frank_b._baiamonte

October 21, 2015

Congrats on the new camera Dave. You'll enjoy using it. I've been using the Fuji's for a while now, and really like them.

A couple of things though:

- As someone else noted, the X-T10 is not listed as weatherproofed. That would be the X-T1.

- Check out the manual with regard to the electronic shutter. It will produce banding under certain artificial light sources, and some pretty weird distortions with moving subjects. Depending on what you are shooting you may in fact find that you are going to use the mechanical shutter most of the time. I do find the electronic shutter to be very handy though in places where silence is good to have.

Try one of the smaller Fuji primes when you have a chance. The 18 and 35 are particularly nice.

October 11, 2015

November through January is my favorite time to visit San Francisco.

Shun's idea to go to the Marin Headlands is a good one. While you are up that way be sure to check out the Point Bonita Lighthouse. Visiting hours are rather short, and only certain days, so check the Park Service website in advance. I think it is worth the trouble though. This was taken in late November a couple of years ago. <img src="https://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/Marin-Head-Pt-Bonita/i-n2wwGxn/1/L/51FB8621-L.jpg" alt="" />

Point Reyes Lighthouse is fun too, and a beautiful drive up there. Same late November trip.

September 30, 2015

There is a lot to see and photograph in Anza Borrego, especially if you have a 4WD vehicle that can take you off the paved roads. I spend a lot of time out there in the winter, since it's fairly close to San Diego. Smugmug is running a bit slow tonight or I would post some pictures.

If you want to check out some of what's there, you can look at some of the galleries in this smugmug folder: https://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/So-Cal-Explorations-Day

You can also check my blog and look for posts about Anza Borrego: http://frankbaiamonte.com

Most of the best views in Anza Borrego seem to be away from the paved roads, although there are lots of scenic spots you can get to in a 2WD if you are careful (or don't care about the car). If the vehicle you'll be driving is such that you'll be sticking to pavement then Joshua Tree might be the better choice.

July 17, 2014

Enrique,

The White Mountains are great, there is a lot to see there. I like to stay at the Thayer Inn in Littleton. It's been around for a few hundred years, and has real character. Nice little town to wander around in too. You can easily fill three or four days in the White Mountains and not get bored.

Nearby there is Franconia Notch State Park, with The Flume. Not to be missed. We hit a lot of rain, but it was still fun.

Someone else mentioned The Cog, the railway that takes you to the top of Mt. Washington. Definitely worth the time. We were there in early October of 2008, on what turned out to be one of the last days of the season that they ran the train. We rode up about an hour after I shot this picture, and it was almost white-out at the top. Lots of fun.

We had almost 2 weeks, a big circle drive from Boston that took us to Grafton in southern Vermont, then Lyme, NH and Littleton, NH. From there we drove out to Bar Harbor and Acadia NP, with an overnight in Wilton, Maine to break up the drive. Nice little town. After Bar Harbor we spent a couple nights in Freeport, then Rockport and then flew home to San Diego from Boston. You can see more pictures from that trip <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/New-England-October-2008/">here</a>.

April 15, 2014

"Since people have mentioned hiking -IF you go hiking be sure to go hiking in a group, remember you will be in Grizzly bear territory. Again, this is not meant to scare you or to dissuade you. Just as with the possibilty of snow it is information to allow you to properly prepare in order to thoroughly enjoy your visit. Take some time to check local conditions and advisories before setting off on a trail."

That sounds like excellent advice.

Looks the Grizzly Bears aren't the only things you need to watch for.

That really is a beautiful part of the world; do enjoy your trip.

April 15, 2014

"I hadn't considered the altitude.changes. maybe taking a rental into the mountains may not be incredibly wise.. hmm"

Q. What's the fastest car made? A. A rental.

Q. What's the best off-road vehicle made? A. A rental.

Q. What's the best car to use for learning to drive on snow and ice? A. A rental.

Get the idea?

Actually, in all seriousness, the last time I drove around that area (1,600 mile wander from Spokane, to Seattle, then Hope, BC, over the hills to the Okanogan Valley then up into the mountains and over to Banff then Calgary, then down to Glacier NP and eventually back to Spokane) we were in a Nissan Altima rental. It actually wasn't all that bad. Would have rather had my Xterra with 4WD, but didn't have the extra time to drive it up there from San Diego.

March 20, 2014

I really like Sirmione as well. The castle is fun to climb around, and ruins of the Roman villa are also good. The Griffone restaurant that is next to the castle is very good. We've eaten there a couple times now, on 2 different trips, and it was good each time.

Also, the town of Desenzano del Garda is quite nice. If the sun gets too bright just go sit under the portico (visible in the far background of the photo below) and have something to eat or drink. There is a bakery there that is quite good. The hotel and restaurant Alessi are very good, and in a great location.

