikon Z9, and the Sony a9, and the Canon R5 etc... Just like most people probably don't use even 1/10th of the functionality in their phones. And yet they will 'upgrade' to a new one every other year. Heck - even my current E-M1 Mk1 is still a WOW camera, and does all I need it to without breaking a sweat.

I suspect that these people who 'need' the latest gear, and who complain the loudest whenever a new camera is released, are actually lousy photographers, who simply want to own the 'greatest' gear as a status symbol. Not for any creative endeavors. Heaven forbid they would actually use the gear to take any photos with!

Having said that, I've also seen plenty of posts on-line from people who have pre-ordered the OM-1, and who are genuinely excited about the new camera. Good on them. I'm sure they will be very happy with their new gear. I lusted after the EM1x when it first came out, and I certainly wouldn't say no if one was handed to me. But I'm also not about to go on any forums and slag it off just because it's bigger than it should be, or doesn't do this, that, or the other.

To stay in business, camera manufacturers must release new product. And said new product must be 'better' than last years model. I get that. But have we almost come to the point where they actually can't get much better? Where photography gives way to electrical engineering and computational physics? As Kodak once famously said. "You push the button, we do the rest."

Fujifilm upgrade - finally?

In my last post I talked about loosing my landscape photography 'mojo'. With my interest in macro photography 'sparked' recently, I can kinda see a way out of my photography funk. But there is another way...

It's no secret that I change camera systems - a lot. I've been writing this blog for 16 years now (yeah, I know...), and in that time, I've owned almost any system you could care to mention. Except Leica. Oddly, I've never even ever touched a Leica camera. Might need to change that one day? But I digress...

And yes - changing camera systems does tend to invigorate my creativity. It get's me excited again. Out taking photos again. Reviewing bodies and lenses again. Looking to be creative again. You get the idea.

Previous to owning my current Olympus E-M1 (a camera I've owned at least twice before...), I was heavily involved in the Fujifilm eco system - and loving it! Honestly. I even made a vlog for my YouTube channel where I gushed over Fujifilm cameras and said I'd be using them forever! (embarrassing much?) Well, we all know how that went. But it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone - least of all me. Part of what I LOVE about photography is using different gear. Always have. It's what made me want to be a camera reviewer for a national publication.

So yes - my genius solution to my current disinterest in all things photography... change systems.

There are two in the running this time around, although one is out in the lead by a decent margin. Currently the heart is winning over the head. I'll briefly outline the 'head' decision first - before completely ignoring it for the heart 😁

Sony is a system that has fascinated me for a long time. Especially the SLT (single lens translucent) technology that allows for a mirrorless EVF combined with a DSLR shooting experience. The best of both worlds.

I am also a huge Minolta fan - especially of their A mount autofocus lenses. I owned an a200 briefly, with a sweet Minolta 35-70mm f4 that I paid peanuts for, and am 'borrowing' an a99 from a friend at the moment. But I've never really gone deep into the system myself. Now might be a great time to do it? Especially since I do have the a99 (great camera) with several great Minolta lenses - including a 50mm macro and 16mm fisheye! My 'local' Christchurch camera store just happens to have an a57 for an excellent price in the 2nd hand section, and it's very tempting... 

And that's what my 'head' is telling me to do. "You've got a full frame body (on loan), and you've got a bunch of sweet lenses for it. What are you waiting for? Get the Sony!"

But what does my 'heart' want?

17 months ago, in September 2020, I wrote about the camera I would probably upgrade my Fujifilm X-E2 to here. It was a great idea, and I would have done it too - if I hadn't had a brain explosion and switched to Olympus in the meantime! But now.... now I can.

Yes folks. I'm moving back to Fujifilm! (I think). And getting the Fujifilm X-T20! (I hope).

Why Fujifilm? And why the X-T20 (and not the X-E3, X-T2 or X-Pro1)? The second part is easy to answer - why the X-T20? Because said Christchurch camera store also has a great deal on a 2nd hand X-T20 at the moment. AND because I've had my eye on it since I wrote that blog post about the upgrade 17 months ago.

Why Fujifilm then? Especially since I left the system in something of a 'huff' a year and a half ago. The answer to that has to do with the creation of this blog, and my 'archiving' of it. Every couple of years I go back and grab all the previous articles, compile them into a book, and print them out. This gives me a hard copy of what I've written. It means that if Google ever decides to abandon blogger (wasn't that a concern a couple of years back?) and dump all my posts, at least I've got a copy of them. It also means I go back and read what I've written. This can be quite nostalgic. And also very illuminating.

Looking through my 2019/2020 posts, I realised that I absolutely loved all the images I had taken with my Fuji cameras. They just had 'something' special. They were filmic, sumptuous, different and epic! Why was I not still shooting with Fuji's!?

Yeah, ok - there was that whole 'mushy detail' thing. But honestly, when I just 'looked' at the images I took on my Fuji's, they were all just brilliant! And I got all inspired to shoot with Fuji again. And to explore their film recipes again. And go down that whole SOOC Jpeg shooting rabbit hole again!

