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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Wedding photography update - switch to Fuji
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08/12/2014 07:23:03 PM · #1
I've been a bit quiet on DPC recently as i've been pretty busy but i thought i'd post one of my occasional updates as i know some people find it useful.

Halfway through my third year as a wedding photog and it's still going really well. I'm still really enjoying doing them which is key and the bookings are still coming in and i'm beating the targets which i'd planned in my 5 year plan. Got 25 booked this year (14 done so far) so hopefully that will keep up and i'll be able to push it to 30-35 in 2015-2016.

One major change is that i switched from a Nikon kit to a Fuji one in June so i thought i'd go through a couple of pluses and negatives i've found with the switch. I've just posted up the first wedding i shot with the Fuji's on my website....

which you can take a look at here...

I was still finding my feet a bit on that first one (although i'd had a week or so to play with them before hand) but it takes a while to settle into a camera and lenses. I've done another eight weddings since then and it's going pretty well so far.

Just to clarify the switch - I'd pretty much got into a good way of working beforehand with two Nikon D700's and three prime lenses - Nikon 24mm f/1.4G, Zeiss 35mm f/2 and the Nikon 85mm f/1.4D - all amazingly good lenses. The switch was more down to weight (i found it a bit backbreaking the way i work with 12 hour+ weddings and using both cameras constantly). Occasionally swopping lenses was a bit of a pain as well. Plus - the Nikons are LOUD!

So, i switched to having three Fuji XPro 1's and the Fuji 23mm f/1.4, the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and the kit 16-55mm. I found i didn't really get on with using the kit lens so tended to stick to the other two most of the time. I'd like a wider, fast option so am thinking what to do about that. I think i'd use all three cameras/focal lengths a bit more if i had that. I like a much wider option sometimes.

So, some pluses and negatives with using the Fuji's when compared to the Nikons...

Plus:

Weight - An obvious main reason for the switch but it really does make a huge difference. I know the two Nikon's with primes on weren't massively heavy compared to what they could be but my back was really struggling after a long day. Nothing like that with the tiny Fuji's even with three of them. They probably make me less conspicuous as well i guess as i tend to get in close and mix with people when i'm shooting. I've found the best way to become invisible is to mingle and chat and get to know people and, after a while, they forget i'm there.

Noise - Huge difference with the almost silent Fuji's. The Nikon D700's with their clapperboard shutter used to make me cringe in smaller, close up ceremonies. Another big plus point.

Raw Files - I find i much prefer the RAW files out of the Fuji's. Not sure why, they just seem easier to work with, more malleable maybe. I don't know. I'm not the most technical of photographers and am a bit slapdash so i've never minded blurry shots etc, as long as the moment is captured. I find i'm tending to do a lot less in post with the Raw files but maybe that's a trend i was just doing anyway. I did a lot more work on individual photos a year or so ago than i do now but maybe i'm just processing a bit more lightly and natural. A lot of wedding photographers who have switched to Fuji are shooting in Jpeg with the film modes which are nice but i find i far prefer making my own presets and using them. I tend to make three or four for each wedding - B/W indoor, Colour indoor, B/W outdoor and Colour outdoor and taking it from there.

Cool - I've also found a lot more people coming up to me, other photographers etc, and thinking i'm really cool for shooting weddings on film. They might be a bit disappointed when they find out the cameras are digital but it leads to some good camera chat.

Negatives

Autofocus - No doubt about it, the Fuji's are not a patch on the Nikons when it comes to autofocus. Not a big thing really, and i expected it of course, but it has made me change the way i shoot in some situations (again, not a bad thing). I'm very natural with couple portraits and have tended to let the couples just stroll around whilst i pick out nice shots. Can't really do that as well with the Fuji's so i've had to slow down and stop people more. Like i say, not a hugely bad thing as a shake up in shooting is good. Tricky shots like the bride walking down the aisle when she is massively backlit from a window have been a struggle sometimes though. I've missed some shots which i know the Nikons would have dealt with ok.

Shallow DOf - I do really miss the Nikon 85mm f/1.4 on this as i'm a big lover of very shallow depth of field. The Fuji 56mm f/1.2, lovely lens that it is, whilst having the crop factor equiv loses out on some of that which is a shame. Also, i like doing close up head shots of kids with that shallow DOF and with the pretty rubbish autofocus i'm not getting as high a hit rate with the fast moving kiddies.

Battery life - Yea, a pocket full of batteries is handy but no great hardship.

Overall though i'm really loving the little Fuji's for what they can do and not missing, too much, the things they can't. A nice system to switch over to.

