I had the great opportunity to photograph ATL hip hop legend, Killer Mike for Design Bureau Magazine. It’s my goal to photograph all the ATL hip hop legends. I’m just missing Luda, Cee Lo, and André 3000 right now.

I love this quote by Mike…

“I dont accept the term ‘political rapper’ because I dont give a damn about either political party. I give a damn about the people.”

The story was about his series of neighborhood barber shops he’s opening. I wouldn’t call them a “chain” because each one will be individually suited to the neighborhood it’s in. I sat in on the interview and he’s a deep well of a man. Funny. Insightful. Brilliant. The man is an art scholar. It was fascinating listening to him talk about his view on art. If you ever get a chance to sit and chat with the man you’ll be better off for it.

Thanks for looking. I’m going to be spending the summer blogging 99% more of the time with photos than with words, reviews, or rants. I have one rant left in me. I’m trying to let it die. I really am. We’ll see if I can let it slide.

Cheers,

Zack

Gear Notes – Photographed with a Phase One IQ140 with an 80mm Schneider LS (first shot) and 55mm Schneider LS lens. Lit with one Einstein with 22″ white beauty dish for each shot.

I wanted to find the perfect Mother’s Day card for my awesome wife Meghan but nothing really jumped out at me this year. I’m usually the guy who goes for the humorous cards but I needed to let her know how seriously I appreciate her being a mom to our pack of boys. The serious cards though didn’t really say what I wanted to say. I thought of making a card but if you have ever seen the handmade cards that Meg makes, well, let’s just say mine would look like a Kindergarten class project gone wrong.

When Meg hitched her wagon up to mine she was a touring musician and a mom of one. Within a year of our marriage she was a stay at home mom of four. Four. Boys. Plus me. Her life changed immensely as my life seemed to propel forward even more. This change happened because I brought kids and she brought fuel and inspiration and, from time to time, a crack of a whip.

Meg pushes me. She inspires me. She keeps me in line and moving forward and has done so at the cost of her own creative endeavors and, at times, sanity. My work takes me to some far flung places and many of you comment on my blog or hit me up on twitter about how lucky I am, or how jealous you are, or congratulating me for this or that because most of you know the bottom of the barrel from which I come from. But what I want you to realize is that while I’m here or there doing this or that Meg is at home.

She’s getting Joshua to the soccer practice that she made sure he was signed up for. She’s doing truckloads of laundry that no child has ever thanked her for doing. She’s making sure Hawke is getting his ears checked and scheduling his doctor’s appointments. She’s taking Caleb to the ER when his arm goes through the glass of the front door. Phoenix is getting to band practice by 7:30am. I get 100 replies on Twitter because of something I’m doing and she get’s yet another dirty diaper and silence from the rest of the world.

You see, Meg has the hard job. Meg left her career behind to support mine. That support has lifted me and enabled me to pursue opportunities I’ve never had before. It allows me to go here and go there and do this and do that. But it cost her dearly. Yes, there is great joy in the job of raising children but when the piano has an inch of dust on it (metaphorically of course, cause this house stays pretty clean as well) then there’s a part of who Meghan is that isn’t growing. It isn’t growing because she’s too busy being a kick ass mom.

Cupcakes for the soccer team. Mystery reading for the Kindergarten class. Appointments for the dentist. Scheduling 100 activities in half as many days. Laundry. Cooking. Cleaning. Watching my sky miles account grow. All without the accolades, the paychecks, and so forth. If you ever feel compelled to say “Thanks Zack for this or that…” You ultimately need to be thanking Meghan.

The good news is Meg is back in the studio. Not my studio but a recording studio. In the last few months the dry well of music has found a new spring to feed from. New songs have been written. A producer she loves and trusts has been found. Fellow musicians are joining the project. New work is being produced and I’m so very honored that I get to take the back seat. Picking kids up from school. Doing laundry. Cooking Ordering dinner. Changing diapers.

Thanks Meg. I’d like to say you’re the wind beneath my wings but that would be cheesy so I wont say that you’re the wind beneath my wings even though you are.

So here’s to all the Mom’s doing the hard job. Here’s to the support team of one that makes the world go ’round. Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms.

Cheers,

Zack

PS – Meg, the Mother’s Day frames in the hall will be updated this week. I have two down and two to go. Just letting you know I haven’t forgotten… like, um, last year.

