First thoughts on the Sony A7RII 42.4mp digital camera

A little while back I began performing tests with a Sony A7 series cameras in anticipation of the A7RII, which everyone knew would be announced soon, and probably in June. Turns out the rumor mill was right. Yesterday, Sony announced the new A7RII, but instead of a 36mp sensor or an anticipated 50mp sensor it will have a 42.4mp sensor. Sony has been ahead of the pack with sensor development in their A7 series, and undoubtedly this new one will be a top-of-the-line winner. Sorry, Canon. I know you announced a new 50mp sensor, but Canon sensor track record hasn't been in the same league with Sony So, yes, I'm betting on the Sony sensor here. Plus, the A7RII will accept Canon lenses -- along with the lenses of many other manufactures --  with AF to boot.

In my first report on the Sony A7 series cameras, I was critical of the fact that the camera came out with no solid lens support. On top of that, I was skeptical of a full-frame mirrorless camera in general. I always thought that it would take a typically large full-frame lens to cover the full frame senso thus defeating its purpose. Sony fooled me. Apparently, all along their strategy had been to make the A7 series adaptable to the vast lineup of high quality lenses from other manufactures -- an idea smartly echoing back to the old Alpa 35mm cameras.

I wouldn't need an A7 with a 24mp sensor because I already have that file size with my Leica M 240, but a larger sensor -- particularly with Sony quality -- such as that in the new 42.4mp of the A7RII, is another story entirely.

When I began my recent tests with the A7 cameras, it was to determine how smoothly it worked with Leica M-mount lenses. Why? Because every time I am surprised by the sharpness of one of my older photos and I check to see what camera was used, it always turns out to have been taken with a Leica lens. I am sold on Leica optics. Yes, the lenses are ridiculously expensive, but when sharpness matters above all else, and the inconvenience of manual focus can be tolerated, for me Leica wins every time. At present I am planning a series of super-high resolution images of New York City, and Leitz lenses are one of the top runners in my tests. If I can marry the optics with a camera like this new Sony A7RII, it might be a marriage made in heaven. We'll see.

Of course, this is just my reason for wanting an A7RII camera, but there are many new ground-breaking innovations that may move this camera to be leader of the mirrorless pack.

The α7R II has the first  35 mm full-frame CMOS image sensor with back-illuminated structure. This delivers a 42.4 megapixel resolution, plus expanded sensitivity and extra-low noise performance. On top of that the new architecture speeds readout resulting faster AF performance and continuous shooting rate of 5fps, quite fast for a sensor producing 42.4mp images.  Sony A7 cameras are already the lowest in noise at high ISO's. This sensor will be even better.

The XGA OLED viewfinder advances the optical finder another notch, especially when coupled with the world's highest mirrorless magnification of 0.78x. 

I have a feeling the A7RII is going to appeal big time with film makers. The thing all videographers have been lusting for, 4K, is not only here, it can record at 4K resolution in a 35mm full-frame format also. Plus it can do so in a camera body that can accept almost any form of quality optics. 

There are 399 focal plane phase-detection AF points covering 45% of the image area. This is coupled with 25-point contrast-detection AF coverage for very impressive AF capabilities.

The A7RII will have 5-point image stabilization built right into the camera. This system is built to compensate for five types of camera motion that generally occur in handheld shooting and will be magnified by the high res 42.4 high res sensor. 

Hmmm...I wonder what this will look like with a Leica M lens on it?

The list of ingredients in this camera is impressive, but I will say what I always say: Without quality and convenient lens support even the best camera is worthless. The A7 series has been around long enough to have established the lens support it needs. Interestingly, this came from a wise Sony strategy of creating an open architecture making it convenient to adapt other manufacturer's lenses. This still leaves one big problem. Mirrorless is expected to be a small, convenient format. Full frame mirrorless cameras negate this feature by requiring super-sized optics -- unless the optics are M-Leica in size, which takes me to my main reason for looking to this camera as a high res vehicle to very small, very high quality Leica lenses. 

