So the time was running out in my mind to get really settled in with Andre’ the Fuji XP1 and his 23mm that acts like a 35mm. See, as much as I like the camera and lens, if it doesn’t respond to me in the manner I want and need….it can go to eBay and find someone else to work with. Fortunately for us, that is an impossibility. See, when I’m working…I don’t want a camera to disappear or be numb. I don’t want it poking my hand either or making stupid choices or worse, force me to make choices at the wrong time. Well, that’s called intrusions.
What’s an intrusion? Your sitting on the toilet, reading your ipod, iphone etc and no one is home. Then when it’s time and really important, you realize that there is no paper around. That my friends is an intrusion.
So Andre’ and I were walking for a few hours and covered the terrain we both know oh so well. The 23mm has now found it’s home on Andre’ and with me. We are at one. We are complete and we are content to forge ahead in the new world of seasons and find the hidden photos that we will bring to life together.
Andre’ was relaxing in my right hand with the Luigi Strap making him and I feel secure about not being separated. I felt a vibration start and I saw the light that Mother Nature provided to help us on our journey. I leaned over the railing of the lower courtyard of the Municipal Services Plaza and saw a shadow that looked like us. I thought…geeze, that’s odd. That shadow looks like us Andre’, what do you think about that?
See, here’s the thing. The Fujifilm X-PRO 1 is a camera that will either make or break a shooter. I am dead serious. I use Andre’ in AI mode of Manual. AI is a robot that is somewhere in time. Ok..OK…. Andre’ looked at the shadow and made me move a little so that the 23mm 35mmFOV lens could accommodate the scene. I was looking at them shadows I tell ya. I saw the making of a photo and kept looking at the shadow wondering how they looked like us.
Andre’ had enough and said..”Look at the man STUPID……that’s the shot. Of course he was right and the 3 of us framed it and came home to our counterpart…the PC with Light Room …but that my friends is another story.
Shadow man confronts mystery man…another nice capture and posting Don. Thanks.
Thanks Dave. Listen, I won’t repeat anything so pratell, what did ya name the new camera?
Haven’t yet.
See, that there’s a problem….I won’t tell ya what problem, you have to figure it out fer yerself but the naming of a camera fixes all things……
Well, my shrink tells me that anyway…….
PC? Oh man, we need to talk!
Gene, c’mon…you know I’m a renaissance guy. I use a Windows 8 PC but my Mac’s are running fine also.
sheeeeesh……..
Yea, looks like that guy gonna have a lot to say, but ya know, you and Andre had the last word. Looks like you both cut’em off in mid sentence too…….
Thanks again Keith. Ya know, on the street…the shooter especially me never gets the last word. I’ll have to watch out for this guy for the rest of my….well for a spell anyway. Truth is, we know each other and he was calling out to me…”Where is my coffee”?
There are images that make me wanna get my digital stuff out of the way for a while and return to film and nights in the darkroom. This is one of them. I’m not talking film vs. digital, I’ve nothing against the latter but I sure miss some of the magic and the overall alchemical process … you know what I mean. I’ve been able to cope with it for about 10 years but the itching gets stronger these days and there’s only one thing I can do about it.
I still have a Nikon F2, 2 OMs, a Texas Leica, some lenses and some darkroom stuff – sold the larger part many moons ago but kept my favs … and it looks like their day moves ever closer.
PS: all while the XP1 is in for service … dust behind the sensor filter and in the VF – yuk.
How about you, Don ?
Ken, you open a great big bag of worms. I have a great darkroom. It has temperature control, humidity control, water filtered and temp controlled. I have a nice dust free filtration system and a drying cabinet with warm filtered air.
Ya know what else I have on some negs? DUST! DUST! Yeah, of course I can spot prints> LORD knows that I’ve spent many hours, days, weeks etc spotting prints.
I’ll tell ya this. The single most important thing to digital imaging for me is CLEAN!I don’t have a makeshift darkroom. I am a meticulous worker because I love what I do and it defines me.
Do I miss film? NO! Will I ever go back to film? NO! Why? Because I love making photos. I must make photos, it’s my life’s work. Working in digital is not a choice for me. I want the best I can get from what I’m doing.
Silver prints are beautiful and I have a great collection and archive. For me, shooting film, processing the negs and scanning them to make a digital file is…well…I take meds for this sort of thing.
I loved the alchemy of the darkroom. I made developers for many other shooters to suite their needs. Anyway, that’s all the same to me like presets.
So, in reality, the end result is all that matters. BUNK! PROCESS is what you make of it and that is what drives the image and the soul. You are a good shooter and I hope you find the way to satisfaction in your work and clear the mind of the past. That may or may not mean to have film as a part of it. Everyone has their own vision and for me, I don’t need or want the intrusion that film brings to the table.
How about you Ken?
Thanks Don for your inspiring stories; they are instructive, reflective and humorous. I love blog and your pictures of course.
I have a question. As you now the OVF switches automatic to a higher magnification level with the use of the 35 mm lens. What happens with OVF when using the 23 mm lens?
Good question. It seems that the area around the frame line stays the same. I don’t mean the image area but the actual area of the finder. Of course there is an obvious magnification but it’s actually nice and not intruding or obnoxious. So if you switch lenses, the frame line seems to stay the same as far as size goes but the magnification using the 35mm (50) gets increased. Great set up, even the Leica doesn’t do that.
Thanks Don for your explanation. I found this (see link) with a picture of the OVF when using the 23 mm lens.
http://rileyjoseph.com/theblog/13898427/fujinonxf23
You have to scroll down a bit.
I hoped that the frame lines in the OVF, when using the 23 mm lens, automatically switches to a higher magnification level, like with the 35 mm lens.
It is apparent that the frame lines in the OVF are optimal for the use with 18 mm and the 35 mm; the two lenses I own.
Yeah, I read that post some time ago. For me, it’s see the lens on the camera. The only lens that’s with a small frame line is the 27mm. The 18, 23 & 35 are larger and a beautiful thing.
Another great photograph you’ve made here Don!
Thanks Duane. Much appreciated.