MORE ON THE X30...AN AMAZING TRAVEL AND STREET PHOTOGRAPHY CAMERA!

I got to use the Fujifilm X30 extensively on our recent trip to Saint John, New Brunswick. Saint John is Canada's oldest city. I used the X30 for everything from Street Photography, to Macro Photography and just basic photography. I was impressed with the camera before our trip, I came back in love with the little camera.

When I was shopping for a small I wanted a camera that was compact that I could take every and any where. I have been a Fuji fan for years and wanted to stick with their cameras. I had looked at the X100T, which is by all accounts a fantastic camera, but the price tag was too much. I "settled" for the X30, with it's smaller sensor.

However after using it for the last few months I can definately say I didn't "settle" for anything. The X30 might have a smaller sensor but it is still a great and versatile compact camera. I enjoy having the freedom that the manual zoom lens offers. I am not sure if I could have gotten some of the shots that I got with the X100T's fixed 35mm equivalent lens (on a full frame 35mm camera). The 28-112mm equivalent lens on the X30 offeres a little freedom when it came to setting up my shots. I could go very wide at the 28mm end or get a little closer at the 112mm end.

For Street Photography the compact camera is great. It might not be as compact as the X110T, but it is still small enough to be discrete and not draw attention as you try and get candid shots, such as this picture I took of an angry looking woman standing infront of the Fireman Museum on Canada Day. She must have assumed that I was taking a picture of the museum, which is exactlty what I wanted her to think. 

I also used the X30 around our campsite. The compactness of the camera made it perfect for basic photography, such as this photo of a cute little visitor we had at our site.

I doubt I would have gotten this shot with a bigger camera, it was close enough that I probably could have reached out and petted it. I think a bigger camera (DSLR) might have scared it away. The small X30 was perfect for this shot. 

I also tried the X30 for some "macro" photography and it worked perfectly in that task as well. The shorter lens and smaller body allowed me to get super close with out interferring with insects and such. 

I even managed to use it for some wildlife photography, such as this photo of this cormorant sunning itself on a rock in the middle of lake. I would have preferred to had a longer zoom, but by using the 2X digital assist with the zoom I still managed to get what I feel is "useable" shot. 

I really enjoy using the X30! I remember watching an episode of "All About the Gear" on This Week in Photography's YouTube page where they were reviewing the X30 and one of the reviewers kept referring to camera as a "Fun" camera to use. It very much a fun camera to use, but it is much more than that. It is a very versatile camera and what it lacks in sensor size it makes up for with it's ease of use and all the features the camera has. There so many extra settings that the camera has that I haven't tried to use yet, primarily shoot in aperature priority, but I will eventually try them all. 

I have only shot in JPEG so far, I haven't used Raw before. But the quality of the JPEG's are amazing. All the photos included in this post are unedited (with the exception of adding my watermark on them) and as they came out of the camera. The colors in my opinion are amazing.

If anyone asked me about what "advanced" compact camera they should buy, I would of course tell them it is personal preferrance, but I would recommend that they try out the Fujifilm X30. It is my mind a great little but advanced camera. It easy enough to use but at the same time offers a lot of special features and modes. The picture quality is amazing, especially the JPEG's and I am sure anyone would be more than happy with the quality they get from the X30. 

DOORS OF SAINT JOHN, NB

I gave myself a photo project while vacationing in Saint John, New Brunswick. I was inspired by a photographer/artist who was selling prints of the colorful doors in the city. Saint John is a typical Maritime city with many colorful buildings, but especially with its doors. Saint John is Canada's oldest city and has some fantastic older architecture. Some buildings are over two hundred years old. So I spent a lot time wondering the streets in the older area of the city looking for interesting doors and buildings. Some buildings have faired better than others, typical for any old city I guess.

 

This was a great little project, it gave me another reason to explore the city and experience it's charms. I had a lot of people stop and ask me what I was doing, and some were very helpful, directing me to certain streets and buildings.

Saint John is a beautiful city and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Street, Travel, and Architectural Photography! You wouldn't be dissappointed, but be prepared for some foggy/rainy days. If you do go, do yourself a favor and explore some of the older streets away from the usual tourism areas, you will not regret it.

All pictures taken with Fujifilm's X30 and are property of Richard Belfry Photography.

A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR VACATION AND THE FUJIFILM X30!!!

Just a quick update, we just returned from over a week plus vacation in New Brunswick, Canada. We were based in Saint John but we also did a lot of travelling within the province. The weather was typical Maritime weather, some sunny days but also a lot of overcast/rainy days. While on this trip I really put the Fujifilm X30 through it's paces (as well as using my Fujifilm HS25EXR). I committed myself to a photo project while there (inspired by a local photographer selling some prints in the amazing City Market(more on that later) in Saint John) of shooting the colorful doors that are famous in the city. I will be posting more blogs about Saint John and New Brunswick with pictures once I get the shots edited.

But all in all the X30 behaved beyond my expectations. For Street Photography it is an amazing camera. It is small and compact, easy to carry and easy to conceal (in those "sketchy" neighbourhoods that all cities have). The pictures I got with the camera were amazing!

I used the camera not only for Street Photography but also for general travel photography and was never let down. I will be posting follow up blog entries on our trip and the different type of photos I took with both the X30 and HS25EXR. It was a great trip!