For the Love of the X70

I don't usually talk about gear on this blog. Once I got over my initial case of gear fixation, I've mostly tried to focus on the process instead of the tools. But, as my father always says, "To do the job right, your need the proper tools." Today I wanted to talk about one of my favorite tools, the Fujifilm X70.

I've been working exclusively with the Fujifilm X Series cameras for about 2 years now (my gear list can be found on the right of blog page). It only took about 6 months after picking up my X-E2 to decide I wanted to switch entirely over that system from Canon. Everyone is different on what they want in a system, just like everyone is different in what they want in a car (or no car at all!). For me, there were a few factors in deciding to switch to the X-Series. First of all, there was the size. Being mirrorless, most of the set ups pack down way smaller than what I had going on with my mid-size DSLR. Secondly, there was the glass quality. Every single lens Fujifilm puts out is professional grade, there's none of this entry level junk. Fuji's lenses are top of the line, solid, sharp, and fast. Thirdly, and this is probably the biggest selling point for me, the X Series is made for those who love shooting manual. The designs hearken back to analog. Instead of menus, there are dials, beautiful, wonderful dials. I wasn't a photographer in the film age, but I have a deep appreciation for the medium. And, the X Series cameras honor that, not only in the design and functionality, but also with the Fujifilm film simulations you can apply in camera or in post. Bottom line, using the X Series system is a blast.

Last September, while we were in Akron, my husband surprised me one morning with a box from B&H Photo Video. Nestled inside the packing material and assorted free oddments, sat one of those lovely black boxes Fujifilm packages their X Series in. I have to admit, I was quite taken aback. I had just two days prior, picked up the long anticipated X-T2 (fabulous, fabulous camera, by the way). I certainly wasn't planning on adding another camera to the fleet already. But, inside that black box was the wee X70 and that was kind of a big deal.

You see, I had been searching for a pocketable camera on and off for a couple of years. I had toyed with the idea of the beautiful X100T, but it measures a bit too large for a pocket camera (at least for the diminutive pockets they put in most women's clothing). One of my main desires was to find something that would fit in a cycling jersey pocket. My old iPhone is all well and good for messaging funny pet pictures to the fam or snapping the local bus schedule for later reference, but it can't hold up to a real lens for any serious photography (I'm sorry, it can't). I looked at other brands like Sony and Nikon, but I really wasn't keen on either's design and functionality in this range. Plus, after using my X-E2 alongside a Canon, I really, really didn't want to add a different system into the mix again. The amount of shots lost due to system switch confusion was a little ridiculous in those days. Anyway, when Fujifilm released the X70, the idea of adding a small pocket camera to the collection didn't seem like a lost cause anymore. 

And so, out of the blue, I now had one! I named it Baby. All the cameras have names, yes. With all the X this and X that it's easier to keep them straight. Before long, what was intended to be a cycling camera became my everyday carry camera. It comes out on dog walks with me, to the grocery store, and all the other times when I want to have a camera, but don't need or want to carry a bag.

Captured with my X70 while out walking The Dog.

I honestly didn't expect to love this camera as much as I do. Here's why it's stolen my heart.

1. Size- while a bit larger than some other models in that market, it fits nicely in my jacket pockets and jersey pockets. It is small and light enough to fit in the bag with other bodies if I want a backup.

2. Design- most cameras of this sort keep the dials and knobs to a minimum, with setting customization being limited and only found in menus. The X70 sticks with the X Series honor of manual control. Your basic functions can all be controlled quickly and easily on the body like the majority of the other X Series cameras. Aperture is found on the lens, exposure and exposure compensation are controlled on the dials, and ISO can be assigned to one of the buttons.

