Golden Bay Holiday - Wainui Falls

Greetings fellow photographers, and welcome to 2020!

Over the next few blog posts I'm going to be chronicling my recent holiday to the Golden Bay region at the top of the South Island.

My wife and I spent 9 nights (10 days) in mid January, with friends (Tim and Nicki) staying at a batch at Puponga - the northern most settlement in the South Island. Nestled at the base of Farewell Spit, Puponga is an idyllic spot to stay over the summer, and we were blessed with amazing weather (hot and sunny with no wind) for the whole 10 days!

Golden Bay is a beautiful region that incorporates Nelson's Kahurangi National Park, The Abel Tasman National Park, and some iconic landscape locations such as Cape Farewell and Wharariki Beach (more on them in future posts).

Cair Paravel - The batch at Puponga

Neither my wife Joanna or I had ever been to the Golden Bay region before, so we were very excited to be visiting for 10 days, and to have Tim and Nicki as our guides. They have holidayed at Golden Bay several times, and knew exactly how to get to all the beautiful locations. All my wife and I had to do was sit back and relax - and find out from Tim every morning what we would be doing and where we would be going for that day!

As well as posting these blogs, I am also putting together some 'vlogs' on my Youtube Channel. The first of these here: https://youtu.be/kcZ4POkUAFk is a 'What's in my Bag' video that shows all the photography gear I took on holiday. If you have read any of my previous blog posts (and of course you have 😉), then you will know that I changed all my photography gear over to Fuji towards the end of 2019.

What's cooking? Fuji X-E2 with 16-50mm XC lens

My Fuji cameras - the X-E1 and X-E2 - are ideal travel cameras. Small, mirrorless, lightweight, range-finder style bodies with superb image quality from the 16MP X-Trans sensor. I used the X-E2 as my 'main' camera, paired with the 16-50mm and 50-230mm XC 'kit' lenses, and the X-E1 with the 27mm f2.8 pancake lens for an even smaller and lighter combo. This worked very well, and I never felt that I lacked for anything on the holiday - even on the days when I was just carrying the 27mm pancake.

I  also took 6 (yes, six!) camera batteries with me so that I wouldn't run out of battery power during the day. Turns out that six is a bit overkill, even if you're shooting all day. With some pretty heavy use as we traveled around, I only ever needed two batteries to make it through a full day of shooting. And of course, staying at the batch meant that I could charge batteries every evening. So really, three or four batteries would have still been more than enough. Better safe than sorry with these mirrorless cameras though, I guess.

The first day of the holiday was a travel day. With stop-offs along the way (and plenty of them), it took us about 8 hours to get from Greymouth to the batch at Puponga. We did go out on the first night to recce a spot for sunrise the following day, but the light was fading and so no good photos were had on day one. Unfortunately, sunrise on day two didn't really happen either. See the vlog on my Youtube channel about that here: https://youtu.be/9wjQTTuDXWk

It wasn't until the afternoon of day two that the photography began in earnest, with a trip to Wainui Falls.

Wainui Falls is a waterfall (surprise, surprise) about 20km east of Takaka. It's quite a tourist destination and even has a cafe and family play area at the start of the track. You know a waterfall is a popular destination when it has its own cafe!

It's just a short walk through native bush to the waterfall - about half an hour there - and is a very well maintained and easy walk. Mostly flat and only rising gradually to the waterfall itself. I guess its easy accessibility is what makes it so popular. It was a lovely walk, although we were there at the hottest and brightest time of the day - not ideal for great waterfall images. And I also wouldn't call it the most impressive or photogenic waterfall I've ever seen? In my humble opinion, the Coal Creek Falls at Runanga on the West Coast is a much more impressive waterfall, just as easy to walk to - but would only get a fraction of the visitors. Just saying...

Wainui Falls, Abel Tasman National Park, Takaka. Fuji X-E2 with Fujinon 16-50mm. f/5.6 @ 1/500th, ISO 200

On a hot summer day, it's inevitable that you will also get people who want to go for a swim at the falls. This adds yet another possible obstacle for us landscape photographers looking for a good image of the falls. In this instance, however, I actually like the inclusion of the two figures in the bottom right of the image. They add some interest, indicate that it was a hot day, and give a clue to the scale of the falls themselves (which aren't massive). Given that most of the elements for a good image were conspiring against me on this occasion, I'm very happy with the photo I managed to capture. Shooting in RAW allowed me to pull extra detail out of the blown highlights and deep shadows you get mid afternoon in summer, and even though there were probably another 20 or so tourists milling about trying to take their own photos (mostly selfies), I was able to isolate just these two swimmers in one frame.

