Monthly Archives: February 2016

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver…

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OK, not purely a photo topic, just something that really winds me up… The thrust of it is, don’t promise or offer something online that you may not be able to deliver – your customers will think less of you than if you’d never offered it in the first place.

So, two stories.

91chsWW8M9L._SL1500_#1. Interested in getting the new 35mm f2 Fuji lens, I saw it advertised online at Digital Depot. As I was keen to get it asap, and passing relatively near their Hitchin store, I ordered it for collection next day. Come the day, and just before I swung off the M1, I thought I’d give them a quick call to check all was ok. “Ah”, said the man, “we don’t actually have them in stock, but I can call you when we get them in….” So I asked why they were showing them as in stock – “well, we don’t actually link our online stock with our shop stock, so I guess we must have sold out in store…” Tried to explain that it wasn’t really on to advertise  something as in stock, when it wasn’t, but it fell on deaf ears. Needless to say I bought the lens elsewhere, and probably won’t try Digital Depot again.

035#2. I received an email from Stafford Audi suggesting it was time to get my car serviced, and inviting me to book online. Duly did that, selecting a date a few days on, and got a response indicating they would shortly confirm my reservation. Surprised to receive a call next day to say that day wasn’t available, and indeed the first available date with pickup and collection was a month hence! Tried to point out how frustrating this was, but again, it fell on deaf ears….

Fair to say that in both cases I had at least a ‘neutral’ view of both businesses previously, but after being offered a service/supply online that they couldn’t then deliver on, I’m seriously turned off… There are so many businesses out there offering services online, but it’s not a great idea to offer what you can’t deliver…

It’s all about the light…

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A flying visit to the Lake District this week yielded a couple of hours to get out with my camera.  The conditions were not, however, very encouraging – although the forecast was for ‘sunny spells’, it was raining when I parked at the Silverthwaite National Trust car park just off the Ambleside to Langdale road, and it was blowing an absolute hooley (the aftermath of Storm Henry.) Still, boots on and kit in hand I headed down to the path running alongside the River Brathay to see what was possible.

1602 langdale-14I had planned to try a couple of long exposure images using my new Hitech filter holder, but it was clear it was far too windy for sharp pictures, even with my heaviest tripod set as low as possible. The tops of the fells were shrouded in mist/cloud, but there were some brighter patches in the sky (nothing to actually call sun though…)  Anyway, I found a nice view with a fence as lead-in, and set up and waited. After about 10 minutes, it had pretty much stopped raining, and I was rewarded with a few breaks in the cloud. The foreground was nicely bathed in sunlight – only for a few seconds, but enough to get a couple of frames including this one.

1602 langdale-4Wandering along looking for another view point, I spotted this family of ducks, and quickly set up.  Within a few seconds they had moved into the perfect position in the frame, and as luck would have it, another fleeting moment of sunlight brought the scene to life. Time for one shot only before the ducks had moved on, and the sun had disappeared again!

In the time left, I managed another couple of shots, but as before it was a case of finding something interesting, setting up, and then waiting (and waiting…), and hoping the light would come good.  I had quite a few strange looks from walkers passing by, and even a few comments about me just standing there waiting – everyone expects a photographer to be shooting all the time, but there’s absolutely no point if the light isn’t going to make the shot work. Sometimes waiting until the light is right pays off, but so often its a case of returning when the conditions are better. Patience is rewarded (but only sometimes!)

Here are a couple more I managed that morning.  All photos taken on my Fuji X-T1 camera with 16-55mm lens, Hitech filter holder with 0.9 ND grad filter, and Manfrotto 055 tripod. RAW images processed in Lightroom, and Viveza 2.

Fuji X-Pro2 – Start of a new Generation

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When the Fujifilm X-Pro1 was launched back in 2012, mirrorless cameras came of age. A combination of robust build, compact size and a revolutionary hybrid viewfinder all combined with some excellent quality lenses to provide the first real alternative to the DSLRs favoured by professional and serious amateur photographers.

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Pre-production X-Pro2 (thanks Matt!)

In the four years since launch, the X-Pro1 has had its firmware updated a number of times to improve its AF speed and add new features. But for over a year now, Fuji aficionados have been anticipating a major update to a camera which has recently started to look somewhat dated, and which has had its performance surpassed by newer Fuji offerings and by competitors.

The specification and features of the expected new model were well leaked, so it was no surprise to learn that the X-Pro2 has a new 24Mpx sensor, massively faster AF performance, and twin SD card slots. The revolutionary hybrid viewfinder from the X-Pro1 has been further improved, and the camera now boasts weather sealing with over 60 seals. Amongst other new features are a brand new film simulation, up to +/-5ev exposure compensation for HDR fans, and a brand new processing engine that improves performance around. All these new and improved features add up to a camera that is truly unique, AND can match anything that any DSLR can do.

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Photo – Fujifilm Corporation

Thanks to Matt Hart (www.lighttraveler.co.uk), I was able to briefly try a pre-production sample on the very day the long awaited  X-Pro2 was announced. While this camera didn’t have final firmware etc, it was truly impressive.  Paired with the new 35mm f2 lens, even in very poor light the AF performance was both fast and accurate. The new viewfinder was simply amazing – clear and bright in either optical or electronic mode, and the omission from the earlier model of diopter adjustment has been rectified – there is now a handy little knob, just like the X-T1 and X-T10 cameras. Fastest ‘regular’ shutter speed is now 1/8000th second, and there is also the option of a purely electronic shutter up to 1/32000 second. There is a certain ‘heft’ to the camera – it feels solid and reassuring in the hand, just like the X-Pro1 did, and this will please pro photographers who expect their cameras to take real punishment.

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X-Pro2 showing larger LCD and control layout

I for one am looking forward to getting my hands on a full production model of this exciting new camera! I can’t see how I will be able to resist buying one…

Inevitably, the talk now is of an upgrade to the X-T1 model – while its a brilliant camera in pretty much every regard, landscape photographers would certainly appreciate a step-up to a 24Mpx sensor, let alone some of the other features from the X-Pro2. Will this happen too in 2016? Exciting times…