Autumn in Central Park with a Fuji X100T and Nikon D810

As I wrote the title of this post, I realized that putting a Fuji X100T in a kit with a Nikon D810 seems a little out of the ordinary. Here's how it happened.

I planned an autumn photo session in Central Park to gather some images for my art portfolio. This means big prints, and big prints means something like a D810, or my Leica M 240. In this case the D810 won out because I knew the zooms, particularly the excellent 70-200mm f/4 would come in handy. I had tossed a macro lens in the kit for close-ups, but last minute I decided to substitute my Fuji X100T for its unique close-up properties.  I tossed a Fuji TLC in my coat pocket to give myself an extra closer range.

One of the first photos I took was this panorama of trees around the Pond.  The final image is comprised of two images from the D810 and 70-200mm lens stitched together with PTGui. 

Although the X100T was a last minute consideration just to have some close-up ability, I ended up using as much as the Nikon for regular scenics, especially with the increased focal length thanks to the TLC.  One thing I like about shooting the X100T is that its fixed focal length forces me to compose the subject to fit the lens and not the other way around, and I often end up with a more creative solution.

This photo and the one below were both taken with the Fuji X100T. 

In this shot I particularly liked the way the Fuji X100T lens flared out the sun rays on the sides. After discovering this, I applied the technique to several other scenes throughout the day. 

That said, it was still nice to have the flexibility of the zoom lens on the D810 particularly in the telephoto range. In the situations below I relied upon the 70-200mm f/4 zoom on the Nikon D810. I kept the camera on a tripod the whole time. I find that high resolution sensors like that of the D810 tend to cause more blurring when handheld.  

One thing about a zoom is that it allows you to adapt to spontaneous events as when a rising fish caused these ripples on the Pond. 

My main reason for packing the X100T was for close-ups, but I ended up taking only a few. Instead I gathered up some leaves and carried them back with me to do some still life shots later. 

In general the autumn colors in the park this year were not very inspiring with only a few pockets of brilliant color on a lone tree here and there. 

Once again the nice lens flare from the sun was enhanced by the TLC on the X100T.