f2.0 - Grant Corban Photography Sdn Bhd

12 November 2023

Hands on mini review of the just announced Fujifilm X-T2

Portrait photo with the Fuji X-T2 shot with the XF 18-55mm R.

A possible future Fuji Ambassador? The Fuji X-T2 shot with the XF 18-55mm R

At last the Fujifilm X-T2 has been announced! For the past few months I was privileged to be one of the beta testers for the X-T2 prototype camera, in exchange for reporting back back to Japan regarding handling and improvements. I am a working photographer (not a reviewer) and have been shooting a large variety of photos with it, including His Royal Highness Prince Andrews visit to Malaysia a couple of weeks ago, a shoot in my studio of Miss Universe Malaysia Kiran Jassal, several weddings, and earlier today a Hari Raya AidalFitri celebration in Alor Setar and Jitra, Kedah, Malaysia. Unfortunately Fuji has told us that we can’t show any photos of the X-T2 prototype cameras because they are slightly different from the officially released camera. But they are perfectly fine with us letting you know our thoughts and showing you photos taken taken with it. That said, the X-T2 absolutely ROCKS!

Miss Universe Malaysia Miss Kiran Jassal. Fuji X-T2 with 56mm F1.2

Now the list of improvements of the XT2 over the XT1 in no particular order.

TWO card slots! You can write to both at the same time meaning continuous backup which is essential to wedding photographers.
The X-T2 RAW files are ALREADY supported by Adobe!!!! What’s more Lightroom automatically adjusts for Fuji lenses without any user effort, unlike Nikon and Canon where you must turn lens corrections on, either as a preset or do it manually. This is why you will not find the X series cameras (other than the X100) or their lenses in Lightroom’s Lens Correction area.
24 Megapixels, up from 16Mp.
14fps RAW capture in continuous high…just in case you need it. The X-T2 must be in Electronic Shutter mode to achieve 14fps as when in Mechanical Shutter mode it is limited to the more sedate 11fps. The night photos shot at 12,800ISO featured below were shot in RAW at 11fps. At that speed the buffer fills quickly and in my experience you achieve only 22-24 frames before the camera starts to slow down. When the capture was set to Fine Jpeg I was able to get between 5-6 seconds at 11 fps before it began to slow down.
AF feels snappier and continuous focus has had a lot of effort put into it with 5 different user selectable modes with options for tracking speeds and the ability to ignore obstacles similar to what is on the Canon 5Dmk3. There is also one custom focusing option for the user to select their own tweaks.
The wifi connection seems noticeably more robust on the X-T2 when I compare to the X-T1
The XT2 is ever so slightly bigger…making it easier for manly hands to use. The X-T1 was a tad too small sometimes.
Construction feels tougher. The flaps covering the USB, HDMI, Microphone and remote ports is definitely stronger while the SDCARDs slot is now latched.
New joystick for focus point control.
Threaded shutter so we can now use threaded shutter release cables and soft release buttons.
1/8000th mechanical shutter (up from 1/4000th on the XT1) and the now standard 1/32,000 electronic shutter. Want to shoot at F1.2 in the middle of the day? You can!
Flash sync raised from 1/160th to 1/250th second.
Ability to squeeze off single shots while in continuous low mode. With the XT1 you had to be content with 2 shots at a time when wanting to squeeze off only one shot in CL. The shutter button seems more sensitive.
Focus Assist function moved to pressing the rear dial inwards. No more accidental Q menu presses which I often did on the XT1 as the Focus Assist and Q buttons were too close for my hands.
Shutter speed and ISO dials can now be mechanically locked or released by depressing the central button. Old style was press and turn. New style is press and release, and the button stays as either locked or unlocked until pressed again. I really need to show photo but as mentioned I can’t show the prototype unit, but it is better than X-T1’s press, hold and twist.
The shutter speed and ISO dials are taller, making it MUCH harder to accidentally turn the metering or drive modes while adjusting ISO or shutter speed, which were painfully easy to move on the X-T1
The X-T2 rear screen tilts as it did before AND through a very clever engineering feat now flicks out 45° towards the right side, meaning low vertical or vertical tripod photos can be shot with ease! No need to lie on the ground anymore.
The newly designed vertical grip is well designed with a vertical component that increases the right hand grip-ability, and it now also accommodates 2 batteries. This means that along with the internal battery you can now have 3 batteries attached which is what I do. I was NOT a fan of the X-T1 grip and sold mine off quickly to someone who did appreciate it, but the X-T2 grip has changed my mind. The addition of there being 2 batteries and far better sturdier grip makes this a winner. The camera also tells you the state of each of the batteries, enabling you to swap out the flat ones. Still no chip in the batteries which means no percentages are given, just a visual indication of each battery level.
325 focus points – not sure if I will use more the 3 or 4 🙂
4K video. I am not a videographer but shot some for a commercial project earlier this week and the videographers with me who are Canon shooters were very impressed. 4K options include 24fps, 25fps and 30fps. Output can be sent to one of the SD cards or out through the HDMI output to an external recording device. Continuous focus while in video mode is very good and while I have no test data, feels superior to my 5Dmk3 in every way.
Tethered shooting in Lightroom is in the works and I suspect we will see it by the time the camera is released. I don’t use this or weddings but any commercial shoot or studio shoot it is a must.

