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The Vinyl Adventure
29-03-2012, 21:51
Since I have recenly only posted depressing pictures recently I thought I'd share some spring shots

Its lovely on fort royal hill when the sun is out in the spring .. here is some evidence of that loveliness taken with my X100

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7027661565_110c80bf43_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/7027661565/)
_DSF0119 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/7027661565/) by Hamish_Gill (http://www.flickr.com/people/hamishgill/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/7027661739_e26169ac1b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/7027661739/)
_DSF0122 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/7027661739/) by Hamish_Gill (http://www.flickr.com/people/hamishgill/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6881563174_27bb1d8916_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/6881563174/)
_DSF0132 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/6881563174/) by Hamish_Gill (http://www.flickr.com/people/hamishgill/), on Flickr

Bazil
29-03-2012, 21:53
Nice pics Hamish, love the first one.

The Vinyl Adventure
29-03-2012, 22:13
Thankyou, that's my fave too! :)

Marco
30-03-2012, 07:29
Yes, but there's something sinister lurking beyond the horizon.......

Marco.

Mark Grant
30-03-2012, 08:04
Beautiful colours, so warm, dreamy and soft looking in a nice way.

The X100 is on my list of new toys when I see a decent offer code for Fuji refurb site :)

The Vinyl Adventure
30-03-2012, 08:48
Cheers Mark!
Yeah, I can definitely recommend it as a camera!
It goes everywhere with me!

The Vinyl Adventure
30-03-2012, 08:48
This is the same park I took the misty shots Marco so you might well be right!

Mark Grant
30-03-2012, 11:28
Cheers Mark!
Yeah, I can definitely recommend it as a camera!
It goes everywhere with me!

I keep checking the Fuji refurb page:
http://shop.fujifilm.co.uk/refurbished-digital-cameras/fujifilm-x100-refurbished.html

£659.99 at the moment and the best offer code I can find is 10% off making it £593.99.

I am hoping that there might be an Easter bank holiday offer soon ... :eyebrows:

SteveW
31-03-2012, 06:32
I keep checking the Fuji refurb page:
http://shop.fujifilm.co.uk/refurbished-digital-cameras/fujifilm-x100-refurbished.html

£659.99 at the moment and the best offer code I can find is 10% off making it £593.99.

I am hoping that there might be an Easter bank holiday offer soon ... :eyebrows:

I got my X100 a year ago after going into a shop to look at the Panasonic G range. I paid £1000, but haven't regretted it for a moment.
At £600, it's a steal. (ok, still not cheap, but in relative terms it is)

I learnt more about photography using it than I had for years mucking about with DSLR's.
It has it's limitations (ie fixed lense), but the quality of the images it can produce is wonderful.

Mark Grant
05-04-2012, 16:01
It was your thread that got me wanting one of these :)
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11344

I knew there would be a bank holiday weekend offer :)

Bought an X100 today for £543.58 and it has been despatched already :)
http://shop.fujifilm.co.uk/refurbished-digital-cameras/fujifilm-x100-refurbished.html

already on 'special price' today and then this code works:
P258BTCC467

The X10 was also tempting at about £292 + delivery with the code:
http://shop.fujifilm.co.uk/refurbished-digital-cameras/fujifilm-x10-refurbished.html

SteveW
05-04-2012, 17:03
Wow.. That is amazing value.
Have fun, and post some pics.
When the spring sun comes out, play around with the different 'film' settings. Just fantastic definition and a lovely sharp lense... and as Hamish has shown, great depth of field brings a 'zing' to pics.
Pleased for you!

The Vinyl Adventure
05-04-2012, 18:48
Yeah, good work Mark! I'm sure you will itch be very happy together :)
X10 at £300ish is indeed tempting!

kcc123
07-04-2012, 14:56
Base on my experience with the X10, during my recent holiday in Peking, the colour renditions are not that satisfying, with evidence of too much saturation, especially in red. The Fuji HS 20 is, in my opinion, far better in this respect. I got six cameras with me this time, including Fuji X10, Fuji HS20, Panasonic FZ28, Panasonic LX3, Sony A350 and Sony A55, so the results are very interesting in comparisons.

