First thoughts on the Fuji X-T10 -- possible spare body to an X-T1

The latest entry to the stable of Fuji X-cameras, the X-T10, is a slightly stripped down, smaller sibling of the immensely popular and pro-featured X-T1.  Interestingly, the X-T10 comes to market with an advanced AF system that won't be available on the X-T1 until it receives a firmware update in late June.

Although most likely aimed at an audience looking for a simple, entry-level camera to the Fuji X-line, the first thing that occurred to me was whether the X-T10 could serve as an auxiliary, second body to the X-T1. For photographers who depend on a camera for their living, a backup system is a must, especially when travelling. One thing making this an attractive option is the way the two bodies complement each other. Additional features, such as the improved video of the X-T10, as well as features that have been eliminated, such as the flash sync, help to fill the gaps. The lighter weight body and size of the X-T10 also make it an easier body to toss into the camera bag as a spare. And of course the $799.95 price tag of the new X-T10 is about $400 less than the X-T1 at $1198.95making its consideration as a spare all the more attractive.

The X-T10 comes with a new set of AF features that remind me of some of the best AF features, such as 3-D tracking, of my Nikon DSLR cameras. These features will also become available on the X-T1 with a firmware update at the end of June -- about the same time the X-T10 will be available for delivery.

Video capabilities with additional frame rates, including 24fps, have been expanded making this a better choice for shooting video than the X-T1.

The X-T10 body is not weather sealed like that of the X-T1, probably one reason why it can sport a pop-up flash. Nonetheless, the body has a substantial die-cast magnesium alloy body. Without the weather sealing we also see the return of one of my favorite retro features, the screw-in cable release socket on the shutter button.

This photo and the one below show the cameras in proportion to one another. The overall dimensions of the X-T10 are slightly smaller and lighter than the X-T1. On the back panel the Focus Assist button has been eliminated, while an Fn button has been added on the lower right. All the buttons have a higher profile making it easier to find them by feel fixing a complaint many had with the buttons on the X-T1.

The rear 4-button pad is configured, like the X100T, to move the focus points in four directions. I have my X-T1 re-cconfigured to do this, but with the new firmware update in June, this will become standard on the X-T1. 

While not weather resistant like the X-T1, the body is solid and durable with die-cast magnesium for the top and bottom.

Gone is the ISO dial of the X-T1. This feature is now only accessible from the standard or Q menus. A small lever on the left raises the built-in flash, and a lever beneath the shutter speed dial shifts all the camera controls into full Auto mode. 

The X-T10 comes with a built-in flash instead of the auxiliary flash that comes with the X-T10, but the camera does away with the dedicated flash sync of the X-T1. 

The continuous high frame rate of 8fps remains the same, but the burst rate of the X-T10 at 8 vs 47 frames allows only one second of continuous shooting before pausing to empty the buffer. 

Resolution of the LCD screen has been reduced slightly from 1040k to 920k, still quite respectable.

Comparative Specifications:

There is not auxiliary battery pack for the X-T10, but an accessory hand grip with the thoughtfully added Arca-swiss type mount built-in is available. 

For what it is and what it delivers at a substantially lower price point than the X-T1, the X-T10 is a real bargain camera, whether used by itself or as a second body to an X-T1. 

The Fuji X-T10 camera body can be pre-ordered from:  B&H Photo   Adorama   Amazon

High speed sync flash fill with direct sun and the Nikon flash

The sun was very bright and the sky clear when we did this outdoor photo of our model jumping on a trampoline. I wanted to fill the shadows without losing the actual effect of sunlight, and, of course, I needed a very high shutter speed to stop the action. I placed two Nikon SB-910 flash units in front and to the left and right of the model. The unit to the camera right had the most work to do by filling the hard shadows on our right so I gave it twice as much power as the unit on camera left.

With the Nikon D750 set to high speed sync, the built-in flash in commander mode, and the exposure at 1/2500 second and f/5.6, the action was completely frozen.

Now that the good weather is here, I expect be doing more of this type shooting on the roof of our studio building.

Adding color light bursts to an image using Photoshop

Many readers have commented on the bright, warmly lit color bursts I add to many of my images and have asked for an explanation of how I do it.  This tutorial is a step-by-step illustration of the process I use to create the star bursts and then apply them to my images.

There are two steps to the process of adding color star bursts to an image -- creating the star bursts themselves, and then applying them to an image. The image above has several star bursts applied for a more dramatic effect, while the photo below has only one toned-down burst coming from the upper window area.

MAKING A BACKGROUND STAR:

1. Make a 4800 pixel square at 300dpi and 16-bit. Fill this with 50% gray. The reason we work in 16-bit color is to avoid posterizing problems later in the process.