Desenzano del Garda, Easter Sunday 2006, Fuji Press 400, Contax G2, mediocre machine scan of negative.

March 15, 2014

Michael, I guess I missed the part about you getting an X100. By all means keep it. I really like mine.

March 14, 2014

I got mine new in 1999 with an F100. It works great today on my D7000.

March 14, 2014

Great shots of the glass blower by the way.

March 14, 2014

I've had my X-E1 for about a year now, and really like it. The firmware updates have made a difference, be sure yours is up to date. I liked it so much I got an X-E2 as well. It fixed some of the issues people had with the X-E1, but then added some new quirkiness of its own. I'm planning my next trip and plan to take both, with the X-E1 primarily as a backup.

No kidding about the batteries, be sure to pick up a few spares. For traveling one spare is not adequate.

As for lenses, the 18-55 is excellent, but try out the smaller primes as well. The 18 and 35 may seem redundant to some since the zoom covers both, but they are much smaller in size and weight, and the camera feels completely different in your hand (or around your neck).

The Fuji leather half-case is a really nice addition to the camera. It adds just enough bulk to make the camera easier to hold on to, and provides protection for the bottom and sides. Plus, it looks cool.

I don't have many people pictures (or, at least ones I can share) with the 18-55, so here's a monument at Manzanar. At 55mm, f/9.0, probably with a polarizer, and converted to b/w with a red filter effect in Aperture. Shot originally as a JPG in Provia. I'm sure I jacked up the contrast and what Aperture calls Definition as well. You can see more from a road trip shot with the X-E1 and almost exclusively with the 18-55 (and some with the 14) at <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/California-Mountain-Road-Trip">this set</a> of smugmug galleries. Other travel shots <a href="http://www.frankbaiamonte.com">on my blog</a> during the last year were all with the Fuji as well.

March 14, 2014

Considering the price of the Fuji 27 these days ($200 new) maybe you can find an X-E1 at a good price. With the 27 it's a bit bigger than the X100 but actually lighter I think. And it has a viewfinder, unlike the X-M1 (which, by the way, with the 27 is really tiny). The 27 is an f/2.8, so that doesn't quite fit your criteria, but you could also look at the 18. It's an f/2.0 and fairly small, but the hood does add some bulk. A used 18 with a used X-E1 would be a nice combo. Granted the X-E1 doesn't have the OVF, but the EVF works pretty well. It won't look quite as much like an old camera as the X100, but add the Fuji leather half-case and it still is fairly unassuming. I have all of the above, by the way, so this is based on personal experience. I really like the Fujis for walking around / sightseeing / travel cameras. So much so that my older favorites for that purpose, the Pentax K-5 with the 4 DA Limited pancake primes, have been gathering dust for the last year or so.

February 24, 2014

Fuji X-E1 with XF 35 f/1.4. Downtown San Diego, California from Coronado.

February 20, 2014

The split-image focusing aid on the X-E2 works pretty well for me. I've not tried the focus peaking, but a lot of people seem to like it too.

The X-E1 doesn't have the split-image focus aid, if that is important. But, I kept my X-E1 when I got an X-E2 because it is still a very nice camera, and in some ways I prefer the control layout, which is slightly different than the X-E2.

February 20, 2014

You guys that just ordered the 27 f/2.8 pancake are really going to like it. After I got an X-E2 I put the 27 on my older X-E1 and that became my every day carry briefcase camera. Great field of view, and it doesn't take long to get used to not having an aperture ring on the lens. The lens is tiny, it makes the camera small enough to keep with you all the time - which comes in handy when you spot a nice sunset developing on the way home from work.

By the way, if you don't already have it, the Fuji brand leather half case is a nice way to both protect the camera and add a bit of soft grip to make it easier to hold.

Also, the 14 f/2.8, 18 f/2.0 and 35 f/1.4 are really nice lenses.

I won't be giving up my DSLR for certain things, but the Fuji system makes for a very nice travel camera or for just general walking around.

All of the travel and sightseeing posts <a href="http://www.frankbaiamonte.com">on my blog</a> in the past year or so have been with the Fuji.

October 8, 2013

I travel with 3 primes a lot, these days Fuji X in 14, 18 and 35. Sometimes I take 4 (in that case it might be Pentax DA Limiteds in 15, 21, 40 & 70. Both systems are fairly small, and easily fit in either a Domke F-5XB or a ThinkTank ChangeUp with the interior box removed (and used as a shoulder bag).

Really, any small shoulder bag will do do fine in an urban environment; I prefer that to a backpack in a city. I find I don't change lenses too often, but don't be afraid to either. That's what the systems are made for.

Even though I have zooms, for traveling in urban areas I much prefer the primes, especially when out walking around. For some reason carrying a camera with a zoom lens just doesn't feel all that balanced to me, and gets old fast.

