Photo Tip 101: Take Another Look at Your Images before Deleting

Fuji X-E2 with XF18-55mm lens. 1/2400th sec F/8.0 @ ISO 1600. Shot jpeg, edited in CS5 & Photoscape

We've all done it before. We take a picture, we chimp the image, we're not happy with the image, and we hastily delete it. It's a waste of time, waste of frustration, and perhaps you could have deleted the best image you've ever taken. This is why many photographers recommend we avoid chimping (take a quick peak at the back screen right after we take the picture) while shooting with our digital cameras. It's a nasty habit. Deleting an image in the field is also a bad habit. Keep it and look at it again at home where we can learn from our mistakes...unless the mistake turns out to be a great shot!

Upcoming Review: Fujifilm X-E2 & XF18-55

Taken with Ricoh GR-D IV. 1/45th sec F/2.8 @ ISO 125.

The Fuji X series cameras have slowly grown on me. Last year when I tested the Fuji X-E1, I liked the camera, but not enough to want to buy one for myself. I was impressed with the very sharp and fast kit lens, and I liked the retro but still modern layout (healthy mix of dials and buttons). The image quality was very good as well, with a very unique look of their own, including classic Fuji film simulated jpeg modes (Provia and Velvia are my favourite). But there were some ergonomic and functional issues that made it a bit slow to shoot with, and I really wasn't a fan of the slow refresh rate of the EVF. In the end, I gave it a good, but not an excellent rating. I wasn't alone with these complaints. Fuji engineers are good listeners however; and with each new X series camera, they continually made small improvements to the layout, the sensor, AF speed, etc. I loved testing the X-Pro 1, and I really loved the X-100S. Each new X-series cameras comes closer and closer to what people want from this retro inspired line-up of cameras.

Upcoming Review: Ricoh GR Ltd. Edition

Taken with Ricoh GR-D IV. 1/70th sec F/2.8 @ ISO 125. Shot RAW and converted in CS5

I enjoy reviewing cameras like a car guy would love reviewing cars. The only difference is that with a car, you usually only have it for an afternoon, and you can't really test to see if you can incorporate it into your daily living. Sure it drives great on the track, but how does it park in the garage or drive in rush hour traffic? It's different with a camera. It sits next to your desk while you work or next to your bed before you go to sleep. You can take it with you to lunch or dinner, or even just a coffee. You can see if you can incorporate a camera into your lifestyle. In a way, the camera you choose can reflect who you are...so what type of camera person are you?

iPhone 5S: An Awesome Panorama Camera

iPhone 5S. 1/120th sec F/2.2 @ ISO 160. Original file 8.2mb 7742 x 2448 image

I've recently upgraded my dying iphone 4 (not the S!!) from 3 years ago to the latest and greatest iPhone 5S. Before the iPhone I was a Palm Pilot guy (Palm T3 was my last one), and even before digital PDA's I always used a paper daily planner with phone numbers, notes, to do list, calender, etc. When the iPhone came out I was excited, as it merged a phone with a digital organizer... little did I realize that this little gadget would change how I viewed photography!

The new camera on the latest iPhone and the software that runs it is very simple and intuitive to use, but it also takes great images. Yes the dynamic range isn't what I would get on a "proper" camera, but the convenience of a camera on our phones can't be denied. Take a picture, edit it in-camera, and immediately share it with the world. I know the new iSight camera has many cool features, but specifically I wanted to talk about the panorama camera feature. I'm currently reviewing the Fuji X-E2 and I've always loved Fuji's "Motion Panorama" feature; the best of all the major manufacturers I thought... until now.

Shibuya Backstreets with the Ricoh GR-D IV

Ricoh GR-D IV @ 28mm: 1/350th sec F/1.9 @ ISO 160. CS5 & Photoscape editing

As I look through my Tokyo pictures I'm still amazed at the ability of the little Ricoh GR-D IV to be able to capture so much depth of field wide open at F/1.9. Yes, the dynamic range is very limited (shooting lower ISO and RAW helps) compared to a large sensor camera, but the deep DOF you gain is worth it. I'm going to write a Ricoh GR-D IV vs GR (5) comparison again. The more I shoot with the smaller sensored IV, I think I prefer it over the newer, larger sensored GR 5. I'm actually trying to choose between the two cameras, which one to get the 21mm wide angle lens adapter for. 

The advantage of having the wide 21mm lens on the GR-D IV is the amazing depth of field you're going to get. My guess is from 6 ft onward, everything will be in focus, even wide open at F/1.9. No need to even autofocus in many situations. The advantage of the new GR is that you have much higher resolution, so you can do more aggressive cropping if you need to. But with a 21mm lens, what's the point of cropping? The whole reason you're shooting with a 21mm lens is so you can get more into the image, not take away. Sorry, I'm just rambling now. I just wanted to share the above image and show the advantage of small sensored cameras. Full-frame is great (I really want the new Sony A7 because of my collection of legacy Minolta lenses) but know why you want it. 