That said, I may be one of the first photographers picking up one of the first A7RII cameras when they become available in August. I have been burned by this eagerness in the past with problematic first editions. So I'll be going into this with fingers crossed. 

Tha A7RII is expected to be out in August and sell for $3199. Check back here for leads on early offers and ordering information. 

Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD lens -- a hands on review

My favorite full frame lens for shooting lifestyle is an 85mm wide aperture. On a Fuji X camera this translates to the 56mm f/1.2.  A main reason for this choice is that I want to keep the background very soft so it doesn't interfere with the main subject, while at the same time retaining some story-telling detail in the out-of-focus area. I am often afraid of using full frame lenses at a full aperture of f/1.4, since it often means sacrificing some detail in the focused area. The Fuji 56mm lens is different. I find I can use it at f/1.2 with no loss in sharpness in my main subject.

I have already posted a full hands-on review of the Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens. Since it is the same lens used to create the APD model, I will spend my time here in discussing the only difference between the two models, the effects of the apodization filter, and refer the reader to the other review for a fuller explanation of the similarities the two lenses share. 

The profile of the APD version of the 56mm f/1.2 lens is identical to that of the standard R version. Looking pretty nice here on an X-Pro1. 

The only way to tell the two lenses apart from the their profile is the writing on the lens barrel. The new APD adjusted aperture markings are in red below the actual diaphragm markings, and the lens is marked with a red "APD" next to its size. 

The newer iteration of this lens, the APD model, is the exact same lens as the R model, except for the inclusion of a special apodization filter inside of it next to the diaphragm. They probably would not have done this had they not started with such a good lens. 

The main reason this lens works well with a softening filter is that it remains optically sharp at f/1.2 where it is focused. I regularly use my standard 56mm R lens wide open at f/1.2 even when photographing close-up portraits. The APD filter performs its magic with a wide open aperture. To help maintain f/1.2, even in bright light, the lens comes with its own 3-stop ND filter. A red scale beneath the white aperture ring indicates the effective aperture value caused by the APD filter as it relates to depth of field. 

The background blurs gradually melt into one another creating a softer transition than a standard aperture lens. The sample images below tell the story better than words. 

The softer bokeh effect caused by the APD lens is due to the graduated neutral density of the apodizaiton filter along the edges when the lens is used at it wider apertures. This effect gradually diminishes as the lens is stopped down and disappears totally by f/5.6 at which point it behaves like the regular 56mm R version. 

The shape of the aperture will be echoed in the out-of-focus blurs. If the aperture were star-shaped, the blurs would also assume the star shape. Because the aperture is made up of individual metal blades that form a circle the shape of the blurs are circular when the aperture is wide open.  As the aperture closed the shape becomes typically six, seven, or eight sided depending upon the number of aperture blades.

The out-of-focus blurs with the APD lens are smoother in their transition, but they are also smaller because at f/1.2 the APD is actually f/1.7 due to the addition of the darkening caused by the ND softening area around the aperture, and f/1.7 is almost a full stop closed down from f/1.2. That is going to affect both the exposure and the size of the out-of-focus blurs.

Note the differences in the sizes of the out-of-focus blurred shapes. The apodization filter inside the 56mm APD lens causes the aperture to be smaller (f/1.7 instead of f/1.2) resulting in smaller shapes to the blurs. On the other hand, the blur shapes from the standard lens have a harder edge to them, while those taken with the APD version have a much softer transition at the edge. This is what this filter is all about. Note also how both images are tack sharp on the model's face even with the wide open aperture.   Download a high res version of this image here.

In the photo below with the aperture stopped down to f/2.8 the blurs take on a seven-sided shape because the Fuji 56mm lenses have a seven-sided aperture.

This file shows the bokeh effect at f/2.8. Download a high res version here.

Both images shot wide open at f/1.2. Compare the softness of the blurred circles caused the by the apodization filter in the left image with the harder edge of the blurred lights with the standard aperture lens on the right.    Download the high res version here.