Wainui Falls Swingbridge Selfie.

And speaking of the dreaded selfie... yeah, ok. It had to be done. We were on holiday after all! This was taken on the swingbridge leading up to the falls. It's only about another five minutes from the bridge to the falls themselves, and is a natural place to stop and grab a quick selfie. I took this on my wife's iPhone 5s, since I was using my iPhone to vlog the falls for my Youtube Channel. The video isn't 'live' yet, but soon will be. Just follow the other links above to my channel and make sure you check out Vlog #15 when it becomes available...

I've been vlogging on Youtube for almost a year now, and I'm still not sure what I think about it? It's a lot - and I mean a LOT - more work to create coherent video as well as stills, and there were many time on this holiday where I just couldn't be bothered carrying around all the extra gear.

I've been a 'stills' photographer for over 30 years, and old habits die hard. I still don't really 'think' in terms of video, so it takes a lot of extra time, thought, and effort to shoot video for the channel. But, the flip side of this is that when I do take the time and effort, the resulting video can be a much stronger visual experience. Especially if I've taken the time to shoot a lot of B-roll (I don't always remember). Now that we are back from holiday, and I'm working through the photos and putting together the videos that I could be bothered to shoot, I find myself wishing that I'd actually shot more video than I did. Might have to reflect on that for the future?

Wainui Falls Cafe. Fuji X-E2 with Fujinon 16-50mm XC.

Anyway, enough with the video talk - this is a photography blog after all. Having photographed the Falls, we headed back for a coffee (I actually had an ice cream) at the Cafe.

Since the video was only going to be about our trip to the Falls, I felt that I could now relax and get back to what I do best - take photos. The Cafe and family play area was the perfect place to relax, enjoy an ice cream, and people-watch for a while. We spent a very enjoyable afternoon sitting in the shade, watching the ever-present,  very tame Weka's (flightless native birds who always hunt out free food) pick through leftovers and drink coffee from tables! They are very used to people (obviously) and will come right up to you expecting to be fed whatever it is you're eating. Probably not recommended food for native birds, but the Weka's won't take no for an answer!

Help yourself! Fuji X-E2 with Fujinon 50-230mm XC. f/6.4 @ 1/60th, ISO 200

Your move. Fuji X-E2 with Fujinon 16-50mm XC

Tim and his son Tim Jnr. ended the day with a game of Garden Chess. I'm not going to say who came away victorious - except to say that the wiser (or should that be older?) head prevailed 😂

We picked up Tim Jnr. in Nelson and he joined us for the first few days of the holiday. It was great to catch up with him, since we've known him as a young lad, but haven't seen him since he moved to Nelson a few years ago.

The trip to Wainui Falls was a great way to start our Golden Bay adventure. I wouldn't say that the Falls themselves were anything spectacular, and the photos aren't anything above travel snaps, but in terms of relaxing, enjoying ourselves, and settling into 'holiday mode', it couldn't have started any better. There was going to be many more opportunities to take some 'serious' landscape photography on the trip. And trust me, the best was yet to come...

Quick shoot with the Fuji XF 27mm f2.8 pancake

My pimped X-E1 with 27mm pancake... Nice!

As mentioned in my last post, I am using the Fuji X-E2 as my main camera, but have also purchased an X-E1 and Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8 pancake lens as a 'backup'.

Just a couple of  months ago, I put my toe in the water of the Fujifilm system with an X-E1. I was hooked from the moment I took my first image with the compact, range-finder style body, and the beautiful Fuji x-trans sensor.

The X-E1 very quickly made way for the X-E2, although it was far from being a straight forward decision. I was still running a Nikon DSLR kit as well, and couldn't justify keeping both X-E's. So reluctantly the X-E1 had to go.

But, so enamored have I become with Fujifilm, that I soon after decided that it was the one system for me - so I sold my Nikon gear and got an X-T1. Great decision - right? Well, for some maybe. But not for me. Turns out I'm a compact, range-finder style guy. Who knew!? (Certainly not me). So I've sold the X-T1 and got, instead, the X-E1 (yay!). So now I'm back where I started - rockin' two X-E's - and lovin' it.

