Fujifilm X20 - testing continues with a portrait

While I was on facebook the other day, someone posted a photo of Charles Darwin with a quote by him written off to the side of the empty space of the image.  I couldn't help but think of my cousin Michael Ximenez and how similar they look.  I called him up and he agreed to pose for me.  I am recreating solely on inspiration. This is the third time of done this.

  I am using the Fujifilm X20 mirror-less camera, ISO 250, 1/125, f2.8 and a speedlight aimed at the ceiling.

I am regularly surprised at the detail of the images from this small-sensored camera. Under-exposed areas appeared a bit muddy, but when the exposure is correct the images look quite film-like. I think the acid test is to eventually make a large print, maybe 12x18.

Fujifilm X20 - more outdoor testing evening light

I'm curious of the performance of the Fujifilm X20 camera in real world situations. I have no scientific gear to measure anything except the built-in light meter and the histogram readings in Lightroom.
It's a partly cloudy early evening at a favorite restaurant Twin Peaks where there is  Hot Rod Night.
People vote on their favorite vehicles and the winner gets a door prize. Here are some photographs.

There is very little tweaking in Lightroom by the way, all have some amount of adjustment. All photographs were shot is Jpeg-Fine, ISO 250. Most were shot in Program-mode, which I don't always trust.

But, there it is ... Not bad for a small sensor point n shoot that has full manual capabilities.

Fujifilm X20 camera is now a part of my arsenal

Today, there is a great interest in mirrorless cameras for several reasons. Among enthusiasts, and pros, it is a camera that is easy to carry, small, pocketable, and almost pocketable, may have interchangeable lenses available, must most of all, produces DSLR-like images. Some of the mirrorless models like the Sony NEX line of cameras have APS-c size sensors with lots of area for beautiful high resolution images.
 Now some of the mirrorless cameras have smaller sensors but their processing engines still yield amazing images for their size. I looked into a few models from Olympus, Panasonic, and Fujifilm and finally chose the X20 from Fujifilm. I almost had the Sony NEX-7 in my bag of goodies, but, I still needed something from a small mirrorless. Dare I say, I needed a camera with soul. As I fiddled with the X20 I felt like I had bonded with it within a few moments of clicking and button-pushing. Can't explain it, but even after looking at Fujifilm XE-1 and X-pro1 which almost ended in my bag too, the layout and controls made more sense to me and my style of shooting. I sacrificed the larger sensor for this little gem, KNOWING, that images would not be as pristine and sharp and clear and all the other qualities we lust for as in my Nikon D800.  That being said,

  "I am an artist, the camera is my brush, and you are my canvas". The D800 is almost too sharp to do some of my painterly style art images. It takes a couple of extra steps to soften things up enough to begin working the image to my liking.  My old Fujifilm S5pro and Nikon D300 were excellent choices to create images that looked like oil painting after printed on canvas.

 But they get heavy after awhile and I wanted something lighter with a quality build that feels "pro" yet can almost fit in a big pocket.
  So, I'll be testing this little guy and posting and adding a few choice images to show the strengths and weaknesses of this camera.  I love shooting with it. The jpegs are not a crisp as maybe a Sony RX100 but it looks film-like VS film-slide-like, if that makes sense.


The photo of the barometer was in Macro mode and I was about 3-4 inches from it, ISO 800, there's a little noise in under exposed areas but details are really good.

 The next photo is used with a Pocket Wizard (Basic firing, not TTL). This was another criteria for me in choosing this camera. The flash is a Nikon SB-600, but any flash will do when set to Basic Fire Only.

This is the kind of texture I need to create some of my composite artwork and the image with the singer is perfect to begin a project.

While we are talking about flash, when using Pocket Wizards the transmitter/receiver must be set to Basic Trigger to take advantage of higher sync speed. In my test, I was able to achieve 1/1000sec sync, but, if the Pocket Wizards are not set to Basic Trigger Only, then the highest sync speed was 1/100th sec. on the Fujifilm X20. I set my flashes manually anyway so this is really good for my shooting techniques...

 My friend Dickie Bennett, with his Fujifilm X100s which he loves . We put my transmitter on his X100s and worked quite well...

Thank you for reading and viewing this evaluation for the Fujifilm X20.

Peter and Rebecca Dixon Wedding

One of the best weddings I've ever experienced. Peter managed to arrange for a bar - BQ get together with the closest of friends on a pleasant Saturday afternoon in Round Rock. He and Rebecca also managed to (mostly) keep a secret that they'd be wed during the outing. To take it a step further, Peter managed to keep the secret from  Rebecca that Tim, their best friend, was officially ordain 2 weeks earlier and would perform their vows. A friendly get together in the backyard turned wedding day.  Fantastic !!!