Message edited by author 2014-08-12 19:27:59.
08/13/2014 01:01:10 AM · #2
Firstly, I thought your wedding shots were excellent - I thought the owl delivering the ring was so different.

I am a big fan of Fuji and although I still have a Canon 20D/30D/7D they are badly neglected and rarely see the light of day. Weight was a big factor for me, My x100 is just perfect for my needs and with it's fixed lens it has made me do more with respect to framing/composition etc.

The Fuji Raw files are good to work with and I shoot Jpeg+Raw but I find that the Jpeg's to be really excellent and only revert to Raw when I have messed up a shot.

I can relate to your experience of people's reaction to your cameras. My son recently used my x100 at a social gathering. Most thought it was a really cool old camera whilst others asked him why he was shooting film.

I agree with you re the autofocus but I have come to live with it.

Look forward to hearing more of your experiences.

Message edited by author 2014-08-13 01:01:57.
08/13/2014 01:30:11 AM · #3
Wow, I just love that owl shot!! I have never seen that before what a fun thing you got to experience and capture.

When I was re-married last year, One of my very few requests from the photographer was to get the first expression from my hubby right when he first saw me as I came down the isle... there is always something about that first emotional special moment that I love to watch in guys when they first see their brides. It was really nice you caught some emotion as well in yours just love it

I love it when others share their experiences with cameras I am not familiar with..awesome job

Message edited by author 2014-08-13 06:49:48.
08/13/2014 04:45:52 AM · #4
If I wasn't already happily married, I'd definitely be booking you for my wedding.

I have a new 18mm f2 in a box if that is wide enough for you then I am selling it and based in UK too, flick me a PM if you like.
08/13/2014 12:01:51 PM · #5
I think the first thing to say is congratulations on your success in building your wedding photography business. That takes a combination of lots of both work and talent to pull that off, and I am happy to hear it has gone well. I enjoy your updates on the transition from Nikon to Fuji. I always enjoy perusing the images on your website periodically -- I admire your style very much.

I primarily use my Fuji x100s currently, and I love it. I have the converters for 28mm and 50mm equivalents, but I do still pull out dSLR primarily when I yearn to go wider or want more DOF separation. Life is full of trade-offs.
08/13/2014 02:13:07 PM · #6
If you can get away with using manual focus during the wedding day try using a Metabones Speed Booster with some of your non-native glass to gain back the full-frame DOF look. The N85/1.4D you spoke about combined with the Speed Booster on a Fuji-X camera acts the same as an 85mm with similar DOF characteristics of shooting it on a FF camera but will become an F1 lens with a better MTF graph, making it even sharper. For formal portraits I don' t see why you couldn't use manual focus if the Fuji VF gives you an enlarged view or focus peaking.
08/13/2014 02:44:27 PM · #7
Right on. Great work, and I agree with everything you've noted about the Fuji systems. I can't imagine life without my x100s now, if only because I don't have to cart around my kit anymore, unless I want to. ;)
08/14/2014 05:20:25 PM · #8
Thanks all for the great comments! Yes, the owl was something special (although apparently it's becoming more of a thing here - the owl had definitely done weddings before - it's a nice touch and this couple were owl mad so it fitted well)

Originally posted by MAK:

If I wasn't already happily married, I'd definitely be booking you for my wedding.

I have a new 18mm f2 in a box if that is wide enough for you then I am selling it and based in UK too, flick me a PM if you like.


Ah, thanks MAK. That's a lovely compliment as i know you've shot a wedding or two before. Thanks for the heads up on the 18mm. I have thought about that one but i think it's not quite wide enough for what i'm after. Basically i want a replacement for the 24mm 1.4 i had. There are not any options for that at the moment although it seems to be the next Fuji lens on the roadmap - a 16mm f.14 if rumours are to believed. I also do a bit of property photography to supplimet the weddings a bit and i've looked at the Fuji 14mm and the Zeiss 12mm - both kind of slow and expensive for not being exactly what i'm after. I'm very interested in the Samyang 12mm f/2 which has come out though - that might do the trick.

Originally posted by Olyuzi:

If you can get away with using manual focus during the wedding day try using a Metabones Speed Booster with some of your non-native glass to gain back the full-frame DOF look. The N85/1.4D you spoke about combined with the Speed Booster on a Fuji-X camera acts the same as an 85mm with similar DOF characteristics of shooting it on a FF camera but will become an F1 lens with a better MTF graph, making it even sharper. For formal portraits I don' t see why you couldn't use manual focus if the Fuji VF gives you an enlarged view or focus peaking.