3. That flip screen- Arguably, Fujifilm has always been weak on this feature. All of the early model X series had fixed LCD screens. I generally shoot with a viewfinder, but I found the lack of an articulated LCD very trying when I wanted a more unique perspective or when I was shooting from a tripod. That problem is why I went with the X-T line for my workhorses over the X-Pros. Anyway, the X70 has a pretty advanced screen. It can flip into selfie position, which means we now have a couple pictures together for a change. It is also a touch screen. It can be set to select a focus point or to take the shot. I usually have it set for focus since that's a heck of a lot faster than the select buttons. Since the X70 doesn't have a viewfinder, the advanced LCD makes up for it.

4. Full functionality- It has the same capabilities as the X-E2 like bracketing, burst, time lapse, WiFi, video, detailed display, etc. There is no reason why it can't be the only camera on you. Plus, if I want to pass it over to my husband or someone else, I can just flip it into Auto and they don't have to worry about anything. The JPEGs come out top notch, just as you would expect from Fujifilm.

5. Fixed lens- This may be a deal breaker for a lot of people, but I love the fixed focal length. It's a nice wide 18.5mm f/2.8 meaning it's a great all rounder. It is bright and unobtrusive, making it perfect for street photographers. It is wide and sharp for scenery. It gets out of the way, and let's you craft the image.

Because it's the size of my iPhone the X70 is the only camera The Dog allows me to get close to him with. 

Now for the downside. Rumor has it that Sony quit making the 16mps sensor and that means Fujifilm will be discontinuing a lot of their cameras that used that sensor. That includes the X70. That's pretty sad since it hasn't been on the market for even a year yet. I love this little camera and I'm really disappointed that Fujifilm may not be continuing with it. Hopefully, it doesn't mean they will be scrapping the 16mps models completely by ending firmware updates too. Only time will tell. Of course, there's always the small chance those lines will be rebooted with a new sensor. Who knows at this point since the discontinuation is still just a rumor (although stock is disappearing from some stores in Europe and Japan). While certainly not a flagship, the X70 definitely filled a need for a lot of photographers and its performance has given it top marks from reviewers. I for one will always be a fan and will continue to use Baby until it dies. 

Of course, the one bright side of this is that the price will significantly drop on the X70 if it is discontinued. For now, Amazon.com and B&H still have them fully in stock so if an official announcement is made, they will probably be discounted significantly. Amazon DE and Amazon UK are low on stock (UK is out of silver), so there may very well be something to the rumor. However, I've found Amazon DE sellers generally don't keep a large stock of photo equipment anyway. Be that as it may, this may be the opportunity to take advantage of a great deal caused by a series of unfortunate events. For those who love manual shooting or want to learn it or whole love fixed lens bodies or who want to broaden their photography by using one, the X70 is a fantastic little camera and would make a great gift this season.

Questions for Fall Days

It's been pretty quite around here lately.  The weather turned from summer to fall to winter in about six days and we've been scrambling to cope with the fast plummet into dark days and cold rain.  We don't have any travel dates lined up until November when we head back to Ohio for the annual visit home.  So, we've been hanging around locally and spending a lot of time cycling (trying to stave off the inevitable holiday chub as long as possible, ha ha).  Of course, this time of year is probably the most dramatic visually.  I've been taking the camera out as much as possible when we get a break from the seasonal monsoon.  We did a quick shoot on Sunday and I got out early one morning this week when there was some fog on the river.  The rest of the time it's been pretty wet or we've been out on the bikes.

Every weekend morning when we're home we're cycling.  We also hit the roads a couple of weekday evenings after my husband gets home from work.  We see a lot of incredible stuff on the roads and paths and, of course, the light is always at its best when the sun is just coming over or heading below the hills.  I don't take a camera with me on these rides, just my iPhone, and that's starting to bug me.  It's very difficult to balance the two things I love to do when they both need the same time of day.  The X-E2 is too big to carry in my jersey pockets, and I don't want to carry it strapped to my back (because a. that's not cool and b. it's pretty uncomfortable).  So, I've been using my iPhone.  Every time I pull it out of my pocket to get a shot of a great sunset, like the one below, I curse the absence of a real camera in my hand.  Sorry, Apple fans, they still don't make a phone camera that can stand up to a real camera.

