Thank you for your support!

As we end 2014, we would like to say thank you to all our readers.  Incidentally, a few weeks ago, we also received our 2,000,000th visit!

We want to use this opportunity to share with you the difference that you made.  As you know, 100% of commissions we receive from affiliate links are donated to charity.  This year, we received commissions of $74.89 from Amazon, to which I added additional donations, to Food for the Poor, Inc., for a total of $165.

It doesn't sound like much, but with a charity such as Food for the Poor, they can buy food in bulk, so even as little as $3 can feed 50 children.  Our combined donation was therefore enough to buy a meal for 2,750 children.  (BTW, any donations to Food for the Poor until today will be doubled, so I hope you will consider a donation to them.)

So, thank you very much to all our readers for your continuing support, and a special thanks to everyone who purchased through our affiliate links.  This blog could not have succeeded without our readers' support.

Have a Happy and Blessed New Year!

P.S.  The shot above is from the Fuji X100S which I'm still evaluating for its ability to capture family and candid photos.  The post is more detailed than I originally planned, but I plan to be done next week.

Reflections on Photography & Mobile Phones

 

Nokia Lumia 930 mounted to an SLR GorillaPod through a RetiCAM adapter

 

Today we start with a question that will lead to other questions.

As an enthusiast photographer, how often do you use your mobile phone's camera, especially if you deem it "good enough"? Is it only when you need to take a picture and don't find your camera available? Or do you always consider that you have a camera with you in the back of your mind and keep your eyes open for photo opportunities?

That takes us to an even more important question. What do you do with the thousands of photos you've taken (and will be taking) over the years? How do you share your photos? And with whom? And what percent of the photos you've taken have you shown to someone else?

Sony 18-105 f4 G OSS review

This is a user review of the Sony 18-105 f/4 (E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS Power Zoom Lens).  I will first discuss the rationale for getting this lens, then I will describe its physical characteristics.  I will then discuss its usage for photography, going over its optical characteristics and performance. Finally, I will briefly discuss its usage for video.

Unless otherwise stated, the photos here are from the Sony a6000 in raw, converted in Lightroom with the Huelight a6000 color profile, with no sharpening.

Fuji X100S Larmor by GGS LCD screen protector - review

I get a GGS LCD protector for almost all my cameras and in fact, it has saved one of my cameras from damage.  So I ordered a GGS protector for the X100S.  This one appears to have been designed specifically for the X100S based on the label (see the top right corner) and indeed the protector is almost the exact same size as the X100S' LCD screen.

Best Lens Hood for the Fuji X100, X100S, and X100T

Check out this lens hood for the Fuji X100, the JJC LN-RC49.  It's a clone of Pentax's lens hood for its DA 40 f/2.8 pancake lens (MH-RC 49mm).  It is sold as a complete set, with adapter ring and hood for around $30.  However, I got it for much less than that by buying a clone hood for the X100 (around $8) and using the adapter included with the hood (which is similar to the Fuji AR-X100), then I found the hood by itself on eBay for around $12.

Like the Fuji hood and most of its clones, this hood is also made of metal.  There is a silver version and a black version, although as a set I've only seen the silver version.

Compared to Fuji's lens hood, this hood:

• is more compact (smaller diameter)
• has a thinner profile
• obstructs less of the optical viewfinder
• doesn't block the flash
• shades the lens better from flare
• protects the lens better (because of the narrower opening)
• looks more stylish (in my opinion), and
• costs only a little more than a clone of the Fuji lens hood.

Note 1: like the Fuji hood, there is no vignetting from this lens hood.

Note 2: if you use this hood, you cannot put the included X100 lens cap over it.

To be fair, a Fuji lens hood or clone has the advantage of having a bayonet-style release (therefore it's easier to remove), and some may prefer its style over this one.  Another disadvantage is that although this hood protects the lens better from dust, if dust does get on the front element, you can't clean it off as readily as with the Fuji hood.  You'll either have to unscrew the lens hood first or else use a brush.  Or you can use a filter in front (see below).