This lens works particularly well for portraiture when we want a sharpness to the face but a high degree of softness in the background to minimize distracting details.

Even in very close the lens is very sharp at full aperture. In this photo the model's eyelids and eye lashes are completely sharp as the rest of the image drifts off into a soft blur. 

Moving in tight while still at f/1.2 the lens shows off its abilities to juxtapose sharp detail with soft bokeh backgrounds. 

The wide open aperture of this lens completely blurred the very distracting background in this close-up, candid snapshot, while leaving the girl's face very sharp. 

Lens used at f/1.4. 

Working at f/1.2, even pulled back to include more of the subject, keeps the background soft enough not to interfere with the subject, but with enough detail to tell the story. The lens maintains sharp detail in the subject even with this wide open aperture. The ability to maintain focus while moving along with the model and  the model moving directly towards the camera is always difficult, especially at f/1.2. For these walking shots I had the X-T1 set to face recognition mode, and it seemed a good job of returning mostly in-focus results. 

Conclusion:

This specialized lens is not for everyone. It performs its best magic when used wide open and when the background is mottled with light. The standard R lens will still provide a very soft bokeh effect but the transition edges will be a little harder edged.  If you require a sharp lens that can maintain an ultra smooth transition in the out-of-focus area, then spending an extra $500 for the APD version might be worth it to you. One trade-off is that it does lose almost a full stop of light wide open.

I think the image samples above tell the story better than words. If this ultra-smooth blurring effect is important to you, then this lens may be for you. Otherwise, the standard R lens still does a magnificent job of creating pleasing softness while remaining super sharp at wide open apertures.

The price of the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 APD lens has recently been reduced to $1374.60, but is still $500 more that the standard R version, which has received a similar price reduction.

If you are planning on purchasing this camera or lens, you can help support this site at no extra cost to you by purchasing from one of our affiliate sellers listed below -- and thanks for your support.

The Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD lens is available for ordering at:   BH-photo  Adorama  Amazon

If  you are content without the extra softness offered by the APD filter, the standard R model is now available at a 15% discount for $840.80:

The Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens is available for ordering at:   BH-photo  Adorama  Amazon

Photographing the D-Day invasion

Today is the seventy-first anniversary of the D-Day landing. In honor of the many photographers who have put themselves in harms way in order to bring the truth about war to the world,  I thought it appropriate to reprint this blog post I did a year ago on Robert Capa.

Robert Capa, who changed his name from Endre Friedman, was a Hugarian war photographer. He covered five wars including the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War in Vieetnam, where he died May 25th, 1954 by stepping on a land mine. In 1947, along with David "Chim" Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and William Vandivert, he co-founded the international photographers cooperative  agency, Magnum Photos, in Paris. 

Robert Capa went ashore with one of the first assault waves to land on Omaha beach, and recorded the soldiers landing there. On overly enthusiastic darkroom technician ruined most of the film by overheating them while the film was drying. All that was salvaged were eleven grainy, high-contrast images. Nonetheless, the darkroom accident lent the photos a moody air that made them instant icons of the moment. The surviving photos became known as the magnificent eleven and can be seen here.

A photo of Robert Capa with his Contax II.

A question many photographers have, myself included, is what camera Capa used for this event. From the research I have done and photos I have seen of Capa in that era and during the Spanish cival war, it is most likely he was using a Contax II camera. For lenses, I'm guessing he would have had the photo-journalist's favorite arsenal including a 5cm f/1.5 Zeiss Sonnar, 3.5cm f/2.8 Zeiss Biogon, and 13.5cm f/4 Zeiss Sonnar. He probably didn't need a light meter for shooting black and white, but could have had a Zeiss Helios meter like the one in the photo below.

A typical WWII photo-journalist's outfit for a Contax II camera might include 3.5cm, 5cm, and 13.5cm lenses like those pictured above.  The small light meter off to the right is a Zeiss Helios.

One of Capa's surviving photos taken with a Contax II camera on D-Day.

