NEW! Fujifilm GFX Medium Format System

Today is the day that Fujifilm has officially announced their ground-breaking new GFX medium format mirrorless camera system. The GFX 50S is a 51.4 megapixel, CMOS-sensor based mirrorless camera with exceptionally high performance specifications and alongside the new body, Fujifilm has also announced three initial lenses, with several more to appear later in 2017. The new system is slated to start shipping by late February and prices are surprisingly modest for medium format gear. At launch, pricing in Canada will be as follows...

GFX 50S Body - $8,499
GF 63mm f/2.8R WR standard lens - $1,899
GF 32-64mm f/4R LM WR wide zoom - $2,999
GF 120mm f/4R LM OIS WR Macro lens - $3,499

You can inquire about pre-ordering by clicking the above banner. In addition, we will be hosting a hands-on GFX Launch Event at Beau Photo Supplies on Friday, February 3rd, so call or email for more information about that too!

Some interesting accessories will be available for the new GFX system as well. One option is a tilting and swiveling EVF bracket ($749), that will allow for greater flexibility when viewing from awkward angles, a vertical battery grip ($799) and a large-format camera adapter plate ($519) to allow for tilt and shift movements when used on a 4x5 camera with suitable, high-resolution large-format lenses. A very interesting accessory will be the H-lens adapter ($879) which will allow for Hasselblad HC lenses to be mounted, even allowing you to use their leaf-shutters for fast studio flash-sync speeds up to 1/800 second. The only downside of the adapter is that those otherwise autofocusing Hasselblad HC lenses will only be manual focus when adapted to the GFX. Still, those two adapters will immediately open up a world of additional lens possibilities when they ship!

Beau Photo / Fuji Guy's Photo Walk!

Try out the latest X-series cameras and lenses

Photography tips and gear demonstrations!

* REGISTER HERE *
(RSVP link is right near the bottom left of the page) 

** Fujifilm has increased the registration cap, so tickets are once again available **

Please bring your own camera gear, and since it is a nighttime walk, a tripod could also be useful. The Fuji Guys will have a limited number of new cameras and lenses available for you to try as well.

You must register to attend!  One additional guest is allowed per person. Registration deadline is November 10th.

Dress appropriately for the weather and bring good walking footwear.

Where: Granville Island, Vancouver, B.C.
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016

When: meet at 7:00pm / walk starts at 7:30pm sharp / ends at 9:00pm

Meeting place is outdoors, under the yellow canopy, just outside the Blue Parrot Cafe at the north-most end of the Granville Island Public Market.

Photos from Argus Day 2016!

We hope all our fellow Argus lovers managed to get out and enjoy Argus Day! This year it fell on Argust 16th, 2016 and both Nicole & I managed to take our little Argus' out for a stroll. We were excited that so many of our film friends over here at Beau have Argus cameras as well and also got out there to shoot a couple of rolls! Check out a selection of our photos and those submitted by fellow Argus shooters below and feel free to still submit your Argus Day photos if you haven't already! You can email them to film@beauphoto.com.

For more info about this yearly event, check out our previous post too:

http://beauphoto.blogspot.ca/2016/08/get-ready-for-argus-day-2016.html

As well as the Argus Collectors Group page:

http://www.arguscg.org/

Check out their submissions for this year here:

http://www.arguscg.org/events/argusday/2016/


Nicole - Argus A - Kodak Commercial 200 135-8

Meghan - Argoflex 75 - Cut down roll of Fuji NHG 400 120 - (Bit of a light leak because it rolled onto the 620 spool very loosely!)

Bruce McLellan - Argoflex TLR & Argus A4

Argoflex TLR - Fuji Acros 100 120

Argus A4 - Kodak Pro Image

Troch - Argus 75 - Arista Edu Ultra 400 - Processed in XTOL stock for 8.25 minutes

Christopher Evans - Argus C3 Matchmatic, M450 & Super Seventy-Five

Argus C3 Matchmatic - Ilford Pan F film (expired 1990) - Developed in Diafine.

Argus M450 - Kodak T-Max 400 - Developed in Ilfotec DD-X

Argus Super Seventy-Five - Ilford Pan F Plus - Developed in Rodinal

Reviewed! Fujifilm X-Pro2...