It's raised the question of what my gear priority should be.  Like a lot of X-Series photographers, I'm waiting and waiting for the official specs on the X-Pro2.  In the meantime, I'm kicking around adding a compact to the collection- something small enough to slide into a jersey pocket, but better performing than the iPhone (which wouldn't take too much.)  I originally looked into a waterproof sports camera, but their capabilities aren't too much better than a smartphone.  Plus, they're designed mostly for underwater applications.  So, keeping in mind that a compact wouldn't be weatherproof, I started to check out some models with higher end glass and a few other features that I would like to have access to.  That's dumped me at the door of Sony and it's Cyber-shot RX100 III (yeah, I realize there's a IV but the older model is cheaper).  It's small, has a slick pop-up view finder, tiltable screen, multiple shooting modes, WiFi, and good optics from the Zeiss lens.  It's a tantalizing choice.  The price, though, isn't.  Knowing that I will be adding another X-Series body for my regular shooting sometime next Spring, the cost of an RX100 III would dip into the budget quite a bit.  But, I'm missing a lot of shots while out on the bike...

Decisions, decisions...

While I ponder this dilemma, I'll keep heading out on the paths with the X-E2 in between the deluges.  It has been absolutely stunning out there lately.

End of Summer

XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 LM OIS

As it's been a few weeks, I figured it was good time to check in.  After Norway, we've had several weeks off.  By off I mean we have been at home, not jumping on a train, on a plane, or in the car every weekend.  As awesome as traveling is, it is nice to have some down time living out of a dresser instead of a suitcase.  The cats are no longer confused about who their people are.  And, The Dog?  Well, I'm not sure if he's ever really pleased about anything, but at least he's getting regular hikes every week.

But, we haven't really been off with our feet up either.  Our evenings and weekends have been taken up with cycling.  We originally planned out that we would aim to do a 200km ride by the end of the summer.  We ended up biting off a little more than we could chew with the traveling this year and didn't allow enough training time.  So, we knocked it back to a 160km goal.  But, there was a sudden death in the family and I had to head back to Akron at the end of July.  Our training and fitness isn't where we wanted it to be when we laid down our goals at the beginning of the year, but it isn't a total wash.  This weekend we're going to attempt that 160km ride.  And, I'll be doing it on a new bike.  Upon returning home from Akron, I discovered my bottom bracket was starting to fail on my Raleigh.  It was actually easier to purchase a new bike instead of waiting for a shop to make the repairs (shops around here only repair by appointment and they have to be scheduled weeks in advance).  The new ride is a Fuji Roubaix 1.3LTD.  No, I didn't buy it because I'm obsessed with brands named after Mt. Fuji.  It was the only brand the shop stocked.  But, I'm really pleased with it.  It is another level up from the Raleigh, and, I gotta say, that upgrade makes quite a difference.  So, that's what's been going on.

As for photography, I've been going back to my roots a bit and have been shooting handheld when out and about.  The camera is always with me when we take The Dog on his hikes.  We've been hitting some local trails after our Sunday rides and I've kept my kit to the minimum, using just the 18-55mm or the 35mm.

XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 LM OIS

XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 LM OIS

The cycling regime definitely cuts into shooting time, however.  This hot summer meant the rides had to start early, right when the light was perfect.  While the X-E2 is pretty small, it's not small enough to fit in a cycling jersey.  One of the things I would like to add to my kit is a high end compact.  We pass by some incredible sights on our rides, and the iPhone camera is not doing them justice in the least.   I kinda hate opening up my portfolio from this time of year and only seeing flat iPhone exposures.  I'm really interested in the Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100 range because they have features that no other compact has, but those price tags (and it always comes down to the price tags) are making an upcoming purchase unlikely.  The #1 gear purchase priority is still a second Fuijifilm X Series body.  Once they finally announce what the X-Pro2 is going to be packing I'll be making a decision on which camera to acquire next Spring (economy dependent, of course).  Losing shooting time and light for cycling is a frustrating situation, but I am compiling a great list of locations for later in the year.  Right now, after 4+ hours on the bike in high temperatures, the last thing I want to do is jump in the car and shoot somewhere.  On the weekends it takes a lot to stay awake past 8:00pm.

