A Short Course in the Classic Art of Fujifilm X100T Photography

A ShortCourse in the Classic Art of
Fujifilm X100T Photography

Fujifilm X100T Photography

This clearly written and easy-to understand short course on your Fujifilm X100T explains step-by-step how, why and when you use your camera's controls for better pictures and HD movies. This guide is currently available as a printed book and as a full-color, fully searchable PDF eBook you can order on a CD or download instantly.

Introducing Animations

The eBook edition of this book has links to a variety of animations, movies and other resources that illustrate and explain the core concepts of digital photography. Integrated throughout the eBook, these linked resources help you understand your camera better, and make you a better photographer.

To use the animations you need the eBook version of this book and an Internet connection.

Click to see how every camera is just a black box then minimize or close the animation window.

Click to see how full color images are created from only three colors then minimize or close the animation window.

Introduction

New, a Short Courses digital photography book for people who want to get better pictures with their Fujifilm X100T digital camera. This beautifully written and illustrated guide, pulls together answers to the questions you might have about using the camera.

Contents

COVER ...I
Short Courses Books and Web Site ...II
The Art of Classic Photography ...III
The Technique Finder ...V
Contents ...VII

Chapter 1
Getting Started With Your Fujifilm X100T...9

Topic 1–1. The Fujifilm X100T—An Overview...10
Topic 1–2. Jump Start—Taking Photos in Program Mode ...11
Topic 1–3. Good Things to Know ...12
Topic 1–4. Using the Monitor and Viewfinder ...25

View Mode—Viewfinder or LCD Monitor—15

Viewfinder Selection—Optical or Electronic Viewfinder—15

DISP/BACK—Information Display—16

Topic 1–5. Using Dials and Buttons ...17
Top of the Camera—17

Back of camera—18

Front of Camera—19

Topic 1–6. Using Tabbed Menus ...20

Resetting All Settings—20

The Shooting Menu—21

The Set-Up Menu—22

Topic 1–7. Using the Quick Menu ...23

Understanding BASE and Setting Banks—23

1. Adjusting Settings—24

2. Adjusting, Changing and Resetting Default Settings—25

Topic 1–8. Using Function Buttons ...27
Topic 1–9. Managing Images in Playback Mode ...28

Using Playback Mode Buttons—28

Using Menus in Playback—28

Playback on a TV—29

Transferring Images—29

Topic 1–10. How an Image is Captured ...30
Topic 1–11. Selecting An Aspect Ratio & Size ...32

Aspect Ratios—32

Image Sizes—33

Topic 1–12. Selecting Image Quality ...35

JPEG Images—35

RAW Images—35

Pros and Cons—35

Working with RAW Images—36

The Function Buttons—37

Topic 1–13. Customizing Your Camera—Worksheets ...38

Quick Menu Setting Banks—37

Function Button Settings—38

Chapter 2
Controlling Exposure ...40

Topic 2–1. Understanding Exposure ...41
Topic 2–2. The Shutter Controls Light and Motion ...42
Topic 2–3. The Aperture Controls Light and Depth of Field ...44
Topic 2–4. Using Shutter Speed and Aperture Together ...46

Exposure—Faucets & Buckets Analogy—46

Exposure—Seesaw Analogy—47

Topic 2–5. Retaining Highlight and Shadow Details ...49
Topic 2–6. Choosing Shooting Modes ...50
Topic 2–7. Using Program (P) Shooting Mode and Program Shift ...51
Topic 2–8. Using Shutter-Priority (S) Shooting Mode ...52

Selecting the Shutter type—52

Other Shutter Settings—53

Topic 2–9. Using Aperture-Priority (A) Shooting Mode ...54
Topic 2–10. Using Manual (M) Shooting Mode ...55
Topic 2–11. How Your Exposure System Works ...56
Topic 2–12. Choosing a Metering Method ...58
Topic 2–13. When Automatic Exposure Works Well ...59
Topic 2–14. When to Override Automatic Exposure ...60

Scenes Lighter than Middle Gray—60

Scenes Darker than Middle Gray—61

Subject Against Very Light Background—61

Subject Against Very Dark Background—62

Scenes with High Contrast—62

Hard to Meter Scenes—63

Topic 2–15. How Overriding Autoexposure Works ...64

Topic 2–16. How to Override Automatic Exposure ...65

Exposure Compensation—65

Exposure Lock and AE Lock—66

Specifying What the AEL/AFL Button Locks—66

Specifying When the AEL/AFL Button Locks—67

Autoexposure Bracketing (AEB)—67

Using the Neutral Density Filter—68

Topic 2–17. Using Histograms ...69

Displaying Histograms—69

Evaluating Histograms —69

Clipped Pixels—71

Topic 2–18. Adjusting Tones In Your JPEG Images ...73

Dynamic Range—73

Shadow and Highlight Tones—100

Fireworks—100

Chapter 3
Controlling Sharpness ...74

Topic 3–1. Getting Sharper Pictures ...75

Supporting the Camera—75

Using the Self-timer—75

Topic 3–2. Using ISO & Noise Reduction ...76

Adjusting ISO—76

Adjusting AUTO Modes—76

Noise Reduction—77

Topic 3–3. Using DRIVE Modes ...78
Topic 3–4. How to Photograph Motion Sharply ...79