2. Create a new layer and, using the Elliptical Marquee Tool  set to a "feather" of 5, draw a long, very thin ellipse. Fill this ellipse with white.

3. Create a duplicate layer of this white line (CTRL+J). Next rotate this duplicate layer 90degrees. Merge this layer down with the first line.

4. Duplicate this white cross layer and rotate the new layer by 45 degrees. Merge this layer with the other cross layer. Now you have an eight-pointed star.

5. Create a new blank layer and, holding down the shift key, make a circular selection with the Elliptical marquee tool. For this selection set the feather to at least 100px. Fill this selection with white.

6a. Set the Foreground color layer of Photoshop to a warm tone.  I use a muted orange, but you can change the color and its intensity to suit your own color palette.

6b. Create a new blank layer below the one you just made with the round blur. Make another circular selection with the same feather of 100px.  This selection should be almost the same size as the star burst. Don't worry too much about the exact sizing of these layer elements because we can always change that later. Center all these layers.

7. Merge the star layer and two blur layers together. Next apply a heavy Gaussian blur to suit your taste. The amount of blur will determine how much the points of the star show. Don't overdue the blur. Try to maintain the octagonal shape that is a result of the original eight-pointed star. This will mimic the shape of a camera lens iris diaphragm when we later apply the star burst.

8. Duplicate this star burst layer. Set it to 40% opacity and move it under the first star layer. Resize this new 40% star burst by making it larger to suit your taste.

Once you have all these elements you can modify them by resizing or changing the opacity to create different versions. You can also create different color variations to suit.

9. Collapse all the layers and convert the image to 8-bit. Save it as a jpg at the highest quality lever to further avoid banding.  If you find that your star burst does have some artifacting in the form of banding, you can add 1-2% noise to the image.

You are free to use the actual start burst I created in this tutorial by downloading the original, high res version it here.

Now that we have the star burst image, it is time to put it to use.

USING THE STAR BURST:

It helps to begin with a suitable image that was originally photographed with back lighting. Since I do this quite a bit, I usually leave a section of an image blasted out white for later placement of the star burst. I also warm the color of the image up in Camera RAW so it will harmonize better with the color of the star burst I will be adding to it later.

It helps to shoot the original subject using back lighting as I did here by placing the sun directly behind the model's head and using a pop-up, on-camera fill flash to brighten her face. This provides a bright, glowing area above her to later place the star burst. 

1. With a suitable image in Photoshop, drag and drop the newly created star burst image onto it.

2. Change the mode of this layer to "Hard Light". This will make it transparent and leave only the color burst.

3. Manipulate the size and shape of this star burst layer to fit around the main subject by using the Distort and Warp Transform editing tools.

4. Collapse the layers and  you are done.

You can apply multiple star bursts to the same image. Creating duplicate, over-lapping layers of the burst will also boost the color intensity. 

This is the original scene with a blasted out window area intentionally included for later placement of a star burst.  I also warmed up the over-all image and lightened it so it would harmonize better once I added the color bursts. 

For this scene, I added four star bursts: two overlapping in the window area, one small one as a reflection in the glass table, and one above and to the right of the woman's head. 

Fuji X-T1 with a handful of Fuji XF lenses -- all that's needed for available light, lifestyle photography

More and more I find myself switching to my Fuji X-T1 to cover indoors, available light lifestyle shoots. It still amazes me that a small handful of photo equipment is all I really need for most shooting situations. Not too long ago I would have thought this impossible.  But with Fuji continuing to add high quality, pro glass to its optical array and supporting its top camera with firmware upgrades to improve speed and accuracy of focus the day of relying exclusively on a compact array of mirrorless gear has arrived.

Yes, I still never go into an important lifestyle shoot without a similarly equipped backup Nikon kit nearby, but more and more I use the Fuji first, and many times exclusively. One reason is that I have become a real fan of the Classic Chrome look. I always shoot both RAW and jpg -- the RAW to actually process later, and the jpg as a reference of how the Classic Chrome or other color mode looks while I'm shooting. I also find correctly exposed Fuji RAW files very easy to process in Adobe Camera RAW making my post-production experience much quicker than it used to be.

The fast apertures of the Fuji lens set coupled with the fact that I tend to use them fairly wide open keeps my ISO in a comfortable 200-400 range with an occasional push up to a high of 800, but rarely higher. This is helped also because I find I can hand-hold an X-T1 at lower shutter speeds than heavier DSLR cameras. This provides me with another 1-2 extra stops.

When shooting lifestyle outdoors with a DSLR I usually switch over to two standard zooms, a 24-70mm, and 70-200mm. Now Fuji even covers that range with its similar 16-55mm f/2.8 and 50-150mm f/2.8 zooms. Once the newly announced X-T1 firmware arrives in late June, I may be using the X-T1 for all lifestyle photography.

