New Fujifilm X-H1 Camera Alert
I have taken the plunge and now have the Fujifilm X-H1 body mainly for its In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) capability. As many Fujifilm camera users will know, Fujifilm does not build OIS into prime lenses, only some zooms. Just playing around with the new body and a 35mm (50 mm f1.4) lens I easily got a sharp hand-held picture with a shutter speed of 1/2 a second. Also, I took acceptably sharp hand-held pictures with a 200mm f2.0 lens with a 1/7 shutter speed. This is all highly encouraging.
Picture Templates
I have certain picture types or Templates in mind that I want to take that is only accomplished with ease with an ultra wide-angle lenses and a slow shutter speed. As many of you will know in my photography there are two instruments of the devil. Firstly, a tripod and secondly, a flashgun. So that is why I am very interested in image stabilisation whether in OIS or IBIS.
Ever since moving to Fujifilm nearly 4 years ago I have been waiting for a Fuji X mount lens with the equivalent focal length of 12 to 24 mm in full frame terms. The current widest zoom lens Fujifilm offers is equivalent to 15-35mm. The Fujinon x-mount lens roadmap indicates that the new 8 to 16mm f2.8 lens will be released in the first half of 2018.
When the 8-16mm lens was initially announced last September I was concerned that optical image stabilisation (OIS) was not a built-in feature. At that time Fujifilm was not offering a camera body with In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS). Now the X-H1 has been released with IBIS it offers me new creative avenues to follow with any lens. Watch this space!
So what’s the difference between the widest angle of view between 12mm and 15mm? An increase in angle of view of 25% becomes available with the new wider angle lens. 25% is a significant increase and what I have always been hoping for in the Fujifilm range of wide-angle zoom lenses.
New Website updates
The website has had a refresh over the past few months with a new look to the workshop and masterclass pages. You will enjoy the new structure of these pages.
Also posted for the first time are new workshops and masterclasses. Please, take a look.
Frequency and length of blog posts
I know in the past some of you have felt that my blog posting frequency has been more than mortals can handle. From now on I’m trying to post once a week on a Wednesday morning. I feel this will be a benefit for myself and for my readers, although I cannot guarantee a day or time. The idea is that you will have the anticipation and look forward to receiving my weekly posts.
My intention is that not all forthcoming blog posts will be as long as this or the previous one, it just works out that way sometimes.
New Short Video Production
I now have the technology setup to be able to put short videos either on Facebook, in blog posts or on my website. My marketing adviser and Paul Sanders have been encouraging for a while to do video, so I am making progress of sorts. I will not be going to the extent that Paul does by live streaming video to Facebook. So now on my phone, I have the Open Camera App that gives me an MP4 format video with a controllable resolution. The files are not so large they take forever to upload to the Internet. I hope to be making up to 45-second videos as brief introductions to the ideas and techniques I am teaching.
Those of you who follow my Facebook page will see that I uploaded my first attempt at video last week. It is not a blockbuster, but for me, it allowed me to work out how to get a video off my phone and onto the Internet. Those of you shocked that the video was not in mono, I checked my phone will not do mono video. Now all I have to do is going away and do some practising, Cecil B De Mille here I come.
Query
I have an Android phone with a mic socket. I can either plug-in an external microphone or start and stop the video via the lead from the selfish stick. Does anybody know how to control both functions with just one socket on the phone? I have tried using a splitter cable to no effect.
Hi Paula I hope you are well. Thanks for the comment. You always seem to get the right shutter speed to show a little movement. Andy
Seems to be getting there…thank you for your updates on what has got to be the future gear.