Speed of Subject—79

Direction of Movement—79

Distance to Subject and Focal Length of the Lens—80

Topic 3–5. Sharpness Isn’t Everything...81
Topic 3–6. Focus and Depth of Field ...82

Focus—82

Depth of Field—82

Topic 3–7. Autofocusing Techniques & Settings ...84

AUTOFOCUS SETTING—84

Selecting the AF Mode—85

Checking Focus—86

Autofocus Problems—86

Selecting RELEASE/FOCUS PRIORITY—86

Using Face Detection—87

PRE-AF—87

AF ILLUMINATOR—87

Corrected AF Frame—87

Topic 3–8. Autofocusing Techniques & Settings ...227

Specifying What the AEL/AFL Button Locks—88

Specifying When the AEL/AFL Button Locks—88

Back Button Autofocus (Quick Focus)—89

Topic 3–9. Manual Focusing ...90
Topic 3–10. Controlling Depth of Field ...91
Topic 3–11. Using Maximum Depth of Field ...92
Topic 3–12. Using Shallow Depth of Field ...94
Topic 3–13. Conveying the Feeling of Motion ...95

Chapter 4
Other Settings ...96

Topic 4–1. White Balance ...97

Selecting a White Balance Preset Mode—98

Setting a Custom White Balance—98

Topic 4–2. Bulb & Time Modes—Photographing at Night ...100

Long Exposures—100

Fireworks—100

The Moon—101

Topic 4–3. Shooting Movies ...102

Shooting Movies—102

Setting Up Movies—102

Using an External Microphone—103

Topic 4–4. JPEG Enhancements ...104

Film Simulation—104

Using Advanced Filters—104

Topic 4–5. Using the Flash ...250

Selecting a Flash Mode—105

Red-Eye Removal—106

Flash Compensation—107

Topic 4–6. Interval Timer Photography ...107

Preface

A great photograph begins when you recognize a great scene or subject. But recognizing a great opportunity isn’t enough to capture it; you also have to be prepared. A large part of being prepared involves understanding your camera well enough to capture what you see. Getting you prepared to see and capture great photographs is what this book is all about. It doesn’t matter if you are taking pictures for business or pleasure, there’s a lot here to help you get better results and more satisfaction from your photography.

To get better, and possibly even great photographs, you need to understand both concepts and procedures; the “whys” and “hows” of photography.

• Concepts of photography are the underlying principles that apply regardless of the camera you are using. They include such things as how sharpness and exposure affect your images and the way they are perceived by viewers. Understanding concepts answers the “why” kinds of questions you might have about photography.

• Procedures are those things specific to your own camera model, and explain step-by-step how you set your camera’s controls to capture an image just the way you want to. Understanding procedures gives you the answers to the “how” kinds of questions you might have.

This book is organized around the concepts of digital photography because that’s how photographers think. You think about scenes and subjects, highlights and shadows, softness and sharpness, color and tone. The procedures you use with the Fuhifilm X100T camera are integrated throughout the concepts, appearing in those places where they apply. This integrated approach lets you first understand the concepts of photography and then see step by step how to use the X100T in all kinds of photographic situations.

To get more effective, interesting, and creative photographs, you only need to understand how and when to use a few simple features on your camera such as focus, exposure controls, and flash. If you’ve previously avoided understanding these features and the profound impact they can have on your images, you’ll be pleased to know that you can learn them on a weekend. You can then spend the rest of your life marveling at how the infinite variety of combinations make it possible to convey your own personal view of the world. You’ll be ready to keep everything in a scene sharp for maximum detail or to blur it all for an impressionistic portrayal. You’ll be able to get dramatic close-ups, freeze fast action, create wonderful panoramas, and capture the beauty and wonder of rainbows, sunsets, fireworks, and nighttime scenes.

As you explore your camera, be sure to have fun. There are no “rules” or “best” way to make a picture. Great photographs come from using what you know to experiment and try new approaches. Digital cameras make this especially easy because there are no film costs or delays. Every experiment is free and you see the results immediately so you can learn step by step. Here are introductions to each of the camera-related things you need to understand to be a good photographer.

IMAGE QUALITY

Set the image quality to RAW or RAW+JPEG for the best image quality. These images can then be edited on your computer using a program such as Adobe’s Lightroom or Google’s free Picasa.

EXPOSURE

Use one of the auto exposure modes—program (P), aperture-priority (A) when depth of field is important or shutter-priority (S) when the capture of motion is.
If it is a dynamic scene, use MULTI metering. If you want to base an exposure on a small area use spot metering.
if you want a smaller aperture or faster shutter speed increase the ISO speed.
If you want to base your exposure on a specific part of the scene, use focus lock or AE lock and then recompose the image.

FOCUS

If it’s a static scene, use manual focus. However, if you want to use autofocus, use a single AF point, lock focus on a specific area and then recompose the image.
If the subject is moving, or may move, use MULTI autofocus which will detect a moving subject and track it.Explore the topic “back button autofocus”.

BLUR

To avoid almost all subject blur, use a shutter speed of 1/1000.
To avoid blur from camera shake use a shutter speed no slower than 1 over the lens’s effective focal length. In the case of the X100T that is 1/35.

DEPTH OF FIELD

To capture greater depth of field use a smaller aperture and move farther away from the subject.
To capture shallower depth of field use a larger aperture and move closer to the subject.

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