World Heritage Site "Völklinger Hütte" (Steel mill)

I took my X Pro 1 with the XF 14mm and 18-55mm to a visit to this spectacular place.  Enjoy!

On the way back, we passed by an old abandond factory near the mill, so I took some quick shots there as well.

to be continued...

The Heath

Recently I visited an area in the southwest of Germany called the "Mehlinger Heath". This is a several square mile large abandond military test area that has become a natural preserve. The landscape is vast with only few trees and mainly overgrown by heather. This one is the second largest heath in Germany.

In late summer the heather is blooming and being rather unspectacular during the day it offers some nice photo oportunities before sunrise, especially on a foggy day. So I went there about an hour before sunrise and took some shots with my Fuji X Pro 1 and XF 14mm and 18-55mm lenses. Enjoy!

 to be continued...

New Gadgets!

Got me some new gadgets for my X Pro 1...

1.)  DIY Silk camera strap

Having seen the really great looking silk camera strap made by a well known manufacturer of stylish accessories made me wanting to have one of those. But when I found out how much they cost, I changed my mind and decided to try to make one myself.

So I was doing some research on the internet to find out where to find silk cord  in 8mm diameter. And I quickly got lucky and found a vendor in Greece where I ordered 1 Meter (apx. 1 Yard) of it.

After it arrived I took some pieces of leather from an old leather coat and cut them into two correct sized pieces. Not being a tailor it took me quite some hours to do the handstiching with ordinary sewing tools.

Anyway, I'm more than happy with the result. The silk cord might not be of the same quality of that for the $140.00 strap, but it looks good, is sturdy enough while still soft and flexible and for a mere $10.00 for the material well worth it... :-)

 2.)  HG X Pro 1 Grip

I was offered a used original hand grip and decided to give it a go. Indeed, the camera has better ergonomics with it and it doesn't spoil the looks of the camera either.

I was a little afraid that the combination wouldn't fit in my case, but it did. Great!

3.) Alternative lens hood for the 18-55mm 2.8-4.0

Athough the original lens shade for the 18-55mm is great, I wanted something more compact for everyday use. In a Fuji X user group I found a post that recommended a metall screw-in Lens hood that would fit the bill.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find one here in Germany so I had to order it from the US. It took a while to arrive, but the wait was well worth it. It totally fits the lens both in functionality an in looks. There is no vignetting at 18mm and the original lens cap also fits.

4.) Nikon DR-3 Right angle finder

As most of you probably already know, finder accessories from the old Nikon FE and FM cameras (with 19mm diameter) also fit the X Pro 1.

So I got me one - they are readily available on ebay for a descent price - and must say, that it was a good buy. It helps a lot when focussing from a lower angle, e.g. from a tripod and also makes manual focussing a lot easier. The built-in diopter adjustment is also a big pro for me as my eyes are not getting better with age... ;-)

to be continued...

Bargain...

Went to a local camera store today and found the perfect case for my X Pro 1 with the 18-55mm :-)

It was lying in a bin filled with reduced and used assesories. I didn't have my camera with me, but for 3.99 Euros (about $5.00) I didn't think much and bought it.

And what shall I say? It fits perfectly :-)  

It's made of genuine leather, nicely padded and lined with soft fabrik inside.

The camera fits tightly and the case is just long enought so I can leave the lens hood on.

The ideal protection to carry my X Pro from A to B or just toss it in a backpack or other bag.

Unfortunately, I doubt that you will find another one of those cases easily... I'm sure it's 15 to 20 years old (made by Kaiser, if that helps...).

to be continued...

Fuji X Pro 1 with Fujinon XF 18-55mm/2.8-4.0

My latest aquisition.

Moving away from heavy DSLRs to MFT (Panasonic Lumix GH2) I was looking for second body.

My first intention was to buy a Panasonic GX-7 body but once I had it in my hands at my local camera dealer I kind of didn't feel comfortable holding it at all...

Since I was using my GH2 lately only with the Panasonic 100-300mm lens mounted for bird photography and was looking for a second camera for other purposes I decided that it didn't have to be another MFT body due to the lack of other lenses (which I had sold earlier) and had a look around the store what else there was... .

Tried a few Nexes - didn't like them... ; tried the Samsung NX System and the EOS-M - same effect... 

Then I got my hands on the XE 1 from Fuji together with the 18-55 and was instantly hooked!

But I didn't want to make a decision just yet, so I went back home to get more information about the Fuji X System on the net.

Pretty soon it was clear that I had to have one of those. I compared prices and found a good deal on a XE 1 kit with the 18-55mm and the 55-230mm - when unexpectedly there came an offer of a used X Pro 1 body in mint condition for a killer price, so I didn't hesitate and bought it on the spot!

Now I didn't have a lens yet, so I tried to figure out which one to take. The kit price with the XE 1 was tempting so I thought about getting it and selling the body just to have the two lenses. But then I figured I actually didn't need the longer zoom lens since I was pretty happy with my GH2/100-300mm combination for those purposes.

The decision whether to get the 18-55mm zoom or one or two of the Fuji X primes was made quickly - I chose the zoom because I didn't want to carry around a bag full of lenses. Also, the image stabilizer in the 18-55mm would make up for the larger apertures of the primes.

So I got myself a used XF 18-55mm which arrived two days after my X Pro 1 body.

Having had the 18-55mm in my hands before in the camera shop I didn't realize at first what a marveleous lens this is. When it actually arrived I was totally blown away by the high quality build of it. I had never had a standard zoom kit lens in my hands that was so well built. Amazing!

Since I have had the X Pro 1 I was thinking a lot about if I should get an additional lens like the often praised XF 35mm/1.4, but whenever I go out and take some pictures with my 18-55mm I ask myself, 'why bother'... .

to be continued...