X100S
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-FR-reader Olaf continues his coverage of the Fuji X100s. This time you’ll find a clear list of thoughts about the camera and the files it produces: “JPEGs straight from the camera continue to impress us. The prints from JPEGs are gorgeous (11×17) and from TIFFs they are even better. The fun factor, portability, is unlike anything on the market now.” Read the whole list here (and see his beautiful shots of Vancouver).

image courtesy: Olaf

– The most popular digital cameras or April according to digitalcamerareview? The top three are: 1) [shoplink 11190]Nikon D7100[/shoplink] 2) [shoplink 11808 ebay]X100S[/shoplink] 3) [shoplink 11551]Canon PowerShot SX50 HS[/shoplink] . Check the whole list here.

X20
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– amateurphotographer X20 preview here. “Although it handles almost identically to its predecessor, the X20 could be a significant leap forward due to its use of the X-Trans sensor. If this type of sensor has the same improvement in resolution that we saw when it was used in the X-Pro1, then it could push the X20 into the same bracket as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The X20 has the potential to be a very exciting compact camera.”

– danbaileyphoto X20 sample shots and impressions can be checked out here. “The X20 holds its own because OVERALL, it’s a great camera with solid quality, lots of usable features and a really cool design. Without at doubt, it’s one of the best compact cameras on the market today.”

 Zeiss Touit

– The riflessifotografici guys Max and Donato are two of those photographers chosen by Zeiss to test the two new X-mount lenses. Seems that they are already working on it, as they announced that the review is coming soon. Looking forward it.

– Zeiss touit hands on + photos at findingrange (Zeiss press event).

“I love the Fuji lenses but from the limited time that I was able to use the  Zeiss Touit lenses, I feel like there’s more life to the images. I really feel like images look less clinical than images shot with the Fuji lenses. The 32mm f1.8 will definitely be a hot little portrait lens because of the way it draws.  It’s a little slower than the XF 35mm F1.4 R lens but that’s perfectly ok by me.  The bokeh is ultra smooth and inviting. The 12mm f2.8 is priced at $1250, which might seem like a hard pill to swallow but think about it this way; the XF 14mm is already priced at $899. You’re already at the $1,000 range, so if it was me, I would just jump for the Zeiss.  You’re getting a better built lens with all glass, and again, the Zeiss look and image quality. Plus, don’t forget; you probably bought the Fuji (or the Sony) because of the image quality. If that’s the case, then it only makes sense to put top quality lenses on it.”

Zeiss Touit 32mm pre-order: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel
Zeiss Touit 12mm pre-order: USA: Adorama / BHphoto / Uniquephoto / Pictureline / Europe: AmazonDE / ebayUK / PCHstore Brussel

XF14mm
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– “A walk on the wide side, …or how I use ultra wides like the Fujinon 14mm.” Read the article at wideanglecafe.com. Here just an extract… and if you read it all, George will tell you the 4 golden rules for ultra wides.

“The obvious impulse is to go large and look for grand vistas. I find this is invariably a mistake. With a field of view of 21mm on the X-Pro1, the Fujinon 14mm is still a 14mm lens and its perspective reduces even the mightiest of mountains to hillocks in your images if you are not close enough. My wife took me up a mountain recently to show me the perilous route she took across the mountain on horseback. The image below was shot for fun with the X-Pro1 panorama feature and the 14mm lens. The mountains in the background are not that far away and they are over 1200m high. Where I am standing is at around 600m. The image is….well…rubbish really and gives no sense of the dramatic route that she took. A better way to take this shot would be to stitch multiple shots using a lens that is closer to the perspective of the human eye, say 50mm or so.”

image courtesy: wideanglecafe