Things I like about the Fuji X100T - Part II

A few days ago I did a blog post on how I like the Fuji X100T for close-up photography. Since acquiring my X100T, I have integrated it into my work flow in many other ways, finding it adds a special, contemporary feel to lifestyle photography. The distinctive look of cell phone photography, particularly on Instagram, has come to dominate our modern visual vocabulary with its in-your-face closeness, its extreme depth of field caused by the short lenses due to minuscule sensor sizes, and its ability to be placed almost anywhere.  Commercial lifestyle photography usually mimics current visual trends, and the casual vernacular look of this trend is no exception.  The wide angle, close focusing lens of the X100T is perfect for re-creating this candid look. The idea is not to create an overly worked composition, rather something candid and casual, like the snapshot from a cell phone, yet with a higher-end, professional camera so the image is suitable for commercial use.

Placing the X100T right off the surface of a nearby desk accomplishes a look similar to picking up a cell phone for a causal snap shot of a co-worker in the office. The camera is small and light and can fit almost anywhere. 

The short focal length coupled with its ability to focus very close allows the camera to move in tight on people subjects. This delivers a "rouinding" effect that gives the shot a more casual, intimate look. Due to the proliferation of  digital cameras, the public has become very well aware of the look and feel of different lens effects, especially those of cell phone cameras. 

For this candid-looking shot I was able to place the small X100T on the dash board of the car and control it with the Fuji camera APP, which I find to be one of the best remote controls available for digital cameras. 

After covering a seen with my regular lifestyle lenses -- typically the 56mm, 35mm, and 90mm -- I then pickup the X100T and move in close to pick up some extra shots that have a different look due to the unique characteristics of the close focusing 23mm lens.

The two photos below illustrate the different look and feel of using the shorter 23mm lens on the X100T versus a more typical 90mm lens on an X-T1. The difference in the perspective is obvious, as is the treatment of the background in relation to the main subject. While the 90mm delivers a more polished, professional look, the 23mm has a candid look, more as if the mother feeding the child had picked up her cell phone and snapped the photo. Both images are "valid", but each has its own characteristics that address different uses of the image.

90mm lens Fuji X-T1

23mm lens Fuji X100T