Chinese Tea Ceremony. Fuji X-T2 with 35mm F1.4

Church Wedding. Fuji X-T2 with 56mm F1.2

Church Wedding. Fuji X-T2 with 90mm F2.0

And the best reason to buy any Fuji Camera: Fuji knows and understands colour. This is where Fuji trounces everyone. They made their name with film and have crafted their cameras to emulate their film colour palettes perfectly. I am a RAW shooter however the ability to see the image exactly like it will be when you capture it due to the EVF and the superb Fuji sensors has meant I now shoot JPEG and RAW (old habits die hard) and often end up using the JPEGs as is. To understand this better read this article.

So are there any downsides?

Because it’s smaller than a DSLR, some people perceive you have brought a consumer camera to their shoot, not realising you are carrying a camera much more capable than many respected DSLRs.
Tethered Options: I asked Fuji regarding tethering and they have told me that Fuji and Adobe are working toward a tethering solution for the XT2 in Lightroom so expect to see that soon. Bad news is that Capture One is not interested!?! This is a downer as I like Capture Ones speed.

His Royal Highness Prince Andrew. Fuji X-T2 with 90mm F2.0

HRH Prince Andrew. Fuji X-T2 with 90mm F2.0

HRH Prince Andrew. Fuji X-T2 with 35mm F1.4

What could be improved?
The Custom “Q” menus. They are customisable but I really wish mode, aperture and shutter speed could be added into it. That way the shutter, ISO and aperture dials could be set to A, and then specific settings could be set much like the way the 5Dmk3 has its C1, C2 and C3. Being manual controls, if you want to switch several dials at once it takes time, and in a dark club or wedding venue it can be hard to do this.

Suggested Lenses – my go to choices. You may disagree.

35mm 1.4
56mm 1.2
10mm-24mm f4
The cheap XC 50-230. I don’t use it for serious work but as a holiday lens it gives you mega reach. No more DSLRs on family holidays for me!
I also carry the 18-55 kit lens with me on work assignments as a general purpose lens or in my studio. The photos are nice and sharp and the top two photos of this post were taken with it.

Fuji X-T2 with 35mm F1.4. Wedding at the Avani Sepang.

Fuji X-T2 with 56mm F1.2. Beach wedding at Avani Sepang.

I think every serious Fuji photographer is going to have a very long hard look at the X-T2. It’s now the camera I reach for all the time. Pair it up with primes like the 35mm 1.4 or the 56mm f1.2 and let the magic begin.

There are some things bigger DSLRs do better, sports being a notable one, but for many other things the X-T2 is a better choice. It’s smaller then a DSLR, has a phenomenal 1/32,000s shutter so you can shoot wide open in bright sunlight, gives you instant preview before you shoot and has gorgeous film simulations built in.

Lastly, I will add a couple of photos taken at ISO12,800. I have added 1.5 stops so the detail is easier to see in the shadows. It reminded me of the D3s “noise”. Monochromatic. The exploding firework was captured as I was set on continuous high. All photos shot in RAW.

