Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Mirrorless Cameras => Topic started by: bernie west on June 06, 2017, 11:59:54 pm
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I've been an SLR/DSLR shooter all my life. I was pretty good at maintaining a stable platform while shooting. I could easily shoot below the 1/focal-length rule of thumb without shake. But I've since moved over to the fujifilm X cameras, and I'm noticing that I struggle to get a stable shot at 1/60th on the X100T (35mm full-frame equivalent lens). I did some tests this morning - three shots, one taken quickly, the other "normally", and the last as stable as I could. ALL of them had camera shake and the "stable" one was the worst. :-[
Anyone else discover they had this problem when they swapped? Any tips?
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I’ve been shooting with my X100T for over two years now and haven’t encountered that problem. I regularly shoot indoors at 1/8 second with the aperture wide open. Then, often the images aren’t tack sharp but very acceptable.
What I have noticed though is that the camera fits my hand better when it’s placed in the leather case from Leicatime (by Luigi Creszenzi, Italy). I’m not grasping the camera as tightly. Without the case, the camera feels a bit too slim and insecure.
That could cause the camera to be held less securely. You might want to get a half case for your X100T.
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I use the original X100 a lot (well by my standards) and I have the the minimum shutter speed set to 1/100th before the ISO is adjusted automatically. I did this because I found that shots at 1/60th were sometimes suffering camera shake which I put down to old age. It seems to be the case that as I get older I can't hold the camera so well. This was equally true of the Pentax but that had in body image stabilisation which was superb and compensated.
I can shoot at 1/30th and get sharp results but I have to make the effort and take one or two extra insurance shots.
So, I'm not sure where that gets us :) Personally I don't blame the camera design, the same is true of my X-Pro1, I put it down to getting older. I also seem to have a slight problem with moving the camera as I shoot as what ought to be level isn't always.
Try changing the way you cradle the camera and how you press the shutter release - which I'm sure you have already. I was advised to have someone watch as I shot and tell me if I was jerking it at all.
As for a half case - I find the camera just fell into my hand naturally when I picked it up. Oddly the X100F less so but I still plan an upgrade.
Mike
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I too have found that I need to change the way I hold the camera once I moved to the X100T.
It is smaller and lighter than my DSLR brick and that actually made it harder to hold steady. But it was something I was able to compensate for pretty quickly. I do have to confess to some blurry shots when I first started using the Fuji.
I also found out that I need to be extra careful about using the shutter button. It seems to be much more vulnerable to shutter button shake than my other larger DSLRs. But again, it did not take me long to adjust my technique.
I have probably never been as happy with a camera than I have been with the X100T. It really put the fun back in to photography for me. Plus it is a lot easier to carry around than my brick.
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Yeah I think it's the light weight and my big hands that are causing my problems. I'm going to have to try adapting my grip. I have got a leather case for it and I usually have it on, but when I did the test I didn't use it. I might try it again with it on. It does make it fit my hands a bit better.
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I have probably never been as happy with a camera than I have been with the X100T. It really put the fun back in to photography for me. Plus it is a lot easier to carry around than my brick.
+1
I absolutely agree!!
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Yes this was always a major issue for me as well. There is a good solution...or at least it was for me. On ANY camera where the shutter button is a flat-threaded button on top of the camera you are pressing down into the shutter usually. This motion is what makes the shake when I am shooting. This happened with Leica cameras, as well as the fuji cameras that have that shutter design.
I HIGHLY recommend a soft release. A rounded one. I preferred a small one on the X100, while I used large diameter ones on my Leica. I still carry an X100 around all the time...the original non X-trans version. Love it. However, the soft release was mandatory. I like the Match technical Bip or Beep.
Soft release lets you curl your finder over it and just squeeze. No pressing. Far smoother actuation of the shutter. I can hand-hold the x100 down to 1/8th on occasion now. My wife got 1/6th tack sharp once. Without the soft release I am generally above 1/60th.
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Thanks for the tip! I have a soft release button, but it's the flat/concave one which I judged to be making things worse, so I have taken it off. I might hunt down a curved one.
I'm a bit concerned with either my technique and/or camera mechanics. I just went out and did some aperture tests to see how it performed across the range. Unfortunately it seems I can get shake issues at even 1/1900th. So basically the image at f4 was softer (looks like shake) than the image at f2.8. And then the same happened at f7.1 with it being softer than both f5.6 and f8. It appears to be shake of some sort, not misfocus. Is it reasonable to expect the possibility of shake at 1/9000th? If so, I'm going to have to concentrate a lot on my technique when shooting.
