Earlier this year I had a great time as I explored Rome, Tuscany, and Cinque Terre. My purpose was to scout these areas for upcoming photo tours that we are developing in Italy and I know what you’re thinking… Poor Ken, how he has to suffer for his work in such beastly places like Italy. Well, folks, that’s just how far I’m willing to go to get the job done. It sure isn’t easy what with all the delicious food, incredible wine, amazing landscapes, beautiful art, wonderful historic sites, and lovely people. Yup, pure hell indeed. What can I say? I’m a trooper.
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”
~C. S. Lewis
Big things from a small camera
This was to be the first trip I took where I’d be using a mirrorless camera and I had some reservations. After a little playing around and testing the new Fujifilm X-E1 camera I got the hang of it and was very impressed with how versatile it is for such a lightweight camera. One of the more difficult things about the work that is due is dealing with the weight of all the equipment I need to bring with me. With these kinds of minimalist cameras I think we’re well on the way to finding a lightweight solution for travel photographers like myself. Fuji is coming out with new cameras all the time and there are several new lenses on the way from both Fujifilm and Zeiss. In fact, I was just in Iceland and in Italy right now with the new Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Lens for Fuji X-mount and loving it (photos soon). What a great era to be a photographer in! We are blessed with such amazing technology and it just keeps getting better.
Zeiss Touit 2.8/12 12mm f/2.8
We sure got some great photos with the new cameras in Italy and I’m happy to say that we quickly sold out our October Photo Tour of Italy that starts today (Oct 3, 2013)! Having a more compact camera system made it easier to scout locations and I’m really happy with the results. Seems like Fujifilm was quite happy too since they used one of my photos as full page ads in current issues of PDN and other photo magazines. If you’ll be in New York at the end of October, do come by and see me at the Fujifilm booth at Photo Plus Expo where I’ll be giving some short talks about life as a photographer and how so much has changed in the industry in the last decade. This is the largest photo convention in America and I always have a great time there meeting new people and catching up with old friends. Hope to see you there!
Good to hear your perspective on a mirrorless system! Planning to buy into that myself and still undecided as to which camera I get but enjoying the research. And lovely photo from Italy as per usual.
Congratualations with FujiFilm :D
I always thought that we should compromise between Portability and quality while choosing cameras. This looks like a good bet.
Hi,My first camera was FujiFilm and last FujiFilm.All time i like and use it.It is different to other…..
Interesting to see mirrorless systems start to take off and really compete with some fairly decent DSLRs and the Fuji looks to be a great compact and portable alternative to carrying around a hefty kit bag. It is indeed a great time to be a photographer with all these new advanced!
I spotted your photo, I hope you had a great time in Cinque Terre! We did
Thank you for this post. I like to learn new things about equipment. Sharing your experience with this product was a nice tip for me. Thanks again.
Kiersten, These mirror less systems are the next wave. Especially for travel shooters like us. Can’t wait to see what’s in store the next few years.
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Raj, I totally agree. This type of camera is a good compromise and will benefit a lot of people.
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Alex, 100% correct. This is a wonderful time to be a photographer!
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Davide, Cinque terre was awesome and I was lucky to be there twice this year.
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TO, Glad the article helped!
I am not a very big fan of the Fuji photo look. But it seems like we are damn close to going for these mirrorless cameras as backup even in the pro world, at least getting rid of half of our photography equipment when travelling. That would be a big step forward already. Great article! Thanks, Arved
Cinque Terre must be the hands-down most beautiful place on earth. Amazing photos of an amazing fairytale place!
Italy is a beautiful country and any body can enjoy this beauty. When I was there I had taken lots of photo.
Fujifilm is always good in quality as we know. I have used many years, and I have taken lot of pic from that at different destination. I have been Italy ever but I’d like to visit for once in my whole life. Thanks foe share about Fujifilm.
Being passionate about photography but completely new to this, do you think it can be good also for a beginner? =^_^=
…By the way…I loved your pics of Umbria!
I like photos
looking very nice your content and images……………………….