Inspiration: Olaf Sztaba & The Canadian Rockies

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This is a special double feature inspiration post, both the photographer and location—the Rockies of my home country, Canada—are inspiring.

New to my personal feed is a fellow called Olaf Sztabo. He’s been posting some fantastically composed images with marvellous black and white processing from a recent trip through the Rockies. He’s inspired me to take another look at some of my own images from my time there.

His is a Twitter handle worth following. Below is just a small selection of what Olaf has on offer at his blog, where he truly has captured the majesty that is the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

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X-T1 Firmware Malfunction

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Fujifilm issued an official notice for X-T1 owners today. A “malfunction” that can cause the camera to freeze when shooting in AF-C mode was found. If your camera is acting up, it can be remedied by way of Firmware Ver.4.21. A new version of the firmware that includes the new features in 4.20 will be posted in January.

Bummer, but nice to see Fuji taking quick ownership of this one.

Rob Zeigler: XF 50-140mm f/2.8 Review

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Nice review of the XF 50-140mm→ from Rob Zeigler, complete with current-movie-release themed product photography, and a wide array of sample photos:

This lighting reminds me of a certain big-screen villain.

This lighting reminds me of a certain big-screen villain.

This is one area where the 50-140mm f/2.8 kind of fell flat for me. 140mm just doesn’t seem like that much reach, but that might be because I have the 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7.

It’s interesting how different histories can colour one’s perception. Before moving to Fuji, I’d never owned a lens that reached beyond 85mm in 35mm equivalence. The 50-140mm felt like peering through the Hubble space telescope at 140mm for me. That new Super Zoom is going to be like seeing through time.

Rob’s conclusion largely echoes my own with regards to this lens, it’s a workhorse, built for pros. It’s become my “go-to” for virtually all my work-related photography, but I almost never use it casually. Having said that, I will be venturing out with a friend for some winter bird photography for the first time and this lens along with the XF 1.4X Teleconverter→ will definitely be glued to my X-T1.

Bottom line, you already know if you need it.

Lens Got Flare

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When I write about flare, it’s typically not with a negative connotation, unless the lens in question comes with coatings intended to reduce it. Flare is part of what gives a lens its character, and can play a huge role in its desirability.

Charlene Winfred has a great piece on how much she likes the flare from Fuji’s new XF 35mm f/2 WR:

... I’ve never had a lens that flares as downright cinematically as this one. Those distinct diagonals and ghosting that appear when it is pointed at strong, directional light sources are simply gorgeous.

It’s helps to possess the photographic talent Charlene does, but I’ve enjoyed shooting my XF 35mm f/2 WR directly into light myself. She’s got plenty more great sample images on her site.

Flare example from the XF 35mm f/2 WR, courtesy of Charlene Winfred

Flare example from the XF 35mm f/2 WR, courtesy of Charlene Winfred

Mobile Workflows

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While on the topic of mobile-only workflows, Hendrik Haseu has a nice write-up on how he’s gone lighter and ditched the PC for his post processing. It’s a process he’s been refining, so you can learn from his progression.

Hendrik has taken his workflow a little further than I have largely because I don’t personally worry about metadata when working mobile, but I do think about implementing his RAF+JPEG strategy at times. Making selects and processing images in camera can get tedious though. I love the technique of creating a neutral image from RAF’s that are perfectly suited to creative post processing, something I often do on desktop, but have yet to implement on tablet or smartphone. The advantage of rendering the JPEGs in-camera vs. a dedicated program on desktop is you get Fuji’s ridiculously good corrections and Lens Modulation Optimizer applied to your images. His post is yet another reminder of how much I want Fuji’s in-camera RAF processing available via a mobile app.

Image by Hendrik Hazeu

Image by Hendrik Hazeu

35mm Reviews

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Lots has been written about the new XF 35mm f/2 WR, but a few reviews have risen to the top for me.

  1. First is Jonas Rask’s. His reviews are always chalk full of excellent sample images, and drool-worthy gear shots. If you’re on the fence with the XF 35mm f/2 WR, his review will likely shove you violently over to the purchase side.
  2. Second is Kevin Mullins, the guy I attempted to emulate at a family wedding I shot last June. If you’re looking for insight from someone in a professional space, look no further.
  3. As it happens, Mullins suggests my latest inspiration candidate, Patrick La Roque, for further reading on the XF 35mm f/2 WR.