Using manual lenses on a Fujifilm X

Using manual (adapted) lenses is great on a Fujifilm X. I have a set of Canon FD Macro lenses that are terrific.

At first you might have issues as the shutter doesn’t fire when such lens is on the camera. The camera thinks you don’t have a lens and therefor prevents you from firing the shutter. You need to enable “Shoot without lens”. It’s in the manual but not explicitely explain, and it’s inconsistent depending on the camera model. As I have both a X-Pro1 and an X-T3, this confused me as I couldn’t find it on the X-T3.

Fotodiox, who sells mount adapters, has you covered in their help guide. But really Fujifilm, couldn’t you at least be consistent? It’s not even “later models changed it”. X-Pro2 does it differently from the X-Pro1 and X-Pro3.

Here are some instructions:

Allow shooting without lens

On the Fujifilm X-Pro1:

1. Press the MENU button. Go to the 3rd page of the SHOOTING MENU:

Shooting Menu

2. Select SHOOT WITHOUT LENS:

Shooting Menu 3, Shoot without lens

3. Make sure it is ON:

Shoot without lens, on

On the Fujifilm X-T3:

1. Press the MENU button. Go to the SET UP menu:

Set up menu

2. Select BUTTON/DIAL SETTING:

Set up Menu, Button/Dial Setting

3. On the second page, select SHOOT WITHOUT LENS to be ON:

Button/Dial Setting Menu, Shoot without lens Menu Shoot without lens, On

Setting the focal length

Optionally, you should set the lens focal length. This helps the camera deciding shutter speed and others, and also this get added to the Exif meta data.

On the Fujifilm X-Pro1:

1. Go to the same SHOOTING MENU page 3 and select MOUNT ADAPTOR SETTING:

Shoot Menu 3, Mount adaptor setting

2. Select a lens:

Mount Adaptor Setting, Lens 5

3. If you need to change the focal length select FOCAL LENGTH SETTING:

Mount Adaptor Setting, Focal Length Setting

4. Set the focal length:

Input Focal Length, 0 5 0 mm

On the Fujifilm X-T3:

1. Go to the SHOOTING SETTING menu:

Shooting Setting. page 1/2

2. Go to the second page select MOUNT ADAPTOR SETTING:

Shooting Setting page 2/2, Mount adaptor setting

3. Select one of the 6 focal lengths:

Mount adaptor setting, Lens 5, 50mm

4. If you need to change it, select FOCAL LENGTH SETTING and set the focal length:

Mount adaptor setting, Focal Length Setting Input Focal Length, 0 5 0 mm

You should now be set. Remember if you use a different lens to set the focal length. You don’t need to reset the SHOOT WITHOUT LENS to OFF for use in other cases.

The joy of (slide) film

I have been going through a back log of archiving film. I’m bad, as the most recent was 10 year old. Also that mean I haven’t shot film in 10 years. After some manual labour and digging for the metadata, I pulled the light table and went through some older archived film, including slide film. They are all in translucent archival “PrintFile” sheet, so they can be examined directly. Here is the view of the light table with such a page:

Strips of slide film (positive) on a light table viewed in a diagonal orientation. The punchy colours brings joy to the photographer.
Strips of slide film on the light table.

WOW. This is what I remember of the joy of shooting slide film: looking at the small images on the table. It’s like magic. Not even the thumbnails on the computer bring that joy. It must be the backlit transparency, the punchy colours. And I never shot slide film in medium format.

The experience

But how was it to shoot colours slide film? Even in 2000 it was expensive, more that colour negative. The rolls, the processing all more expensive, and harder to find. That put aside, it was also harder to shoot. Unlike for colour negative, inversible film (the other name of slide film) had much less latitude exposure (around ±1/2 a stop). While colour negative could easily get 2-4 stops each way and still get something usable, slide film couldn’t. And in a very contrasted scene you might have blown highlights or very dark shadows. Metering had to be much more precise and the resulting image could hardly be improved, which also made a lot of consumer point and shoots not suitable.

Slide film remained the preferred format for professional photography in publishing, until they switched to a digital workflow.

The results

Unlike negatives that needs to be printed, and for which the final results were linked to both the printing machine and its operator, slide appeared as close to the “final” product, and in the early days couldn’t even be printed as is. Slide film is the closest to JPEG SooC (Straight-out-of-Camera) in the digital world, and today, if you shoot Fujifilm camera, there are built-in the film simulations, and lot of user created settings. With the Lumix S9, the addition of LUT for stills also reinforce that trend, where cameras adopt a colour rendition model.

