Meet Mr Harald

When he was 48, he was informed by a doctor that his illness will never make him to 50.

“One fine morning at 5am in my office while i’m getting ready my paperwork, I have a sudden shocking moment and the first thing to come out of my mind is god. What have I did in my life? the sins that I made….Everybody is terrified of dying”

Since then, he became a Bible Missionary. He originated from Europe, stayed at Australia for a few years before deciding to travel to keep his promise to god. In Malaysia, he travel to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kelantan & Sabah. I met him at Gaya Street after being in Kota Kinabalu for about 1 week and might be travelling to Sandakan by next week. He was Philiphine before coming over to Sabah.

While talking to him, he quoted numbers of verse from The Bible and I ask him how he memorize each verse.

“Young man, I know you like photography. I know you can explain me about the aperture and the shutter speed, the light and everything about it. Same to me, I have been Bible Missionary for more than 20 years and I’m reading it until todaay. Can you see the similiar concept here?

His life and travel mainly depends on public donations.

I was on my way to the office this morning and decided to drive though Gaya Street when I see this guy with superb beard sitting on a bench reading “Knowledge Magazine”. I drove twice pass his sitting place and finally I make up my mind that I must go to him and take his portrait. The fear of getting rejected is always the issue here, but in case on being rejected, take the pill, swallow it and digest it. Then I got the confidence to approach him, spend a little time to know him, and lastly get the portrait. To my readers, meet Mr Jeremiah Harald. Phew…

Jeremiah Harald, 71.

Fujifilm X100T Review

Thaipusam Festival 2015 | Fujifilm X100T

Fujifilm X-Pro1 has done amazing job throughout almost 2 years of using it. It was the camera that really gives me a new experience of taking pictures. It teaches me to slow down and be discreet about what i’m about to shoot, and wait for the moment desired before actually clicking the shutter. With the variety choose of Fujinon lenses on the market, or some like to use other lenses with the use an adaptor, there is actually no reason for me to upgrade the Fujifilm X-Pro1. It is the camera that fit my requirement and I’m super satisfied with it.

I had several chances of hands-on  experience with Fujifilm X100 series on actual fields of shooting. I liked every single part of it, the vintage design & its performance. I’m considering the own it ever since but keep on reluctant as I had already one of the best camera I ever had, the Fujifilm X-Pro1.

Fish Market | Fujifilm X-Pro1

Things has changed and so to me.

I barely use my 14mm Fujinon lens. The 35mm Fujinon lens always attached to my X-pro1 body. I can travel with only 1 lens (fujinon 35mm) attached to the X-Pro1 and I’m happy with it. Then I was thinking about how pocketable the X100 are. Switching 35mm to 23mm is not a big deal for me, as I tried it before. The X100 series is what I need for travelling. Fixed lens allow me to shorten my decision which lens to use, I can enjoy the extra time to witness the beauty of the view, not wasting a single second to think which lens is the best for this kind of view and the time taken to switch the lenses if required to do so. Being small and compact yet deliver fine quality of images, I can always carry the camera in my pocket and take it out when needed. The compact & small design makes people think I was just a tourist and not to draw their attention compared to the big sized DLSR and its lenses. So people feel more relax with it, because it was just an idiot here taking photos of them. For older people, the design opens up conversation when they asking if this was an old camera, so it is a bonus tool to communicate and engaged to the them. Wifi capabilities on X100T added another good reason why I should go the for upgrade (or downgrade?) from Fujifilm X-Pro1 to Fujifilm X100T.

Focusing

The focus is not the fastest AF on the market but it was fine to me, at least it work faster than X-pro1 does. Is was good to know X100T has the face detection mode, this is useful when you asked somebody to take your photo with the higher success rate not to of out of focus which always happens to me.

Fujifilm has made focusing much more fun yet classic focusing experience, it offer split focusing which adopted from analogue camera. I love to use this focusing when a scene not requires fast focusing, it was whole new experience for me (a digital camera with split focusing).