This is all the equipment I needed to photograph the excepts from two lifestyle photo sessions illustrated below. From left to right the lenses are the Fuji 35mm f/1.4, Fuji 23mm f/1.4, and mounted on the X-T1 is the Fuji 56mm f/1.2. 

The 56mm used in close with an open aperture of f/2 give really pleasing bokeh to both the foreground and background areas. 

Pulling back a little to include the entire girl in the shot the 56mm is still a good choice to soften a complicated background scene so it won't interfere with the subject . 

For straight portraits it's hard to beat the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 lens. I generally use it with a fairly wide open aperture -- f/2.5 here --and it is still very sharp with a pleasing depth of field. 

  

This dimly lit profile was taken with the 56mm lens set to f/2.2 with focus placed on the foreground eye.  

At f/1.8 the 56mm lens is great for throwing a portrait background completely out of focus while still maintains sharp detail in the subjects face.  

When I am shooting selective focus and what a blurred foreground I vacillate between the 35mm and 56mm depending upon how much of a feeling of depth I want in the scene. Here I settled on the 56mm with an f/2.5 aperture to squash the perspective a bit without sacrificing story-telling detail in the foreground and background objects. 

A normal lens, like the 35mm f/1.4, provides a "normal" perspective in a scene like this one and the one below of the painter contemplating her canvas. I use the 35mm -- generally fairly wide open -- when I want to give the viewer a sense of actually being in the room with the subjects and not just peering into it from afar. 

A normal lens, like the 35mm f/1.4, provides a "normal" perspective in a scene. I use it when I want to give the viewer a sense of actually being in the room not just peering into it from afar. 

The 23mm brings the viewer even more dramatically into the scene than does the 35mm. I try to use it very wide open to keep the background as soft as possible. Even at f/1.8 and f/1.6, the apertures used for this image and the one below, there is still plenty of focus in the background.  

Dancing with one lens on the camera

This sequence of dance photos were all taken with one camera, a Nikon D750, and one lens, the Nikon 24-120mm f/4 zoom. I find that this lens -- very similar in convenience to the Fuji 18-135mm but with a fixed aperture instead --  gives me all the flexibility I need for working on seamless with strobes where the aperture is usually set to f/8 or f/11 so the f/4 maximum doesn't matter.

All images were taken on either gray or black seamless.  Two studio strobes with strip banks were set up directly to the right and left of the dancers. One other light was suspended overhead from a boom and shined on the background. In every case the models were clipped out of the photo and the background enhanced or, in most cases, completely replaced.

For these stage light simulations several tungsten lamps were set up in the background and pointed directly into the camera lens so they would flare. Further enhancement in post-processing was used to flare the lights even more.  The dancers were photographed on black seamless and the wood flooring was added later where necessary.

Both this tango image and the one below were taken on solid black seamless. Clipping paths were drawn around the models later so they and the background could be dealt with separately later in Photoshop. A strobe from a boom provided a light on the background to provide a hard silhouette of the models from the black seamless to make it easier to strip them out of the scene later.

Even though the models were photographed against black or gray seamless, they were still stripped out of the background so the background could be completely replaced later. This was easier than dealing with retouching the imperfections  in the seamless paper. 

New firmware 4.00 for the Fuji X-T1 cameras announced

Fuji continues to follow up on its promise of continual firmware updates for its X-T1 cameras. The company just announced a new improvements in version 4.00 to be available in late June for the X-T1 and X-T1 Graphite cameras. The update dramatically improves autofocus capabilities of these camera bodies by adding professional features to equalize many of the AF functions that are expected standards on highend, pro DSLR cameras, and provide the X-T1 series with an entirely redesigned AF system.

This video supplied by Fuji clearly illustrates the AF improvements coming to the X-T1:

Improvements to the AF System:

Zone and Wide/Tracking modes for effortless capture of moving subjects:

The AF System complements the fast and accurate 49-single-point autofocus 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 capture moving subjects.

The Zone mode allows users to choose a 3x3, 5x3 or 5x5 zone from the 77-point AF area. When combined with the AF-C continuous focusing mode, the camera continues tracking a subject at the center of the selected zone. The 3x3 and 5x3 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 AF 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.

Wildlife and sports photographers will appreciate this change for tracking fast-moving, unpredictable subjects across the image frame. 

Improvement of AF accuracy:

Single-point AF divides the focus area into smaller sections to more accurately determine the distance to the subject for even greater focusing accuracy. The built-in phase detection pixels have the detection range of 0.5EV, an improvement from the previous 2.5EV, delivering phase detection AF performance that enables fast focusing in low-light conditions and on low-contrast subjects.

Eye Detection AF:

The firmware update provides Fujifilm's Eye Detection AF, which automatically detects and focuses on human eyes. The function allows you to easily focus on the eyes even in difficult conditions, e.g. when shooting a portrait wide open to obtain a beautiful bokeh background.

