London with Xpro-1

Packing up a into the Ona Bowery bag with Xpro-1 , pancake lens 27mm and a tele-zoom 55-200mm, I am off to London for a incentive trip from my company I represented.

The pancake 27mmf2.8 lens when mounted on the Xpro-1, it became a similar setup as a X100 (fixed 23mmf2 lens). The Xpro-1 body is slightly taller and thicker than the X100. 27mm is abit tighter in view compared to the 23mm. Although the x100 has a brighter F2 lens, most of X100 users know that at aperture f2 on X100, the image do suffer some flare/image softness. So most of the time when X100 was used, it is set at f2.8 at default. The 27mm lens has no aperture ring and the setting is done by the back dial on Xpro-1. The 27mm never disappoint in terms of sharpness and in do gave the image depths.

The ONA bag is now my all time favorite camera bag for mirrorless. I have used the Billingham Hadley Pro, Thinktank Retro 5, Lowepro Slim Sling and the various Domke bags. I find the one locking clip from the Ona bag Bowery is still the best. It is easy and fast to lock in after taking out the camera which is important when you are out shooting as you just want to focus on shooting instead of making sure your bag is secured. The Hadley pro, you need to pull and "squeeze" in the leather strap to lock it. The Domke bags, the clips can be quite tight and pushing in and out, will cause the locking rings to have deep scratches. The Thinktank retro bags are too heavy and the material on it is too rough for comfort.

The ONA's shoulder strap is smooth and just like the car seat belt, easy to move around the shoulder. It is in summary a joy to carry and use. The size is just nice for my 1 body and 4 lenses Fuji setup.

Here are some of the street shot I had with my Fuji Xpro-1 and 27mm (90% of the time is used) and 55-200mm. For travelling, a 27mm view on a 1.5 APS-C sensor is a balanced angle of view in my own personal view. Not too tight and not too wide.

FujiFilm Xpro1 & XF1 on a Mission Trip

As the main goal of this trip is to bless the poor & needy from the neighboring country, lightweight and small set-up is necessary. So I brought the Fuji Xpro1 body and 2 lenses (35mmf1.4 and 12mm zeiss). The Fuji XF-1 (compact camera) was brought along as a back-up and can easily slot into one of the small pocket on the ONA bowery bag. With this setup, I can carry the bag the whole day without any sore shoulders.

The XF35mmf1.4, is a magical lens. The image output is simply stunning. 80% of the time, I had the 35mm stuck on the Xpro1. As I am used to the X100 , 23mmf2 view, the 35mm is kind of "tight" view to me. And as I have no other choice of a "normal" view lens, I got to get myself used to it. This lens got me thinking more and moving back & forth to compose the shot. 

The 12mm is used on some landscape shot and group shots. The aperture of f2.8 is useful here due to some indoor low light situation. 

One of the shot , showing the man climbing into a boat while his dog was watching, I love it and is made by the compact camera XF-1.

Here are some of the shots I have made during the trip, 

XF-1 , Man w his loyal companion

XPRO-1 w 35mm..window view

XPRO1 w 35mm

XPRO1 w 35mm

XPRO1 w 35mm

XPRO1 w 35mm- seafood traps

XPRO1 w 35mm- Preparing firewood

XPRO1 w 35mm- Friendly lady

XPRO1 w 35mm- preparing his line

XPRO1 w 35mm- drying fish

XPRO1 w 35mm

XPRO1 w 35mm- grinding for coconut 

XPRO1 w 12mm

XPRO1 w 12mm

Xpro1 w 12nmm

XF-1- Portrait (not bad for a compact camera) 

Xpro1 w 35mm

Xpro1 w 35mm- kids swimming just outside their home

Xpro1 w 35mm

Xpro1 w 35mm

Xpro1 w 35mm

Xpro1 w 35mm

Xpro1 w 12mm

Xpro1 w 12mm

Xpro1 w 12mm

XF-1 compact- clothes pecks...nice bokeh from a comapct

XF-1 wide angle setting

XF-1 compact

Celebrating SG50

The nation is celebrating SG50..the 50th years of Independence for Singapore. Here are some of the preparation shots to the big day on 9th Aug 2015. I took the shots in the night with Xpro-1 and 27mm lens. The AF locking is positive on the Xpro1..much faster than X100 and similar to the newer Xe2.