Here are some examples (I have even desaturated the colours by using Photoshop) :-

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC00937.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC00355.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC00362.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC00358.jpg

The HS20( no Photoshop)

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSCF9752.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSCF9494.jpg

The Sony A350 with 18-70mm kit lens
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC03573.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC03567.jpg

The Vinyl Adventure
07-04-2012, 15:59
did you have the x10 set to "velvia" ... maybe a silly question but if your getting vivid shots it might explain it

kcc123
07-04-2012, 16:49
I can remember what shooting mode I used as I normally set it to standard because I think the colour renditions in velvia mode are not my cup of tea.

kcc123
07-04-2012, 16:56
The first time when I tried to use the X10 without reading the manual, I could not figure out how to turn it on, very embarrassing indeed.

One thing that I do not like about the X10 is you can’t attach a filter on it because it has no filter thread.

The Vinyl Adventure
07-04-2012, 17:15
my suggestion would be to use filters with bigger cameras anyway ...
ok the lx3 takes filters, but overall IQ is not as high!

as for saturation you could always use the "astia" mode or just alter the settings to your own taste .. personally i dont worry to much about that sort of thing as I shoot almost solely in raw and process to taste anyway ...
in raw the only thing to worry about is if anything clips ... on RPF we have a chap with a xpro1 who had some problems with reds clipping to magenta in bright light ... but even that is manageable with a raw file. with jpeg shooting you might not be so lucky!

and yeah, even after reading about how to switch it on i forgot and looked at it puzzled for a few moments ... its very intuitive once you know though i think

Im surprised to hear from someone who isnt impressed with it ... everyone i have come across with one has been happy ... even taking into account the "orb" issue

kcc123
07-04-2012, 17:46
Unfortunately, I always shoot my photos in jpeg as it takes longer time for the camera to process pictures in raw even if I use a faster card. Also I am still leaning how to use those photo editing programs and my Photoshop CS2 or CS3 does not support raw files. Some of my cameras did come with raw editing programs but they are very basic.
Last week I purchased a Corel PaintShop Pro X4 which can support raw files and it means I could start taking photos in raw from now.

The Vinyl Adventure
07-04-2012, 18:07
Lightroom 4 can be had for £100 now ... At that money it's almost a no brainer and makes the tradition from jpeg to raw seamless!

kcc123
07-04-2012, 18:33
I knew it would be very costly to get a Photoshop PS5 and was not aware that the Lightroom 4 also supports raw as well, I should have bought it instead.

The Vinyl Adventure
07-04-2012, 19:03
Its pretty much geared up for raw ...
Have a crack with the 30 day trial, i would be supprised if you didn't like it ... It's entirely based on work flow for a photographer! Doesn't do quite as much as cs5 but what it does do it does in a much quicker and more intuitive way!

kcc123
07-04-2012, 19:27
OK, I will dowmload it and see how it compares with the Corel PaintShop Pro X4, thanks!

SteveW
07-04-2012, 19:42
Interesting thread.
I leave my x100 on Velvia all the time. Just love those colour boosts.
Having said that, can't think of much that I've shot in ages that has as many reds as the china shots
Better hunt around for dome terracotta to experiment with.
I have read somewhere about being able to stick filters on the x100... But I might have imagined it !

kcc123
07-04-2012, 20:24
Nearly every wall and pillar are in red when you are at the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace ) in Peking. The photos shot by the X10 just exaggerated the reds more to a certain degree.

The Vinyl Adventure
07-04-2012, 20:40
Yeah the x100 takes filters Steve
You just need an over priced adapter ... There are ways around it though, you can mount a filter with the glass removed then use that to screw the filter to ... I'll see if I can find a link to the info, else just ask on rpf if you are interested I'm sure someone on there has mentioned it!

The Vinyl Adventure
07-04-2012, 20:41
This should help
http://www.fujixseries.com/discussion/109/getting-a-filter-on-the-x100-lens/p1

SteveW
07-04-2012, 22:06
That was it..
But in truth, I don't need to protect the lense cos I always carry it round with the cap on and also in the leather case. Also, never had a problem with colour saturation. Far from it..

Tim
07-04-2012, 22:15
. . . during my recent holiday in Peking
where's Peking?

The Vinyl Adventure
07-04-2012, 22:32
Polarisers can be fun Steve ... Good for extra strong blue skys

kcc123
07-04-2012, 22:58
where's Peking?

Peking is now called Beijing, the capital of china. The Forbidden City ( also known as the Purple City), located in the centre of Beijing, was the imperial palace for twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Here are couple more panoramic pictures taken by a Sony A55

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC09988.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u114/KCCTKC/Peking/DSC09991.jpg

SteveW
07-04-2012, 23:11
See... Those shots needed more colourrrrr !!!!!!

kcc123
07-04-2012, 23:31
It was misty over there when those shots were taken.

