F-stop Millar Series Brooklyn Sling review

So, american camera bag manufacturer F-stop, makes THE best camera bags on the market (that's my opinion but also the truth). I've had their Mountain Series Loka for a while now and it's an amazing backpack, though a little too big for walking around in the city with a smaller kit like my Fujifilm X-T1 + lenses so I was looking for something smaller.

And since I've already established that F-stop makes the best camera bags on the market, why look at any other brand? F-stop also has another line of bags called the Millar Series which has just undergone a face lift. The Millar Series is a line of bags more targeted for the urban photographer and I found a sling bag called the Brooklyn Sling. This bag so far seems as well made as the Mountain Series, just a bit different. It's made of weather proof Cordura Nylon, with a padded inside with movable dividers (like any other camera bag I know of). There are also two small compartments on the inside of flap that closes the bag, where I keep spare batteries, cleaning cloth and memorycards, These are rather small, but holds the things good. There is also a compartment on the outside of the flap where I usually keep my iPod. On the outer side of the bag there's also another just a little bit bigger compartment to keep other things. The shoulder strap (or whatever to call it) is wide at the upper end and then gets more narrow further down and on it, there's a compartment for a phone or small compact camera or similar. On the backside of the bag, the bit that's resting on your back, there's a compartment for an iPad or 11" tiny laptop.

Is there anything more, well, not really. There's an extra strap that can be attached or removed that will prevent the bag from sliding to the right while on a bike for example. The bag in itself is very light and holding my Fujifilm X100T, Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R, Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4, Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2, spare batteries, memorycards, lens cloth, weighs around 3 kilos and with such a light setup it's easy to walk around the city for a whole day.

So, for more information, to do yourself a favour and order your own F-stop bag, check out their website at:

fstopgear.com

BTW, I'm not paid by F-stop (unfortunately) I just find their stuff being pure awesomeness...

Fujifilm + Lensbaby = Yes

So, ever since I became used (obssessed) to shooting with my Fuji gear I've been thinking of the possibility of selling my Canon gear. I still haven't decided yet, but there's quite a big chance of me doing it. Anyhow, one of the things that I would miss out on would be my Lensbaby lenses. For some weird reason they haven't jumped on the Fuji-train and started making their lenses for the X-mount otherwise I would get a new Composer Pro for the X-mount.

But since it is what it is, I started looking around for an adapter for Canon EF-Fujifilm X-mount. I found one, well a few different ones on eBay and bought one. It cost me about $12 including shipping to Sweden. It's probably made in China, but I've tried it and it feels pretty damn solid and I have taken a few test shots inside and so far so good. This means I could use my other EF-mount lenses on my Fujifilm X-T1, but why? I mean, I've got nice lenses, but they're big, heavy (and I'd believe unbalanced on the X-T1) and since Canon (or 3rd party lenses for Canon EF) don't have an aperture ring, the aperture can't be changed and has to be "fully open". And even if I shoot "fully open" all the time with my Fuji gear, I still want and need to be able to close it down.

But, enough about that. I will give my Lensbaby lenses a go on my X-T1 at some point and will get back on the subject, with test shots.

Update...

I love taking photos, but post-processing them not so much. It has to be done but it's quite frankly a pain in the ass. So instead of doing that to a whole bunch of photos waiting for it, I went to the boring little city of Helsingborg a couple of days before X-mas. Ended up with a few shots, among them two different types of beggers.

Am I turning into a Fuji fanboy?

About the title,  well I don't know. I've only been a Fujifilm X-photographer (no, obviously not an official one) for a couple of months now and I have to say that the more I use my X-T1, the more I like it.

I've written about it before and I still believe that it has a few quirks and in some ways, I still feel it is inferior to a DSLR, but in other ways it simply kicks ass and I've started to learn how to work around those quirks. I have yet to take it out for some actual landscape/seascape shooting, but I live in the south of Sweden, it's close to the end of November and nature and weather is as dull as it possibly can be. So until something happens (snow perhaps?) it'll be kept in the city for street/architecture photography (which it's awesome for) or maybe if I get a chance to do some portraits.

But on and off my thoughts goes into the forbidden zone, the "selling off my Canon gear and go all Fuji"-zone that is. I've even played with the thought of if I'd do that, maybe I should get a X100T also? That could be fun and nice for street photography. I could see myself doing that, since I do feel that Fuji has this special feel to it and to the photos they deliver. For pixel peepers they don't have enough resolution and sure, in a way I might feel like that for landscape photography, but still the files the X-Trans CMOS II sensor delivers are awesome so it doesn't matter that much. I do look forward to the firmware update on December 18th and I also am looking forward to what will come later on, the X-T2? We'll see...