Capa had a saying: "If your photos aren't good enough, you aren't close enough". He was definitely close enough on D-Day.

First day on the job for my Fuji X100T

Nothing like trial by fire. I added my new X100T as an extra body along with my X-T1. With the weather finally clearing up, we headed off to the park for a lifestyle shoot with one  model. I was curious to see how the shorter 23mm lens on the X100T would influence my shooting style during the day. Normally, I photograph lifestyle with my 56mm and 35mm lenses, and outdoors include the 50-140mm f/2.8 zoom for the longer shots.  Lately, I have begun to prefer moving in close with a shorter lens to give the photos more close-in, candid feel.

In one of my upcoming posts I will be showing many of these same scenes done with the 56mm f/1.2 APD lens.

We shot around this fruit stand before going into the park. I recorded this scene with both the 56mm f/1.2 lens on an X-T1 and here with the 23mm f/2 lens of the X100T. The wider lens integrates the foreground scene more with the environment. 

I like working with models on slightly overcast days. It gives me the opportunity to blast out the sky and fill it later with one of the sunny flares I discussed in a prior post. 

... and the rain continues for another day

The rain continued for another day so we postponed a lifestyle shoot we had planned for the park. Tomorrow may be the only good day for the whole week. We also had to cancel some helicopter aerials we had planned for later in the week. With all this rain the colors in the park should be quite lush for my shoot.  I will also be finishing up my tests of the Fuji 56mm f/2 APD lens for my review of it later this week.

On my way to the photo lab to approve another print I am having enlarged I picked up a couple of abstract photos of rain falling in a street puddle and overflowing the sidewalk. I used my new Fuji X100T, which is small enough to tuck in a jacket pocket to protect it from the rain.

I have several custom settings for my Fuji X cameras so I can quickly set them for whatever the scene requires. For this series I wanted contrast in the black and white so my settings boosted the high and low tones by 1, and increased the sharpness by 1 also. I also add 1 to the noise level when I want more of a film quality to the images.

The Fuji X100T after the rain

Rain came down heavily last night making it difficult, if not impossible, to get a taxi in New York in the evening. It continued through the night and into the morning until about noon today when there was a break in the downpour. I used the opportunity to walk over to the photo lab where I am having a large print make. Naturally, I took a Fuji camera with me, but this time it was the new X100T I picked up after doing my review of one last week. I also tucked a TCL-X100 --having taken advantage of the special sale I mentioned in yesterday's blog post -- in a pocket of my vest.

Some of these images were taken late last night. The others on my trip past Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building on my way to the lab. My favorite feature of the X100T is being able to get in close at f/2, and with the TCL-X100 it gets even tighter.

The Empire State Building enshrouded with rain clouds.

SPECIAL PRICE: Fuji TCL-100 Tele-Conversion Lens on sale now for $199 -- limited supply!

I happened on this special deal while searching for a TCL-100 lens and thought I'd pass the info along in case anyone else is thinking of buying one in black. B&H is offering a special price on the black version only of the Fuji TCL-100 tele-conversion lenses to fit the X100, X100S, or X100T for only $199. That is a savings of $116 off the list price. The listing says that supplies are limited.  I picked one up this morning.

So, if you have a black X100 series camera and were considering picking up the TCL-100, now may be the time to do it.

The Fuji TCL-100 tele conversion lens screws onto the 49mm thread of the fixed 23mm on an X100 camera. 

The TCL-X100 Telephoto Conversion Lens is a 1.4x conversion lens for the 23mm lens on an X100, X100S, or X100T camera. It produces an effective focal length of 33mm, which is equivalent to 50mm in the 35mm format. There is a menu option on the X100 cameras to convert the optical viewfinder to the 33mm frame size with full parallax correction. With the TCL-100 the camera can focus as close as 5.5" in macro mode, producing a larger magnification than the 23mm lens alone.

I will be writing a full review of the TCL-100 once I have put it through its paces.