IMGB#01 :: Friday, May 11th :: Doors open @ 7:00pm – till :: 125 New Street Decatur, GA 30030 :: free.99

–> All 100 tickets are claimed. Click here to get on the wait list. <–

Details after the jump…

I’m pleased to announce our new series of events at the studio called It Might Get Bright. This will be an ongoing series of events designed for photographers and creatives in and around the Atlanta area. We will be holding IMGB events as often as we can. I’d like to say about every six weeks but don’t hold me to that. Some events will center around shooting and others will involve guest photographers providing talks, critiques, and/or keg stands.

The first of these events will be a shooting/demo event held in conjunction with the good folks at Capture Integration. CI is the company I bought my PhaseOne kit from and they have been extremely helpful to me as I’ve transitioned over to the IQ140. I had a ton of questions about medium format digital cameras and they spent hours with me as I tried to find the best solution for my needs. There was zero pressure and the follow up from them has been remarkable. I thought that since I had so many questions about all the different backs on the market that others probably do as well.

I started researching backs over three years before I purchased one and it sure would have been helpful if there was some sort of way I could demo a lot of backs in one place. I talked to Steve at Capture Integration shortly after purchasing my camera and he said that they would be more than happy to do an event at my studio space.

How this is going down …

We’ll have a number of sets ready to go for the evening with several different cameras. Everything from inexpensive used digital backs to new ones. You’ll be able to step up, grab a camera, and fire away. Try a used one. Try a new one. Take a look at a Leaf. Look at a Mamiya. Look at a Phase. Try a back on a Hasselblad body. Try one on a Mamiya. Find out what the heck a technical camera is. Pixel peep the images you shoot to your heart’s content and if you bring a drive, you can take the files with you to continue the peep show in the privacy of your own home.

We’ll have everything from Alien Bees to Profotos. Grids to softboxes. Folding tables to Tether Tools gear. From good, to better, to best. It’s going to be a cool evening of geeking out on gear. If I can snag some swag to give away I will. If not, at least the beer is on me. (we do take beer donations)

You may say that you aren’t interested in medium format. Or you may be but it’s a number of years ahead in your future. Come on out and play around anyway and have a few drinks with all of us. You may hate medium format because you think the D800 is just as good. You’re still welcome to come. I promise you this won’t be a used car lot environment where someone is trying to sell you something everywhere you turn. It’s simply an event I myself wish I could have gone to.

All 100 spots have been taken for now. Click here to get on the wait list. We’re limiting this one to 100 people because it’s gonna be packed with all the sets. Please bring your ticket to the door. Thanks!

Again, it’s Friday, May 11th. Doors open at 7pm. My studio is at 125 New Street in Decatur, GA. This isn’t an open event as many of our events are due to space concerns. Only ticket holders will be allowed entrance.

ALSO – We still need some interesting subjects to shoot for the night. Know any sk8trs, freestylers, rappers, dancers, sword swallowers, modelers that would be interested in hanging on a set for awhile? Please email dan @ zackarias.com with details! Thank you!

Any questions? Hit me in the comments.

Cheers,

Zack

PS – Disclosure – I am not receiving any endorsement, money, or product from Capture Integration or any other retailer or manufacturer for holding this event. I simply asked CI if they’d drag all their stuff to my studio to let everyone have a go at it. They said yes. End of story.

PPS - Yes, I’m borrowing from the name of the amazing film It Might Get Loud.

Iceland has been on the top of my list of places I want to shoot for quite some time. I have an opportunity to teach a week long people and portrait class there June 17 – 23. I’m teaching this for the good folks at Focus On Nature. While we will be in some very “nature-y” locations, my workshop is focusing on people and portraits. We will start the first few days in Reykjavik and then we’ll head out into the country. It’s going to be a week of talking, shooting, eating, drinking, critiquing, and breathing photography and volcanic ash.

Now then, this workshop is slightly more expensive then your standard Holiday Inn ballroom photography workshop. It’s cranking in to the tune of something short of COUGH$7kCOUGH. It’s not so bad really. To be honest I nearly said no to this because of the price. The vast, vast, vast majority of this goes to logistics. Before the haters ramp themselves up, I could personally make more teaching at the Holiday Inn ballroom down the street. For that COUGH$7kCOUGH you are picked up at the Airport in Reykjavik and taken care of for the entire week. Hotel, food, class, interior travel, etc, etc, etc. Everything but alcohol and Björk CDs. I’ll supply some of that from my own pocket if it means you’ll sign up. From flight in to flight out you are taken care of. It beats the hell out of a Disney cruise!

