Asbury Park New Jersey With The Fuji X-Pro2:
As some of you know, I’ve been shooting with the Fuji X-Pro2, and for the most part, it’s been great. I’m almost done with it, and I’ll be posting my review up soon but I thought I’d share some photos from my recent excursion. I feel like I’ve hit a road block recently; I love New York, and I’ve lived here all my life but I feel like I’m taking the same old pictures. I feel like I need to see something new. I think every photographer feels this way once in a while. Sometimes a person needs new inspiration so yesterday, I decided to drive down to Asbury Park in New Jersey.
↑ It was great to have the boardwalk of Asbury Park almost all to myself :).
↑ I was tempted to step into the ocean to see how cold it was.
↑ This was an old casino.
↑ Here’s a closer look.
My trip to Asbury Park was completely spontaneous. For those who don’t know, Asbury Park is a beach town but trust me, we are definitely not experiencing beach weather here in the East Coast ;). In fact, a snowstorm is coming to the East Coast on Sunday (although I don’t think it will be that bad in NYC), which is also strange because we’ve actually been experiencing not beach weather but very mild weather recently. But I didn’t really care what kind of weather it was yesterday. I’m a beach kind of guy, and I love the ocean and sand no matter what time of year it is. Plus, I heard Asbury Park had some really cool street art, which I am always a huge fan of.
↑ The art on the walls are vibrant and colorful. I love street art.
↑ I think the X-Pro2 really nailed the colors here.
↑ This was inside the abandoned carousel space. It was gated, so I could not get in.
↑ This piece of art was inside the abandoned casino space.
I also heard a lot has been changing in Asbury Park. There’s a great art scene there. My dad used to go a lot when he was a kid because he had an uncle that lived in a nearby town, and he took me when I was very young. In fact, I was so young, I don’t really remember much except playing in the arcades there ;). It’s been on my bucket list to go see it again for a long time now.
↑ This is where Bruce Springsteen, along with many other great artists, played several times.
↑ Anyone want their fortune read?
In terms of gear, I brought my XF 18-55mm, my XF 35mm F1.4 (which I didn’t get to use), and of course, a lens that I never leave at home, my Zeiss Zeiss Touit 12mm F2.8. I’ve preached about this lens before, and I’ll do it again. It’s really one of my favorites. I’m glad it was a sunny day because so far, a lot of my photos with the Fuji X-Pro2 have been taken with higher ISO because either I’m taking street photos and therefore, need higher ISO to stop action with a smaller aperture setting or it just hasn’t been that bright out in the places I’ve been shooting. It’s good to shoot more photos at its base ISO.
↑ The Wonder Bar.
Overall, I had a great time in Asbury Park. It’s not even that far from the city. There are fantastic places to eat, which is always a plus in my book. I stopped by Mogo, which is a Korean fusion taco place, and those were some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. I’m still thinking about them :). There’s also old school charm to Asbury Park. Some of the older architecture is still there, and I even went to a place called the Silverball Museum Arcade, which is right on the boardwalk. I got to play old pinball machines and do a little skee balling. Games in the old days were so much better than what they are today haha ;).
↑ The Asbury Park boardwalk was very peaceful to walk, especially with the ocean breeze. I imagine this fills up during the summer :).
↑ I’m glad I brought my wide angle :).
↑ I love the fact that they kept some of these old school signs in Asbury Park.
↑ This place has excellent tacos.
↑ I had the shrimp (top) and the beef (bottom).
There weren’t many people on the boardwalk, which makes sense because of the cold. Not all the stores were opened yet, and I saw a lot of them starting to prepare for the summer, so I imagine a lot more will be going on once the weather starts warming up. I will definitely be coming back in the summer. I hope you enjoy the photos. The Fuji X-Pro2 has been amazing IQ wise, and I’m going to sincerely miss it when I return it. I’m trying to hold out for the X-T2 but every time I pick up this camera, I want it more and more. I’ll post more photos with it from Asbury Park in my review. Thanks for stopping by!