That's a very interesting point. I don't really know much about the Metabones Speed Booster and what it actually does. One of the plus points i forgot to put up about the Fuji's is the ability to use cheap adaptors and pretty much any legacy lens you can think of. I'm a big fan of this - i far prefer manual focus in most cases and have kept onto my Nikon manual focus ais lenses for that reason. I've got the Nikon and M43 adaptors and they work really well - i recently got hold of an old Zeiss 35mm from the 50's which i like and my Voigtlander 20mm f3.5 turns into a really nice walkabout lens. Those adaptors are still quite large though so i also got a Leica M adaptor with the view to getting some lenses for that. There are a few that i fancy at the moment. I'm curious as to what the Speedbooster actually does though.

08/15/2014 01:33:23 AM · #9
Originally posted by rooum:


Originally posted by Olyuzi:

If you can get away with using manual focus during the wedding day try using a Metabones Speed Booster with some of your non-native glass to gain back the full-frame DOF look. The N85/1.4D you spoke about combined with the Speed Booster on a Fuji-X camera acts the same as an 85mm with similar DOF characteristics of shooting it on a FF camera but will become an F1 lens with a better MTF graph, making it even sharper. For formal portraits I don' t see why you couldn't use manual focus if the Fuji VF gives you an enlarged view or focus peaking.


That's a very interesting point. I don't really know much about the Metabones Speed Booster and what it actually does. One of the plus points i forgot to put up about the Fuji's is the ability to use cheap adaptors and pretty much any legacy lens you can think of. I'm a big fan of this - i far prefer manual focus in most cases and have kept onto my Nikon manual focus ais lenses for that reason. I've got the Nikon and M43 adaptors and they work really well - i recently got hold of an old Zeiss 35mm from the 50's which i like and my Voigtlander 20mm f3.5 turns into a really nice walkabout lens. Those adaptors are still quite large though so i also got a Leica M adaptor with the view to getting some lenses for that. There are a few that i fancy at the moment. I'm curious as to what the Speedbooster actually does though.


Clive -
Metabones Speed Boosters are not cheap. They will run about $400 usd and up to about $450. Lots of photographers are using them for their mirrorless cameras, especially those who have collections of very nice legacy glass. There are cheaper Chinese knockoffs, less than half the cost but I would stay away from them if you want good resolution as they are rubbish when used wide open, and to me, that's the main point of a SB. I just tried one by Fotodiox, the Excell +, and returned it the day I tested it due to terrible halation and loss of sharpness when shot wide open on a N50/1.4D, though it did sharpen up beautifully when stopped down. Actually, I should say that I considered keeping it because shot wide open it acts as a special effects lens. I can show you the results of my test, if you're interested. The Metabones Speed Booster is supposed to remain sharp at all apetures up to when diffraction starts.

These lens adapters come under the category of "focal reducers." They act the opposite of teleconverters so that instead of enlarging the image circle onto the sensor and effectively increasing focal length, focal reducers reduce the size of the image circle so that more of it will fit on a "cropped sensor." With a teleconverter you multiply the lens' focal length by 1.4 or 2.0, but with a focal reducer you multiply the focal length by, in the case of the SB, .71. Used with a 50mm lens it effectively becomes a 35.5mm lens. However, you still have to consider the "crop factor." So in the case of your Fuji you multiply the 35.5 by 1.5 and it becomes a 53mm lens, almost the full frame equivalent. In the process you gain a full stop of light so an F2 lens becomes an F1.4, a F1.4 becomes an F1, and so on. According to the Metabones web site the bokeh characteristics of the lens remain unchanged and the DOF characteristics are as if you are using the lens on a full frame camera. The down side is you lose autofocus, but a manual lens is a manual lens is a manual lens. Just make sure you use it on a lens with a apeture ring.

Focal reducers are different than your standard lens adapter in that they contain glass. Metabones uses high quality glass according to their designer, Brian Caldwell. (Company name is Caldwell Photographic.) Speed Boosters come in specific flavors only. One size does not fit all so that you have to make sure there is a SB for the lens you want to use it on. eg Nikon G (F mount) to Fuji-X. If I'm not mistaken this flavor will work on G, D, and AIS lenses. You can also use third party F mount lenses. If you do go this route I would test it against your native X mount 56mm f1.2 to make sure you are improving the out of focus areas of your portraits.
08/15/2014 09:16:15 AM · #10
as always, great work, clive! really goes to show that the most important piece of equipment is located 6" behind the viewfinder ;-)

and you're making it very, very tempting to jump. i haven't been shooting nearly as much sports as i used to, and this is looking like it could make for a nice change. keep on posting!
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