But, next week my parents are coming in for a visit and we'll be hitting the road to show them around Bavaria and the Alps.  It'll be the last major trip for 2015 before we head back to Akron for our home leave visit around Thanksgiving.  It'll be good to give the legs a bit of a break and get back behind the lens!

XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 LM OIS

At De Ronde

So, last week I mentioned that we were up in Ghent in order to catch De Ronde van Vlaanderen cycling race.  When we lived in Luxembourg we tried to catch as many weekend single day races as we could, Omloop, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold, etc.  "The Classics" are my favorite races of the season.  The big grand tours are great and all, but the luster has worn off a little over the years.  With the never ending doping sagas and the monotonous and predictable tactics, they no longer grab my attention as they once did.  The action of a single day race, however, is still magic.  While I adore LBL and Paris-Roubaix, in my opinion, the best race to be there for is De Ronde.  There's nothing like being on one of the Flemish hills with a big screen TV, a cone of frites, a plastic cup of beer, and a bunch of Belgian cycling fans.  Nothing.

We were on the Paterberg in 2013 before the sun came up and I took a ton of photos all day of the action on the hill.

The rest of that set is up on my Flickr page, if you want to see some rider photos and shots from some of the other races.

This year on the Paterberg was about the same.  We still got there before sunrise and watched a hill in the middle of nowhere turn into one of the biggest parties Flanders probably sees all year. The medic ambulance got stuck in the mud again.  The burgers and frites were still hot, good, and messy.  The beer was flowing, but improved with Kwaremont being served instead of Jupiler.  The big screen was there so we didn't miss a moment of the action of the men's race (they still refuse to broadcast the women's race).  There were a few differences, though.  I don't know if this was a new thing for the 2015 edition or not, but there was a huge VIP pavilion at the top of the climb which created a weird dynamic early in the day with folks tramping up and down the hill in formal attire, while the rest of us were in jeans and waterproofs.  The organizers also have added free stools at the TV which were eagerly snatched up and carried off.  I spent most of the morning shooting time lapse, so I didn't take very many spectator shots.  I'm still working on the time lapse stuff (very laborious business, time lapse is).

The moon was incredible this year

Free stools

VIP area

The crowd was a little more rowdy than in 2013.  The beer flowed a bit more freely, there was some pot smoking going on, a few little brawls, and, alas, some unfortunate behavior from some of the fans.  A word of wisdom to all my fellow English speakers, please be careful what you say.  Pretty much everyone in Flanders understands English.

Anyway, the races themselves were awesome.  I would have loved live footage of the women's race before they arrived at the Paterberg, but I gotta tell ya, we were all really surprised when Elisa Longo Borgihini showed up totally on her own.  I was completely unprepared with my equipment so here is a really out of focus shot.

I'm not into sports photography, and there are so many amazing and talented people out there shooting cycling I don't really feel the need to be.  Of course, when the riders come through I can't not pull out the camera.  The intense crowd jostling this year really made it a challenge to get any race shots and the spot down by the TV is the wrong place to be if you want a good angle anyway.  Be that as is may, here are a handful of shots from down in the thick of things.

Alexander Kristoff and Niki Terpstra on the last pass of the Paterberg

De Ronde is a really special event, and I highly recommend it to any cycling fan or for anyone wanting a unique cultural experience.  The great thing about De Ronde is its huge local importance.  This is the biggest sporting event of the year in this part of Flanders.  If you sit at one of the major climbs, the men pass by a couple of times, the race is up on a TV, there's food, toilets, drinks, pretty much everything you could need.  Plus, there's the women's race, so you can actually see some of that action.  Now that going up to Belgium for a weekend is no longer so easy since we moved to Bavaria, we can really only make it up there for one race.  We'd be hard pressed to choose a race besides De Ronde.