A Fuji Revamp (Xpro-1 and 2 lenses)

There is a ongoing promotion both in USA and Singapore. I believed FujiFilm is clearing stocks for the 3 year old X-Pro1 to make way for the new X-pro 2 or similar range.

In Singapore, the offer was a Xpro-1 body with XF35mmf1.4 and XF27mmf2.8 costing only SGD$1399. There is a free Xpro leather set and extra original battery.

I saw it as an opportunity to own this retro style interchangeable camera especially the 2 lenses. The 35mm in used market cost around S$500-550 and the 27mm cost around S$290. If I add up these 2 lenses, the Xpro1 body is about $400 or less as the lenses I am getting are brand new with warranty. The extra free original battery cost around $50. I gave away the leather set as I do not need it and it could cost around $100.

I immediately sold my XE2 which I seldom use and my beloved X100 classic. I use the Xpro-1 w 27mmf2.8 combo as an alternative to X100 23mmf2 lens. So after selling both item, I topped up $400 to have a new body and 2 lenses with 1 full year warranty.


I still find X100 an advantage as it has a build-in ND filter and the macro focal distance is shorter. The silent advantage (due to leaf shutter) of X100 is also a big plus. Nevertheless, as I am not a professional, I can't simply keep too many equipment.

I love my X100 but not too much on the XE2. I find the XE2 although much higher end in term of specs then X100 and Xpro1, I find it lack the OVF option and the body too thin for my liking. I always have a metal grip on XE2. For Xpro1 , the body is just nice for my hands without any grip.

So with the new add-on, I have one body and 4 lenses in my ONA bowery. The 35mmXF is a 2nd attempt I have, I hope I will grow to like it as I personally prefer the 23mm or 27mm.

The Xpro1 has many firmware updates since it's launched in 2012. Many aspects like the AF issues and user interfaces have improved. It does not have the latest spec of Classic chrome film or the latest AF system of XT1 or XT10 or maybe the near future firmware for XE2. But the sensor and performance is still quite in line with the latest.

I still like the look and handling of Xpro1 which is very near the the classic x100.

This promo will end in 10th Aug 2015.

Montigo resort in Batam Island

Some landscape shoot while I was there during a 3days 2 nights company retreat.

Shot by 12mm Zeiss and XE2.

Ona Bowery Bag- Bigger than it looks

I have been eyeing this cool looking bag for months and finally got it during a sale. I had a Thinktank Retrospective 5 bag. The retro 5 is a very practical, built for life quality and value for money camera bag for mirrorless. Lots of compartments are available within the small bag etc However I do not like it's "bulk" look when fully loaded and the Velcro noise it create while opening.

My main concern over this Ona bag is that it may be too small for my equipment. Although my setup is a mirrorless system from FujiFilm, I have a relatively big lens 55-200mmf3.5-4.8. I worried that this lens may not be suitable to be used in the bag. I tried to search for an answer in the web but there is no similar setup like mine using the Ona Bowery. Most users are using either prime lenses on this bag etc.

The below photos shows how much equipment I actually can put in it comfortably. I added a extra divider from my previous bags.

1) x100
2) XE2 with 12mm Zeiss
3) 55-200mm
4) Accessories (cable release, batteries, SD card, ND filter & extension Tube)

However, for this my usual photography style (less choice of lens forces me to be creative), I will either bring a X100 with XE2,55-200mm OR XE2 , 55-200mm and 12mm OR X100 with XE2,12mm. Seldom I will fully load the bag unless it is a long travel trip.

For it's pro and cons or comparison to other bags, I will not got into it as there are many review on this great looking and high quality bag.