Fuji X-T2 with 35mm F1.4. ISO12,800 HariRaya Fireworks

#MissUniverseMalaysia

#MissUniverseMalaysia2016

#KiranJassal

11 November 2023

Nikon 200mm F2.0 VR Bokeh Balls compared to Canons 70-200 VR2 and Fujis X-T1 with 56mm and 90mm

While I have the Nikon 200mm F2.0 VR I wanted to do a quick test to compare the bokeh of the portrait lenses I have on hand. These are the Canon 70-200 F2.8 VR2, arguably the best 70-200mm F2.8 in the market, along with the Fuji 56mm F1.2 and 90mm F2. Until recently I had the Canon 85mm 1.2 and the Canon 135mm F2.0. I have sold both with no regrets. The 135mm F2.0 was redundant since I prefer the look of the 200mm end of the 70-200mm F2.8 which has stabilisation thrown in as well. And the 85mm F1.2….since its release in 2006 I have owned 3, and sold them all. It’s a lens I have always wanted to like but the sluggish AF and number of missed focus photos while shooting at 1.2 has finally tainted any love I felt for it. When it nails AF its wonderful, but when it doesn’t clients blame you. I shoot for a living, so happy clients are my priority and any gear not making money gets sold. An 85mm F1.8 or 1.4 is a faster focusing, easier handling and all around more useful lens. I am kicking myself now as I had an 85mm 1.8G handy and completely forgot to shoot with it…duh!?!

Testing methodology needed to be something typical of what I would encounter in real life. I decided to photograph Santa since contacting a model in the middle of the night was not an option. And after all I want you to look at the lights on my Christmas tree and compare them shot for shot, while I kept Santa at roughly the same size in the frame. Working distances varied with the shorter lenses however both the Canon 70-200 and the 200 F2.0 VR were mounted by their tripod foot on the same tripod which was not moved. The shorter Fuji lenses were shot at a closer distance, which is what I would do had I been shooting a person.

Cameras were the D750, 5Dmk3 and X-T1. They are ranked here in order of autofocus speed. The X-T1 struggling to focus at anything close to the other 2. Apertures were set at the maximum. White balance was set to auto on all cameras but in post processing I set them all to the same white balance as the cameras were all different.

Enjoy

Canon 70-200 ISO4,000 1/60sec at F2.8

Nikon 200 F2.0 ISO6,400 at 1/160sec & F2.0

Fuji X-T1 56mm F1.2R ISO1,600 1/80sec at F1.2

Fuji X-T1 90mm F2.0R ISO5,000 1/80sec at F1.2

10 November 2023

Nikon 200mm F2.0 VR Model Portraits

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/200 sec. ISO 1250

I have the Nikon 200mm F2.0 VR on loan from Nikon for a week, one of the benefits of being an NPS member. The purpose was to shoot a Christmas production but I decided to take advantage of it to shoot one of my favorite models around town and will be using it for an upcoming portrait shoot later in the week.

If you read nothing else: The Nikon 200mm F2.0 VR is one of those lenses you can’t help but fall in love with. It snaps into tack sharp focus immediately, produces beautiful bokeh balls, and melts backgrounds. It has the uncanny ability to separate your subject from any background better than any other portrait lens I have used and I have used a few!

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/200 sec. ISO 1250

For this shoot I was inspired by Neil van Niekerk’s review of this lens and decided to do something similar. He shot in Times Square which is unfortunately on the other side of the world for me so I had to look for somewhere similar in Kuala Lumpur. The Pavillion was an ideal location, as they always have fantastic lights at Christmas and even have areas set up for people to take photos with their selfie sticks which also meant the place was going to be insanely crowded.

I decided to contact one of my favorite models (Ding Xiao) whom I partnered with when testing the Fujifilm 56mm 1.2 APD for a local photography magazine. That shoot is available here. When she met me her eyes nearly popped at the size of the 200 F2.0 as it is many times larger than the diminutive X-T1 and 56mm 1.2 APD. After finding a suitable spot we got down to business and did a quick 10-15 minute shoot.

