Note from Admin: Here is part two of Jed Orme’s guest article about his trip to the South Pacific using only his Fuji X-E2 and select prime lenses.  There are some beautiful pictures in this article…great examples of Fuji blues.  For those who haven’t seen part one, definitely check it out!  He also has a Flickr page with even more photos.  Enjoy!

South Pacific Sojourn – To Zoom or Not To Zoom (Part 2 of 2)

This is the second part of a two-part article about photography on a thirty-day cruise, & related photo gear considerations as well as image capture experiences.  The first part covered travels my wife & I took from San Diego to the Hawaiian Islands, & then on to our gateway to the South Pacific.  This last place is a magical isle with a perfect name – “Bora Bora”.  It was originally called “Pora Pora” (there are no B’s in the Tahitian language).  But when Captain Cook visited, he mistook the “P” sound for a “B”.  On the way to Bora Bora, we also spent a day at one of the most remotely inhabited islands on our planet – Fanning Island, with its small population living without any running water or electricity.

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Note from Admin: This is a great article, especially for all of us East Coasters or people experiencing some brutally cold weather.  Here is another excellent and informative guest article written by Fuji X Series user, Jed Orme.  He discusses his reasons why he chose to bring only primes on his recent trip to the South Pacific and includes some fantastic photos (look at that photo above; it’s perfect!).  If you would like to see more of Jed’s photos, please view his Flickr page!  Enjoy!

South Pacific Sojourn – To Zoom or Not To Zoom (Part 1 of 2 Parts)

This is the first part of a two-part article about photography on a thirty day cruise, & related photo gear considerations as well as image capture experiences.

Not quite two months ago, while checking email on my computer, I received an incredible offer from our travel agent to take a last minute cruise from San Diego to Hawaii & then to seven islands in French Polynesia.  Places with far away names like Bora Bora, Raiatea, Tahiti, Moorea, Rangiroa & Nuku Hiva conjured up images for me that are a photographer’s dream come true.  So my wife & I jumped at this opportunity.  This led to my next question of whether to take the most basic photo gear or a more capable but also more complex setup.  In my case, the former would be my Fuji X-E2 with its outstanding XF18-55mm zoom lens; the latter would be a selection of some or all of my prime lenses for this camera, with or without the zoom.  For me this is the XF-14mm, the XF-35mm, a Zeiss Planar 50mm, & finally a Leica Tele-Elmarit 90mm.  I provided a prior write up on this blog of my experiences in adapting these last two Leica M mount lenses to my Fuji X-E2 using the M adapter made by Fuji (see my two-part article on this blog titled “A Tale Of Two Lenses”).  [continue reading…]

Note from Admin: Here is part 2 of Jed Orme’s GUEST POST about various M mount lenses!  Part one, where he discusses using the Leica 90mm F2.8 Tele-Elmarit on his Fuji X-E2, can be found here.  In this part he gives us a highly detailed look at how the Zeiss 50mm F2 Planar ZM lens performs on the X-E2.  Definitely a very enjoyable and informative read.  Enjoy!

A Tale of Two M Lenses (Part 2 of 2 Parts)

This is the second part of my write-up about two recently acquired Leica M rangefinder type lenses.  The first part dealt with adapting a Leica 90mm f2.8 Tele-Elmarit lens on my Fuji X-E2 camera.  My goal was to create a rangefinder style system, without the resources needed for a Leica centric one.  Following my getting the Leica 90mm, I set out to add something in between my Fuji XF35mm & the Leica 90mm.  As they say, here is the rest of the story. [continue reading…]

Note from Admin: Thinking of adding a 90mm to your Fuji X Series system?  Well, you’re in luck today because we have an excellent two part GUEST ARTICLE written by Jed Orme.  He shares with us his experience using M mount lenses on his Fuji X-E2.  Here in part one, he gives us his analysis of one of my personal favorites: the Leica 90mm F2.8 Tele-Elmarit.  Enjoy!

A Tale of Two M Lenses (Part 1 of 2 Parts):

This is the first part of a two-part article discussing my experience with two Leica M rangefinder type lenses that I recently acquired.

In one of our many email exchanges, Patrick asked me if I would be willing to provide a guest contribution to his quite excellent blog. First let me state that he & I actually have never even met, my living about as far away from where he lives as is possible while still residing in the same country. We have, however, for quite some time now shared our mutual interest in rangefinders, including the varied lens options available. (He also has integrated some Fuji X system bodies & lenses into his work, & that is what first caught my attention.) And I should acknowledge straightaway that I possess no Leica branded cameras. Rather I have attempted to mimic the RF system using a Fuji X-E2. For lenses, I use a fairly small kit, consisting of a Fuji XF 14mm, a Fuji XF 35mm, a Zeiss 50mm Planar, & finally a Leica 90mm Tele-Elmarit. With respect to these last two prime lenses (the Leica & the Zeiss), Patrick thought it might be interesting to get my views as to how they have integrated into my Fuji world. The larger Fuji universe also has excellent lens choices in these same focal lengths, had I been so inclined to use them. So initially I might mention certain of my reasons for not employing the Fuji counterparts to these two adapted primes. [continue reading…]