FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/220 sec, ISO200)
We visit concerts often and go to the cinema regularly but to watch a play has become rare since we moved out of Vienna. Last weekend we finally went in a theatre.
A very small theatre located in an old cinema that I used to visit a lot as a teenager. When I entered the foyer it really got me. The place is practically unchanged. It was a flash back to the early 80s. I haven’t been here for almost 40 years but I remember everything.
I immediately regretted that I didn’t bring a wide angle lens but I brought a real camera plus a fast lens in order to take some images.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2500)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/4, 1/200 sec, ISO5000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/200 sec, ISO1250)
Usually it is a no-go to take pictures during a play but this was a very small venue so I planned to snap some images. I chose to take my trusty Fuji X-Pro2 instead of my Nikon Z8 in order to keep a low profile. Technically the Z8 would have been better in low light but even with a smallish lens it looks like a professional camera, the X-Pro2 doesn’t.
Regarding lens my choice was simple. I kept only three Fuji lenses: the XF 14/2.8 R, the XF 23/2 WR and the XF 35/1.4 R so I took the 35/1.4. Ironically my small Fuji setup is much louder than my Nikon. The 35/1.4 has a noisy AF and while the mechanical shutter of the X-Pro2 is rather quiet it is not silent. The Z8 with the Z 50/1.8 S would have been dead silent. But again: I didn’t want to flash a pro camera.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/200 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/200 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/200 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/400 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/220 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/240 sec, ISO200)
I think I should say something about the play. It’s “Leonce und Lena” by Georg Büchner. So what we went to see was a modern adaptation of a comedy written in 1836 by an author who is famous for its really depressing drama “Woyzek”. There is a movie from 1979 by Werner Herzog starring Klaus Kinski as Woyzek. That should give you an idea. And there is more. A friend of us played one of the main characters. What could possible go wrong? But it was great and great fun!
What a great play with fresh performances of all the actors.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/340 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/240 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/200 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/480 sec, ISO200)
Some more remarks regarding the camera. Yes my Nikon Z8 would have been totally silent, low light performance would have been at least one stop better and I could have used face detection. And because the camera is totally silent I could have used its fast frame rate to capture the perfect moment without disturbing the people who sit in front of me.
But my X-Pro2 handled great and especially regarding Auto-white-balance it is still clearly better than my Nikon. The coloured screen even slightly confused white balance of my Fuji but I needed only very minor adjustments. And because I shot everything wide open at f1.4 the ISO values were very low. I actually shot the first couple of images at f4 just because I knocked the far too loose aperture ring of the XF 35/1.4 R. But even those images were totally fine. No noise reduction needed.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/480 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/480 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/450 sec, ISO200)
A very cool evening and a good opportunity to use my trusty X-Pro2 that has not seen a lot of use recently. Even though it is almost 10 years old the X-Pro2 is still a fantastic camera. I still hope that Fuji will update the X-Pro line soon. I would love the see better AF and IBIS in the very same body. I would also like to see a new sensor or the stacked sensor of the X-H2S. I know, not likely but we can all dream.
I switched to Nikon last year but as long as Nikon doesn’t offer a high end compact camera and a wider range of compact prime lenses I will always keep my Fuji X-Pro2. It’s a very special experience to have such a compact camera that is so powerful at the same time.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/500 sec, ISO200)