Hokitika Beach sculptures. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8 pancake. f/4 @ 1/950th, ISO 200. C2: Acros recipe

I have been a working photographer in the past (shooting weddings) and have the 'back-up your gear' mindset drummed into me. These cameras are very well built, and it's unlikely that there will be a problem 99.9% of the time. But they are also full of electronics - and electronics do fail. So I like to have that 0.1% covered. Just in case. And then, of course, there's always human error. I have dropped, and destroyed, camera gear on at least two occasions. So yes, redundancy is a thing...

Which also meant that I needed a backup lens to go with my XC 16-50mm zoom. I could have gone for another one, but I decided to see what else I could get for a similar price - to experience a bit more of the Fuji system, since Fuji is all still new to me.

I've said in the past that I'm not a prime kinda guy. And while this is true, there is one prime lens that I've owned regularly, and used a lot. The 50mm f1.8 - in both Canon and Nikon flavours. I've often advised students to go for a fast, standard prime, as their first lens purchase outside the kit lens, so I figured I may as well take my own advice for once!

I was tossing up between either the Fujinon 23mm f2 or the 35mm f2, which would give a 35mm or 50mm equivalent focal length (respectively) in traditional film terms. I honestly couldn't decide which I should go for - and then I saw a review on the 27mm f2.8 pancake (40mm fov).

Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8 lens elements

All the reviews I read or watched were super positive about this tiny little pancake prime lens. Sharp, reasonably fast focusing, well made, small and light - what's not to like? Especially when paired with the X-E's. The 40mm (40.5mm to be exact) field of view in traditional full frame terms seems like the ideal compromise between the 35mm's wide and the 50mm's normal. In fact, apparently 43mm is 'normal' (hence Pentax's 43mm prime). So the Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8 (multiplied by x1.5 for the sensor's 'crop' factor) should give me a great 'standard' walk around field of view. Not to mention a super lightweight and super small profile.

How lightweight and how small, you ask?  It weighs just 78 grams, is only 23mm deep, and uses a 39mm filter thread. Yet it also manages to house 7 elements in 5 groups - with one aspherical element (see diagram above). I've owned the Olympus 17mm f2.8 pancake lens when I was using micro four thirds, and while the Olympus is even lighter still (at 71 grams), and just a touch thinner (22mm deep), it's also designed for a smaller sensor. I'd give the build quality to the Fujinon, as well as focus speed and optical quality.

Beach Sculpture, Hokitika. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8. f/4 @ 1/400th, ISO 200. C2: Acros recipe

So far so good in theory. But what about in practice? What's the Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8 pancake lens actually like to shoot with? And what kind of images can it produce?

As its diminutive size and weight would suggest, when popped onto a camera body it really doesn't make much of an impression. Even on the small X-E1. There's just enough lens to rest in your hand when holding the camera up to the eye. But you will be cradling the fly-by-wire focusing ring. Not a big deal, and certainly ok if you are planning to focus manually (I'm probably not). On a bigger camera (like the XT-1) it would probably get lost pretty quickly and maybe even look a little ridiculous? I guess the 23mm f2 or 35mm f2 lenses would be better choices for the X-T range of bodies?

Driftwood Sculpture, Hokitika Beach. Fuji X-E1 with 27mm f2.8 XF pancake. f/4 @ 1/640th, ISO 200

As you can see from the first image on this post, I have attached the extra grip to the X-E1 body. In hindsight, this is probably not really necessary with such a small lens attached, so I think I will actually swap it over to the X-E2. I guess the reason I didn't do so in the first place was because the X-E2 has the leather case attached, which won't fit with the added grip. I'll swap them over and use the grip on the X-E2 with zoom lens, and the leather case on the X-E1 with 27mm pancake. Makes a bit more sense that way around.

I've only had the lens for a few days, so it's far too early to give a full user-review. But so far so good in terms of handling, auto focus response and image quality. From the few images I've taken with it so far, it seems plenty sharp enough. I haven't pixel-peeped edge-to-edge, but nor have I really used it at my optimal landscape apertures yet (f8 to f11). I guess it's not really going to be my 'landscape' lens anyway. It is what it is - a back-up/walk around lens.

Sunset Point, Hokitika Beach. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon XF 27mm f2.8. f/4 @ 1/850th, ISO 200. C2: Acros recipe

All the images here are jpegs, shot with my C2: Acros film simulation recipe, and lightly edited in Lightroom. Just my standard clarity and dehaze with a slight vignette and some grain added. I'm very please with these initial images, and happy to be using the X-E1 again. It may be 'old' (Really? Is six years really that old?) but damn does that first generation x-trans sensor take some great images!

