Bad photographer… Bad! 9-months since my last post, really? I guess so.
If you look back at my last post I was talking about video work and the equipment associated with that. Since that post I have acquired another LED light from the folks over at Aputure… Their new LC C120d II. A great little light which is the next evolutionary step in their “Light Storm” product line. We now have a fantastic little 3-light video kit which is perfectly color balanced and runs cool for those hot summer days. We also picked up a new V-Mic D3 Pro from Aputure’s sister company, Deity. Unfortunately, we really have not had a chance to put the D3 through its paces yet, but look forward to doing so soon.
In addition to talking about video hear in my last post I also teased about some client updates and preparations for our two-week trip to Switzerland and Italy. Since that time we have added the following clients to our roster:
Humble7 (consumer electronics)
Holland & Knight (Law Firm)
Basware (tech)
Barton G (restaurants)
Foundation for Sickle Cell Research (non-profit)
Jabian (consulting)
Sotheby’s (auction house)
Calmetto (management services)
Chicken Salad Chick (restaurants)
We are grateful for these new clients and all of the additional individual clients whom I have not mentioned.
Europe 2018
As one might expect from a gear head, I had a terrible time determining what photographic equipment I wanted to take with me. Being that I was traveling with my wife and four friends, knowing that we were going to be staying in four separate cities and doing day-trips to others, I knew that I needed to stay light and mobile. As is the norm for me, I did more than my share of research… I asked questions… I pounded my head against the wall.
For our last trip across the pond (in 2012) I opted for my Canon Powershot S95 point-and-shoot and my first generation FujiFilm X100 (first generation) with a fixed 23mm f2 lens (35mm equivalent on 35mm Full Frame). Fast forward six years and I no longer have either camera. The S95 took a dive at a friend’s wedding (thanks to entirely too much Angel’s Envy Bourbon). The X100, which I loved with all my heart, was sold off to a friend in order to generate capital for another equipment purchase.
So what to do..?
Being that I own a FujiFilm XT2 and a 23mm lens (along with a 35mm f2 and 16-55 f2.8), the easy answer was to take that system, especially given my previous travel experience with the x100. I decided to remove the battery booster grip from the XT2 and leave the heavy zoom at home, so I could save on space and weight. Being that we had plans to travel to Venice and other older European cities, I decided that something wider angle would be handy for the streets… So I picked up a Samyang 12mm f2.0. Much like my previous trip, I wanted something which I could put in my pocket and possibly zoom in a bit to capture action in the distance. I spent a long time researching… Longer than normal. The camera I wanted did not exist and all others fell short. In the end, I rented a Canon Powershot G7x II from the folks at LensRentals.com. The final piece of the image capture puzzle was my smart phone… My Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was a bit long in the tooth, so I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S9+.
Varenna, Italy: Scott Clinton Photography’s travel kit, consisting of the Canon Powershot G7x II along with the Fujifilm XT2 and Samyang 12mm f2.0 lens.
While traveling I was shocked by how often I kept the 12mm mounted on the XT2… It was definitely my go-to setup and yielded some fantastic results (IMO).
Lake Como, Varenna, Italy. Fuji XT2 w/ Samyang 12mm f2.0
Truth be told, I believe I only mounted the 35mm f2.0 once the entire time we were traveling. For the most part it stayed behind in the hotel room. The canon did what I needed it to do… Nothing to fantastic, but it did allow me to zoom into objects when I needed to and travel light if I chose to. It also did a great job with travel snapshots of Ms Terry and our friends.
Sunset on Lake Lucerne… Lucerne, Switzerland. Jpeg straight from the camera (G7X II)
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ performed admirably as well. I am a firm believe that the best camera is the one in your hand at the time when/where you need it.
The view from atop Mount Pilatus, near Lucerne, Switzerland. Panoramic from Samsung Galaxy S9+… No filter/post production.
I rounded out my travel kit with gray colored LowePro Streamline 150 bag (which I picked up on deep discount at my local camera shop), , PeakDesign camera straps, SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS II SD Cards, my trusty Seiko automatic field watch, a host of Eddie Bauer moisture wicking shirts/pants/sorts, HATS, and a pair of On Cloud CloudAce shoes. The LowePro did really well and looked fairly unassuming. It was a bit small when carrying more than two lenses plus the G7X, but was perfect aside from that. I did put on an aftermarket Protec strap pad which I picked up off Amazon for comfort on the long day.
Caught in the act by the lovely Terry C. Chapel Bridge, Lucerne, Switzerland.
As sad as it is, I have not done ANYTHING with the images from our 2018 European adventures. Below are a few picked at random for your viewing enjoyment. They are all pretty much straight out of the camera(s). Enjoy!
My next post will be about my the next step in my move to fire Canon (after 32 years).