Fujinon XF 50-140/2,8 LM OIS WR

I handled one of these today at Yodobashi in Akihabara. Its OIS is amazing. I'm sure I could smash through 1/20 and lower exposures inside with no problems at all. Manual focus was lousy: slow and heavy and required many turns of the focus wheel to reach either extreme. AF seemed to lock in pretty fast, but then again, with a low-res EVF, you can't eye-ball it to be sure it is locked in or not.

The short: feel/speed of MF in comparison to a 70-200/4 or 2,8 from any major manufacturer was very, very poor. But OIS way, way better. Size was comparable to its FF 70-200/4 equivalents from Nikon or Canon.

DIY RRS Base Plate for Fujifilm X100T

This DPReview user that took a dremel to an RRS X100 base plate to get it to work with his newly-acquired Fujifilm X100T.

Details: RRS Base Plate for X100T - DIY

Sony α7Ⅱ official release video and Final Fantasy 1 tribute album

This dramatic 3D tech demo for a 1990's Final Fantasy tribute game (replete with disgusting musical score) cut the ribbon on the Alpha 7II. Rumoured spec (about which I essayed this morning) looks to be right on. 

Rumour sites barely unclogged their pipes before this waste of human effort spewed forth from Sony's Youtube channel.

The A7II deserves something better; something put together by people that can at least shit by themselves.

If sony FE mount gains sensor stabilisation, what happens to OIS?

If the rumoured Sony A7II E-mount camera is real and features 5-axis sensor stabilisation, the below question by Disqus user, iNotFit, is legit:

“So what happens to future FE-mount lenses now—will they be without OIS, hence smaller and cheaper? Or will they STILL need to put OIS on lenses to support the legacy (non-IBIS) NEX’s?”

If 5-axis stabilisation does come to the FE mount, for certain photographers, the A7II could be thought of as a full-frame Olympus OMD. In which case, it behooves Sony to think about possible switchers. With the debut of Loxia and Sony's recent zooms, they have fast to semi-fast glass covered. And at prices that M43 users are accustomed to. 

But they don't have slow glass that equates the images output by Olympus's Pro zooms and fast primes: lenses that bring parity between systems would clock in at f/3,5 - f/5,6 on the wide end. If built to enthusiast standards, and with the help of intelligent/informative marketing, they could tip the scales away from the M43 crowd, particularly when comparing noise-equivalent ISOs across platforms. 

These lenses must be made with equivalence (explained here, and here) in mind. Or, they should be made with the traditional: providing focal lengths in a number of different speeds. This would tackle the needs of the more-blur-is-better folks as well as the everything-in-focus-all-the-time folks. More importantly, it would establish tiers within the FE mount that explored the freedom enabled by cameras with larger sensors.

The A7 is as small or smaller than most of the enthusiast-level mirrorless competition from any manufacturer; this despite boasting a sensor 2,25x larger than the sensor in the next largest competitor. Informing the customer of how this equates to:

1. better/more options
2. potentially less expensive lenses
3. same or better output quality
4. equivalent sizes

There are a few areas where small sensors, and the attendant wide-angle lens designs drive serious system improvements. But they are few. I'm not a fan of Sony's label-everything design philosophy, nor am I a fan of their build quality. But the full-frame FE mount is exciting. And true or not, the rumoured A7II begs it to be taken much more seriously.

Meet Aleph, Steve Huff's bearded puppy wuppy

Oh, and Sony's awesome-looking FE 4/16-35 OSS lens wide-angle zoom lens.

Thanks, Sony Alpha Rumors.

The next level of mobile photography

That's Relonch's tagline for their APS-C sensor iPhone camera add-on. While the copy reads like it came from a hat -- the next level of mobile photography is the smartphone, not an interface that enhances it -- the idea has merit.

Interfaces that work with existing hardware allow greater user freedom- certainly more so than unwieldy beasts, like the Panasonic Lumix CM1, a smartphone with a one-inch sensor and Leica-branded lens.