Welcome to X Pro 2, I think I would love to see what XT2 offer as well, I think the huge EVF will attract me a lot. Btw I always impressed with how sharp you can get with your X Trans sensor. Share some secret 😀
Hi Meng,
I love the new X-Pro2, particularly the sensor. But I prefer the X-T2’s body and it’s viewfinder magnification. So I will wait and see what happens. But I am getting more and more tempted by the X-Pro2 :). As for secrets, I have absolutely no problems sharing secrets with you but the truth is, I don’t sharpen my images. They are raw files that I process through Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop CC. Thanks for stopping by, Meng,
Best,
Patrick
Hello Patrick,
I enjoyed these NJ winter shots of this interesting beach area. Looking forward to your review of the XP2, which from all accounts is a big improvement over the XP1. When my old eyes start to give me focusing problems with my M240, I may have to consider it, or one of its worthy successors. Cheers,
Jed
Hi Jed,
Great to hear from you and thanks for your kind words. The X-Pro2 is definitely an improvement over the X-Pro1 and in my opinion, it was worth the wait. As of now, I am waiting for the X-T2 but I’m more tempted everyday to go and pick up an X-Pro2 :). And yes, the X-Pro2 would be a nice alternative to the M 240 if you find out you have focusing problems in the future, especially if Fuji comes out with that rumored 33mm F1 lens ;). Thanks for stopping by!
Best regards,
Patrick
I know exactly what you mean about shooting the same old things. I’d love to get out of NY and find new places to photograph but it’s a little intimidating when you don’t know the area and aren’t sure of where to go or if it’s safe.
I really liked the pictures. The colors were fantastic and I liked the pictures of the street art. I’m a big fan of that as well so it was interesting seeing all of the cool murals.
Hi Tina,
I appreciate the kind words! I completely know what you mean about trying out new places, especially when you’re lugging around gear that can be expensive. You know a good area that you may want to try? Have you been to Jersey City? My friend moved there a few months ago, and she finally got me to go visit her there. I’m glad I did though. I’m suggesting it because it’s different yet close, and the neighborhood is pretty nice. Plus, there’s plenty of street activity since I know you like your street photography, and they also have some cool murals if you explore a bit. It’s only 2 stops (I got off at Grove St. station) from the World Trade Center (the red line on the Path train). It takes like 10 minutes, so you’re also not really that far from the city. You can also go to Liberty State Park over there as well, although I haven’t been there yet.
Best,
Patrick
Hi Patric, what a lovely photos in your post. I would lke o ask if you are able to compare a xpro2 to m240? Without price keeping in mind 🙂 I am using Leica Q and looking for longer lenses option. I just want to select best perfomer option…
Hi Radek,
Sorry for the late reply, and thanks for the kind words! I returned the X-Pro2 already since I just had it to write up a review. The X-Pro2 produces amazing files, and it makes me really excited for the X-T2 but personally, I still prefer the images from my M 240. In general, I absolutely love my M 240, and my feelings have never changed for all the years that I’ve owned it. It’s still my favorite camera to shoot with. This is nothing against the X-Pro2 as I am also a huge Fuji X Series fan and have been using their gear since the X100 days.
If you like the Leica Q, chances are you may like what comes out of the M 240. Both cameras have similar traits. Of course, if you have plans of using really long lenses, you might be better off with the X-Pro2. Anything above 135mm, and you’ll have to use the external EVF on the M 240, which isn’t as good as the EVF on the X-Pro2. Plus, Fuji’s XF 90mm (135mm equivalent) is a killer lens, and should not be missed if you plan on going for the Fuji. If you plan on buying the M, you may want to wait a bit to because it’s been out for a while (I believe 3 or 4 years already), and my feeling is the next M will arrive soon. I’ve already pre-ordered one :). I hope this helps, and thanks for stopping by!
Best regards,
Patrick