There are two ways to use filters together with this hood.  Either you put a 49mm filter behind the lens hood, or you put a 30.5mm filter in front of the lens hood.  In the shot above, I have a UV filter (Hoya HD UV filter with hardened glass) installed behind the lens hood.  I should add that although the front element of the X100 lens moves in and out when focusing, it doesn't bump into the UV filter (the adapter is pretty deep).  Note: I haven't tried a 30.5mm filter, so I don't know yet for sure if there will be vignetting when doing that (but I've ordered one from B&H at a huge discount, so stay tuned).

UPDATE: I tried attaching different 30.5mm filters, and there was no vignetting, even with a Hoya circular polarizer that had a thicker rim.

You can get a lens cap for this hood in the 30.5mm size, like this one.  The Camera Hunter cap does not fit.  It is actually 30mm, not 30.5mm, so it's too loose.

Note: There's a similar lens hood that has a rounder appearance here though I think the one I got looks better, and I don't think you can mount a filter or cap over this rounder one.

DISCLOSURE: we receive a small commission (at no cost to you) on products purchased through the links above on Amazon. 100% of the proceeds are donated to 501(c)(3) charities such as www.FoodforthePoor.org.  We're not affiliated with eBay, any eBay vendor(s) above, or B&H.

Update on the Fuji X100S

I ordered the Fuji X100S from Abe's of Maine on their Black Friday sale.  I did have to go through the attempt to upsell, but in the end, after a couple of calls, they did put the order through.  I was still in suspense because I didn't know if they would try something else, but I did get a tracking number, and finally I got the package today.  And here it is:

There was no seal on the box, so I thought maybe it was a returned unit.  However, the shutter count showed 0 shots.

The serial number had a letter "M" in the third digit, which appears to confirm that it is from Asia or Australia (US units have "A" or "B" in the third digit).  There was also no warranty card in the box.  So, just as Abe's had said, it appears to be a gray market import.

The serial number began with 43, which I read means it was manufactured in 2014, 3rd quarter.  The firmware version was 1.20.  This firmware appears to have been installed at the factory because the package included a copy of the pamphlet explaining the features of the new firmware.

I checked for the sticky aperture blade issue, and so far I can take shots at any aperture with no problems.

I will be posting a quick review after trying it out.  I will be evaluating from the perspective of taking candid photos.  As best as I can, I will also compare it to the Sony RX1.  I sold mine a long time ago (as part of cutting down on photography gear) but I'll post my impressions for what they're worth.

DEAL ALERT: Olympus VF-4 selling for $99 on B&H

I have no affiliation with any other website, but this is too good a deal to pass. The VF-4 is Olympus's flagship EVF, and is the same as the one in the E-M1 which is the best EVF available today along with the one in the X-T1. It normally sells for $279, but for some reason B&H are selling them for $99.

I just bought one for my E-PL5.

Reminder To Calibrate Your Monitors

When I first learned about screen calibration from Zack Arias, he mentioned that it should be done at least once a month since screen colors change over time. I didn't really believe it would be something noticeable. I thought calibrating the screen only one time would be good for at least a year.

A long time ago, when I first bought a new 23" Samsung LED monitor (upgrading from a perfectly fine 19" LCD), and discovered that all the colors in my pictures looked wrong. It was devastating, and no matter what calibration guides I followed, I wasn't able to get correct looking colors. So I bought an X-Rite ColorMunki Display and finally had a calibrated monitor, with correct looking colors.

Back to the present, I now have a better monitor that was last calibrated 6 months earlier. A couple of days ago, I decided to re-calibrate the screen and see if anything has changed (the software shows you before & after). To my shock, I discovered that my screen colors has gotten very warm compared to after it was calibrated, it looks like something close to 600 Kelvins of warmth! That is a significant difference, and it will make go back and edit several of my recently edited photos that I intended to give a warm look, but now looks cooler/bluer after calibration.