I’m going to push your ass over a metaphorical photographic volcanic edge. We’ll be stuck together spending a week together from the streets to the tundras. We’ll have critique and dinner and drinks and listen to Björk. If you feel intimidated by people photography I’ll get you over that. You’re going to have to get over it. Or we’ll leave you on a glacier. It’s going to be an adventure.

Find out more about it here. We have five folks signed up. We just need a few more and it’s on.

Cheers,

Zack

PS – Focus On Nature sent me the photos to use above. I’ve yet to go myself so you’ll get to see me figure it out on the fly… like I usually do no matter where I go.

I’ve had my hands on the new FujiFilm X-Pro1 for a little over a month now and I have put it through the paces in three countries and on various jobs. If you are a frequent reader of this blog you know the deal. If you are a new reader of my blog let me explain the deal. I don’t pixel peep, shoot side by side comparisons, show images of color checkers and resolution charts, or talk about the new technology packed into whatever camera. Heck, I really don’t do “reviews” that often.

This review is more of a “how-does-this-thing-work-in-the-real-world-and-is-it-something-that-excites-me-or-does-it-just-become-a-photographic-appliance?” kind of review. Also, let me state for the record that I was hired by FujiFilm Middle East, and was paid in camera gear and cash to take this machine for a joy ride. The first thing I said before taking this gig, though, was if I was going to blog about it they needed to understand that I would say whatever I wanted to about it. The good folks at Fuji said they expected nothing less. Especially after my x-100 review. It was that review that put me on their radar in the first place and it was the good folks at Gulf Photo Plus that convinced them they should send me to India. I’ll be doing some stuff with Fuji North America as well. So, full disclosure now aside, let’s get into it after the jump…

When the box of Fuji love arrived, and I began unboxing it, I believe I said, “OMG!” over and over like a teenage girl getting re-tweeted by Justin Bieber. I was in the middle of a job when it showed up and I immediately put it to use. I was shooting promo images for Southern Ground Artists of The Wheeler Boys and started with the 18mm f2 lens.

I wanted to move on through the lenses but the battery lasted about 15 shots and was done. That’s not a testament about the battery life. That’s a testament about how impatient I was to start shooting with this camera. The little brother to this camera jump started my photographic creative soul unlike any other camera had before and I was dying to get this camera in my hands to see if it could live up to the x100. I charged the batteries later in the evening and started shooting crap around the house, Meg sitting at her computer, the dogs, my feet, etc. I casually glanced at the manual just to make sure there wasn’t some odd ball thing I needed to keep in mind with this camera. There wasn’t. The next day Meg and I went to check out the Quiet Hounds first show.

It was at this show that I started saying my first curse words with this camera. Note the title of this blog post. “Ummm. Maybe.” is the first part of it. I had super high expectations for this camera. I have never been so excited for the release of a new camera before. Nikon introduced the 38 MP D800 and I didn’t give a damn about it. (I still don’t BTW.) Canon has the new 5d3 out and I have yet to read a spec sheet on that camera. But for this Fuji? I was refreshing Google twice a day trying to get new information about this X-Pro1. I was ready for it to be the DSLR killer. This was going to be the little underdog camera company with the underdog camera that was going to rock the photographic world with the X-Pro1. I would soon be selling all my Canon gear. That was supposed to be my exact experience as soon as I started shooting with it. And… it wasn’t.

First, I told myself that it was a pre-production camera. Second, I realized I was judging image quality on my MacBook Air screen and that might not be the best screen to do so. As soon as I popped the images on a better screen my image quality fears were quieted. Note to self: Don’t judge image quality on an Air screen. It sucks. The thing that was really killing the experience for me was the focus and shutter lag. How could it be worse than the x100? What in the hell was Fuji thinking? It couldn’t be worse but  it was. My pre-production model was slower and lagged far more than the x100 and it was causing a 47% increase in CWSS. (Cursing While Shooting Syndrome.) The camera feels amazing. The lenses are, dare I say it… cute! Cute little lenses! The optical / electronic viewfinder is just as awesome as the x100 and then some. The look. The feel. The quality. All of it was there except the focus and shutter lag.

“And how much money do they want for this thing? Oh jeez.”

