18mm  1/60  f/2  ISO 200

We all know the Fuji XP1 is an amazing camera. Ahhh, it’s a gimme. Ya know…I get hit with emails, pm’s on forums, text messages etc about how I’m not getting the most from my camera because I’m using the weakest link in the Fuji lens lineup, the 18mm.

Weeeelllll! EXCUSE ME! Sorry about being born, I mean if I knew what I do bothers you, I’d take it into consideration and do what you want….YEAH RIGHT! Hold your breath, count to 14000 and I’ll use the 18  to make a photo of you being planted next to the tomatoes.

Oh, am I being sarcastic? nah….  See Barsik up there…..yeah, the cat photo. Well, that’s made really close up. Seriously, it’s not Macro but it’s about 5-6″ from his eye. That really opens up another view of your world. It doesn’t open up my world cause I know about how good the 18mm is but it does to you cause your reading this in secrecy and want to find out but not let anyone know that you have hidden feelings for the lowly 18mm. That’s ok, I will never check you on it and never mention that you absolutely adore this lens, especially on a forum. Your safe with me.

There’s good resolution, nice Mr Bokeh and the tones are really nice. I probably could have sharpened it more but that’s my buddy and the photo is warm like him.

18mm 1/60  f/2  ISO 800

This is at 800 and f/2 really close. It’s not bad for a lens that can’t deliver. Yeah, the 35mm is much better. I have it and like it….it’s in my camera bag some place and maybe before the Spring starts, I’ll try to find it….yeah, sure is a great lens.

18mm  1/60  f/2.8  ISO 800.

This photo is made for my Mother In Law in Tula Russia. She sent this to me so that my wife Tanya and I could have memories of her and Tanya’s home while we eat.

When I process images, I take personal liberty to make the resultant equivalent image feel the way I feel when I look at it. Sorry, but I don’t try to stay in the conventions that inhibit most photographers. Tanya, my wife said that MOMMA will cry when she sees this photo. I won’t know for a spell because I had the photo matted and we sent it by mail this morning. Momma doesn’t have any computer, digital anything. It’s ok, even tho’ it felt strange to feel a print again. Maybe it’s time to turn the darkroom on again……hmmmmmmmm nah, nope!

18mm   1/125  f/2.8  ISO 800

What the 18mm has that is most attractive and useful is it’s DOF. It allows you to work very wide in aperture and still get a image that represents the scene very well. It doesn’t blow out the background unless you want it to. The XP1 is extremely fast to work with. I hear tell about people cursing the camera cause it’s not fast enough to AF. TSK…TSK…Gimme a break will ya. I will share one of the ways I use the 18mm and post the table at the end of this post.

18mm  1/125  f/4  ISO 800

Did ya see all that flare from the 18mm….terrible ain’t it! What the heck are you smoking? There ain’t no dang flare on the 18mm here in Philly. If you have it where you are, move just a slight bit to the left or right…see…..bye flare….sheeesh. The XP1 is very nice to work with the 18mm. It’s a good lens on the XE1 and XE2 also but it doesn’t work on the X20.  Once I used my Hammer and Chisel on the X20 and got that stupid lens off….well, the 18mm wouldn’t mount…..neither would the X20 lens.hmmmmm must be a better way to mount/unmount a lens.

18mm  1/125  f/4  ISO 800

I have billions more photos from this combination but I just wanted to take a non serious serious look at the things the 18mm can do that other’s say it can’t. If you really love photography and use Fuji cameras like everyone that loves photography, I urge you to try the 18mm.

Never let anyone put stuff in your mind that you can’t sort out and dismiss. It’s nice to read things on blogs and forums but you have to learn to make your decisions from the info you trust. That info is what you sort out in your brain and can apply to the situation at hand. The 18mm gets a bad rap because of this vicious cycle. Guys post on a forum that it’s not as good as any other lens and then you put that crap in your head. The brain processes that info and form that point on…you have to struggle to make a change in your thinking.

Your photography belongs to you. If you decide to share it, fine but it’s not necessary. What is of the utmost importance is that YOU STAY TRUE TO YOUR VISION.

You do that by being in touch with your Eye, Heart and Mind. If I think about all the photos that would never have been borne because I listened and didn’t use the 18mm….it breaks my heart.

                                18mm  1/60  f/2  ISO 800

 

Here’s the method I promised.

Lens focused at 10′          Use Manual Focus.         Watch the focus ring, it has a sense of humor.

4.0     5.72 – 39′

5.6     4.8 – Inf

8.0   4.9 – Inf

11     3.2 – Inf

16     2.5 – Inf

 

Lens focused at 7′

4      4.6 – 14.7′

5.6   4.0 – 26.8′

8     3.4 – Inf

11    2.8 – Inf

16  2.2 – Inf

I didn’t do this in meters because I use the foot thing. It comes directly from the DOF Master tables. I keep this in my iPhone 5 on a note. Then I can check things out on the go and I go a lot.

Thanks for stopping by…………shooter out……………………..