Erik Baumgartner wrote:
Miskec wrote:
Erik Baumgartner wrote:
Miskec wrote:
Erik Baumgartner wrote:
Miskec wrote:
Erik Baumgartner wrote:
Miskec wrote:
nysteveg wrote:
I am looking on a 14 inch screen on my Mac Book. Your pictures look GREAT given the lighting limitations. I also have a 100F and while trading up is tempting, how much would your pictures improve if they had been taken on a 100V instead?
Thank you. As i wrote, the noise did not bother me at all. I would say 6400 was perfect and 10000 really acceptable. Only two highhest settings were a bit too noisy The most challenging part was the focus. I used singe focus and back button focusing tehnique. I presume that switching to V would get you slighty better AF and sharper pics due to new lens. And tilt screen would make me even less noticable. Next time I will shòot iso 8000 max and maybe close the apperture only a smidgen. I will underexpose and brighten in post.
Thank you for looking
Neven
The V is definitely sharper a f/2 and at close range, but the F's sensor is a bit better in the noise department. As far as AF goes, I think you'd be well served to forget about BBF and just use AF-S single point, AF box on the subject (face sized in low light) and full-press the shutter button all the way down (no pause at a half-press). You will get the snappiest AF response and the exposure at the moment of focus acquisition not a split second later after you or your subject has moved enough to screw things up - this works on moving targets as well and is miles better than AF-C in low light with that camera too. Did you use Acros with or without a color filter? Your images look very nice and punchy, whatever you did. If you can turn off the artificial grain that is normally a part of Acros, that might be a good idea as you'll get plenty without it in that kind of light. I don't see ISO 12800 really being an issue with these kinds of shots, the noise looks OK in B&W and could certainly be cleaned up quite a bit with the RAW files if you wanted to. Your shots came out great in any case. Well done.
I'm not saying this necessarily looks better (you'd get better detail, less plasticky skin and fewer artifacts with the RAW) , but even these noisy jpegs can clean up pretty well if you want to dial down the grain a bit (yes, maybe dialed down a bit too much here)...
A few tweaks in Lightroom with a little Topaz DeNoise
Oh boy. This looks fantastic. Thanks. And I will use the full press method next time. I do think that V would do better despite worse high iso. That new lens, tilt lcd...
Neven
The V's lens is better, the tilt screen is great, and the EVF is a significantly improved, but I don't think it would have done much (if any) better here (though its AF is better too). I definitely prefer the old sensor in crap light, and though I do OK without the d-pad (the V has just enough customizable buttons), I still miss the d-pad too.
As far as ISO goes, just remember, it doesn't make the noise it just makes it brighter along with everything else. If you intend to process RAWs you can back off on the ISO a bit for more dynamic range and selectively brighten in post where the noise won't be as obvious. Judging by the character of the noise, I'd guess that the Acros sim piled on some simulated grain on top of the noise here which might have overdone the crunchiness a little.
This is the ISO 25600 shot. The noise doesn't really look any worse, but the very high ISO setting blew out some of the highlight detail.
The whole idea was pick a b&w simulation (acros, i am not sure about the grain), auto iso with broad range and have fun. I am really happy. The partygoers (mostly women) complained about lack of colour. I simply had no time or will to adjust white balance every minute or so. Black and white looks very special to me.
I like the B&W too, it's definitely the way to go in bad light with jpegs. Color always needs some work in crummy light and is often impossible to get right with a jpeg (whether you try to tweak it before or after the fact). If you shot RAWs as well, you could always do a few to make people happy, The RAWs wouldn't have any pseudo grain either. Some folks just don't get B&W, And yes, they're often women, but I'm not sure why that is. Aside from all the technical discussion, they are terrific shots that look to have captured the feel perfectly. I'd say your mission was a complete success.
Thank you once again. Women complained because they are waiting all year to show their dresses... only the ones with little blacks are ok with acros
I took some wedding shots recently (just as a guest) - all in B&W too. Just like you, I got a request for a few color ones too - from some women, I obliged, but the color ones took twice as long to get right as the quality of light was terrible.
You are right about the dpad. Very usefull. That is one reason strong enough not to get the V.if the next x100 itteration improves the high iso and returns the dpad i would get it. I know that xe4 or xt30 is a smarter choice but lens options would pull me deep into a rabbit hole.
The X100V has more customizable options than the X-E4 or X-T30.
