18 - 55 mm on Fuji X-E2 daytime with 3X ND filter.

Nice shot Graham. Did you do any post processing on this one? Looks like you caught him before he had a chance to take that first sip....Steve

Sharpe lens! It picked up the wood grain very well. Did you process or is this OCC. Nice picture. ...Steve

Robert's in Indianapolis and their branch store in Carmel, Indiana.

Yes

Pacasa and/or Lightroom

It's the next one on my list. Fuji is building an excellent reputation regarding their lens offerings. If you havn't got it yet, try the 23mm next. A little large, but it performs just like the 56mm. . . . Steve

I think I would push it a little to get more contrast. Maybe its my monitor, but the image looks a little on the light, or washed out side. Good composition.

From my perspective, finding a suitable bag is frustrating. If you visit a lot of photographer blogs and websites, you know that bag selection is not an exact science. After many years, here is my strategy. I have two bags, one that I can put just about everything in BUT it is not my every day carry around bag: it is my storage bag. Then I have a second bag which I use for the camera, the lens I want to use that day, a spare battery, a battery charger if I am going to be out shooting for a couple of days, and maybe a lap top to down load the memory card if out for a day or two. This has served me well, and I find I am not carrying around my entire equipment inventory most of which I will not use on that trip or day of shooting. Bag number 1 is for safe keeping storage,; number 2 is for action for that day or trip. Bag #2 also becomes a "go to" bag, one you can grab quickly and go at a moment's notice. . . .Steve

Richard: Depending upon a PC or Mac, the two treat the repeat of memory card data differently. If you do not already have one, purchase an expensive USB memory card holder. Then, with a PC you can give the card a "drive" name ( c or d or e, etc), and MAC, you can drag the USB data to what ever file you want. I am making it sound simple, and it really is once you get used to using the UAB flash drive holder for your memory card.

Richard: To solve your problem and set your mind a ease, a couple of strategies can be looked at. 1) As you point out, you can dump the images on to your computer and hope all goes well with that machine. It's difficult to tell whether your computer will fail. 2) After dumping on the computer, the images can be placed on an external hard drive, but again you may have a failure on that machine sometime in the future but that failure will not have any thing to do with your main computer (except for a power surge or lightening strike). 3) you can dump the images on your computer, but then place the memory card in a safe location, and purchase another card. That way, which also generates more expense, you will always have the images in case something goes wrong with the computer and/or external HD. I have a very good friend who has been shooting images for ever, and does exactly that since moving from film to digital technology. I do #3 if I shoot some very special images and I know I will not have a second change to duplicate those shots. However, how often do computers fail is the question, and secondly, do I really care if I lose some images through a faulty computer. Most photogs I know employee #2 most of the time. . . . Steve

Moonsey, you are very fortunate to have Norman's close by. They are a top notch camera store and have been for many years. Fellow photo fans who are without really don't know what they are missing to be able to walk into a full service store. We in central Indiana have Roberts, another example of a full service store with a full line of products. Many years ago, I was interested in taking the plunge and purchasing my first "real" camera. Living in northern Indiana, we were an hour away from Normans, so I called and told the sales clerk what I wanted to do. An hour later, I had a whole array of bodies and lens in front of me to choose from. What a treat, and I did buy! It was a great day made so by an excellent local camera store by the name of Norman's in Kalamazoo, MI. Steve

A great question and a lot speculative answers, some close, some off the mark. In today's camera market, manufacturers have gotten smart compared with some years ago. The marketing folks have argued that, "placing a near top of the line lens with their camera body will actually attract buyers, and this is a smart move." For example, canon (depending up a full frame body or crop body, will feature a pretty good lens to make up the kit. And fuji has a history with it's X series of putting the 18-55 award winning zoom on the body to make up the kit. Their reasoning: a new buyer probably doesn't have a lens, so lets give him something that will bring him back for more. A "body only" buyer already knows what lens he wants, thus purchases a "body only" if what he wants is not in the kit. If you have a question of kit lens quality, check in out on DPR web site, the section on lens evaluations. They are pretty good at putting a lens through its paces, and have a reputation for integrity. The market place has changed in the last 5 to 10 years. There are a lot of blogs that rate cameras and lens; so for the buyer, it only makes good sense to not only check out a body, but also read a couples of reviews for a lens before purchase. Get as close to an "expert" as possible. Some of us on webs sites like UHH might be "fan boys" and steer you in "my" direction, not the "proper" direction. . . ..Steve

Both images OOC, cropped for size

Group Fixit Project


Looking for Work

Ease up folks! The eastern one half of the nation has presented real problems to all carriers and shippers since before Christmas, 2013. Somewhere up above in the comments, a figure of 99% on time was used, and generally that is pretty close. But so far this year has been awful for both users and shippers: snow, ice, below zero temps, etc. Give the folks some credit and a little slack. Also above, a comments about calling the company, Amazon, etc., if a promise date is missed. Good advise, and generally, the problems is resolved, except for snow, ice, below zero temps, etc. . . . .Steve

You might want to purchase Apple's "magic" mouse. Only down side I see is that it chews up AA batteries fast. I changed to rechargeables and solved the expense problem. Also, the note above re: a multi input hub is a good one and work well with the Mac. Steve