Coping as a photographer after a right shoulder surgery

 I had something done on my right shoulder. Because of this, I won’t be able to lift anything heavier than a toothbrush with my right arm. Also, I’ll be lucky if I can reach my teeth with my toothbrush using my right hand without any discomfort.

Thus, making photos is a bit of a challenge…

In this video, I try to come up with ways, 3 of them, on how I can go on with photo-taking while only using my left hand. Yeah, it is difficult…

Also, when Fujifilm released the 50mm f/1.0 lens, I discovered this wonderful Fujifilm shooter named Uchida Yukio-san. In the video link, he can be seen taking photos with the camera upside down. This inspired one of my ways on how to make photos even if I can’t use my right arm.

https://youtu.be/QylirpHBScM

Can you think of other ways to make photographs if you are so constrained?

Hit me up on the following channels and let’s take this further with a meaningful discussion. And please like the video if you find it helpful. Subscribe too if you feel like it.

And let me know if there are other things you want to see.

Take care and please wear a mask.

Peace! ✌️

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The Fujinon 16-80mm f/4 Lens

If you are a new photographer, then, in my opinion, there are two “should-have” lenses that should be in your bag.

The second one, if a wide aperture prime lens. For my weapon of choice, that is the 23mm f/2 lens. For me, this is the perfect all-around walkable lens. It is perfect for street photography, it is really good for portraits. It is a light lens that you can take it anywhere without adding a significant amount of weight in your bag and it is small it enough so you can be inconspicuous when you do your street photography.

If you must have only one lens, then I suggest the first one of the two “should-haves”: a moderate zoom lens. If you bought a kit lens that came with your camera, then that is a good place to start.

But, if you want to have one of the absolute best zoom lens, if you have grown tired of the kit lens, if the kit lens that you got when you bought your camera is already limiting your creativity, and, needless to say, if you are using Fujifilm, then get the Fujinon 16-80mm f/4 lens.

But, if you want to have one of the absolute best zoom lens, if you have grown tired of the kit lens, if the kit lens that you got when you bought your camera is already limiting your creativity, and, needless to say, if you are using Fujifilm, then get the Fujinon 16-80mm f/4 lens.

It is a great lens, it is very versatile and it can satisfy most of your needs! It is wide enough for landscape photography and it is narrow enough if you want to get closer to your subject. It is perfect for portrait and the wide, fixed f/4 aperture means you can use it for low-light photography. It is significantly heavier than a kit lens though, so you will have to take that into consideration.

The build quality is great, as with all Fujinon lenses, and it is weather-resistant. If you pair it with a weather-resistant body, like the Fujifilm X-T3 then sand and water splashes should not cause any panic.

Focusing is fast and you get what you want to photograph most of the time. There is image stabilization built into the lens but there is no on and off switch - the lens figures it out on its own!

The Fujinon 16-80mm f/4 lens is one of the best lenses out there. It is highly recommended.

Sample photos here. Enjoy! :)

Fujinon f/1.0 50mm R WR Lens

 

Fujifilm has just released a f/1.0 50mm lens! A freaking f/.1.0 lens!!!!!!

And as far as I know, there are no other f/1.0 lens that does autofocusing! This is nothing short of ground-breaking!!!!

And I am almost afraid to know how much it costs... (As of this writing, there is no retail price yet...)

Video below is from the official Fujifilm YouTube page:

Fujinon 23mm f/2 all-weather prime lens review

Ever since I started photography, the one thing that keeps me up for several nights before I travel is what kind of lens I was gonna bring. OK, it does not really cause me to lose sleep but I still get a little anxious about my lens choice every time I travel.

However, when I shifted to Fujifilm, I also discovered the Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR. This is a fine piece of lens that, I discovered, is the perfect companion whenever I travel.

In my latest travels to different destinations here in the Philippines, in those occasions, I only brought the 23mm lens with me.

But first, about the lens…

The 23mm f/2 R WR is the lighter variant in Fujifilm’s lens line up. You see, there is an f/1.4 version of the 23mm. The 1.4 maximum aperture affords you more light but it also means you will have to pay more - bigger maximum aperture means bigger price… Also, the 1.4 variant is not weather-sealed, so, if you go to places where it could get dusty, then you will be better off getting the f/2 version. And one last thing, the 1.4 version is heavier than the f/2 one so if you want to go light, then you should choose the latter.

The 23mm f/2 is a small lens but is a chunky one. I mean, it is small but it feels hefty. It is dense and its build quality feels really superb. It tapers towards the front of the lens as this is also designed for Fujifilm’s range-finder type cameras like the Fujifilm X-Pro2. (If this lens didn’t taper towards the front, then you will be able to see the lens in one of the corners of the optical viewfinder.) This means that the 23mm f/2 uses a small filter; it is 43mm actually and it is the smallest filter size I have used so far. I actually had a hard time looking for such a filter in the many camera shops in Metro Manila…

Paired with the Fujifilm X-T3 camera, the lens feels actually small. The chunky size of the X-T3 dwarfs the lens somewhat. If you have a X-T20 or X-T30 or the like, then the lens would feel more at home with your camera body. But this does not mean I don’t like the lens. Quite contrary! I love it because it has a great build quality and because it takes really great photos!