This is a significant improvement for those of us who do lifestyle photography where the subject is moving quickly about the frame and we need to retain pinpoint focus on the model's eye. 

Auto Macro mode:

The firmware update introduces the Auto Macro function, which automatically switches the camera into the Macro mode while maintaining the conventional AF speed. You no longer have to press the Macro button to initiate a close-up shot. This update eliminates the Macro function assigned to the Macro Button, allowing you to assign a different function to the button.

I don't know about you, but I am constantly hitting the Macro button by mistake, particularly because I have the other three buttons set to control movement of the auto focus point about the frame. Now I can set the final up-arrow button to move the focus point up. This makes for a speedier change of AF point about the frame, and is very similar to the way my Nikon cameras function. 

AF improvement in the Movie mode:

The optimized algorithm delivers a more natural and smooth AF action during movie recording.

Other system improvements:

Improved Shutter Speed Dial operation:

When the Shutter Speed Dial is set to T and the Shutter Type to Mechanical + Electronic, you can use the command dial to set a full range of exposure times from 30-1/32000sec. Previously, this was limited to 30-2 seconds. This means you can change the shutter speeds across a broader range without having to change camera position. This is particularly useful when shooting in the portrait orientation with the Vertical Battery Grip VG-XT1 attached.

Exposure Compensation control in Manual:

You can use the Exposure Compensation dial to make exposure adjustments while shooting in the Manual exposure mode with the ISO Auto setting.

Finer lines on the framing grid enhances visibility:

The lines on the framing grid, which you can choose to display in the Screen Set-Up menu, have been made finer making it easier to view the subject.

I use the framing grids in all my cameras so this is a much appreciated feature for me, and one that shows Fuji's attention to detail as the company continues to pay attention to the needs of its customer base. 

Name of Silent mode changed to avoid confusion:

The Silent Mode has been renamed to “SOUND & FLASH OFF”.

Fuji 56mm f/1.2R a perfect lens for portraits and lifestyle

An 80-90mm fast aperture lens has always been my favorite for portraits. When I did photography advertising for cosmetic companies, however, I used instead a Nikon 105mm macro because it was very sharp, had a flat field, and could get in really tight without a need for close-up filters or extensions. Of course that was in the days of shooting film. Today there are many more fast lenses out there in the 85mm range. They still don't get in quite close enough without some help from an auxiliary filter or extension, but they are super sharp, flat, and often have very fast apertures.  Nikon's 85mm f/1.4 lens is one of the best lenses the company makes, and from what I can tell Fuji's 56mm f/1.2 (84mm equivalent) is easily its equal.

Many lenses are now available with fast f/1.4 apertures, but not all of them deliver superb performance at that opening.  I routinely use the Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens in a range of f/2-f/1.4 to preserve its bokeh effect.

The minimum focusing distance of the Fuji 56mm lens is 2.3' (70cm). At that range you can pretty much fill up a vertical frame with a person's head, but to get in closer you need some help.  I use a set of special 5T and 6T close-up lenses made by Nikon. These are not ordinary close-up filters. Filters are made from one piece of glass. The Nikon close-up set is an achromatic doublet made up of one flint glass, the one crown glass to reduce aberrations. Coincidentally, the 5T/6T set is 62mm making it a perfect fit for the Fuji 56mm lens. The 5T is 1.5x magnification, and the 6T 2.9x. They are no longer sold new, but can usually be picked up on eBay. I will be doing an extensive blog post on these Nikon close-up lenses and the Fuji lenses at a later date.

This is the setup I use lately for most of my real portraiture. Soft window light from the left is the main illumination. I lit the model's cheek with a tungsten lamp from behind, and put a 1/2 CTB filter on it so it wouldn't go too warm. In addition there is a small gold/silver reflector in front of the model at about her waist height. This is kicking in a low fill light from the window to brighten the shadows under the eyes and chin. I use apply the Classic Chrome setting to the RAW file in Photoshop and mute the colors even further. I am trying to go for a very natural, pleasing look that is not overly dramatic in an attempt to reveal how the person really appears in daily life. I even leave the hair a little messy on purpose. 

Outdoors at f/1.6. On a full frame camera that aperture would cause me focusing problems. The smaller APS sensor of the Fuji handles it with no trouble.  

An aperture of f/2, even in close like this gives the right amount of sharpness to the face and bokeh to the foreground dna sample the model is holding. 

Fuji's Classic Chrome look mutes the colors naturally and provides just the right amount of contrast. 

To obtain the foreground softness I was shooting past glass objects placed close to the front of the lens with the aperture set to f/2. 

Here the model was photographed against a white wall using my portrait light set up from the top photo. All the rest was added later in Photoshop.