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Here's the soft release I have on my X100t and all my X Pro bodies:
https://www.amazon.com/Anodized-Lizard-Custom-Release-Button/dp/B00GVMCR2A
(They don't all have the lizard, of course, some have birds. :) )
This helps me a lot with the "slow squeeze" of the shutter, as it fits just right inside the crease between my first two finger joints. Might work for you, too. I also have a thumb rest thing from the same company, though that is probably less necessary I like how it helps me grip the camera.
https://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-X100T-Thumb-Grip-LENSMATE/dp/B00TMX3L2U/
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Yeah I've got a couple of thumb rests (one of them is considerably better than the other). I've just ordered some convex soft release buttons from eBay.
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It is good to know that those soft release buttons actually do something. I was looking at them but was not convinced that they really did anything.
I think I will re-look into them.
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When I ordered my X-T2 immediately ordered a soft release and thumb grip. They both make a big difference for me. It was something I found essential with my X-T1.
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I recently rented the new Fuji X100F just for the experience. I thought I'd really like it but, to my surprise, it is not right for me. My first impression was that the camera was tiny although after a few days I became more accustomed to it. Surprisingly, the X100F is about the same size as my old Canon GIII QL (film) and Canon G1X (digital); however, those cameras seem to fit my hand much better. I think the difference is that the lens protrudes more from the GIII and G1X and I'm normally holding the camera in my left hand sort of cradling the lens. I'd probably be OK with the X100F fitted with a lens hood. Even so, I decided not to buy the X100F because the focal length was a bit short for my preferences these days.
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Hi,
I'm an X100T user (though planning to upgrade to the F). Can't say I've had the issues you've been experiencing. Only tips I could recommend would be:
- I sort of cradle the camera in the palm of my left hand. Thumb around the lens hood area, index and middle finger the other side of the lens hood, forth finger and little finger on the right hand side of the camera.
- Elbows tucked in and camera up against the eye (I don't use the LCD for taking pictures).
With this approach I get a pretty stable platform. I've never tried a soft release. You're probably already aware, but the lens of the x100 series is a bit soft when wide-open at close distances.
Regards,
Andy.
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I hadn't thought to try it with the lens hood on. I'll give that a go.
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Bernie, just accept the fact that you're crap at taking photos :-) All mine taken with the X100s are utterly brilliant, of course. Oh, and get a soft release button x several ('cos mine kept unscrewing & getting lost)
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When I ordered my X-T2 immediately ordered a soft release and thumb grip. They both make a big difference for me. It was something I found essential with my X-T1.
How would you describe the difference each of them makes?
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Hi John,
I have large hands although not thick. The thumb grip enables me to have a more secure grasp of the camera. I feel much more confident with it.
The soft release provides a much more positive connection to the shutter button. I don't feel like I may be mashing more than the original button and it feels like it's easier to discern a half press from a full press.
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Thanks, Ron. I think I can sense how the soft release might be interesting, but I just don't like the look of the thumb grip.
John
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I often used a thumb grip on a Leica m8. There was no other way to hold the camera because they are so round and smooth. And relatively heavy with a fast lens for their size. Dense is a better word than heavy.
The Fuji is a featherweight camera. The thumb grip I never u sed on the x100. There is plenty of grip on the rear for the thumb. Thumb grips also have a habit of snagging on clothing if the camera is hanging on your side with a strap.
Basically I would hold the front of the camera with my bottom three fingers, first finger curled over the soft release at three smaller knuckle, and thumb squeezing the rear of the camera up to the top shutter dial. When not shooting the camera rests in this position. In my hand with the left side of the camera pointing upwards. So you cradle it vertically in a sense. Very easy camera to use single handed like this.
As has been mentioned, the good makes it easier to hold since you get a place for your left hand to rest naturally and support. You just can't pocket the camera with the hood system on.
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In an effort to be a little more stable, I decided to try the Lensmate convex shutter release. I mounted it on an XPro-2 and the first thing I noticed was how wobbly the shutter felt. I never noticed it before. I guess the added height of the Lensmate provided added leverage. I next tried the Lensmate on an X100f and it was the same.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is it normal?
Thanks.
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I've not seen that issue with my X-T1 or X-T2. Do you have a threaded shutter release or is it one of the glue on versions?
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It's the threaded release. I tried it first with the XPro-2. When there was a wobble there, I then tried it on the X100f. Same thing.
Took the Lensmate off to check the shutter release by itself. Sure enough, there is some side to side movement.
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This is normal, or at least it does the same thing on every Fuji on which I have tried a soft release (two X Pro 1's, two X Pro 2's, and both X100 models).
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Thanks for the confirmation guys.