So I think that's what will be happening - soon. I've contacted the camera store in Christchurch, sent them photos of my Olympus gear as a trade, and asked them to price it against the purchase of the Fujifilm X-T20 body they have for sale.

I should come out of it with the X-T20 and enough money to get a 16-50mm XC kit lens for it. Yes, I realise that was the very lens that caused all my 'mushyness' concerns in the first place, but it is also the lens I used to create all those 'epic' images I've just been banging on about. So it can't have been that bad - can it!? (Told you this was what the 'heart' wanted and not the 'head' 😆).

Nothing has been finalised with the trade yet, but now that I've said it out loud, I'll be gutted if it doesn't actually happen.

I will, of course, blog about it again soon. Updates to follow...

Losing my landscape mojo

A few posts ago I talked about my general lack of interest in taking photos over the past couple of years, and how this might be turning around with macro photography. Hoping that this macro passion might re-kindle my excitement in general, I decided to head out last evening to photograph the sunset at my local beach. In years gone by, an outing such as this would have got me very enthused and eager to be out with camera in hand. Every sunrise and sunset was a photo opportunity, and I could get rather grumpy if I missed capturing a beautiful sunset.

Wind-sprayed waves, Cobden beach. OM-D E-M1 with Lumix 45-150mm. f/5.6 @ 1/200th, ISO 400

The signs for a colourful sunset looked promising, although the wind was very strong on the exposed beach. Not great for setting up a tripod and trying to keep a camera still - but excellent for capturing some fairly impressive wave spray!

I put the 45-150mm Panasonic on my E-M1 and racked it all the way out to 150mm to get as close to the spray as I could. The setting sun was back-lighting the waves perfectly and supplying enough light that I could hand-hold the camera in the wind and still get sharp images. The image stabilisation in the E-M1 (and Olympus cameras in general) is the best in the world, and is truly impressive. But image stabilisation won't correct subject movement, so a decently fast shutter speed was also required.

Washed up. Olympus E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm f2.8. f/5.6 @ 1/60th, ISO 200. + Polariser

I had headed down to my local beach for two reasons. One - it was close and I didn't have to travel far. And two - I knew the tide was going out and an old shipwreck that I'm fond of photographing would be revealed on the beach.

The wreck itself has broken into two sections. The image above is of the section that is higher up the beach and away from the water at low tide. I liked the deep red rust colour complementing the blue of the sky and the neutral grey of the beach pebbles, especially when using a polariser on the lens to intensify the blue of the sky. I'm attracted to old rusty machinery in the natural environment as a subject anyway (who isn't), so it was an obvious choice for a quick snap.

Cobden Beach Gold. E-M1 with 45-150mm. f/7.1 @ 1/160th, ISO 400

Then the sunset kicked-off. And boy, did it kick-off! The image above is NOT processed with extra colour vibrancy or saturation increase. That's really what it was like. Just the deepest, richest, golden-orange I've seen in the sky for quite a while. It was beautiful to witness, and yes, exciting to capture. I'm glad I was out, and glad that I got it on an SD card. Been there, done that...

Shipwreck at Sunset, Cobden beach. E-M1 with Lumix 12-35mm. f/5.6 @ 1/60th, ISO 200

What I was really there to photograph - the shipwreck exposed in the water - was a tougher challenge than I had expected it to be. The 'low' tide didn't really go out far enough to get some long-exposure sea interaction happening, and this meant I couldn't really get close enough for the compositions I was after.

I took dozens of images, varying my angle to try and get what I wanted. The above image is the best I could do. It's OK, but really doesn't 'do' it for me.

And really, that's the feeling that I get from all the images I took that evening. When I got home to process them, I looked at them all in Lightroom and thought 'meh'. I practically had to force myself to process any of them. And the sunset was stunning! 

Am I losing my photography mojo? Finally. After all these years?

I turned my computer off in disgust, and went and had a shower. Hands up who does some of their most productive thinking in the shower? (Yes, I see those hands...). I think I've come to the conclusion that I haven't lost my passion for photography (I'm very keen to get underway with some macro fungi images), but that, after 20+ years living in the same place, I've finally lost interest in my local landscape locations.

I've probably photographed down at my local beach, local lake, local waterfall, local rocks, local (you get the idea) literally hundreds of times - and I'm just not that interested anymore. Even in great light.

I think that when I returned from my amazing photography holiday two years ago, where everything was new and exciting, and found myself back among the all-too familiar, I just lost interest. Familiarity really does sometimes breed contempt.

Which sounds terrible. And it partly is terrible. I'm so lucky, as a photographer, to live in such a beautiful, and accessible, part of the world. I should be grateful. And I am. Honest. But I am also (if I'm still being honest) a bit bored with my local landscapes. As landscapes.

Does that mean I'll stop taking local landscape photos? For a while probably - yeah. In fact, I've already practically stopped as it is. Does that mean I'll never take another local landscape image? No - course not. It just may be a while....