Third reflection on the Fujifilm X-T1

I've been a Fuji X-photographer (no, not an official one) and using the Fujifilm X-T1 for about 1½ month now and the more I use it, the more I like it. As I have pointed out before, there are still a few things that makes this camera (and all mirrorless/CSC) inferior to a DSLR, but still, the more I use it, the more I like it.

And I don't know if it's just that I've been slightly bitten by the whole Fuji hype, but it sure is a fun camera to use and it really makes photography fun. It doesn't always make it easy, since there are a few things that are not fantastic, but as a whole, it's pretty brilliant. And again, it's really fun to use it and that is something that seems to run through the whole "Fuji community".

So far, I've mainly done street photography with it and it works really well doing that. The autofocus does hunt quite a bit from time to time, and first I thought it was just with the "old" Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R, but it's not. It's better with the Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R and my Fujinon XF 14mm f/2.8 R I can't tell, since I have only used it a little bit, but in comparison it's pretty far from as good as my 5D MKIII is. But, I can learn to live with that, it just makes me miss a few shots now and then, and well, shit happens. Yesterday I did a portrait shoot (awesome fun) and I used about 50/50, Fujifilm/Canon. And I have to say that it worked really well. The autofocus hunts a bit, but it still usually locks reasonably fast and the Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R is f**cking brilliant. Really sharp at f/1.2 and such a great lens in all. I mean, the three Fujinon lenses that I have are all outstanding when it comes to sharpness and feel. And it's such a joy to use an actual apperture ring. I still have to nag about the batteries, because they don't last that long. But that's probably a bit of my own fault too, since I've been checking the lcd a lot, mostly since I'm still new to the camera (and since I usually shoot wide open with such a short DOF).

I've written before about the looks of the X-T1 and while I still don't really care that much about the actual look of a camera. Yes, I have a beard, but no, I'm not a hipster and for me a camera is not a fashion accessorie. It's a tool for making photographs with. But now when I've gotten used to it I like the retro looks more and the dials all work really well. I've got the Fujifilm MHG-XT handgrip and it makes the camera much more comfortable and secure to hold, while still not making it that much bigger. I've also got a Crumpler Singapore Slick camera strap which is awesome compared to the one that comes with the camera. But that's usually how it is, the straps that comes with cameras are usually not very good and Fujifilm is not the only one (I've replaced the one on my Canon 5D MkIII too).

I am going to get the cable release for the X-T1 and I'm going to get a couple of new adapter rings for my Lee Filters 100mm filter holder and then I'm going to bring it with me to do some landscape/seascape stuff, since that's what I usually shoot (just haven't the last few months). I also need the filters for doing some Copenhagen cityscapes that I'm planning (and other stuff further on). Been doing that with my 5D MkIII before, but now just to be able to cut down on size and weight in the city is just really awesome. My friend Christoffer usually asks me when I'm gonna sell my Canon gear, but I'm not there yet, but who knows I might get there. And maybe it'll be a second X-T1 body or an X100T instead. I might also go with a Canon 5D MkIV (or whatever its replacement will be called), but of lately, Canon has let its users down quite with an inability to be able to bring us something actually worth our money and definitely not been listening to its users. Fujifilm is quite the opposite. They seem to listen to their users and keeps on bringing up new lenses in quite a fast pace. And not only new lenses, but great ones. And they keep on bringing out new firmware updates even to cameras that are discontinued which is really awesome. I myself am really looking forward to the firmware update for the X-T1 which is coming in December and will bring a few good things (mainly looking forward to faster shutterspeeds).

Well, this turned out to be a lot of text. And time will tell if I'll dump Canon and just go for Fujifilm or if I'll keep them both.

Portrait shoot

So, I did a portrait shoot yesterday (the first one in ages) and it was lots of fun. My model was great and it was a nice couple of hours spent out in Krapperup Castle gardens. This was probably the last weekend with some autumn colours left, because soon we'll probably have colder night temperatures and on top of that, storms.

I added some of those photos and a few older portrait shots in a new gallery called "Portraits" (duh). And I have to do some more portrait shots, it's a lot of fun and I need (a lot of) practise when it comes to portraits (since it's not that easy to do).

And I have to add that I did about half of it with the Fujifilm X-T1 + Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 and the rest with the 5D MkIII + Sigma AF 50mm f/1.4.