Hi ,

I've been away for awhile... did you miss me? After a very busy summer, we took our first vacation in awhile and spend three weeks in upstate New York, visiting a dear friend and exploring the Finger Lakes region on foot and by bicycle. 

While I've driven across the New York State Thruway numerous times in my life, I'd never actually spend any time in the western part of the state. We were there during peak foliage, mostly in Ithaca, Watkins Glen and south of Rochester. The weather was awesome, so we enjoyed many days of hiking in some of the beautiful State Parks there, and biking on sleepy country roads and rails-to-trials. Honestly, I had no idea that there was so much amazing road and gravel biking in that area.

Leaving X-T5 at home, I only took a Fujifilm X-T50 body that a friend loaned me, and three lenses, the 16m f/2.8, 35mm f2 and 70-300mm. I loved using the X-T50, especially the Film Simulation dial, and that trio of lenses was a perfect combo. I often say that for any trip or photography outing, as long as you have wide, middle and long, then you're covered for just about anything. No need to carry more than you need, right? 

Niagra Falls

Since Alaska Airlines flies right to Toronto, our first stop on the trip was Niagra Falls as we made our way towards Rochester. I'd been there once before when I was a kid, but this magnificent sight was a whole new treat with a camera in my hands. 

Given the fact that you have very few unique vantage points, and that there are millions of pictures of the falls, how do you come up with something unique?

This is where long lenses really shine. Aside from letting you eliminate all the other tourists and buildings in your photos, you can zoom in and compose on specific elements of the falls. One of my favorite compositional methods in photography is the concept of abbreviation, where you pick out bits and pieces of the main subject that suggest the larger scene. 

That worked really well here, and I'm pleased with the photos I got, a few of which you see here. 

I also enjoyed playing around with the different film sims, which also adds a great deal of unique creativity to your images. The photo above was shot with Classic Neg film sim, while this one below was ACROS black and white. Overall, this is a very monochromatic scene, but the different color palettes add a slight unique quality to each photo. 

Here are a few others from our day at the falls. 

Brand New - FUJIFILM X-M5

A couple weeks ago, FUJIFILM launched a brand new camera, the small and stylish X-M5. This is the latest X Series model, and it features a Back Side Illuminated 26.1 MP X-Trans 4 sensor, and the new 5th gen X-Processor 5, which delivers an amazing level of creative power in a very compact body. In a sense, it's nearly identical to the X-S20, but with a more traditional "X Series" body styling.

Here are the main highlights: 

• 425-point AF with Subject Detection Autofocus
• Up to 30 fps Shooting
• 20 Film Simulations, including Nostalgic Neg and Reala Ace
• Film Simulation Dial, like the one on the X-T50
• Custom Settings and Full AUTO Mode
• Up to 6.2K/29.97 fps Open Gate 10-Bit Internal Video Recording
• 9:16 "Short Movie" Mode for creating 15, 30 & 60 second vertical clips that are ready for social media
• Special "Video Creator Modes"
• Improved Touchscreen
• Video Noise Reduction Settings
• Shoots F-Log 2 and HDMI RAW Video Output
• Frame.io Camera to Cloud Capability
• Works with FUJIFILM's Cooling Fan for increased rec time

With powerful still image and video shooting capabilities, and a very small form factor, (body size is only 12.5 oz / 355 g), the X-M5 is an excellent choice for photographers who want an ultra compact, yet capable camera, or videographers and content creators who want to be able to shoot and upload quickly and with ease. (The X-M5 allows very low bit rates of 8Mbps and 25Mbps for minimal transfer time to your phone or mobile device, either via Bluetooth, or a dedicated USB-C connection.) 

Also makes great backup or travel camera if you have another X Series model.

Priced at only $799, the new FUJIFILM X-M5 is scheduled to ship on November 21, but you can preorder now. It also comes as a kit with the brand new XC15-45mm lens, which is optimized for the new higher res models. 

That's all for now. Nothing too long, just getting back into the swing of things after being gone. Next time, I promise I'll show you some of my fall foliage pictures from NY. As I said, we were there during peak colors! 

I hope you've been doing well and have been able to get outside with the camera lately. Maybe you even still have some great colors where you live!! 

As always, be sure and check out my online courses and eBooks. Please note, I'll definitely be updating my X SERIES UNLIMITED eBook to reflect the newest settings and models that FUJIFILM has released, so stay tuned for that. Even if you purchase my ebook before that happens, you'll still get the updates for free. 

Thanks for reading and have a great week!!