Shooting in the Dark

After reading all the effusive praise people have been lavishing upon the Fujifilm X100s -- particularly it's low-light performance -- I decided to put it to the test during a walk to Union Square last night (right as the temperatures were dropping, and the storm was gearing up).

The ESB, as seen from 7th Ave. Straight out of the camera.

The ESB, as seen from 7th Ave. Straight out of the camera.

I'm still getting used to the camera's controls, and I have yet to decide whether I prefer shooting through the viewfinder or the LCD, but one thing is for sure: the thing is a rockstar at low-light. I'm accustomed to cameras like my G10, which barely likes to go above ISO 400, and even on my 7D groans a bit at 3200. But this thing took 3200 and shrugged it off like it was nothing. I even cranked it to 5000, and while it got a little soft, I didn't see the multi-colored confetti-like noise I would have seen on the 7D. As a bonus, it's svelte form-factor makes it comfy to hand-hold even at low shutter speeds like 1/10s.

I won't go on much more - I don't have that much to add to what's already been said about this camera. For my personal shooting style, it's going to be a bit of an adjustment working with the prime 35mm-equivalent lens, but I can already tell I'm really going to like this camera.

All of the following images are straight out of the camera, except for the second one, which was cropped slightly.

Brooklyn Bridge and FDR Drive

This image is far from perfect. The vibrations from car and train traffic on the Manhattan Bridge present a challenge when shooting long exposures. I was using my beloved old Canon G10, which doesn't seem to have the sharpest lens when shooting in low light, and struggles mightily with noise. Plus, there's no clear view of anything from the walkway on the Manhattan Bridge - it's all obscured by a chain link fence on top, and iron gratings below, so getting an unobstructed shot requires poking your lens awkwardly through an opening and bracing your tripod strategically, then waiting for the traffic to die down long enough to get a crisp shot. All that aside, I do like the colors in this shot a whole lot, so technical imperfections aside, I'm sharing it anyway.

The Brooklyn Bridge and the FDR Drive, as seen from the Manhattan Bridge

Prospect Park Photowalk: It's For the Birds

I'm often in the park on one of my many perambulations, and I see some really cool bird, and invariably, I have the wrong lens, or the wrong camera, or no camera (haha - as if), and I miss out on a cool moment. Well, today I decided I'd bring the long lens (well, at 70-200 it's not really that long), and deliberately seek out the birds for a change.

New Year's Eve Photowalk

According to my Nike+ Fuel Band, I've been pretty inactive for... well, the whole month of December. In a quest to end the month (and the year) on a strong note, I decided to go on what turned into a rather epic photo walk.

I started in Prospect Park, worked my way through Windsor Terrace and Park Slope, then headed towards the infamous Gowanus Canal (I hear it has gonorrhea). I then made my way over to Cobble Hill, and finally finished up in Downtown Brooklyn, where I hopped on the Q train and headed back home.

It took about 3 hours, and got me to within a few points of my daily Fuel Point goal. Here's to an active 2013.