You can order the black TCL-100 for $199 while supply lasts from:  B&H Photo

Using panoramic stitching to increase the size of a Fuji X file

A beautiful light enveloped the city last night around sunset as storm clouds passed over us and the setting sun broke through for a brief moment. The scene was dark enough to capture the city lights as they were just beginning to come on.

This image is a composite of three vertical shots taken hand held with the Fuji X-T1 and 10-24mm zoom at its widest focal length. I have been experimenting with PTGui panoramic software for stitching multiple images together to make one large panoramic file and used it for this image instead of Photoshop. Stitching an image from multiple shots results in a much larger file capable of greater print sizes. The final file of this image came out to 132MB, which is bigger than even my Nikon 810 can produce.

One problem of panoramas is how to combine the images onto a flat surface so that they approximate true viewing perspective.  Presenting a map of the spherical earth on a flat surface is a problem that has vexed map makers for centuries. Panorama software will  usually give you a choice of the type projection you want to employ for combining your images. Below are two such projections. The top on is a cylindrical projection, as if the images were put together on a cylindrical surface. Note the telltale rounding of the foreground buildings.  The bottom image is made up of the same three photos, but it a rectilinear projection. This is closer to the natural scene -- except for the extreme sides --  as the eye sees it.

This panorama looking south in New York towards the new World Trade Center in the distance was taken the next night and represents a rectilinear projection of two combined images. 

Memorial Day remembrances with a Fuji X camera

On Memorial Day I attended a WWII airshow at the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, Long Island. In addition to the museum's permanent assortment of vintage aircraft, several guest bombers were there for the celebration. In addition to the planes there were a number of vintage land vehicles and reenactors to lend the event an air of authenticity.What better way to photograph the event than with a retro camera like the Fuji X series. So I packed up an X-T1 and X100T and off I went.

For color, I used the Classic Chrome mode with its early Kodachrome look. To further mute the color palette I dialed down the Color saturation -2 in the camera . With black and white, I boosted the contrast by augmenting the shadows and highlights and added some extra noise to the simulate grain. I still felt like I needed more in some of the images so I added a few tricks later in Photoshop. In keeping with the reenactment theme of the event I tried to create the feeling of going through some old photos discovered years later in an attic.

Not only was this a fun shoot, it was a fun post-processing time prepping the final images.

B-29 Stratofortress bomber 

B-24 Liberator bomber --  The Fuji Black & White setting with Red filter helped to darken the blue sky.

Cockpit of a B-24 Liberator bomber

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

B-25 Mitchell bomber

B-17G Flying Fortress

M-4 Sherman tank

Douglas C-47 Skytrain preparing for takeoff

Tail of a B-25 Mitchell bomber

FG-1D Corsair with B-17G on final approach to land behind it

Fuji X100T camera -- a Hands-on review

The first Fuji X camera I owned was an X100 when it came out in March of 2011. I used it by itself, but also carried it as part of my Leica M9 kit instead of a Leica 35mm Summicron lens. That way I not only had a spare body, but also a lens that could do some close-up work as well. I kept the X100 until the Fuji X-Pro1 came out a year later, at which point I traded in the X100 and said I would not acquire another single, prime lens camera. With the advent of the interchangeable lens X-Pro1 model I didn't see the need.

That said, the latest iteration of the series, resulting in the X100T, came with enough advanced improvements to make me want to have a second look, and maybe some second thoughts.

The new X100T retains the same classic, retro rangefinder style that made the X-series famous from the start, and its ultra-compact, light-weight body render it very convenient to always carry with you. 

The X100T is the third generation of the series, and, although it stills has that same retro look that put the Fuji X series on the map, it contains of number of serious improvements that made me what to give it a try. I was still hanging on to the fond memory I had of that 23mm f/2 lens.  No other Fuji X lens could replace it. They were either fast and bulky and couldn't focus close, like the 23mm f/1.4, or slower and still couldn't focus close, like the smaller pancake 27mm f/2.8 or a little too wide angle like the 18mm f/2.

