That Certain Something

When it comes to shooting with a Leica, there was always that particular something with the snaps. That almost magical separation of background and foreground was just difficult to describe. People called this bokeh, but with a Leica lens, there is an ethereal quality to that.

Modern cameras and smartphones had algorithms to recreate this, but it almost looked fake. Nothing could replace the real thing. And having an afternoon in town with Leica rangefinder and a summilux lens gives you that great buzz.

Despite been using my medium format in the last few outings, I returned to the rangefinder set up on the previous few outings. I must say that the experience was completely different since I bought an electronic viewfinder - the EVF-2. It gave a different dimension to my snaps, allowing me to not worry about focusing since my eyesight is not perfect.

The electronic viewfinder also allowed me to be in control with the depth of field, the exposure and the white balance. Before this, I tended to bracket my shots at different exposure compensation since the camera tended to underexpose. Not anymore with my new setup. I was able to get better snaps, and the setup time was also sorter and the snaps more controlled.

All in all, I can never go back to the rangefinder without the viewfinder attached. It was not just for the focusing, but to get more control of the snaps. And for those who wanted to invest in one, it was well worth the upgrade ...

The New GR

I have always been a fan of the Ricoh GR series of camera. Unfortunately, they are on the fragile side - or at least when left in my hands. The first GR II suffered a malfunction on the lens mount after 3 years. So I bought a second unit.

Last a couple of Ramadhan back, I accidentally dropped the camera, damaging the kens cover. I was not able to completely close the lens, exposing the lens glasses to the elements. So, I could not take it out much longer. Then came the announcement that Ricoh would be launching a mark III of the Digital GR. 

The new update retained much of the old specs, with sensible improvements. It also shrunk in size, making the already small GR II even smaller, despite retaining the APS-C size sensor. But now, the resolution is bumped up to 24 MP. The lens also had some improvement, reportedly sharper. And now, it has a sensor-based image stabilising system. The lens remains 28mm equivalent with a maximum aperture of f2.8.

That however meant battery life suffered - hence the need for an extra battery pack, which I bought as part of the package. The new iteration also dd away with the built-in flash. This was a shame since I used plenty of them before for fill-ins.

I had only managed to use the camera twice so far, still undecided if processing the RAW file would be worth the hassle. The camera definitely is capable of capturing amazing images despite the tiny package. It needed getting used to as I tended to put it near my face expecting it to have a viewfinder. 

The colours seemed to be muted on the RAW captures, needing plenty of tweaking. Using Lightroom, the jpeg photos really have the richness which the RAW files appear to be missing. 

More experimentation and hopefully some chance to take the camera out in the next few days ...

First Look at the RX1

After the Leica S 2 sent my head spinning, I visited the Sony Center at Suria and for the first time handled the new RX1. This is a full frame digital compact. Not really a compact as it was the size of my X-Pro with the 18mm lens attached.

This camera has a Carl Zeiss optic attaches to it - a 35mm f2 prime variant. No changeable lens though. It is permanently attached. But as lenses go, this appeared to be a sweet one. And the price tag? RM9990! OMG! This a premium compact if there was one.

Although not as expensive as the Leica M system, coming from Sony, this is expensive. The reviews I read had been rather mixed, with a rather disappointing low light performance despite the sensor size.

It was also not exactly compact. The lens does not retract inwards, and the package on the whole was a bulky one. Not exactly pocketable as is its little sister, the famed RX100. I have yet to see a real review from a user in the field, so I would reserve my judgement on this little gadget, but when it was first announced, I did have high hopes for this camera. As much as I did with my current camera, the Fujifilm X-Pro1. I wasn't exactly looking for replacement as the camera produce superb photos, the kind that I wanted, but it was always nice to know what was on offer. I felt that Sony may soon be doing some tinkering with this one, and would be releasing a version 2 of this promising camera soon ....... Watch this space.

3 Months On

After 3 months with the X-pro1, the camera had definitely grew on me. At the beginning, it was a stunner of a camera in the hand. And as a user of the X100, I was surprised as to how bulky it felt in the hand compared to the svelte-like little sister. The shutter movement was also a surprised, as I was used to the silent X100, which employed a leaf shutter. 

Let's talk about three strong points for the X-pro1. 

First, the quality of the jpeg. What came out from the sensor was something I was not expecting. Yes, I knew it would be good, but not as good as I thought it was going to be. The lack of low-pass filter, made possible by the X-trans sensor configuration appeared to sharpen the results. The jpeg coming out from the card only needed minor tweaking. I have yet to use the RAW data as I use Aperture for my post work. Apple has yet to release a RAW converter for the camera. I found that using the RAW files with the X100 only added to a headache as the jpeg engine on the cameras were already top notch. Coupled with the amazing prime lens that Fuji released, we had a clear winner as far as sharp images were concerned.

Halloween Time

Second, the white balance. As mentioned, one of the reason of using RAW was to get the white balance right. Shooting RAW allowed for more latitude as far as exposure and white balance were concerned. But still, too many choices in post just led to longer time spent processing, which in the end might not add to the quality of the results. With the X-pro1, the white balance, especially the skin tone were very much film-like. This was not surprising since Fuji made their mark as innovators in print films. My old favorites were Reala and Velvia. Natural reasons for me to be drawn to the palette of the jpegs. And the results from the X-pro1 seemed better compared to the X100 as far as white balance were concerned. 

Restricting the discussion to three points could never do justice to this beautiful camera. So, for the final section, I would like to discuss about the gamble Fuji took in leasing a new camera system with a propriety mount. Fuji called this the X-mount. And the primes - three of them, the 18mm f2.0, 35mm f1.4 and 60mm f2.4 - available on the day of the launch were of a high quality. 

I own both the 18mm and 35mm. Every time I go out, I was torn between the two as to which one I should have attached to the body. Over the years, I have always been drawn to the 50mm focal length. And the 35mm provided that. Add that to the wide aperture, you really get shallow depth-of-field when you snap using this lens. Some time a bit too shallow. Using primes also made you think before you shoot, and often let you feet do the work when composing. 

The inimitable Cap Ayam

The X-pro1 was not exactly a small investment on my part. But it had been a joy to use, and certainly fulfilled my needs. I wished that it could be smaller, with a slightly smarter focussing mechanism, but you can't have everything. I was sure that some software tweak may improve the focussing. If you were looking for a premium quality compact system camera, the X-pro1 is a good bet.

The First Post

​My regular blog entries would still be at harisrahman.com, but occasionally, especially if it is photography-related would likely appear up here.

So, for the first post, it would be about the recent trip to Frasers Hill. Unfortunately, I couldn't write much as I would be traveling to Penang a bit later.​ The trip this time also showcased my new gear, the Fujifilm X-Pro1, with the ultrasharp 35mm f1.4 lens. And the the photos I was getting were more than pleasing. Shame that the 35mm lens equate to 53 mm, hence it was a bit more tele than I wished for.