Fuji X-T2 a thumbs up

The Run Preston 10k event was the first opportunity I have had to put the autofocus capabilities of the Fuji X-T2 to the test and it passed with flying colours.

There has been a lot said about the improvements made and the ability to configure the autofocus when in continuous shooting mode. Photographing runners was never going to be the most demanding of tasks for this camera but the light levels were pretty low at times and that always makes things a little tricky.

I was using the camera coupled with battery grip in boost mode and 50-140mm lens with the custom autofocus set on default number one position.

I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and accuracy of the focus even when ISO levels were as high as 4000 at times. There’s also a quality about the jpegs which I believe is a step up from the X-T1.

The hit rate achieved here was a new Personal Best. Click on any photo to enter slideshow.

Posted on September 25, 2016
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366 day project, another week of pictures

This week my pictures come from closer to home. No trips away and five photos are of Preston.

For one reason or another, it’s been a bit of a struggle some days to just get out and take a single picture but thankfully the week is done! I guess there was bound to be weeks like this over the course of a year.

One thing that these pictures have in common is that they have all been taken on the Fuji X-T2. It’s an improved version of the camera I normally use (the Fuji X-T1) and I’ve already noticed an improvement in autofocus performance so am looking forward to testing out a bit more.

Here’s this week’s pictures.

Walk in the park

Lea Road view

Apps

Hint of Autumn

St Walburge’s Church

53 Degrees

On Beacon Fell

Posted on September 16, 2016
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St Ives beaches

It sometimes seems like at every turn of a corner there is a beach to be found in St Ives. Cornwall is renowned for its beautiful beaches and they don’t disappoint here.

One beach in particular (Porthmeor) is excellent for surfing and it always feels a little bit wild. Other beaches such as Porthminster, the Harbour beach and Porthgwidden are more sheltered.

Then there is Bamaluz beach which we can never remember the name of when we are there and usually just refer to it as ‘the dog beach’ because dogs are allowed on it all year round.

At low tide you can walk between many of the beaches, for example, Bamaluz, the harbour and Porthminster all become accessible usually with a bit of a paddle in the gently lapping waves. Here are a couple of photographs of each beach.

Porthminster:

Porthminster

Porthgwidden:

Porthgwidden

Porthmeor:

Porthmeor

Harbour:

The Harbour

Bamaluz:

Bamaluz

Posted on September 14, 2016
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A pic a day, taking in Cornwall

Having had some time away, this post includes two-week’s worth of pictures from my photo-a-day project. From the routine of Preston to the Cornwall resort of Bude and then onto the quaint, beautiful fishing harbour of St Ives.

St Ives has long been one of our favourite holiday destinations. Surrounded by sea and glorious beaches, there is something about the light that always makes St Ives feel brighter than other UK resorts.

The photographs start with a picture of a mural on the wall of Savick Library in Preston. They continue with a couple of sport images, from a 5k event in the local park to a pre-season friendly game for Preston North End Ladies football team.

There’s also a photo in there of our lovely grandson, Jude together with his parents.

At some point soon, I’ll do a separate post with more photos from St Ives but for now here are the photos of the day from the last two weeks.

Savick Mural

Preston, United Kingdom. 27the August 2016. Runners turn out for

Run faster

PNE Ladies v Penwortham Town Ladies pre-season friendly lost 3-1

Ladies football

Focus of attention

The Ribble Pilot

The ‘Pepper Pot’, Bude

Sainsbury’s tunnel

Wet day, Bude

Small boat

On the beach

Berries

Porthminster

Thumbs Up

Flattened by rain

Posted on September 13, 2016
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An afternoon in historic Tewkesbury

For us, Tewkesbury was a convenient place to stop off on a trip back from Cornwall. The town is probably best known for its magnificent abbey (and for the images of extensive flooding in 2007). Tewkesbury is pretty and it exudes history.

There are riverside walks plus plenty of attractive streets, buildings and alleyways to explore. It’s a delightful place and, in truth, it deserved more than the few brief hours we managed on our journey home.

Here are a few pictures from our stop-over.

Posted on August 29, 2016
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Lovely Jude

We had a visit from our grandson today. Lovely Jude is just nine weeks old but he seems to be taking everything in. As usual I couldn’t resist taking a a few photos of him.

I had the usual debate with myself on whether to post black and white or colour versions so I’ve posted a few of each. One photograph I’ve posted in black and white and colour. I really couldn’t decide which one I preferred. Let me know which you prefer.

Here are the pictures. We are already looking forward to seeing young Jude again!

All these photos were taken with the Fuji X-T1 coupled with the standard 35mm f1.4 lens.