In the end

Now this is just nostalgia. Slide film today cost a lot, something like CA$35 a roll either in 135 (36 exposures) or 120 (I get 12 on my 6×6 TLR) and there is mostly only the new Kodak Ektachrome 100 from 2018 (after it got discontinued in 2012). I vividly remember as a roll was less than CA$10, that a price increase in 2004 triggered my purchase of my first DSLR, a Canon 20D. In retrospect I regret maybe not shooting more of it while it was still reasonable, and while these amazing Fujifilm Velvia and Provia were still relatively easily available. Some calculated the Kodachrome, the parent of all slide films, that got discontinued in 2010, cost more adjusted for inflation than Ektachrome in 2024 when it was released in 1935.

So should you shoot slide film? If you have a film camera that works well and you can measure the exposure properly, you should absolutely try. Make sure you have a way to get it processed as well. Not all labs do it.

Previously: What slide film taught me.

Rollei 35AF

Back in March 2024, Rollei announced the Rollei 35AF. A newly redesigned version of the Rollei 35 film cameras. The pre-orders will be opening 10 September 2024.

What is the Rollei 35? It’s a long line of high-end (it’s called “premium” these days) compact 35mm film camera that sold over 2 million units since the late 60s. The Rollei 35AF is a redesign, developed by MiNT over the last few years (read all the updates, it’s interesting).

With a newly designed 35mm f2.8 fixed lens, a built-in flash, it features auto-focus (hence the AF moniker), auto-exposure, and retain mostly the appearance of its predecessors. At around US$650-800, this provides a new alternative for film shooters that is less expensive than the Leica and that is not doomed to break down due to age like most vintage camera are.

The Rollei 35 AF: What is new & what is not

Official website.

Link: Fujifilm TX-1 long term review

Gale Lee wrote a Fujifilm TX-1 long term review for Casual Photophile.

The Fujifilm TX-1 (also known as the Hasselblad XPan) is a camera defined by a single design directive: take true panoramic images using 35mm film without wasting a millimeter of material, and everything about it— from its design to its physical engineering— flows from that goal.

and

The Fujifilm TX-1 (also known as the Hasselblad XPan) is a camera defined by a single design directive: take true panoramic images using 35mm film without wasting a millimeter of material, and everything about it— from its design to its physical engineering— flows from that goal.

Last year, I linked about the Hasselblad X-Pan which is the rebadged version of the Fujifilm, and talked about rangefinders. The Fujifilm TX-1 remains on top of my list of camera to try, this is why each time somebody write about it I wished I had one.

And what Gale tells us is that this camera is a tool a tool that may work for you, but maybe not. What make the TX-1 is the 1:2.70 aspect ratio and the fact that this is camera that you can shoot hand held, like street photography, but not only. It can be challenging to use but, once you are able to control, the results are… wow.

Back in the early 2000s I considered getting one, but its price, and the fact that the 24x65mm frame would be difficult (read expensive) to scan, I sort of chickened out. I’m pretty sure it’s more expensive now than it was back then.

This made me think on what kind of specs would I need to have similar quality panoramic format camera, but digital. Cropping is easy but in that aspect ratio the loss of pixels is significant. And then there is framing, I don’t know which camera allow setting a custom aspect ratio; back when I used an Olympus E-P1, I shot a lot in 16:9 aspect ratio. This scale down on the 12 megapixel.

News: Kodak photo businesses sold to private equity

DPReview: Kodak photo businesses sold to private equity

Well….

This is not good news. Private equity are the corporate looters. And this one is the one that removed “Co-op” from “Mountain Equipment Co-op”…

I don’t expect Kodak film product to be developing. Maybe it’s time to stock up. And when some Fujifilm are suspected to just be Kodak, I wonder about the broader impact.

NONS instant cameras

I just learned about the NONS SL42, a SLR for Instax Mini film. It’s a US$399 camera, currently out of stock. It has an passive EF mount, a light meter and shoots Instax Mini film.

After reading a few reviews from Emulsive and Phoblographer, this feel it might be a winner. The camera has its quirks, but then the Fujifilm Instax also do, differently.

So why a NONS instead of the Fujifilm cameras? Controls, controls, CONTROLS!

The Fujifilm Instax camera only have auto exposure, some with “creative” modes. Also their lens isn’t very fast, stopped down at f/12.7. With the NONS you get to have much faster and interchangeable lenses. The passive EF allow Canon EF lenses (wide open only) and, with adapter rings, you can use Nikon F, Pentax K, Contax CY and M42 lenses. These adapted lenses offer a tremendous quality for an affordable price on the used market, and with the faster aperture the possibilities are broader..