The camera comes with the same APS-C CMOS 16.3 megapixel sensor as all top-of-the-line Fuji X cameras. If you know anything about the X series, you know how good the image quality is from the X-trans sensor and its proprietary, randomized pixel pattern that eliminates the need for an anti-aliasing filter along with the image degradation that comes with it.

The Fuji 23mm  f/1.4 lens weighs 10.6 oz (301 g), whereas the entire X100T camera with lens weighs in at only 15.52 oz (440 g). Once I realized that, I began weighing the possibility of using a X100T as a spare body when I traveled and leaving my 23mm f/1.4 and macro lens at home. Granted the 23mm f/2 lens does not get in as close as a true macro, but I don't usually need a real macro 1:1 range for travel photography. I just want to use if for close-up detail work and also like the more candid look that a fast aperture, f/2 lens delivers.

The combination optical/electronic viewfinder -- one of the most attractive features of the X100 series cameras -- has been completely redone. The lever on the front of the camera that toggles the two modes of OVF and EVF, now also toggles in a small tab to the lower right of the optical frame. This provides an electronic enhanced view of the area under the focus point so the user to check focus. Obviously handy in MF, this feature, showing either focus peaking or spit-image, is also useful in AF to check the cameras choice of focus subject. 

The AF system is quite improved and now includes face recognition.  Spot reading of exposure can now be set to the AF focus point. 

The button and control layout on the rear of the camera is similar to the X-T1 making their use more intuitive and a quicker learn for those who use both cameras.

The four-button pad on the rear of the camera has been borrowed from the X-T1, but with improved tactile feel due to raised buttons. These buttons can be set to control directional movement of the focus point in the finder or LCD screen. Alternatively, these four buttons may be used individually as part of the set of seven buttons that can be re-programmed to do any of the customize-able camera functions. On my X-T1 I have customized these buttons to do exactly what they do here on the X100T, as I find it the quickest way to re-position a focus point without removing my eye from the finder window. I found the button and control layout on the rear of the camera to be the best design so far on any X-camera.

The X100T now has the addition of an electronic shutter with extended speeds up to 1/32000 second. Using this shutter does limit the ISO to the base 200-6400 range, but has the advantage of being completely silent, something I have found useful when shooting in more than one solemn occasion. The flash cannot be used with the electronic shutter. 

The shutter is a leaf diaphragm within the lens. Because a leaf shutter opens to the maximum set aperture width whenever it goes off, flash sync speeds as high as 1/4000 can only be used at some apertures -- 1/1,000 for at all apertures, 1/2,000 at  f/4~f/16, and 1/4,000 at f/8~f/16 .  This is great for using fill flash with an open aperture outdoors on a bright day. 

Auto focus on the X100T uses a hybrid of contrast and phase detection systems for quick and accurate focusing. The camera can focus as fast as .08 second. 

SPECIFICATIONS:

The X100T now has WiFi capability. Once you install Fuji's Camera Remote App on your smart phone or tablet, you can control the camera and many of its features from your phone. Fuji's Camera Remote App is one of the best I have used. You can also transfer images from the camera to your phone using a built-in WiFi connection. In addition, the camera can connect through WiFi to Fujifilm's Instax printer SP-1 and print images directly to it.

The X100T has a 3-stop (8x) built-in ND filter of 3. This allows using the lens even at f/2 in bright sun. The photos above illustrate how the ND affects the exposure. Both images were taken at f/2 and 1/1000 second, but for the exposure on the right the ND filter was turned on resulting in a correctly exposed shot taken directly into the sun. Another side benefit of the ND filter would be to slow the exposure down to blur the flow of moving water in landscapes. 

The X100T can be triggered with the remote Fuji RR-90 shutter release, or that old throw-back to classic days, the simple, screw-in release on the shutter button.

The OVF frame of the  hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder has been upgraded to auto correct for parallax by moving the frame when shooting at close ranges. The frame itself now presents a 92% coverage of the scene, as opposed to 90% on prior models.