SteveW
08-04-2012, 07:42
Ah, ok.
Must have been an amazing trip.

Tim
08-04-2012, 10:05
It was misty over there when those shots were taken.
It often is in China these days, a by product of their industrial revolution - that's likely pollution rather than mist unfortunately. Běijīng even on a hot sunny day rarely produces a clear blue sky, the brown haze you see below is always there.

http://www.bluedive.co.uk/china/china2006_561.jpg

I find it interesting you call it Peking, as it was first named Běijīng in the early 1400's during the Ming Dynasty - literal translation is 'Northern Capital', prior to that it was known as Beiping. The name Peking came about as a result of western translation, but to nearly all Chinese it has been Běijīng since the 1400's, in fact most Chinese are unaware that westerners think there has been a name change! It wasn't until the 1980's when the Chinese Government started to enforce the use of the right name, that the west started to refer to it correctly ;)

Macca
08-04-2012, 10:21
I thought it was not a change of name but a change of pronunciation with the adoption of the Pin Yin system, much like Legourno in Italy appears on older (British) maps as 'Leghorn'?

Anyway I am with Churchill on the name change issue: 'Foreign place names were invented for the benefit of Englishmen, not the other way around' although he was referring to the re-naming of Constantinople as 'Istanbul' at the time.

kcc123
08-04-2012, 10:50
Hi Tim,

Yes, agree! It is pollution rather than mist that covers Beijing most of the time. When I went there in the eighties, the sky was clear and bright, no pollution or haze at all. But during the whole period of my recent trip, it was misty everyday, a very sad fact.

I am well aware that name of the Chinese capital is called Beijing or Beiping (Mandarin) as I am Chinese in origin. But many westerners have called and still call it Peking (a Cantonese phonetic translation in English)), for instance, the world famous Peking Duck, so I used the name “Peking” as a result.

kcc123
08-04-2012, 12:03
Ah, ok.
Must have been an amazing trip.
Yes, a wonderful trip that I will never forget, thanks!

SteveW
08-04-2012, 13:03
I am well aware that name of the Chinese capital is called Beijing or Beiping (Mandarin) as I am Chinese in origin. But many westerners have called and still call it Peking (a Cantonese phonetic translation in English)), for instance, the world famous Peking Duck, so I used the name “Peking” as a result.

Ha Excellent !! You win.

SteveW
09-04-2012, 12:22
Mark.. Was just browsing Ffordes. They have a used, but in excellent nick, leather case for the x100 in at £59.

Mark Grant
10-04-2012, 21:24
Thanks Steve, I ordered the lens hood so will need a larger case than the Fuji.

Mark Grant
12-04-2012, 20:40
It arrived on Tuesday afternoon and is out of the box today and charged up:

A gratuitous passport shot :)

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx234/server9/forum-pictures/x100-IMG_1228.jpg

I think I am going to like this...

The Vinyl Adventure
12-04-2012, 20:50
You are!!

Mark Grant
12-04-2012, 21:01
:D

Test shot of a 'Cat' taken tonight, indoors with low lighting, ISO 3200 :D, lens wide open at f2 in macro mode :) No photoshop just resized to 1024 pixels wide.

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx234/server9/forum-pictures/cat-DSCF0010.jpg

Reid Malenfant
12-04-2012, 21:04
Is that a real cat? :scratch: Interesting looking creature :)

:rfl:

Mark Grant
12-04-2012, 21:06
It's a Chinese cat from a factory, it has batteries inside and frightens dogs when it wakes up :)

The Vinyl Adventure
12-04-2012, 23:02
He looks sad ... Maybe you should try some energizers!

SteveW
08-05-2012, 17:07
How you getting on with the x100 then Mark?

Mark Grant
11-05-2012, 17:32
It's fantastic but complicated :)

Not really been anywhere interesting recently for any good photo opportunities.

A couple of photos from when we visited a friend recently for dinner and wine :) and I tried the X100 at ISO 3200.


A Dog called Finnigan, fluorescent kitchen lighting at ISO 3200 and it looks OK with auto white balance, jpeg straight from camera, just resized for online to 1024 pixels, no photoshop etc:

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx234/server9/forum-pictures/finnigan-DSCF0023.jpg

------------------------
Wine glasses, again at ISO 3200, lens wide open at f2 and very dimly lit room much darker than it looks in the photo, no photoshop just resized to 1024 pixels:

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx234/server9/forum-pictures/wine-DSCF0047.jpg