Link: Full Review on Mike Mander's Blog

After using my new X-Pro2 for well over a month, I've finally managed to get my full review published on my own blog. I've included a fair bit of material, including details on the performance of most lenses after testing many different Fujifilm lenses, nine of which I actually own myself now. There are details of the operation of the Hybrid-Viewfinder, card write speed and buffer size tests, comments on ergonomics, user interface, focus performance and, of course, image quality. Link to the review is above.

To summarize, I really enjoy shooting with the X-Pro2. Not only does it have great image quality, but it also has quick and reliable AF as well as very snappy performance overall, with a very fast and responsive shutter mechanism (that also sounds great) and minimal EVF blackout between frames. It has a generous raw buffer, exhibits fast card write times (with UHS-II U3 cards) and is generally responsive enough that you never feel like you are waiting for the camera to catch up. With its enhanced Hybrid-Viewfinder, revised control ergonomics, a custom My Menu, a configurable Q menu as well as numerous customizable buttons, it is also one of the most fluid cameras I've used, one I've been able to configure so that it's perfectly suited to my style of photography.

As with any camera, it is not perfect and there are some quirks and annoyances detailed in the review as well, relatively poor battery life being one of them. That said, none of the issues are even remotely deal breakers for me, and I can still highly recommend the X-Pro2 for most types of photography.

If you just want to see a gallery of images taken with the X-Pro2, and deal with reading the text later, click on the image below, taken in the Nitobe Gardens at UBC. Speaking of images, there are also numerous full-resolution files you can download that are linked within the review. Enjoy!

Gallery (110 images): Fujifilm X-Pro2 Review Gallery 

Project Instant V3.0 - Hold a Moment in Your Hand - Opening Night!

We'd like to thank everyone that submitted their work for the Project Instant V3.0 show, as well as everyone that attended the opening night reception! It was a great success. The Impossible Project 8x10 Portrait Sessions and the Fuji Instax Photo Booth were both a huge hit too! It was also wonderful to have Mark Appleton from Impossible Project there showing people how to use the Instant Lab. We hope everyone had lots of fun....we sure did!

Also a big thanks to everyone at Science World and The Capture Photography Festival for their support with hosting this show.

Wayne from http://www.waynesworldstudio.com/ kindly put together this great video for us as well! Thanks, Wayne for capturing the event.

 

 

Congratulations to the winners in all categories!

Favourite Overall Photo was Melissa Partee "Little Mountain"

 

Runner Up from All Categories was Gregory Dawe "Child & Chair"

Integral Film Photo Winner - Christine Hagemoen "PNE 2010"

Integral Film Photo from a Digital Source Winner - Penny Parry "High Wind"

Mixed Media Artwork Winner - Chris Evans "Shadow"

Other Format Instant Films Winner - Roger Hur "Family 1"


Judge's Choice Photo Winners:

Judge: Jason Winner: Christine Hagemoen "Still Life 1999"

Judge: Chick Winner: Stasja Voluti "Tell Him You Saw Me"

Judge: Mila Winner: Stasja Voluti "L'appel du Vide"

Staff Pick Winner: Brendan Meadows "Rhi Blossom & Buddy"

Register now for an upcoming Fuji Photo Walk!

A shot from the last Beau Photo / Fuji Photo Walk

Beau Photo / Fuji-Guys Photo Walk  (Saturday, April 9th)

On Saturday, April 9th, Beau Photo and Fujifilm Canada will be hosting another photo walk. This time we'll be meeting at the Coal Harbour Community Centre in downtown Vancouver at 1:00pm. The walk will continue until 4pm. You will need to sign up in advance, and here is a link for doing so…

https://form.jotform.com/60816322642956

I, Mike Mander, will be there, as well as Gord Webster from Fujifilm, Vancouver's own "Fuji Guy", and Ramin Shahidian who is a local Fujifilm sales rep. You are welcome to bring your own camera gear to shoot with, be it Fujifilm or something else, and there will be lots of Fujifilm X-series loaner gear on hand for you to briefly try out during the event. Of particular interest is the new X-Pro2 body, and there should be four or more of those to share with other attendees. We will also have the new 100-400mm zoom as well as many other bodies and lenses to borrow and try out. In addition, we will be happy to answer any of your technical questions too plus, we will have some $50 off coupons on hand for those attendees wanting to purchase a Fujifilm body or lens after the event!