How so? I keep mz auto iso,flash, nd filter on my dpad. How u will set it up without, i dont know.
I wouldn't be happy with either of those (and why I still prefer the X-T20).
X100 is something unique and special.
Erik
Thank you
Neven
I never use flash or the ND filter (which really doesn’t work well at all, IMO). You do have a couple a couple more extra assignable options on the V than the X-T30 or X-E4. I had to change around how I set things up without a d-pad, but I’m used to it now and everything works fine.
Actually, come to think about it, I wrote all this down already and saved it, maybe it will help.
Erik
X100V Setup…
Some folks were interested in how I set up and use my X100V. It would interesting to learn how others set up and use their cameras as well. With so many possibilities, I doubt that any two people have everything set up the same way.
Below is a fairly detailed list of settings and how I typically use my X100V. I’m a RAW shooter, I don’t mess with jpeg recipes etc., I don’t shoot video, I never use the OVF, and I never use the flash either - so sorry, no help on those fronts.
There are probably lots of potential points of confusion contained herein, just ask if you need clarification. This is pretty much what works for me with my other Fuji cameras as well (with some slight differences on the more versatile d-pad equipped X-T bodies). All of this probably won’t work for you, but there might be some ideas here that you can incorporate into your own setup.
CUSTOM BUTTON ASSIGNMENTS…
Fn1 (top front button) - Focus Check, magnification at the AF box (press and hold for a couple of seconds to cycle through AF Assist modes too) The rear dial will adjust magnification
Fn2 (front button) - ISO, for selecting the Auto-ISO presets - beyond annoying that the presets aren’t included in the ISO scroll available on the front dial (in ISO “C” mode, like with other models) and they make you waste a custom button on this.
T Fn (touchscreen)- All off, not user friendly for left eye dominant photographers with noses.
AEL/AFL - AEL, locks the exposure - but is still fine-tuneable with exposure compensation on the front dial (great for crazy light situations or multiple shot panos etc.)
R-Dial - AF-ON, for Back Button Focus in “M” mode (actually remains active in all modes).
Selector (hold the front OVF lever for a couple seconds) - Electronic Level, enables a cool 3D level only available on a custom button, great for geometrically challenging situations.
Q - Q
Some menu items that matter:
MENU, IQ…
Film Sim - Provia/Standard or ProNeg std.
WB -Auto
Dynamic Range - Always DR100
D-Range Priority - Off
Sharpness +2
NR -4
Color Space - sRGB
MENU, AF/MF Setting…
AF Mode - All (press AF joystick to select)
Store AF Mode by orientation - On
Pre-AF - Off
AF+MF - On (optional)
Face/Eye Detect - Off (always)
Focus Check - Off (I always have a dedicated button for that)
Interlock Spot AE and Focus Area - On
Instant AF Setting - AF-S
Release/Focus Priority - Focus for both
MENU, CAMERA…
Photometry - Multi (almost always)
Shutter Type - usually MS + ES, but ES-only over 1/500” or so (avoids Leaf Shutter bokeh distortion)
Flicker Reduction - Off
ND Filter - Off, always (it stinks)
MENU, WRENCH, SCREEN SETTING…
View Mode Setting - Eye Sensor
Playback - Eye Sensor
Image Disp - Off
Preview in Manual Mode - EXP/WB
Natural Live View - Off
DISPLAY CUSTOM SETTING - Checked…
Framing Guideline
Focus Frame
Live View Highlight Alert
Shooting Mode
Aperture/SS/ISO
Information Background
Expo. Comp. (Digit)
Focus Mode
Photometry
Shutter Type
Continuous Mode
White Balance
Film Simulation
Dynamic Range
Boost Mode
Frames Remaining
Image Size/Quality
Movie Mode & Rec. Time
Digital Tele-Conv.
Conversion Lens
Image Transfer Order
Mic Level
Guidance Message
Battery Level
Framing Outline (for low light composition)
BUTTON/DIAL SETTING…
Focus Lever Setting - On
Shutter AF - On (AF-C and AF-S)
Shutter AE - AF-S/MF - On, AF-C -Off
Focus Ring Operation - Linear
Control Ring Setting - Standard
AE/AF -Lock Mode - S (On/Off Switch)
Aperture Ring Setting (A) - Auto
Touch Screen Setting - Off
POWER MANAGEMENT…
Auto Power Off - 2 min
Performance - Boost (always)
EVF Performance - Brightness Priority
I mostly shoot using manual Aperture and Auto-ISO/Auto-SS (top ISO, SS dials on “A” - essentially Aperture Priority) using the 3 available customizable presets - typically using a min/max range of base ISO to ISO 12800 for all three presets and a different min. SS value for each (usually 1/80”, 1/160”, and 1/320”, 1/160” being my usual go-to). “ISO” is assigned to the front custom Fn button for quickly switching between these).