And speaking of photos, I took my Fujifilm X-T3 with the 23mm f/2 lens to four different tourist destinations in the Philippines, two of which are beach destinations. Yes, we are spoiled for having so many beaches!

Paired with the X-T3, the 23mm f/2 forms a weather-sealed camera system! So, I was not even a little worried despite the very fine sand on the beaches of Boracay! Of course you cannot take the camera and lens combo swimming but at least your camera system is protected when it comes to sand and water splashes.

And the photos taken by the 23mm f/2 lens is short of breath-taking. Focusing is also quick so you won’t have to worry about missing a shot. As a matter of fact, I took a photo of a cyclist and the photo produced was tack sharp. And, yes, this lens is also great for portraits!

However, if there’s one thing that I’d like for the 23mm to have, it would be an optical image stabilisation. In all of Fujifilm’s lens line ups, only the new Fujinon XF 80mm f/2.8 WR Macro has optical image stabilisation. This means that your shutter speed should not be slower than 1/25 of a second. This also means that, when the light goes down, you will have to boost your ISO so you can keep that shutter speed in place. It is thus a good thing that, even at an ISO of 12800, the pictures taken by the X-T3 are still relatively clean! Any slower than 1/25 of a second can mean having the risk of camera shake. And since the Fujifilm X-H1 is the only camera with in-body image stabilisation, you should consider the constraints of shooting with a relatively high slowest shutter speed. If you get what I mean…

But, all-in-all, the Fujinon 23mm f/2 R WR lens is a great lens to have in your collection. It is perfect for street photography, it is perfect for travel photography, it is great for portraiture among others. I even shoot events with it. The build quality is top-notch and the weather sealing can give you some piece of mind when you go places. Also, the price is not that expensive compared to other lenses in the same category.

So for me, having this lens prevents me somewhat from the anxiety of having to choose which lens to bring. I can travel to different locations with only this lens and I will not, have not, regret(ed) it.

Highly Recommended!

Photos of the Fujinon 23mm f/2 R WR and the Fujifilm X-T3 taken with an iPhone XS Max. Some photos post-processed on the iPhone XS Max using the app Snapseed.

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The Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS Review

I’ve always believed that an all-around zoom lens is a must for all photographers. Yes, generally, a prime lens is the better quality lens but, for maximum flexibility, a standard zoom is a must in my opinion.

This is because there are times when you can’t move close enough to your subject if you are using a wide prime lens. There are also those times when you don’t have enough room to move back when you have a telephoto prime lens. And, let’s say you both have a wide and a prime lenses, there are times however when changing your lens is less than ideal. Examples for each case are: say, you are in a zoo - you can’t walk up to a lion to photograph it when you have a wide prime; or, you are in a room with your friends and you want to get everybody in the shot for a group photo - if you are using a long prime lens, you just won’t have enough space to move back; and, finally, when it is especially windy outside, or when you are on a beach, or when it’s raining - you don’t want to remove the lens from your camera body else dirt or sand or water might get in your camera!

The Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS lens is an ideal all-around lens. Yes, the name is a mouthful... The 18mm end (on an APSC sensor, this is equivalent to 27mm) is wide enough for street and landscape photography and the 55mm end (equivalent to 82.5mm) is long enough for portraitures and for moderate zooms.

When the wife and I went to Tokyo, Japan last year for a short trip, this lens was the only one I brought with me. It was the only lens that I needed.

The lens is sharp and it focuses quickly (paired with a Fujifim X-T20). It is lightweight yet feels premium in the hand. You can adjust the aperture manually via 1/3 stops. There is no marking on the aperture ring however - you will only be able to tell what aperture you are in if you look at either the back display or through the electronic viewfinder. The lens has image stabilization up to four stops so, theoretically, you can shoot with a shutter speed as slow as 1/8 of a second. I have tried it. It works!

There are a couple of switches on the body of the lens:  

• the Optical Image Stabilization on/off switch
 
• the aperture mode switch (whether you want to be at full auto or at aperture priority)

It cannot get any simpler!

As I’ve said, I believe that this is a perfect all-around lens. If a Fujifilm camera owner gets to have only one lens, I feel that this should be it. You can take it when you travel. You can photograph your family and friends with it. You can take landscape photos. You can do sports photography with it. And, as for me, I can use it to cover events!

The photos produced by this lens are sharp and the focusing speed is fast. And it comes in a lightweight body.

This lens is the perfect travel lens!

Oh, special tip, when I cover events, I don’t use the f/2.8 aperture setting. I don’t want to be “surprised” when I go towards the long end of the lens where the maximum aperture will be f/4. I just use a maximum of f/4 whether I’m in the wide end or the narrow end so that, all things being equal, my shutter speed will be constant also. Only the ISO will change depending on the scenery.

The Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS is Highly Recommended!

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