The other issue I immediately ran into at the Quiet Hounds show was the “which lens should I use?” question kept rearing its ugly head. I’d settle on the 18mm f2 then want the 35mm f1.4. Then I thought I’d try the 60mm f2.4. I kept swapping back and forth and none of them were the lens I wanted at the time I was trying to make a photograph. Never had that problem with the x100 being there is only one lens choice with that camera. I didn’t know the lenses. I didn’t know the camera. I was in sh:t light. The focus and shutter lag was driving me nuts. This was not the DSLR killer. I actually wished I had brought my x100 instead. I was starting to feel as though I should just send the damn thing back to Fuji and say forget it. I’m keeping my x100. I left that show super excited that I just heard Atlanta’s greatest new band and depressed that I had all my X-Pro1 expectations dashed on rocky GAS shores. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). Stupid effing camera.

The next day I packed my bags for Dubai. I had enough time before I left to go to Joshua’s soccer practice.

Yeah. That’s totally awesome.

I was now uttering OMG in frustration instead of joy. I had fourteen and a half hours to sit on a plane and think about this stupid camera. As I sat on that plane I realized one major flaw that I had with the camera. Meg and I call it “expectations management.” It goes like this. If I hear a new band that I am completely in love with, and I think Meg will love them as much as I do, I tell her I heard this new band and they’re “ok”. Maybe she’d like them. Meh. If I pump this new band up too much, and they don’t meet her expectations, then they are the worst band in the world. That sort of thing.

I expected this point and shoot on steroids to kill the DSLR for me. That is a tall freaking order for a camera. There’s a reason the SLR system is what it is. Point and shoots, rangefinders, SLR’s, view cameras, and the like, have been around for decades. This P&S/Hybridy (new word) system isn’t new and there’s a reason Nikon and Canon didn’t put all their eggs in this kind of basket in the transition to digital. So I hit Dubai with a clean slate. I was going to just use the camera as a camera. I started over.

Straight out of Compton. I mean, Camera. Not bad at all.

Michael Cali in the moon light at ISO 6400. Not too shabby. As in “Damn. 6400?” He’s an X-Pro1 shooter as well. Check out his review.

I can’t tell you how fast security would have been on me had I been shooting with a DSLR here.

iStock called. They want this image back. The X-Pro1 isn’t as silent as the x100 because it has a focal plane shutter but it is still quiet and discreet.

I shot and shot and shot with the X-Pro1 in Dubai during all of the classes that I taught at Gulf Photo Plus. As we’d go on location the X-Pro1 was on my side more than the 5d but this, at first, was more out of convenience than desire. I was running around checking on everyone and shooting demos here and there and having a lightweight camera on my side was kind of nice. Ain’t gonna lie. The lazy part of me liked it right away. The more I shot with it the more I was digging the camera. About half way through my time in Dubai I got to trade my pre-production body in for a production body and the new body was more responsive. It was better but still laggy as hell. I finished my work in Dubai and re-packed my stuff for India. My goal was to take all my photo gear minus chargers in one tiny ThinkTank Photo shoulder bag. I chose the Hubba Hubba Hiney bag. I could fit the X-Pro1, its three lenses, and an x100 in that bag with a few extra batteries and a card case. I threw a flash, chargers, extra batteries, and a Gorillapod in my laptop bag. Off to India…

You’d think I paid them to stand there. Nope. Totally walked up on this. Three cute kids to match Fuji’s three cute lenses.

The X was growing on me. I was walking the streets of a new place with two cameras and three lenses and never once tired of carrying this gear. It was hanging on my side or in a pocket. The weight of all of it was distributed around my person and I never felt it. No tired neck. No sore shoulder. Kick ass image quality. Lens choices. As long as I was methodical in my shooting the camera, and all of its quirks and laggy issues, were beginning to fade away. Then I had my shoot with Gabriella and we threw a few Rupees at a cab driver and the sun was just right and….

And I was sold. I’m in. I got it. It’s worth every effing rupee, peso, penny. I don’t care. I’m not in Bombay any more. I went somewhere else and once this light was gone I woke up with the X-Pro1 in my hands and yes. Ummm… maybe? No. Ummm… Yes. I zoomed in on this image to check focus. “Hot Damn.”** It was one of the greatest personal moments of my professional life. I was given a D100 and a second chance eight years ago and now I am in India shooting with a new camera that is ten times the camera that D100 was. I would have sold major organs to have this kind of camera back then.

I’m stepping away from the computer for a minute. I’m all emotional about this right now. I mean, a piece of dust just got in my eye or something. Srsly. One more of Gabby and the Cabbie as requested by commenter Craig…

Ok. Moving on. Shot more of Gabby…

A number of you have asked on twitter… “Would you shoot a job with the X-Pro1?” Funny you should ask. I left India and had a whopping 36 hours at home in Atlanta before I was off to Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina to shoot a job for Land Rover. 98% of that job was shot with the X-Pro1. The job was basically this… “Zack, you’re one of five photographers in five cities that we’re setting loose to photograph our cars in whatever way you want. So here’s a sick location and some sick Rovers. Have at it.”