The weather is clearing (briefly), so I plan to take this combo out again soon and continue to put it through its paces. I'll probably mix it up next time and shoot some colour film simulations as well as black and white. At 40mm (equivalent fov) and an f2.8 aperture, it may even be worth shooting a few portraits with the lens? I haven't done many portraits since moving to Fuji, so if I can find some willing subjects, that might be the next test?

In praise of the Fujinon XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS

Maybe it's just me? But I think that Fuji's cheap, lightweight, plastic, consumer-based kit lens - the Fujinon XC16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS (to give it its full title) - is a damn fine lens! Damn fine.

Now to be fair, it also happens to be the only lens I've ever used in the Fujifilm lineup. So maybe I haven't got that much to compare it to? I do know, from reading and watching other reviewers, that Fuji's optical quality is spoken of in extremely high regard. Words like 'outstanding' and 'exceptional' are used on a very regular basis by anyone reviewing the XF primes or pro level zooms. And yet almost nothing is ever said about the XC range of lenses. And if they are mentioned at all, it's almost in embarrassment, and they quickly move on to more 'serious' optics.

I think this does the Fujinon 16-50mm XC lens a severe injustice. I really do. Because while I may not have any experience with other Fujinon lenses, I have a plethora (yes, I said a plethora) of experience with other lenses, over a more than thirty year photographic career. From consumer kit zooms to cheap plastic primes, mid-range third party offerings to expensive pro level glass - I've shot with (and owned) them all. And while the Fujinon XC 16-50mm lens might not be the best lens I've ever owned, it certainly is far from being the worst.

Lake Brunner Water Taxi. Fujifilm X-E1 with Fujinon 16-50mm XC lens. F/11 @ 1/125th, ISO 800. 23mm (35mm equiv)

 

100% crop of lower right corner. Click image to enlarge

That's not damning with faint praise either. Honestly. Because while I certainly can't claim that it's the best lens I've ever owned, I also believe that it's a truly fantastic lens, capable of remarkably good results - especially for the price that you will pay for this plastic 'kit' lens. Most reviewers completely disregard this lens, or ignore it completely as if it doesn't even exist. And I believe they do so to their own detriment.

Ok, so it's not made of metal. Yes, it is an all plastic construction - right down to the lens mount itself. But not - I repeat NOT - the optics. They are, of course, made of glass. Fujinon glass. 12 elements, in 10 groups, including three aspherical lens elements and one ED lens element. The good stuff. So whilst the body might be of consumer-grade construction, Fuji haven't skimped where it matters the most. With the optics.

Cross section of XC 16-50mm lens elements

Plastic it may be, but it's also a very good plastic (is there such a thing in this day and age?). The fit and finish is excellent, and the zoom ring turns smoothly and without any barrel wobble. I won't lie - a metal lens mount would have been nice, and wouldn't have added any discernible weight (or cost) to the lens. But for such an incredibly light lens (just 195 grams) for a zoom, I can see why Fuji have opted for the plastic lens mount. For its intended user base (this is a consumer grade lens by Fuji's own definition), they probably didn't see it getting very heavy use, and may even be the only lens that the average consumer ever owns? So I guess there might not be a lot of lens-changing going on anyway. And besides, we're long past the point where plastic lens barrels on consumer products are of concern. Canon and Nikon have been doing it since the introduction of consumer digital SLR's in 2003 (with the Canon D300).

Carters Beach, Westport. Fuji X-T1 with Fujinon 16-50mm XC. f5.6 @ 1/240th, ISO 200. 23mm (35mm equiv)

100% crop of central area. Click image to enlarge

So let's get over the all-plastic thing shall we? Let's concentrate instead on what it does have going for it. And there's plenty.

It's lightweight, well constructed, and has glass optics with some nice aspherical elements thrown in for good measure. It also has image stabilisation built in to the lens (up to 3.5 stops), seven rounded aperture blades, a quick and silent autofocusing motor, and focuses as close as 15cm's for 'macro' images. It's not weather-sealed (neither is the 18-55mm), but really, what do you expect at this price point?

Ultimately, what I'm most interested in with any lens, of course, is IQ (image quality). What do the photos that this lens takes actually look like? And in this regard I only need one word: fantastic! Honestly - fantastic. From the very first image I took with the Fujifilm X-E1 and 16-50mm XC combination I was blown away. Crisp, clean, clear, colourful, sharp - all of the above. And while a good deal of this is down to the x-trans sensor, it still needs the lens to translate all that x-trans goodness into a final image.