See how a previous photo walk turned out here: Beau Photo / Fuji Photo Walk 2015

Project Instant V3.0 - Hold a Moment in Your Hand

We are happy to partner again with Science World at Telus World of Science and the Capture Photography Festival for another great instant photo show! Last year was a huge success and we look forward to everyone's submissions this year.

A shot of all the submissions from last year, on display at Science World.

This year we have opened the contest up to all forms of instant photography, including Polaroid, Impossible Project, Fuji Instax and any other instant film you may have lying in wait just for this great opportunity!

Entry fee is $15.75 and you can submit up to 3 different photographs. At least one image from every submission will be displayed at Science World from March 30th, 2016 until April 26th, 2016, during the Capture Photography Festival. We will award various prizes to winners, as judged by a panel of pros!

Opening reception will be the evening of April 6th from 6-8pm. This opening event is FREE and open to everyone. There will be drinks & snacks! The 8x10 camera will also be set up for Instant Portraits and lots of other fun activities. No tickets necessary to attend the event, however we would love it if you could RSVP via our Facebook event if you are planning on coming! Or email Kathy at: upstairs@beauphoto.com

Facebook event page is here: Project Instant V3.0 Opening Night Reception

To download the submission form head over here. Or feel free to come into the store and pick one up! Please see the contest rules regarding family friendly subject matter on the submission form.

All submissions must be received by 5pm, Friday March 18th, 2016.

NEW! Fujifilm X-Pro2!

A slew of big announcements from Fujifilm marks this day! A Fujifilm rep was kind enough to lend me a preproduction X-Pro2, an X70 and the new 100-400 zoom a short while ago, just so I could prepare a bit of a hands-on preview in time for the official announcement. Despite the fact that I am very behind with my blogging (nothing on the new Nikon announcements yet for example, but coming soon!) I feel obligated to put the other blog entries on hold and first talk about the Fujifilm gear, since the rep did go totally out of his way to get me the gear for the personal hands-on I had requested. Please note that the camera I tested definitely had beta firmware, and I did notice the occasional typo. I also cannot be sure how the camera's performance will change, or what features might still be added, once the final firmware is out. I will publish some more hands-on impressions of how it is to shoot with, once I get my hands on a production camera for a while.

So, now to the X-Pro2… finally! Many have been waiting for an upgrade to Fujifilm's first interchangeable lens X-system camera, and soon the wait will be over. The X-Pro2 improves on its predecessor in pretty much every way. First off, rest assured that Fujifilm's superb Hybrid-VF is still present, and it has been upgraded to offer an optional zoomed EVF focus preview in its lower right corner, even when in OVF mode, just like its cousin, the X00T.

NEW! XF100-400mm zoom, Fujifilm X-E2s and X70...

Along with the X-Pro2 announcement, Fujifilm has announced a slew of other products, including the highly anticipated XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6R LM OIS WR zoom. Above is a photo of the preproduction X-Pro2 on the new zoom and as you can tell, it isn't exactly a svelte lens! Thankfully, it isn't quite as heavy as it looks, but you sure wouldn't be lugging this around for casual shooting. Carrying this lens will mean you are going to be wielding it with purpose, motor-sports, wildlife, birding etc.

Since the lens was preproduction and I had very little time with it, I am unable to comment on its image quality. That said, I did do a few indoor handheld shots at between 1/10 and 1/15 second, and even wide open at 400mm (a 600mm equivalent), they were mostly tack sharp. The 5-stops of image stabilization that Fujifilm is claiming certainly does not seem exaggerated. It features a weather-resistant design, has fast focusing, a lens hood with a built-in, sliding polarizer adjusting door, a tripod foot and apart from all the usual controls, also has a focus limiter switch. Here is a comparison, hoods off, to the largest of Fujifilm's other tele zooms, with the new big gun on the left, the the XF 40-150mm f/2.8 zoom in the middle, and on the right, the XF 55-200mm…

X-E2 bundles & the Metz 26 AF-1 Flash (finally!)

All of the above for only $1,099 - only 1x left!