Look #1.

Look #2.

I had such a great time on this job. A) I love all Land/Range Rovers and getting my pick of the litter from a Series II, to the last Classic to roll off the line, to Rover Sports, to Defenders, to LR4′s, and then taking Meg out on the town in the new Evoque was pretty dope. I was brought on by the Undercurrent crew who are also working with AllDayEveryDay on this LandRover Tumblr project where this work will be shown first. Check out the other photographers. I’m really blown away by Adam Goldberg’s work. He shot for them in Los Angeles. All film. That’s a blog of another flavor. Each week new images from all five of us are showing up on the site. My direct link is here. It’s cool to see five photographers take on the same job on one site. The other shooters are Frances Tulk-Hart (NYC), Jayms Ramirez (San Francisco), and Chris McPherson (Phoenix).

So yes. I will, and have, shot a job with this camera. There’s no way in hell I would have done this job for Land Rover had I not believed in this camera. I had the Phase out for this job on some “hero” shots and I had the 5d around with the 135 f2 lens in case I needed it. Never did. Oh no. Is this X-Pro1 a DSLR killer? Have I come full circle by going around the world with this stupid camera? Let’s bring this home. I’ll pull from some FAQ’s I’ve received.

• Is the X-Pro1 a DSLR competitor? Yes and No. Despite it being a 16MP APS class sensor with a crap crop factor I would say it challenges my 5d2. Even in the higher ISO range. That new bayer pattern thing they did with the sensor is legit. If your job is shooting toddlers running through parks or some sort of sports outside of competitive dart throwing, then this camera is by no means a competitor to a DSLR. If your work is more methodical like portraits and the like then… there’s a place in your bag for this camera.

The next time someone asks me what kind of camera they should get I will have them look at the X-Pro1. It’s a camera that you can grow from amateur to pro with. If you were ever shooting with a Canon Rebel, 20d, 30d, D100, D200, D70, D60, etc then as far as image quality and ISO goes, this camera spanks all of those and keeps up with today’s prosumer DSLRs. It’s the slow focus where it starts to slip and lag.

• The focus and lag. Is it that bad? Yeah. Kind of. The focus is ok. There’s just this lag that it has that is annoying. It’s like, I’ve thought about the shot. Then it wants to think about the shot too. NO. Just shoot. But I think back to my x100. When that came out of the box it sucked in those two areas. A few firmware updates later and it’s a new camera. I can only imagine the same will be said with the X-Pro1. Fuji has done an amazing job listening to all of us and have addressed many of our concerns. Even down to the request for the AF selector switch be changed to Manual, Continuous, Single. Single was in the middle before and hard to hit on the fly. I can’t remember the last time I used a continuous focusing mode so it’s fine if I don’t ever hit it.

• What about manual focus on the X-Pro1? Uh. Yeah. No. Definitely not. The new lenses are focus by wire instead of having physical little gears in there. It’s slow and laggy and kind of sort of useless. If there was anything I was truly disappointed in was the fact that the focus by wire was kept for these lenses. As I said in my x100 review, I don’t know jack about lens design so I’m just armchair quarterbacking here but if the lenses could be physically geared then manual focus would be more of an option on this camera.

• x100 or X-Pro1? Oh boy. Tough one. The x100 is still, IMHO, the greatest camera ever made. It’s the scrappy little brother now that the X-Pro is out but it still has the most soul. My minimalist heart still sings when I’m shooting with the x100. It’s a bit smaller. A bit lighter. Silent. The 23mm focal length (35mm equiv) is fantastic. It’s still my favorite but I can’t say which I would choose over the other. They are two different little cameras. They are “too” different as well. It seems that the x100 line will continue. I don’t have any inside information on this but it comes from what I’ve read on the internets. I hope this is the case.

• What about the X10? I bought one of these for Meg. I like the x10 but this is how I think of them. The x100 and the X-Pro1 are photographer’s cameras. The x10 is a photographer’s point and shoot. If you are itching for an X class Fuji go for the x100 or X-Pro1.