Truman Track, Punakaiki. Fuji X-T1 with Fujinon 16-50mm XC. f5.6 @ 1/550th, ISO 200. 16mm (24mm equiv)

100% crop of lower left corner. Click image to enlarge

I'm not going to lie to you, dear reader, and tell you that the Fujinon XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS is the sharpest lens I've ever owned - because it's not. But it is plenty sharp enough. Just look at the 100% corner crops of the images in this post. They aren't bitingly sharp - but only the very best of the very best lenses actually are. You know, the ones you pay $1000+ for. For a 'kit' lens performance, these are excellent results, especially when you consider that all but the last image here (the one taken at Motukeikei Beach) were shot hand-held.

So while it might not be the sharpest tack in the box, I actually find this to be a positive. Sometimes I find bitingly sharp optics to have a very obvious 'digital' quality to them. Not so the Fujinon 16-50mm XC lens. It's sharp, without being 'digitally' sharp. It has, dare I say it (ok, I will) a more film-like quality to it. It's sharp (often very sharp) where it needs to be, yet also beautifully smooth in other areas. It's hard to define exactly, but I do find the images that I'm getting from the 16-50mm XC to be very beautiful. Drop dead beautiful, in fact.

Motukeikei Beach Sunset. Fuji X-E2 with 16-50mm XC. f11 @ 1/2sec, ISO 200

100% crop of lower right. Click to enlarge

Steady on! Am I gushing over this cheap little hunk of plastic a bit too much? Surely it's just a lens you 'put up with' until you can afford a 'real' lens? I take my landscape photography very seriously, so of course I'm going to 'upgrade' first chance I get - right?

Well, not so fast. Recently (as in this week), I had the chance to do just that. Buy a 'better' lens for the X-E2 (see my last post). I looked very closely at the Fujinon 18-55mm f2-4, and almost pulled the trigger on one. But then a few reviews I read suggested that the IQ of the 18-55mm wasn't really an upgrade. I'm thrilled with the IQ I'm getting from the 16-50 XC lens (can't you tell). Would I be more thrilled with the IQ from the 18-55mm? I'm not convinced I would.

Yes, the 18-55mm is 'better' built (more metal), and yet it still doesn't have weather-sealing. And yes, it's a 'faster' lens - but as primarily a landscape photographer working around f11, I don't necessarily need faster. And also, as a landscape photographer, I'm going to choose the 16-50mm over the 18-55mm because of its focal range. 16mm (24mm equivalent) is useful to me, and preferable over 18mm (27mm equivalent). Surprisingly, at wider focal lengths, that extra 2mm makes a huge difference  - especially on an APS-C sized sensor.

Realistically, my upgrade path is actually to go to the Fujinon 16-55mm f2.8 - which is weather-sealed, and which, I'm sure, is a superior lens. And I probably could have afforded one if I'd waited for a good secondhand deal. But the 16-55mm f2.8 would also come with its own set of problems. Weight being one of them. At 655 grams, it's over three times the weight of the 16-50mm XC lens - which would definitely be noticeable on my X-E2.

So in the end, after weighing up all the pros and cons, I decided that the Fujinon XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OIS lens was, in fact, the perfect lens for me. So I've bought another one to go with my X-E2 (after having sold my original lens with my X-E1). My 'new' (secondhand) one is the version II model (slightly updated OIS apparently), in all-silver. Should pair up very nicely with my silver/black X-E2.

Lake Brunner Boats. Fuji X-E1 with Fujinon XC 16-50mm. f8 @1/125th, ISO 250. 23mm (35mm equiv)

Apologies if this post has gone on a bit long, and become a bit of a rant in places? But it does annoy me that so many 'serious' photographers and reviewers dismiss the XC lenses as 'inferior' rubbish. They are, as I have discovered much to my joy, nothing of the sort.

Since I'm not really a prime kinda guy, and since I've discounted getting both the 18-55mm and 16-55mm (at least for the foreseeable future), then I guess I'll keep using the XC 16-50mm plastic fantastic for my 'serious' landscape photography. And since my experience with this XC lens has been so positive, I'm considering getting the 50-230mm XC telephoto as well. If it's anything like its smaller sibling, then it just might be a real gem of a lens too? Can't wait to find out...