Buttons

Most of the button is programmable. Since I used to the X-Pro1 fuction button setting, I set the same for the X100T with a little changes. Up button is for Face-Detection, Down for Select focus area, Left for ND Filter, Right for timer, another 2 function setting is for video (Default) near the EV Dial, and for Photometry option. The up button which I choose to work as face detection mode sometimes I switch to flash EV when needed.

Q Button menu also can costumizeable,

Fujifilm made the camera, you design its function button because it simply yours.

Leather Case

I was given leather case as a free give when I bought X100T. It protect the whole body of the camera. While in use, you can either just open part of it or to leave only the “jacket” case. You can access battery memory card bay while using the leather case. But using the leather case meaning you add the case of the camera, it will no longer a pocketable size camera. Furthermore, the leather case did not provide mounting for tripod.

Cam Remote Apps

I would not end the review without mentioning about the “Cam Remote” Apps (available in App Store and Play store). With the wifi capability on X100T, you can now control your camera remotely with the apps. You can select your focusing, choose your shutter speed, ISO, Aperture, EV, film simulation and more with the apps. You can transfer the file to your device like iPad or iPhone with different option of file resolution.

Backlight | Fujifilm X100T

Please note that this review only a brief review about what I like to say about this camera.

Update on 6th July 2015:

This advise goes to those who still thinking of switching DSLR to a mirror less system with fixed lens. Before I switch to X100 series, I have been using X-Pro1 for nearly 2 years which I can consider a period of “transition”. With only 2 lens to use (35mm and 14mm), this is very limited range compared in lenses I can use with my DLSR. But sooner I found that I can live with only 35mm lens. And I accept about fact that the X-pro1 can’t beat all features DSLR can offer such as shutter lag and the AF. It teaches me to slow down my desire to shoot, but to really compose my frame and be discreet about the moment that I really wanted. I became comfortable with its weakness, it wasn’t a big issue for me. The good thing is it produce good image quality. When Fuji released X100T, I was about to buy a fujinon pancake lens (27mm) and I was thinking that maybe I should buy X100T instead. Smaller body, light weight, wifi capability and for the silver version, it look like an antique camera, everybody are afraid of the big black DSLR body nowadays, but the design of X100 series makes people want to know if the camera is still working, now you have the chance to know your subject and it is the chance for you to get nice looking portrait.

Child Photography – Shoot Backlight With Fujifilm X100T

X100T Classic Chrome + Snapseed on iPad

X100T Classic Chrome + after light  on iPad

X100T Classic Chrome + After Lgiht on iPad

X100T Classic Chrome + Snapseed on iPad

When we compare the workflow of a photo let say 5 years ago, things has been changed a lot. When we shoot with camera, we do have an options for our jpeg output like Black and White or Sephia etc. But the latest camera (talking about Fujifilm) nowadays have another option called Film Simulation. My first 4 months of using Fujifilm X-Pro 1, I shoot with “Astia”. I like the effect how it deepen the shadow area and pops out the colour but not too much which suits my taste. This Film Simulation effects will do nothing to your RAW file. With X100T, I think I’m in love with the Classic Chrome, it appear to be a default film simulation in my camera which I use almost all the time except when I shoot in black and white. After the shooting, you need to transfer your images to your computer, do some editing to enhance the photo and share your work in Facebook or other social media.

Then the WIFI feature introduced in most of the camera nowadays. We can now install apps to our phones or tabs and connect to our camera. When connected, we can geotag, browse and fully control a “live” remote shooting with it. The images can be shared straight away after the shooting without transferring images to a computer. It actually cut down the workflow that we used before. The are dozens of photo apps can be downloaded providing amazing photo enhancement. For me, by the time I write this post, I’m using Snapseed, Afterlight and VSCO cam, there are some limitation with these apps, but not a big issue if those images intended just to be share on social media.