• What do you think of the lenses? IMHO the 35mm f1.4 is THE lens to have for the X-Pro1. Holy crappoly do I ever love this lens. You could just weld it onto the camera and I’d be fine with that. It’s perfect. You know, other than not being geared for manual focus. No really, it’s fantastic. A grand slam of a little lens. My next favorite is the 18mm f2. It’s a really sharp lens and pretty wide. It holds up nicely. The 60mm f2.4 is my least favorite and that surprises me. I knew I was going to love the 35mm before I ever got it and I figured I’d love the 60mm just as much but I sort of think that maybe I have a bad copy of the 60mm. All my lenses are pre-production and the 60 is the worst performer of my three. It’s slow to focus and lock on. I have heard that firmware tweaks are in store for the glass but that’s just stuff I’ve read online. Don’t quote me. I think I need to try another 60. When it locks it’s great. It just doesn’t perform nearly as well as the 18 and the 35.

• Accessories? Definitely pick up the Black Rapid SnapR sling for this camera. Use the strap. Ditch the bag. That’s what I do. If you have two small cams on you (like an x100 and an X-Pro) then put each on a SnapR strap and pick up the CouplerR. This allows you to have one camera hanging on each side of you. This is how I rolled in India and it was awesome. You’ll forget they’re there in a few minutes. The new Fuji lenses come with lens hoods so you don’t have to Frankencamera something on the front of them like I did with the x100 for awhile. I finally broke down and bought the Fuji hood for the x100. Still a stupid price tag on that piece of plastic. Another thing that’s really nice is the extra grip for the X-Pro1. Picked one of those up and I’m glad I did. It adds just a bit of weight to the camera but I have a more solid grip on it now. I wouldn’t say it’s a must have but almost.

• How does it compare to the Sony/Nikon/Olympus such and such? I have no idea. I also have no desire to go shoot all these different cameras side by side. I’ll let dpreview do that.

• Best improvements from the X100? – The “Q” menu! The Q menu is awesome. It allows you to quickly make a number of changes to the camera through a very easy to navigate menu. Dear Fuji, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring this to the x100 through a firmware update! PLEASE! It’s fantastic. Whoever designed that gets the employee of the month parking space for sure. The battery life has gotten a lot better as well. The battery is physically larger so that might have something to do with it. I can go all day on two fully charged batteries.

• What about the Leica M Class? How’s it hold up to those? While I have held and popped off some frames with an M8 and an M9 a few times, I have never had a full run with a Leica M class. I don’t want to step on the hallowed toes of the Leica legacy but there is no way I’d ever pay that much for those cameras. Esp when this X-Pro1 is out. I know there’s a Porsche / VW conversation to have here but I’d almost put it more like a Porsche / Subaru WRX metaphor if I was going to put it in the car world. Two different cars. Too different cars. Both faster than a scalded dog. One has an approachable price tag. The other does not. Girls usually aren’t impressed if you’re driving a Subaru even though you could smoke a number of Porsches in it. My metaphor is running out of gas. Oh, Fuji is coming out with a lens mount accessory that will allow you to mount Leica/M glass. Haven’t seen it nor tried it so I can’t speak to it. With those lenses being geared though, I sort of imagine that thing is going to be awesome and will give a number of us some more GAS for glass.

• Is it worth the money? Yes. But that’s coming from a guy who worked one off right? If you ever lusted after an M9 then this camera is right up your alley. You’ll be all over this camera because compared to $7,000, the $1,699 price tag for the X-Pro1 body is a steal. If you’re rocking a $500 DSLR with a kit lens then it’s a big stretch. There is a place for this camera at this price point in a working photographer’s bag. If you’re just starting out then you’re most likely better off to put your money in your DSLR kit for awhile. If you have a full DSLR kit and you’re looking for that “something” then this camera is that “something” you are looking for.

I’d have no problem pulling this out at wedding or other event. NOT for night time dancing shots but hell, I hate my 5d2 in those situations. Portraits. Getting ready. Detail shots. Yeah. Oh, and the macro mode on the 60mm is awesome. That would be my detail lens. We’re talking about a camera that weighs less than most of your lenses being job worthy and still fit in a large pocket. It’s much quieter than a DSLR and would allow you to look more like a guest than the hired gun when the crazy “NO PICTURES EVAR!!!” church ladies come around. Hand the X to your second and stick them in the third row. Done. I mean. Honor the rules. Don’t ruin it for the next photographer but, ahem, (third row with the quiet non pro looking camera and get the shot) Ahem.