All photos were shot hand held at F2.0, using available light. Enhancements in lightroom were my standard “Nikon” import actions, with a little tweaking of vibrance and contrast and to the models skin. I prefer photojournalistic photography so usually do not mess with “photoshopping” however this lenses only real fault is that it can be too sharp. It is merciless on any blemishes and while Ding has porcelain like skin she was mortified by this thing’s bite so I softened her skin somewhat. Incidentally, it is better to have a lens too sharp than too soft. Softness can be added in post, sharpness can’t.

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/125 sec. ISO 1250

In order to avoid people in the backgrounds I got down low and shot upwards. Believe me it was crowded! That said the size of the lens gave me a lot of “street cred” and people stood back and watched. The only real issue we had was the inability for Ding to hear the shutter over the hustle and bustle of the Christmas crowd. She usually changes pose every shot and we usually go through a series of photos very quickly. In this case I had to keep vocalizing each shot..”yes…great…ok..again…look left….beautiful…” etc etc. You get the idea.

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/125 sec. ISO 1250

Handling Size and Weight: There is no getting away from it. The Nikon 200mm F2.0 VR is BIG. For these portraits I attached a D750 to it. Note you attach the camera to this lens, not the other way around! A lot of reviewers comment on this things weight. Don’t let those comments be a full-on turn off, just let it be a consideration on whether you can live with it or not. If you live in the USA renting it is a viable option so you know what you are getting yourself into. I am 6’2″ and didn’t find the weight off putting at all. I have used it for several hours at a stretch at weddings and concerts along side another body with a standard 24-70 zoom and was able to manage without any issues. In fact at a recent concert I also had a third body (Fuji X-T1 with 56mm and 90mm lenses) and was able to juggle all 3 at once. That said, in both of these above scenarios I would have found it more versatile and less tiring to have a 70-200 instead.

For the portraits on this page it was very easy to use, one body (D750) and one lens. And this is the way I would prefer to shoot with this lens if i did so on a regular basis.

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/125 sec. ISO 1250

One advantage of its size is that its obviously a pro lens. People saw it, saw the model, and stayed back out of the way and enjoyed watching us breeze through the photo set. I will contrast that experience with the Christmas concert. The first day I used it and no one questioned me. The second night I left it at home and opted for the more versatile “small” white Canon 70-200mm 2.8L on a 5DMk3 and during the performance I was asked by one of the ushers to stop shooting as they didn’t know I was the official photographer. Tsk Tsk…I guess Canon 70-200 2.8 Ls are a dime a dozen these day. Heheheh. So size MATTERS! That said, at the concert the additional loss of a stop meant I had to trash more photos due to unacceptably slower shutter speeds and higher ISO’s with Canons horrible Hi-ISO noise patterns creeping in. The shutter speed is an issue not because I don’t know how to hold a lens steady, it’s because people move and no amount of IS or VR will prevent their motion blur.

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/100 sec. ISO 1250

Regarding the competition, over the years I have tried out or owned quite a few portrait lenses including Nikons 85mm 1.4G, 105mm DC and 135mm DC, along with Canons 85mm F1.2L (ver 1 & 2), 135mm F2.0L, and both of Fujis 56mm F1.2mm R and APD versions along with their 90mm F2.0. All of these lenses produce excellent results, some of them are challenging to get an in focus photo wide open. I am looking at you Canon 85mm 1.2! Out of all of these fantastic lenses I believe the 200mm F2.0 is the easiest to get spectacular looking photos.

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/100 sec. ISO 1250

If you are deciding between the VR and VR2 versions the differences between them (other than USD1,200 price increase) are minimal. Both have nearly identical lens and body construction. Same dimensions, very minimal weight change with the newer lens featuring a Super ED glass element to help cut flare. Oh yes…also that whopping price difference. I know of one photographer on dpreview who purchased the VR2 as he was very happy with the original VR1 and was hoping for more goodness on top, but ended up returning the new one as the differences were so minimal that he couldn’t justify the upgrade. He mentioned that the new lens flares even though it has a new Super ED element, however the VR1’s flare was more pleasing to the eye.

If I was buying one it would be the original VR.

I will leave you with a few more images from the shoot below including some full length ones. Again people were respectul and stood back and watched us at work.

Nikon 200m F2.0 at 1/100 sec. ISO 1250

OK that’s it. It’s Christmas day. I am going back to enjoying the day. Wishing you all a good one!