Tag Archives: Fujifilm

Photo-Essay, Photo-Technique, Training

Fujifilm X-T50 Review: A Game Changer for Photographers

I don’t NEED another camera. I really don’t, and I keep telling myself that, but it never seems to work! When the Fujifilm X-T50 mirrorless digital camera came along in June 2024, it just tugged at my heartstrings so much, I knew that one day my resolve would weaken… So, I’ve got one, despite the fact that I’ve already got an X-T3 and an X-T5. (And of course, a half dozen or more film cameras).  Overkill, some might say. My self-justification for the purchase, and I suppose, my excuse to finally yield to the temptation came when the price of a new X-T50 camera body dropped from £1299 to £1149. 

Fujifilm X-T50, fitted with an 18-135 f/3.5 – f/5.6 Fujinon lens, and a leather half-case for protection.
Continue reading Fujifilm X-T50 Review: A Game Changer for Photographers →
Beautiful Ulster, Black & White, Co. Antrim

The Other Side.

Can you ever tire of photographing a river? I now have a whole folder of images from the Lower Bann, that majestic river that flows from Lough Neagh out into the Atlantic Ocean at Coleraine.

Many of them are made from the western side of the river, accessed by The Fisherman’s Walk, and on those occasions I have looked across the Bann to a small jetty, about half a mile or so upriver, on the other bank.

Lower Bann
Continue reading The Other Side. →
Athletics and Sports, Black & White, Fun Shots, Photo-Technique

Athletics – Have a go!

The popularity of running as a leisure activity is growing exponentially. And runners seem to actually like being photographed.

I’ve been photographing these athletes for around five years now, and I use the Fujifilm X-T5, with a 100-300mm lens. I open the lens aperture to its fullest extent, which at 300mm is around f5.6, which reduces the depth of field and give a nice bokeh effect in the background. I set the shutter speed to 1/500th sec to freeze the movement, and that usually means an ISO of 1600 or thereabouts, – depending on the light quality, of course.

Continue reading Athletics – Have a go! →
Beautiful Ulster, Co. Antrim

The Tannaghmore Crow

The Tannaghmore Crow

This wily old bird sits on the barrier at Tannaghmore Service area, on the A26 road between Antrim and Ballymena, and stares at motorists eating in their cars, knowing that eventually someone will cave in and give it a morsel or two. 

(Ok, I’m not an ornithologist, so I don’t know if it’s a crow, or a Jackdaw, or a Rook, or whatever!)

But I do know it was photographed with the Fujifilm X-T5, F=300mm, f/5 @ 1/500th sec on ISO400

Black & White, Co. Antrim, Photo-Technique

Fujifilm Neopan Acros Black and White Film,

I’ve been trying out a new-to-me Nikkor lens on the Nikon D100, using Fujifilm Neopan Acros Black and White film, – old stock dated July 2013. I’ve never developed Acros myself before, (although Acros Film Simulation is one of my favourite shooting modes on the Fujifilm digital cameras).
I have to say, I really like this film. It has a beautifully soft grain, and gives great depths of contrast on the digital scanner.

Continue reading Fujifilm Neopan Acros Black and White Film, →
Belfast, History, Lockdown Logs, Photo-Technique, Reportage, Training, Travel

Traffic Jams and Nikon Lenses!

Using a 35 year old Nikon Lens on a 1 year old Fujifilm Mirrorless Camera!

It’s rare to have open roads in Belfast on a Saturday, but today the roads were reasonably free of traffic – with people ‘self-isolating’ and ‘social distancing.’  But there was one traffic jam, and that was caused by the closure of an important route into and out of the city, the Sydenham By-Pass.  This closure caused a stand-still traffic jam on the lower section of the Newtownards Road (Ballymacarret) – Just one single snarl up in the whole city and I was stuck in it.

As it happened I had a camera right beside me on the passenger seat of the car, so while the car was stationery, with the handbrake on and the engine stopped, I made a small number of exposures.  Random images, of no relevance or importance.

DSCF4309 - Montage
Busy Belfast?  Because of the Coronavirus scare, the pubs, restaurants etc are closed, and the usually busy streets mostly deserted. This image processed to a sketch.

Continue reading Traffic Jams and Nikon Lenses! →

Beautiful Ulster, Co. Antrim, Ireland, Landscapes, Travel

Ballintoy and White Park Bay

It’s back to the North Coast, one of my favourite parts of Northern Ireland!  This time to spend an October day around Ballintoy, a picturesque harbour between the Giant’s Causeway and Ballycastle, Co. Antrim.  I took the Fujifilm X-T30 and the Nikon F100.

Ballintoy Harbour
Ballintoy Harbour

Ballintoy (Baile an Tuaigh – the northern townland) village is less than a mile from the harbour, which is accessed by a narrow winding road.  Even the journey to the harbour is visually rewarding.

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Beautiful Ulster, Black & White, Co.Londonderry, Photo-Technique, Streetscapes, Training, Uncategorized

Coleraine Street-Monochrome

Spending a windy afternoon in Coleraine, and trying to find something to occupy the time, I decided to do some simple street shots, around The Diamond – the main shopping area of the town.  Despite the cold weather, the car-parks were full, and I left the car in a side street, returning to find an enthusiastic traffic warden had ticketed my car!  So, I’m posting a photo of him (or one of his mates) below…

 

Processed with Focos

I took the Fujifilm X-T30 and a 100-200mm lens up the street, with the ‘film simulation mode’ on the camera set to ACROS.  Film simulation mode is unique to Fujifilm (I think) – for the Fujifilm people have been renowned for their range of films, each with distinctive characteristics.  Acros film is a black and white film with unique grain and mid-range contrasts. Continue reading Coleraine Street-Monochrome →