Parting thoughts…

I’ve run through the gamut with this camera both physically and mentally. I’m really glad Fuji gave me the camera as it is missing some paint now. It’s not weather proof but it has been in the rain, had mud slung on it, and held an inch from running water. It’s funny how I wanted it to be what it kind of is but it was a bit of a journey to figure it out. This isn’t the camera you hand to your mom to grab a few shots. I’ve watched very talented photographers pick up my X-Pro1 and sort of scratch their heads after taking a few shots with it. I then explain how you have to stick your tongue out a certain way, stand on your left foot, grab your elbow, and click your heels three times to get the most out of it. When you do all that… angels sing. Really.

I did a job yesterday with this camera along side the Phase. I’d get my main shot with the Phase like this (ISO 50. Lit.)

With the X-Pro1 hanging at my side I would then pull it up for an “available” light shot for a different look. (ISO 800. Lit with the modeling light from a beauty dish. The blue light is daylight mixing in. WB set to tungsten.)

With the small size of the X-Pro1 it can always be on your side. You can shoot with your main camera and then pull something different off without skipping a beat. Having this camera on you isn’t a “commitment” if you know what I mean. Go shoot a 12 hour wedding day with two DSLRs hanging on you and you’ll know what I mean by “commitment”.  With an X hanging on one of those BlackRapid SnapR straps it’s the same as having your phone in your pocket. Even though Instagr.am just got bought for a cool billion, ain’t none of us shooting major jobs with an iPhone. This camera however can shoot a job. Unless the job involves bob sledding or toddlers. Or toddlers bob sledding. Get a Nikon for that job.

I’m heading to Iceland in June to teach a week long people and portrait workshop with Focus On Nature. We’re going to be shooting everywhere from the streets of Reykjavik to the interior tundras and glaciers and other nature stuff places and I’m pretty certain that I’m taking my Phase and my Fuji’s for the workshop. I think the Canons are going to stay at home. And yes, this Iceland workshop is going to be as cool as it sounds.

While I was in Dubai I gave a presentation at the launch of the X-Pro1 in the Middle East. I talk about my experience with the x100 and how my #de_VICE series was born from that camera and ended up on CNN. You can find that on Fuji ME’s youtube channel.

Will I sell my Canon kit? No. There will be plenty of jobs where I will need the speed of the 5d. Wait. What? I can’t believe I just said that. I guess after shooting with the X and the Phase the 5d feels like a Porsche. And while the X-Pro1 does shoot HD video it isn’t a 5d. [dream]But the weather proofed X-Pro3 with a full frame sensor and fast AF?[/dream] Yeah, the DSLR will get less and less use. ETA – I will never travel on vacation with a DSLR again. Ever. Seriously. If you want a travel camera, this is your travel camera. No question about it.

Oh… Can’t have a camera review without…

Questions? Concerns? Hit me in the comments. I’ll update this blog post periodically as firmware updates come through. I made a number of changes to my x100 post due to firmware updates fixing a lot of issues I had with it.

Cheers,

Zack

**I really hope the “hot damn” is strictly about the XPro-1 and has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was shooting a gorgeous woman in gorgeous light in an amazing location. Did I mention the fact that she is gorgeous? I’m going to go get out of my pajamas and get dressed or something. And pout my lips. And lounge somewhere in a pile of saris. Or the dang pile of clothes I have to fold. Yeah, me in a pile of 2T Yo Gabba Gabba underwear and socks and jeans will put Gorgeous Gabby to shame. (Meg)

*** Hot Damn was about the camera dear. Honest! (Zack)

I’m currently in India on assignment for Fuji to shoot promotional photos with their new X-Pro1 camera system. Hey, why not? It’s a good gig if you can get it right? Hell yes it is. I arrived in Mumbai/Bombay already exhausted after the Dubai trip and this city amplified my senses to eleven plus one. I’ve always had a bit of a smug pride about not being intimidated by places until the hour long drive from the airport to my hotel. I hit the bed the other night afraid that I may very well have met my match. I found the place that scares the sh*t out of me. It’s completely insane here and that makes it awesome.

It’s the kids on the streets that really break my heart into one million pieces. I mean really break me down. I want to earn a billion dollars and grab them all and make a life for them.

Straight from camera.

The X-Pro1 is a Fuji X camera so I’ve said my fair share of curse words using it but then the effing @#&*!@ camera locks on and O. M. G. In the chaos that is this city I can’t even begin to explain how using this camera makes my life 500% easier because they can just about fit in a pocket and rival my 5d Mk II in image quality. Twelve hours out shooting with my x100 and X-Pro1 and I don’t even feel it at the end of the day. I can play the tourist card with these cameras and get in and get out without even thinking about my gear.

