The internet is full of cat videos or cat pictures. So if you can’t beat them, I may as well join the club with this test shot on the Fujifilm X-E1. And for those interested it was Aperture priority, Auto ISO (1600), 1/50th second at f1.4 using the Fujinon XF35mmF1.4 R lens. If you know what any of that means then leave a comment to explain it to me please. 😀

I like to work fast and one of the things that slows me down is using a tripod.

The tripod I currently own is a good size, fairly lightweight and sturdy but I still find that there are too many options for quick operation. To get a shot from landscape mode to portrait mode requires a lot of fiddling around.

Then I came across an instructional video in which the presenter was using an L bracket.

What an L bracket gives you is an additional tripod (or monopod) mounting point on the side of your camera. So instead of flipping the camera attached to the head of your tripod (or monopod), you simply switch to the other mounting point.

The benefit of this is that the position of the lens you are using stays in the same place, meaning that you don’t have to do more adjustments with the legs or height of the tripod (or monopod) to obtain the view you had in the other orientation.

With this bit of kit I am starting to feel that I’m taking the L plate off the project.

I’m still on the look out for a better tripod and there are plenty of rave reviews of 3LT. But a tripod is one of those items which I like to see and feel before buying it. Finding a physical shop that stocks these is a problem now that Jacobs and Jessops are no more.

I have said it before but I’ll say it again, if you don’t buy from the high street and it is no longer there you can only blame yourself. Which is why I try to get as much kit as I can from one of the London Camera Exchange stores.

One of the reasons for starting this site was that I wasn’t taking enough pictures that belonged to me. The only camera that I have that is worth using is the Nikon D3 and isn’t something you want to lug around everyday.

There is no photographer who doesn’t like looking at new equipment as it comes to market and I’m no exception. I have been keeping a keen eye on the X series of cameras from Fujifilm.

As an aside, I was always a big fan of Fujifilm in the days of 36 shots per roll. I always found their colours better than Kodak.

The Fujifilm X-Pro1 and the Fujifilm X-E1 were the models that struck me as a good alternative to being with the Nikon D3.

Physically the Fujifilm cameras aren’t that different in size. The X-Pro1 being slightly larger. When you handle both cameras the feel in the hand is just as solid with a well-built reassurance.

The price difference between the two is what swung it for the X-E1 as a hobby camera. Having only used it for one day now, it is a camera that doesn’t compromise on being high quality.

Watch this space for the images taken with my new toy.