The Merket family // Family Session with the Fuji-XT1

I’v been using the Fuji’s XT-1 on all my weddings this year. I didn’t switch to “Fuji” overnight. It was a gradual thing, and it was important to get the feel for the camera’s. A family session is not my usual type of work but would prove for an ideal test-case for the XT1. Our architect friends where my guinea pigs. Thanks guys!

Conclusions

  • Mixing the XPROI with the XT1 is frustrating, my muscle memory lets me down .. it starts with the position of the eyepiece, the different button layout. This is why I opted for 2 identical bodies on weddings.
  • The XF56 is a beast. I never shot a lot of 85mm on my Canon system. But this lens is getting a lot of action. (it’s also the longest focal range in my bag now)
  • It takes a while to master working in full manual mode with the Fuji’s. My beef here is that that dial is harder to reach while holding the camera steady (the exposure compensation dial is better positioned). Yet I (again) prefer to work like this because the consistency in exposure is greater if you lock/recompose/shoot.
  • Autofocus, could be better but not so much an issue for my style of shooting.
  • Most important: I now also convinced myself the results are as good as my work with my 5D MarkIII

Gear

  • X-T1 & X-PRO1
  • XF23, XF35 & XF56

Processing

9 thoughts on “The Merket family // Family Session with the Fuji-XT1

  1. steven says:

    Great series! I’m still waiting for the successor to the X-PRO1 before considering to make the switch.
    Looks like a nice location btw, care to share where these pictures were taken?

  2. LordWriter says:

    Wow! Really amazing family pictures, would it be possible please to add a comment for every photo with which lens it was taken and it’s aperture, shutter speed and ISO? Thanks!

    • Tom Leuntjens says:

      Hi Lordwriter.
      Afraid that’s a lot of work to do so sorry 😉

      I shoot wide open as much as I can. If not wide open I rarely go above 2,2 or 2.8. I had great light so I didn’t have to push the ISO. (my base iso is always 400) Shutter speed is always adjusted accordingly, I tend to overexposure by at least one stop.

  3. Derek Anson says:

    Lovely photos.

    I’m currently shooting with the X100 and a Canon 5D2. I’m toying with the idea of replacing the Canon with an XT1/pro1 + XF35 in the near future. I’ve just seen the ‘recent posts’ section so i’ll definitely be checking out all the XT1 posts and reading about your switch over, thanks for sharing.

    • Tom Leuntjens says:

      Hello Derek,
      Thanks for checking in.
      If you are already familiar with the X100 (controls and quirks) the XT1 is a small step, but a big leap!

  4. ale says:

    very nice, you know perfectly convey the atmosphere of the family with these shots. I’ve always loved Fuji, fantastic optics, and every day I have someone who tells me that, like the tui shots.
    I’ve read that uses VSCO, which uses profiles of VSCO for the color ? , I really like the tones of your color ,compliments!
    Ale , Italy

  5. Scott B. says:

    Beautiful family series. I just bought a X-E2 and am seriously thinking of replacing the 5D with the Xt1. Nice to see some really quality portrait work coming from the Fuji line. Great work congrats!

  6. sascha eckstein says:

    Dear Tom,

    Thank you for showing us your work – great results indeed! I am currently in the market for either the xp1 or the xt1. Can you tell what the differences/advantages of the newer model (xt1) are in terms of evf and af-speed? I am not too much concerned about pic-quality as i assume both will serve my needs well. I am also aware of the fact that both cameras are totally different in terms of handling… I’d appreciate your feed back and thoughts!
    Thanks!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.