Just how good are Fuji x @iso6400?

The only answer to the question posed by DPReview forum member, labe, is excellent; although The Davinator's reply is pretty much spot on:

“The D610 is going to be a solid two stops better at high iso. That said, I’ve used the X-Pro1 at 6400 iso during wedding receptions and produced wonderful 8x10 and 11x14 prints for album work. As good as the Nikon for noise....nope. But the Fuji WB and color spanks the Nikon.”

From Tywyn to London with the Olympus 8mm f/1,8 fisheye

Wonderful review of the Olympus 8mm f/1,8 fisheye lens over at Mirror Lessons:

“This 8mm Fisheye lens is the first in the world to have a fast aperture of 1.8. It is the third Fisheye lens designed for the Micro Four Thirds system in addition to the Lumix 8mm f/3.5 and Samyang 7.5mm f/3.5. As explained in the first gallery, which shows the capabilities of the 7-14mm, we decided to postpone our review so that we can spend more time with the lenses and put them through their paces in Canada. Here you will find lots of image samples taken with the M.Zuiko 8mm Fisheye to give you an idea of what it is capable of.”

Source: From Tywyn to London, part II: Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye image samples

Check out Part I here: From Tywyn to London, part I: Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8 image samples

Cambo Actus and Nikon D810

Amazing review of the Cambo Actus on the Nikon D810 in two parts, at Nikon Rumors.

Part 1
Part 2

I of course dropped the D800, whose live view was shtye compared to a Sony A7r. Below is my review of the Novoflex BALPRO T/S, in three parts, at Fuji Rumors

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Fujifilm XF 90/2 LM WR Lens spec and first product image

PhotoRumors just upped product specifications and the above image for Fujifilm's forthcoming fast telephoto lens. 

Meanwhile, forum runners at digicame speculate that given the lens's 62mm filter size, apparent length, and fast glass, it could weigh around 500g, or roughly equivalent to the lovely Leica Summicron 90. 

Source: Photorums via digicame.info

ONE TENTH OF A SECOND

Great tracking images by event, car, and wedding photographer, Chris Harrison, with his X-T1 and 50-140/2,8 XF. 

X-T1 firmware 4.00 brings zone/wide focus tracking

Why Fujifilm released the X-T1 without proper zone and wide-focus tracking is a mystery to me. Why Fujifilm fans pardoned them for it is a further mystery. Anyway, finally. 

Full press release at DPReview.

“1. A new auto focus system with Zone and Wide/Tracking modes for effortless capture of moving subjects - The auto focus system complements the fast and accurate single-point auto focus system with new Zone and Wide/Tracking modes, which use 77 autofocus points across a wider area to substantially improve the camera’s ability to track and capture moving subjects.

The Zone mode allows users to choose a 3x3, 3x5 or 5x5 zone from the 77-point auto focus area. When combined with the AF-C continuous focusing mode, the camera continues tracking a subject in the selected zone. The 3x3 and 3x5 zones at the center, in particular, offer extra-fast focusing with the use of the built-in phase detection pixels.

In the Wide/Tracking mode, the camera displays the area in focus, identified automatically out of the 77-point auto focus area (Wide in the AF-S mode) and tracks the focus area’s subject across the entire 77-point AF area (Tracking in the AF-C mode). This makes it possible to maintain focus on a subject that moves vertically, horizontally, and back and forth. ”

On the leaked Fujifilm X-T10

Firstly, hats off to Patrick of Fujirumors for staying on the ball re: the X-T10. The above image, which leaked at Fujirumors several hours ago, shows key ergonomic/haptic differences to the X-T1. Most of them are positive:

1. a small pressure grip replaces the half-assed miniature finger grip, which should make the X-T10 more comfortable for medium to large hands.
2. The weak interface door on the right appears to be replaced with a plastic slide-in flap (evidenced by the fingernail pressure indentation). If properly implemented, ala the D800 card door, it should be more sturdy and less prone to flex.
3. The unlabelled body-side aperture dial on the front of the camera is now located several millimetres farther from the shutter release and is no longer incorporated into the grip. This could make it less prone to accidental engagement. 
4. The AF lamp now lines up with the body-side aperture dial and the X-T10 logo. Small details like this make the X-T10 appear less randomly thrown together than the X-T1.
5. PASM and shutter speed dials sit on top drive/meter dials with narrower bases and larger indexing sliders. They should be less easy to accidentally engage or disengage, which is one of the X-T1's worst design blunders, and one about which I went on and on in my review of the X-T1 after taking it hiking. 
6. The threaded shutter button returns. NOTE: the shutter release also sits higher in its mount than does the X-T1's. Here's to hoping that it can be twisted without turning the camera on (which is a poor design blunder that plagues the X-Pro 1).
7. The exposure compensation dial sits in a recessed niche, also hearkening back to the X-Pro 1. 
8. The lines of the faux prism housing line up with the top of the case, which not only more closely resembles that of the Fujica ST901, but also looks cleaner.
9. The hard-to-reach front-facing function button has been removed.

Patrick swears that this is the to-be-released X-T10. Assuming this picture is 100% accurate, it is fair to say that the angular X-T10, while not slavishly retro, is more classically designed. It also employs a cleaner interface based around utility rather than features proliferation. That it doesn't appear to be a simple dumbed-down X-T1 means that Fujifilm have taken criticism of the X-T1 to heart. 

 

Hands-On the Leica M Monochrom Typ 246

Check out our review here: http://www.mirrorlessons.com/2015/04/30/leica-m-monochrom-typ-246-review/

While this video is a good overview of Mathieu's lengthy and helpful review of the Typ 246 here, I really suggest watching and reading both parts.