Relonch's 500$ price point likely will keep it out of the hands of binge purchasers, but its product location as an extension of, not replacement to, your smartphone is a step in the right direction. 

DPReview ups Pentax 645z studio samples

And as you can see, where extra resolution exists, it will be utilised. The 645z handily beats the Nikon D810 and Sony A7r where fine picture elements -- such as feathers -- exist, but falls way behind the detail offered by the larger-sensor / higher megapixel Phase One IQ180 and Phase One/Mamiya back. 

Of course, this is a cherry-picked example; samples such as cards, and printed faces showed only minor differences. Some, very little at all. But where differences exist, they always favour the higher resolution sensor- sometimes by huge steps.

Check it: Pentax 645Z added to studio comparison database

Paul Schlemmer's Fujifilm X100T review: Yes, I would love some T please!

If you haven't already read Paull Schlemmer's review of the Fujifilm X100T, do it. It's as full of wonderful imagery as it is colourful explicatives. Both are unforgettable.

The Arca-Swiss C-1 Cube Geared Tripod Head

For years I toughed it out with ball heads, both big and little. A single evening with a Linhof M679cs camera convinced me that no 4x5 or any bellows camera-- not to mention any tilt-shift lens... or macro lens setup is complete without a fully programmable tripod head.

The Arca-Swiss C-1 (purchased here) is that head for the fellow or fellow-ette with various disparate camera parts. The Arca Classic Quick Release is a breeze to lock, and holds fast. With the exception of the rear lift, every gear is labelled, and no movement ever tweaks.

If you are a heavy macro shooter, or stacker, or if you make use of heavy technical 4x5 camera bodies, don't go through the pain. Buy right the first time. Get an Arca-Swiss C1. 

I will follow this post up with a proper review early in the new year. Suffice it to say that these fingers and these eyes are very, very happy.

DPReview: X-T1 - Loose rubber and bowed door cover

DPReview forum member, sinistral, owns an early Fujifilm X-T1, that like mine, and the cameras of many other early adopters, suffers a bowed interface door. Fujifilm charged sinistral 120$ USD plus parts and shipping, to fix it. 

“I wrote to Fuji about my issue and they suggested sending in the camera, which I did. Spoke with them yesterday and they have concluded that the camera “may have been subjected to high temperatures”, which is the reason for the peeling rubber. And so, it is not covered under warranty.

I voiced my disappointment and said that since being in my possession (purchased new in March) it has not been subject to temperatures beyond walking around on a summer day taking photos (in eastern Canada, by the way, which is not exactly sweltering). The lady politely said that this was the technician’s conclusion and was taken up the chain and that’s their decision. No room for negotiation, take it or leave it.

They sent me the repair estimate ($120 base fee for all X-series camera service, $15-20 in materials, plus tax and shipping). I complained further in my email response to the estimate and they have since reduced the cost by 15%, which is a nice, but small, consideration.

I’m going ahead with the repair, as I need the camera back very soon, but am pretty miffed. I’ve been racking my brain to see if maybe I had left it in the car for a day during the summer or something, but I’m not coming up with anything where it would’ve been in there very long apart from longer drives where some kind of cooling would have been on.

I’m going to be extra mindful in the future and just hope that it doesn’t return. Their work is warrantied for a year, but we’ll see what that means, if anything, if the same thing comes back.”

The deformed interface door isn't a user-instigated default. It is a manufacturing/repair defect, and either appears a few months after use, or after official maintenance. It renders the camera bare to the elements, and to dust and other debris. Worse, it is of a part not worth 120$ plus shipping and parts. 

This is further evidence that mirrorless camera makers still misunderstand the needs of their customers. It is evidence that their cameras are made to lower quality spec. The flange around the interface door isn't even 2mm deep, and the door itself fits over, not into, a small crevice. It is a poor design that should never have made it to production.

The entire thread can be read here.