You can read an interview of the team on phoblographer.com about the design of the SL42. It explain that the number 42 isn’t about the answer to life, universe and everything, but rather because the original plan was to release a camera with a M42 mount, the screw lens mount one used on original Pentax SLR and that other camera makers adopted. It also explain why the switch to EF mount, which is the mechanical mount that presented the best versatility in term of further adaptations, and the story behind the NFE (NONS Format Extender).

I was getting excited. It’s out of stock ; turns out it’s no longer made.

The good news is that NONS decided to followup with the SL645 and SL660 cameras. While the SL645 still take Instax Mini, the SL660 takes Instax Square. At US$499 and US$599 respectively they are a bit more pricey. These new models seems to improve a lot. You pick one over the other depending on the format you want to shoot. There is even a back for Instax Square to use on an Hasselblad CM.

The idea of a more sophisticated camera that supports Instax film isn’t new.

When the Polaroid was created, the goal was to offer instant pictures at a time where even 1 hour photo was a pipe dream. So much that today the term “Polaroid” is still commonly associated with instant photography, even though the company died and later was reborn. The process was used in various areas, from identity pictures, to test shots for exposure in the studio, to document reproduction or slide show preparation. The idea of using a Polaroid on an Hasselblad isn’t some sort of sacrilegious practice, it actually was part of the workflow. Setup the shoot, test the exposure with a Polaroid back and then once everything is fine go one with using the regular film.

Instax becoming popular, the choice of Fujifilm cameras is definitely in the space of consumer: inexpensive and all automated. So alternative started to appear. For example the 2016 MINT InstantFlex TL70 is a dedicated TLR that shoot Instax Mini and comes at US$399. Also Lomography has a range of Instax cameras supporting the Lomographic style, as well as Lomo Graflok, a back for large format. While relegated into a corner product category of what I would call novelty, they represent an incredible venue for creativity associated to the medium of instant photography, and fill the niche of photographers looking for a more flexible tool.

Link: When Fred Herzog Saw in Black and White

The Tyee reminds us of When Fred Herzog Saw in Black and White.

Celebrated as a master of colour, the Vancouver photographer had a different side, now on display.

Now a new book show the work he was less known for: black and white. Work published posthumously as Fred Herzog passed away in 2019. This last article shows you a good sample of his colour work, and also relate of the difficulty of shooting in colour.

I discovered Fred Herzog through one of his books at a barber shop in Vancouver when I lived there. What fascinated me was the colour photography of Vancouver, from a time where black & white was the dominant form of photography, mostly due to technology and cost. Pictures of an ever changing city, where heavy transformations make large parts of a city disappear, to be replaced. It showed us the city as it was, and the colour offered us a more realistic feel.

It inspired me.

News: Pixii move to full frame

I talked about rangefinders and mentioned the Pixii, and how it being APS-C sized sensor was, an issue given that it uses Leica M-mount lenses.

Turns out as DPReview tells us that Pixii launches 24MP Pixii Max, its first full-frame rangefinder:

The Pixii Max (Model A3410) is the company’s fifth camera and the first to move from an APS-C sensor to full frame.

Feels like a good revision. At €3,999 without taxes (about CA$5,900), it’s less expensive than a Leica M.

Kodak, Kodak, film cameras

When I wasn’t looking, 2 different model of film cameras where released under the Kodak brand. Just to be clear these are inexpensive and marginally better than the disposable counterparts, and Kodak is just a brand on top of it. This is not the Ricoh Pentax 17 at CA$680.

From 2022, the Kodak Ektar H35 Half Frame Camera is manufactured by Retopro. It’s 35mm film half-frame camera, with a 22mm acrylic lens, f/9.5 fixed aperture, and 1/100 sec fixed speed and a flash. The frame is vertical in the natural camera orientation as the film transport is horizontal. About CA$80. Comes in various colours in a design reminiscent of older Kodak camera.

In 2023, a follow up Kodak Ektar H35N still made by Retopro, brought the lens to a fixed f/8 aperture with one of the element made of glass, and now has a bulb shutter speed and a tripod mount, and can perform multiple exposures. Still has a flash. About CA$100. Comes in various colours with a slightly different design.

From 2024, the Kodak i60, manufactured by Meta Imaging Solutions is a 35mm film camera with a 31mm acrylic lens, f/10 fixed aperture with a minimum focusing distance of 1 meter and 1/125 sec fixed speed, and a flash. Really feels like a disposable camera you can refill. About CA$80 as well. Comes in various colours in design directly inspired by the Instamatic 100 from 1963. Reading Kodak own website saying it uses “135mm film”, I want to scream. Beside the design it looks like all the others on Kodak website.

All in all it seems like competition to Lomography, both in quality and and price, albeit with maybe Lomography trying to provide more “fun”.