The lens aperture ring goes from f/2 to f/16, and has been upgraded to do so in 1/3-stop increments. The over/under exposure dial now extends to +/- 3 EV, up from =/- 2 EV on the X100S. 

ISO can now be used to control auto-exposure when shutter and aperture are both set to manual use. The user can set the ISO range of high and low ISO speeds within which the camera will operate automatically.

Battery life has not been improved. The X100T uses the same, small rechargeable NP-95 battery as earlier Fuji cameras with the same short life span. If you order the camera, immediately order a spare battery or two to go with it. You're going to need them. 

The front lever now moves both left and right. Right switches the viewfinder from OVF to EVF and back again, while left pops up a small electronic focus-assist tab to lower right of the optical finder window. 

There was always one aspect of the X100 that I missed, the ability of the lens to get in really close -- not macro, but conveniently close-up so that it served the purpose when I was traveling and didn't want to carry a lot of extra gear, such as a macro just for close-ups. Although the Fuji 35mm lens could shoot fairly close and had a fast f/1.4 aperture that gave me nice bokeh on close-in photos, it was never the same as what I admired most about the quality from the 23mm f/2 I had on the X100. 

Although the X100T is a fixed lens camera, Fuji makes two auxiliary lenses for it, the WCL-100, which converts it to an equivalent 28mm focal length, and the TCL-100, which converts it 1.4x to an equivalent 50mm focal length. Both auxiliary lenses maintain the f/2 aperture and still allow for close focus. I am not sure how much these auxiliary lenses affect optical quality, and also not sure of the wisdom of buying auxiliary lenses for a fixed lens camera, but I will be testing these auxiliaries at a later date. 

The new World Trade Center photographed in Black & White Red filter mode to darken the sky and add contrast to the clouds. 

A 35mm equivalent lens with its close-focus distortion is usually not the best choice for in tight, close-up portraits. In some instances, however, it can deliver a more intimate point-of-view, while the f/2 aperture still provide a decent bokeh to the background. 

The Classic Chrome color mode mimicking the look of early film comes standard on the X100T. I really love this look, and have been applying it a lot as I did here and in the photo below, but then I was cut my teeth on early Kodachrome film. 

The 23mm lens focuses quite close in macro mode. With the aperture wide open, where I like to use it for more cdewinaal close-ups, the images does have a softness to it. Some might find this a fault, but I find the quality quite appealing. It sets close-ups done with this lens apart from a more typical macro look. A ground-level shot like the one above would have benefited from a tilting screen like that of the X-T1, but, I suppose, we can't have everything. 

The built-in ND filter helped me slow down the shutter speed enough to create the blurring streaks in this tunnel photo. 

I like using a slight wide-angle lens in close on the foreground for lifestyle shooting. It puts the view right in the scene. With an f/2 aperture some bokeh effect can still be maintained. 

Conclusion:

If a fixed lens, rangefinder camera is something you would like to use, then the Fuji X100T is something of a best-of-breed in the fully automated, digital genre. It is not for everyone. You have to like using this type camera. There is something to be said for the basic simplicity of restricting yourself to only one lens. I can see why this camera series quickly became a favorite of street photographers. It is unobtrusive, easy to carry and store, capable of exceptional image quality, is good in low light, with many advanced features for speedy and accurate focus, whether manual or AF. 

When I first began testing this camera I did so never thinking I would consider going back to using one. By the end of my one week trial I felt a bit sad having to send it back. I had grown attached to the convenience of its small size and simplicity, and the advantage of the close-focus ability of its 23mm lens. I began to consider acquiring an X100T as a second body and lens to my X-T1. On a trip I made while during my testing, it was easy to toss the X100T in my camera bag in place of both my regular 23mm f/1.4 and 50mm Touit macro. It actually weighed less than both lenses, and took up no more room. Plus it added the convenience and safety of having a second body. Most of all, I liked the performance and especially the uniqueness of the close-up results. It's starting to sound like I'm talking myself into acquiring an X100T. 

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