Having a hard time finding a fabulous gift for that special someone? How about a huge bundle of Fujifilm goodness! We only have two (2) of these great bundles left that include the following…

- Fujifilm X-E2 Body (black)
- Fujinon XC 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS Kit Zoom
- Fujinon XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS Tele Zoom
- Fujifilm EF-20 Flash Unit
- Hand Grip for X-E1/X-E2
- Half Leather Case and Leather Strap for X-E1/X-E2 (brown)
- Extra NP-W126 Battery Pack

All these items together normally sell for over $2,000 but each of these two remaining special bundles can be had for only $979! Imagine giving someone this whole, complete kit of Fujifilm gear for Christmas! Or, treat yourself and get into a lightweight, high quality Fujifilm system for under $1,000. This is less than $200 more than just the X-E2 body is selling for now after rebate!

---

Finally, the Metz flashes have arrived! A great Christmas gift too and in stock at $174.95

After nearly a year-long wait, we have finally received a shipment of the new, pocket-sized Metz 26 AF-1 flash units for Fujifilm X-series cameras! I've briefly tested one out on my X-E2 (the X-E1 in the above photo was just being a "model") and its exposures seem accurate. For its size, it seems quite powerful too, with a guide-number of 26 (meters).

It comes with a black fabric, drawstring pouch for storage and includes a clip-on telephoto extender. There is a flip up wide-angle panel and the flash pivots down for close or macro shots, sits in its standard height (as seen in the photo) for normal shots and then pivots up vertically for an angled ceiling bounce. It has a TTL mode, a Slave mode (not tested yet) and a small LED video light with two brightness settings, sufficient to add a bit of a fill or to create a catch-light in the eyes if shooting a video. It even comes with a USB port, presumably to allow for future firmware upgrades when new cameras are released.

It uses two AAA batteries and with alkaline cells, its recycle time is quite snappy. I will be testing it with some NiMH Eneloops as well to see how much faster its recycling may be. Here are two more views, first a side view showing how slim it is…

… and here it is from the back. A power button, then TTL, SLAVE and LED mode buttons: the ultimate in simplicity!

NEW! Fujinon XF 35mm f/2.0R WR and 1.4x Teleconverter...

Update #2: I have now received my own XF 35mm f/2R WR lens and published a detailed review, with lots of sample images as well. Check it out on my blog at the following link: http://mikemander.com/2015/11/tested-fujinon-xf-35mm-f2r-wr.html

Update: We now have the new 35mm f/2 (black version) in stock! The silver model will be coming in a week or so. I'll be receiving my own personal one within the next week too and I'll be doing some testing and reporting on the quality of a production version of this new lens soon. See the rest of this blog entry for some preliminiary testing notes.

Announcement & Initial Testing Notes

[October 21, 2015]: Today, Fujifilm took the wraps off a couple of new items. First off, let's talk about their new, compact 50mm equivalent normal prime lens, the Fujinon XF 35mm f/2.0R WR. You can see it above in the lineup, starting on the left with the 23mm f/1.4, then the existing 35mm f/1.4, the new 35mm f/2 and then the 18-55mm kit zoom (click the image for a larger view). As you can see, the lens is a fair bit smaller than the current 35mm f/1.4.

The new 35mm f/2 is due to be available for sale on November 14th at a price of $499 CDN. The lens will come with a small, 43mm thread-on lens hood and you can use the standard lens cap with it. There will also be an optional bayonet metal lens hood for an estimated $59.95. This hood is tapered and "vented" with slots cut in to allow for better optical VF viewing with the X-Pro1, and presumably, future models with a similar rangefinder-style Hybrid Multi Viewfinder. Despite its tapered design, thankfully it will still allow for use of the supplied, normal snap on lens cap, which is something you cannot do with the rectangular metal hood on the 35mm f/1.4. Not sure yet if the hood can be reverse mounted though? Here is a shot of the optional hood…

The lens will be available in both black and silver, however the hood seems to be available in black only. We are taking preorders on this lens, so contact us if you'd like to order one!

Here is a photo of the black and silver versions, side by side (again, click for a larger view) which might help you decide which one to preorder…

I had a chance to test out a prototype 35mm last week and considering it was optically not a final version, I was still impressed with its image quality.