I always use the Highlight Warning Blinkies to determine optimal highlight exposure and, if necessary, manually fine tune the “in-the-ballpark” exposure the camera’s Multi-metering presents me with using exposure compensation set (always) to the front dial (“C” mode on the EC dial) which will effectively adjust either the SS or ISO depending on the amount of light available). This always guarantees the lowest possible ISO and highest SS within the pre-set parameters.
I use the top dials only when I want to override either the Auto ISO - typically turning the ISO dial to base ISO or a specific fixed value when using a tripod, or overriding Auto-SS by turning the SS dial to a fixed value (or “T”, which allows you to manually control SS with the rear dial in mostly 1/3 stop increments - up to 15 minutes). This is an exceptionally quick, simple, and accurate exposure methodology IMO, but one that still allows for full creative control at all times with the ability to quickly look down and manually override any auto-parameters with fixed values when it’s desirable to do so.
The nice thing about this approach is that I can shoot continuously while walking from a dark cave and into blazing sunshine, maintaining perfect exposure the whole time with only a quick tweak of my front dial for fine exposure tuning if necessary. I almost never have to dive into a menu for anything, and can tell how my camera is set up to shoot just by glancing down at the dials, typically without even having to turn it on. This might not work for everyone, but it works great for me.
There are plenty of folks who prefer going the old-school full manual route, which also works fine - it’s just slower, more complicated, and much easier to screw up, IMO. Fuji cameras (the “classic” ones, anyway) work great for either approach (or anywhere in between).
For focusing, I most often use AF-S single point with a pre-positioned AF box and a full-press of the shutter button, but also use manual focusing with peaking quite often for landscapes - great for precisely positioning the areas of optimal focus where they need to be. For people photography in close quarters, Wide Tracking in AF-C mode can work great when you need to work fast - just half-press and hold the shutter button with the AF box on your target and it will follow them around pretty well, much stickier than with the older cameras.
So, as with all Fujis (that still sport a handy MCS AF switch), with the settings above, and without doing anything else except moving that little switch, I get…
M mode - either Manual Focus at maximum aperture (regardless of where the ring is set), or single point Back Button Focus (BBF) - with focus actuation being automatically decoupled from the shutter button in M mode. The rear command dial button was set to AF On for this purpose and is great for instant focus (where the AF box is positioned) which can then be fine-tuned manually. Pressing the top front Fn button (Fn 1) will magnify the view where the AF box is (Focus Check). You can adjust the degree of magnification with the rear dial. Also, pressing and holding that top front Fn button for a couple of seconds will allow you to repeatedly press again to cycle through the Focus Assist modes (Peaking, Standard, etc.). I usually like Peaking (Blue, Low) for full-screen manual focus and Standard (no Peaking) for magnified details.
I find the Eye/Face detect AF to still be unreliable and I hate that it overrides my chosen exposure mode. I never use it.
C mode - fast, accurate focus for moving subjects with a full-press of the shutter button (usually in continuous shooting mode), or continuous tracking with a half-press (which can also work especially well in some situations if you switch to Wide Tracking AF-C).
S mode - full button press if the focus box is on the subject, or half-press and recompose if it isn’t. With the AF-MF option enabled, a half-press of the shutter button while turning the focus ring will get you instant MF at shooting aperture (unlike in “M” mode), and only with native lenses). If you want focus peaking on, you will need to enable it first in “M” mode (or by some other means) …Lots of genuinely useful focusing options with the flick of a single switch.
Oh, and my Q menu…
Thanks Erik. I will use this settings as a starting point if I get the V. I must admit flash is very good on x100 series. It saved my photo a few times. The brilliand built in flash and nd filter separates the x100 from xe4 or xt30 (if used with the single lens). Now the biggest fear that keeps me away from the V. Overheating... i don't shoot video either but I want to take lots of photos without the camera getting warm. How is it with x100 V? My F is mostly cold as steel. Which I like.