Internet is dodgy here at the hotel. If this blog post publishes I’ll be surprised. More when I can. Full post about the camera after this trip and after a three day job I head to immediately following this trip.

Cheers,

Zack

PS – The contrast of subjects I’m photographing on this trip does not escape me.

x100. As much as I love the X-Pro1, the x100 is still my baby. I’ll never part with it.

Bobbi Lane, Gregory Heisler, Claire Rosen, and a bunch of dudes I don’t have links for.

David Burnett is a bad ass photographer. cc: Dan Depew, Cary Norton, Michael Sebastian, and Jon Canlas. That’s an f2 lens on that SpeedGraphic. #NoPolaroid #Ninja

One more day of teaching stuff to post then off to India for the rest of the week. I’ll be in Mumbai then heading home. I miss Meg and the kids so much. As excited as I am about going to India for the first time I’d really love to be jumping on a plane right now to head home. It feels like I’ve been gone for a month already.

I’ll have a full X-Pro1 run down on my blog after India.

Cheers,

Zack

The image above is Zeke. He’s a great guy who traveled out here from Tucson to attened GPP. The place where we were shooting had us all covered head to toe in dust.

Fellow GPP’er, David Nightingale, and I were having drinks tonight and I asked him what he would do to some of my photos I shot today since he’s a master of post production. He blows me away with what he does in Photoshop and he makes it look so easy. He did the post on these images.

All shot with a new X-Pro1 that I got this morning. I was able to trade the pre-production model I had in on a new production body with the new firmware. It’s event better. I’ll blog about the camera after my India trip next week. We were out all afternoon on location and I did not once pull my Canon out of the bag. Shot everything with the X-Pro1.

Cheers,

Zack

The available light shot. Meh.

I heart grids. ——– I’m not sure either. It’s something traditional I’m told.

David Burnett has no fear. He’ll cover major news events with Holgas and 4×5′s. Here he talks about how big his balls are for doing so.

Looking forward to the location class that starts today. I’ll have more to show tomorrow.

Cheers,

Zack

X-Pro1 works like a champ with a Pocket Wizard attached. I use a mini on it. A Plus II is as big as the camera. (almost)

This was sniped just using the modeling lights of the softbox as a student was shooting.

The set up…

The shot.

It was a fun class. Again, that stuff Hurley is making is awesome. You can see it all bokeh’ed out there in the background.

If you’re sitting there thinking how lucky I am to be able to sit around a group of people like this every night this week you are 110% correct. I can not even begin to express how young and inexperienced I find myself to be when I hear the stories of these masters. I’m just a kid at the table still staring at the starting line. If you look up to me or if you think I’m “up there” in the industry, let me virtually put my arm around your shoulder and point to some of these guys and let you know how absolutely far of a journey you and I have still have to go.

Sitting there last night, completely sleep deprived, yet hanging on the words of those around me… I started thinking of the cult of personality in our industry. We place these young blog stars on a pedestal as the apex of success. I understand that I can be placed in that realm. I was thinking of this last night and realized what a sham it all is. THE masters of our craft that are still creating work in this world are names you probably haven’t heard of. They aren’t even on twitter or they have a fraction of followers some of us have. No one reads or comments on their blogs. They are so far up the damn mountain they don’t have a signal back to the rest of us. Their stories, their work, their experience, the philosophy transcends all of us.

This is in contrast to yet another revolution some photographer is trying to start. A number of you have DM’ed me the link to that video. OMG. You sit with guys like Heisler, Hobby, McNally, and Burnett and then watch this dumb ass “new revolution in photography” and realize what a farce that idea is.

I woke up this morning to the sad news that we lost Paula Lerner to breast cancer. Paula has done more for this industry then a whole panel of “blog stars” have. I had the pleasure of meeting her while I was still in school. She was one of the founding members of EP. On the subject of day rates and contracts she taught me the theory of “If you’re going to get screwed on a job AT LEAST KNOW you are getting screwed on that job.” She provided us a very strong set of shoulders that we now stand upon. RIP Paula.

You know why these folks are masters? Because they’ve put everything into it and kept their eyes on the goal even when in complete darkness in their life. They weren’t trying to start a revolution. They were, and are, chasing the light. The image. That one fleeting fraction of a second for that one image that brings them joy and brings them the next job.

You want to start a “revolution” in photography, yeah. Whatever. You’re not. None of us are. Shut up and go shoot pictures.

I’m still sleep deprived. I’m pointing my finger out to the horizon. The goal we all have is somewhere beyond that.

Cheers,

Zack

PS – All X-Pro1 shots.