Wonderful World, Krka Waterfalls, Croatia

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NEX-5 (18mm, f/10, 1/200 sec, ISO200)

Summer is almost gone. Long, cold winter nights are in front of us. Today might be the last hot day in Austria and I have no problem with that. This summer was extremely hot and I am really looking forward for some fresh and cold air.

It was hot in June too when we traveled Croatia. There was a massive heat wave in the second half of our trip with temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius. The perfect time to swim in a cool lake. This is something you can do at the Krka waterfalls. But we did not bring our swim wear to the trip and hiked through the park. Continue reading →

NEX or X? ( Sony NEX vs Fuji X part II )

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Part II deals with AF, overall performance and handling.

Let’s start with:

1. AF ( autofocus )

Both are no real AF heroes but they are completely different. The NEX feels snappier, has more AF points active at the same time and has face detection. AF is best with the 16mm or with the 18-55 kit lens on the wide end. Zoom in and AF get’s slower and in low contrast situations there is focus hunting. But AF is good enough for everything but action and reliable most of the time. Sometimes it misses for no reason and you got an out of focus shot.

NEX-5 (55mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO200)

This is not an example as focus is spot on ( on the remains of a dead insect on the windscreen ) but an out of focus shot looks similar to that. But the NEX is fast enough to shot images while driving. I guess that the NEX 6 AF is vastly improved because of the on sensor phase detection. If the Alaska video is real it is able to track a low flying plane. We will see.

The Fuji is different. Continue reading →

NEX or X? ( Sony NEX vs Fuji X part I )

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Within the next couple of weeks two very special mirror less cameras will hit the street: the Sony NEX 6 and the Fuji X-E1. At first glance both cameras have a lot in common: 16MP APS-C sensor, EVF, small bodies with built in flash and both come at a similar price. So it is not easy to decide which camera to choose. Well, I don’t think so. Both are completely different. But how do I know when both cameras do only exist on the web?

FinePix X100 (23mm, f/2, 1/60 sec, ISO2500)

I got a Sony NEX 5 in 2010 and shot over 7.000 images with it so far. I also got a Fuji X100 in 2011 and until today I have made about 7.500 pictures with this camera. It’s save to say that I know both cameras very well. Both have their strong points and both have their weaknesses. I want to give you an impression about how it feels to take images with them. Continue reading →

White Wine at the Blue Hour, Some thoughts about full frame cameras

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FinePix X100 (23mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO200)

After two days in Dubrovnik we are back in our hotel in Podstrana. This was our favorite hotel during our whole trip and that is why we returned for another couple of nights. The hotel has very nice rooms but the best is that breakfast, dinner or drinks are served outside close to the sea. Behind the whine glasses you can see palm trees, the beach and the setting sun.

After dinner we had our daily walk at the beach. There are no white sand beaches just gravel stone so it’s a little tiresome to walk but nothing beats a sunset by the sea.

All images taken with the Fuji X100. This camera has really grown on me within the last year. It’s dynamic range, the colors, the rendition and the low noise are impressive. This is easily as good as my Canon 5D if not better. But I love full frame since I took my first image with my 5D. With the Sony RX1 announced I think there is hope to see a full frame version of the X100 or the X1Pro sooner or later. Continue reading →