Random Portraits of Models with Leica X-VARIO in Shinjuku East, Tokyo

Leica X-VARIO @ 32mm. 1/400th sec F/4.5 @ ISO 400. Shot RAW, processed in CS5 & Photoscape. Shinjuku West. From left: Wendell, Diane, Leo

I know the Tokyo-X-VARIO project is officially finished and so I shouldn't be posting any more X-VARIO images unless I have a reason to. Perhaps I'm writing an article about street photography or a how to series, and these 'unused' images fit the article? Well, I'm not. I just love this series of images I took of these models (Wendell, Diane and Leo) and I couldn't see myself using it anytime soon so I thought I would post them now. I also thought it would be a waste to use these pictures on Instagram since there's so much detail. Even the above pic has been reduced from a 23mb RAW file down to a 1.9mb jpeg... I know, it's a shame. I posted a picture from this series during my Tokyo-X-VARIO project here, but I had extra images I wanted to use later...so here's the rest of them...enjoy!

Street Photography 101: Having a Child-Like Curiosity when Shooting

Ricoh GR-D IV @ 28mm zone focused. 1/217th sec F/2.8 @ ISO 80. Cropped square. I don't even know how this child knew I was taking pictures as I was shooting from the hip. But I know he knew because even as he passed me he turned and gave me a look... Harajuku, Tokyo.

When I'm walking down the street and taking pictures, I know how to blend in well. I often will find a spot to shoot, hang around for a while and look busy for a few minutes, and then settle in and start taking pictures. Most people are so busy thinking about where they're going, or what they're going to do, that they won't notice me... except children. Children are easily 'distracted' by visual and auditory stimuli, and for some reason, they can sense a photographer or sense that a camera is pointed in their direction. It happens so often when I'm shooting that I realize it's no coincidence, and having this child-like curiosity is a positive quality that all street photographers should try to learn...

Tokyo-X-VARIO: Final Look @ Leica X-Vario

X-VARIO @ 31mm.   1/15th sec F/4.1 @ ISO 400.  JR Yamanote Line, Tokyo.

Playing with a test camera in a city like Tokyo is a lot of fun... but all good things come to an end. I'm finally back home and now starting the daunting task of going through all my pictures. When you're gone for a month you tend to take a lot of pictures... thousands in fact (2583 to be exact, minus film rolls and iPhone pics). To get a good idea of a camera's characteristics of capturing an image, you need to do more than chimping (a sneak peak at back LCD screen). You need to open up the files and take a good look, trying to find specific qualities (not just resolution and colour accuracy) and image distinctiveness that make the pictures stand out. I did so with the Leica X-VARIO and I've come to appreciate the camera and the images I was able to create...

Tokyo X-VARIO: Shooting Light in the Dark

Leica X-VARIO @ 28mm zone focused. 1/60th sec F/3.5 @ ISO 1600. RAW image converted in CS5 and cropped and adjusted in Photoscape. Shot in Sugamo, Tokyo.

I love shooting at night. I know technically its more difficult, but if you can get the exposure right, and you know how to shoot RAW and adjust later in post production, you can capture amazingly moody images of typically normal scenes. The reason? Light. Unlike daylight, where the light is coming from a single point, or on a cloudy day where the light is diffused and flat (and often boring), night allows for multiple light sources, direction, colour and shadows. But how can you use this to your advantage when shooting?

Tokyo-X-Vario: Shooting Bikes in Shibuya

X-VARIO @ 28mm zone focus. 1/500th sec F/7.1 @ ISO 1600.

I know the X-VARIO was never designed to be an action camera...and that's ok. But it doesn't mean we can't use it to capture action. That's exactly what I did when I decided to shoot bike riders in action in the trendy fashion district of Shibuya. This area is known for it's crazy pedestrian crossing (remember that scene in Lost in Translation when Scarlett Johansson crosses the busy intersection with the big screen of the dinasaur?) and lots of fashion shops, like the famous 109 and 0I0I (Marui Marui) buildings. I noticed something else: lots of super-cool cyclists!! 

While my wife went into the shops, I hung out on the streets to take pictures of guys (and gals) whipping past on their fixies, single-speeds, mamacharis, and geared bikes of all sizes, colours, shapes and styles. I came back a few more times just to take pictures, and you'll notice lots of pics from the exact same location of cyclists on my Instagram account. The point is I was shooting with two cameras that you would never associate with shooting action: Ricoh GR-D IV and Leica X-VARIO. Neither have blazing fast autofocus, nor do they have a true telephoto focal length, two things people think you need to shoot action. You don't. I've already posted pics of bike action with the Ricoh GR, so here's some with the X-VARIO...here we go!!