Tag: Fuji X-T1

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 24, 20178:20 am

The Cats of University Heights: Veruca

Last night, a calico that I had been looking for since Oct. 29, 2016 finally appeared—about the same time of day and different location on her owner’s porch. I shot the Featured Image at 6:52 p.m. PDT; 10 minutes before sunset. The portrait is straight from the Fujifilm X100F; no post-processing (and big file at 13MB). Vitals, with Velvia film simulation: f/2, ISO 200, 1/90 sec, 23mm.

I met the couple who owns “Veruca”—or “Rukie”; the name will mean something to anyone who is familiar with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She is five years old and not a big eater, despite from some vantage points appearing to be overstuffed. One of the caretakers calls her voluptuous.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 28, 201710:50 pm

Fujifilm X100F

Today, UPS delivered a new toy, from Wolfe’s Camera—my first acquisition there, because everywhere else was out of stock (backordered)—via Amazon. I had originally ordered the Fujifilm X100F on announcement day, Jan. 19, 2017, from Adorama, but foolishly, and accidentally, cancelled on February 16, when the digicam was supposed to release (turned out to be a week later, instead). For now, the new Fuji is companion to the X-T1, which will take secondary street photography role, as I shoot more frequently.

Passing of my father-in-law, who required lots more care than either my wife or I would admit, means more available time for other things. Creative endeavors top the list. Additionally, eye surgery last summer rejuvenated my vision, renewing interest in amateur photography and returning me to professional writing. The X100F will be a documentary tool supporting both efforts. That’s not to complain about the X-T1, which is a fantastic dSLR-like mirrorless—to be used whenever I need interchangeable lenses (there are three in my camera bag).

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 18, 20176:41 pm

After the Rain

In nearly 10 years living in San Diego, I have not seen such lush, inviting foliage as visible this Winter—or what I call late Summer (the other two seasons are early Summer and mid Summer). Typical yearly rainfall is 25 cm (9.9 inches). Through yesterday’s massive storm, totals exceeded that amount, or more than 150 percent the annual average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Eh, so much for the Southern California drought.

Forgive my botanical ignorance, regarding the Featured Image, the leaves are from the tree adjacent to the stairs leading down from our apartment. I couldn’t resist a quick shot as my wife and I headed out for an afternoon walk, using Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR lens. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/80 sec, 35mm. I had set the camera for street shooting beforehand.

Apple by Joe WilcoxJan 1, 20176:15 am

Living with Apple’s Mistakes

I lied, but not deliberately. One year ago today, I wrote: “Apple Lost My Heart to Google in 2015“, explaining that “my mainstays at the start of 2016: Chromebook Pixel LS, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, and Huawei Watch. I abandoned Apple and there are no plans to return..I will write more about Google in 2016 than previous years, because of the benefits I see. As for Apple, the company had my heart for the longest time. I challenge CEO Tim Cook to win back my adoration; skeptical I may be”.

By March, however, Apple won back my business with little effort, and I gave up the Google lifestyle. Transition back to the Orchard started with a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro: 3.1GHz Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, purchased from DC Computers. Three reasons: 1) I believed Mr. Cook’s privacy promises, all while my concerns about Big G information collection increased. 2) I found the visual acuity of Apple fonts and user interfaces to be far superior to Google’s, which helped compensate for diminishing reading vision (later recovered through eye surgery). 3) Google’s platforms proved inadequate for easily recording, producing, and publishing the Frak That! podcast, which is available on SoundCloud.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 15, 20166:28 am

The Cats of University Heights: Black and White

I am amazed to discover new neighborhood cats, nearly a month into posting this series—particularly along regular walk routes. I spotted today’s feline, Nov. 11, 2016, on Cleveland down from Meade. The Featured Image is […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 14, 20166:41 am

The Cats of University Heights: Betty

Some furballs lap up the attention, which I’m happy to give. But their need can really muck up the portraiture, which is the case with Betty (her real name), whom I visited on Nov. 11, 2016 in the alley behind North Avenue up from Madison.

Among the 10 photos shot with Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS lens, this is the only truly usable one; it’s marginal, but I want Betty to participate in the series. Featured Image vitals: f/4.5, ISO 6400, 1/58 sec, 21.4mm. I cropped and auto-tuned White Balance in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. The JPEG is converted from RAW. I captured the moment at 5:01 p.m. PST, about 12 minutes after sunset.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 13, 20166:32 am

The Cats of University Heights: Mini

We begin the first of three cat portraits shot on Veteran’s Day (November 11) afternoon. Look closely and you will see this kitty is missing one front leg. Mini (real name) gets around surprisingly fast, and […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 12, 20166:27 am

The Cats of University Heights: Skit

Yesterday’s kitty must be related to Skit (not her real name but chosen for skittish behavior). Perhaps they’re littermates, or today’s furball is the kitten; she’s not exactly the biggest beast on the block. Their […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 11, 20166:30 am

The Cats of University Heights: Lurks

Sometimes the best cat pic isn’t the one you want but what you can get. Yesterday afternoon, I walked through a new part of the neighborhood, around Arch and Meade streets, looking for furballs to […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 10, 20166:24 am

The Cats of University Heights: Scout

On a March 22, 2016 Campus and North Avenues Cat Walk, I spotted Scout—well, my nickname for him. I’ve looked for, but not seen, the furball since. I shot both photos at 6:12 p.m. PDT using the Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR lens. Another capture was botched, despite best composition of the three, because the focal point fell on the grass instead of the animal.

My guess, looking at the colorization of the images, I used the camera’s Classic Chrome Film Simulation mode, which is a delight. If I rightly recall, Fuji introduced the filter first for the X100T, which I owned before buying the X-T1 in July 2015.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 8, 20166:30 am

The Cats of University Heights: Looker

On the evening of March 24, 2016, I set out on a Cat Walk, carrying along Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR lens. I spotted several felines along North Ave., including this one that gets my nickname […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 6, 20166:50 am

The Cats of University Heights: Jumper

There nights ago, I spotted a neighborhood feline that’s new to me, lounging in an apartment building parking lot on Campus near Meade. While the kitty goes there often, she apparently resides in a house behind. I nickname her Jumper, because she repeatedly leaped in the air chasing something—presumably bugs. Hehe. Naturally, I missed capturing the activity.

The Featured Image is the last of 20. Lying down, Jumper presents a good view of her coloring. I captured the moment at 6:12 p.m. PDT—about 20 minutes after sunset—on Nov. 3, 2016. Before embarking on the photo Cat Walk, I attached the Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR lens to the Fuji X-T1, anticipating low-light shooting.