April 29, 2013

"I wonder what the characteristics are of something typically American made?"

Have you driven a Ford lately?

April 13, 2013

The 80-200/2.8 works great on the D7000. Here a shot taken with it on a D7000 at about 85mm, at f/3.5.

Here's one at 200mm at f/3.5. The harsh sunlight sucked that day.

Here's one more at 80mm at f/3.5. Again, really harsh light, and I was shooting in a big hurry, but you can get an idea about how it handles backgrounds.

I'm pretty sure I shot <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/PeoplePlacesandEvents/Ren-Faire-04102011/">this entire gallery</a> from a Renaissance Faire in 2011 with the AF 80-200 f/2.8D lens.

April 11, 2013

I bought this lens specifically to use for digitizing 35mm slides, but have found that I also really like it as a standard lens. It's nice having that close-focus ability. Check out <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/San-Diego/Old-Town-Dec-27-2009/">this gallery</a> if you want to see some examples of using it as a standard walk-around lens. All shot on a K20D a few years ago, during an afternoon walk around Old Town San Diego with my wife, not really focusing all that much on photography.

April 5, 2013

Going north from San Francisco there are a lot of things to see just north of the city. One of my favorites is the lighthouse at Point Bonita. It is only open to visitors Saturday, Sunday and Monday from Noon to 3:00pm, but well worth the effort. You can see more pictures of Point Bonita and the Marin Headlands in <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/">this gallery</a>. This area is also good for views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Further north is Muir Woods, well worth a stop to stretch your legs with a nice walk through the trees.

Continuing north you'll get to Point Reyes, with another great lighthouse.

More images from Muir Woods and Point Reyes <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/Muir-Woods-Point-Reyes/">in this gallery</a>.

Someone else mentioned Fort Ross, and Bodega Bay is nice place to check out too.

Can't help with the B&Bs but for a great hotel in a perfect location in downtown San Francisco check out The Chancellor, which is just off Union Square. We've stayed there many times, it's always been very nice, and a great value as well.

March 24, 2013

We went to <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.blogspot.com/2012/06/exploring-low-country-of-southeast-us.html">Charleston</a> for the first time in early June of 2012. It's a fantastic place. We found lots of great food, and lots to see and photograph just walking around town.

Nick's BBQ, on King Street, has some of the best bbq I've ever had. Also, whatever they have on the menu for dessert that night is worth a try. I think they only make one kind of pie each night, but the 2 we had were both great. When you see the neon pink pig sign, you know you're at the right place.

Jestine's Kitchen is also very good. Dinner was excellent, including the dessert.

We spent a lot of our time just out walking around. It was particularly nice walking around at night.

We took a horse-drawn carriage ride through the residential area to get a feel for where we wanted to go walking. It was good. One thing - if it's raining hard stay towards the middle of carriage.

There's a whole ghost story that goes along with this next picture that you can read about on <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.blogspot.com/2012/06/charleston-ghost-tour.html">my blog here</a>.

If you get a chance to get out of town for a bit, <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.blogspot.com/2012/06/exploring-low-country-part-2-magnolia.html">Magnolia Plantation</a> is well worth it. Be sure to check out the <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.blogspot.com/2012/06/exploring-low-country-part-3-audubon.html">Audubon Swamp Garden</a> while you're there. It not a far drive at all from downtown Charleston.

A bit further south, outside of Beaufort, which is about halfway to Savannah, you can find the ruins of the Old Sheldon Church. We took the back roads just to find this on our drive from Charleston to Savannah. You can see more of it in <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.blogspot.com/2012/06/exploring-low-country-part-6-old.html">this blog post</a>. It's close enough that you can get out there and back in half a day, a nice way to spend the morning. Maybe do that in the morning and then stop at Magnolia on the way back. We toured the gardens at Magnolia in the late afternoon, after a wedding, and the light was great.

Have a great time on your trip, and be sure to share some of your photos when you get back.

February 14, 2013

I guess I don't pay a lot of attention to musicians' names - I never knew who Steven Tyler was until the clerk at a burger place in Santa Cruz, CA handed us this table marker for our lunch. My wife had to tell me who we was. Anyway, I wonder how he feels about this picture?

As for why there is a duck from the Chancellor Hotel looking at Steven Tyler's mugshot, you'll have to go to my blog to figure that one out.

February 14, 2013

Someone else has already mentioned it, but I'll also say that the Fuji X-100 is the quietest thing I've come across. Fixed lens though (23mm with an APS-C sensor). I've handed my X-100 to experienced photographers and even they've not been sure it fired. By the way, in case you were wondering, the other Fuji's (X-Pro and X-E1 are nowhere near as quiet. There is a noticeable difference.

February 11, 2013

Glad to hear you're recovering Bob.

February 10, 2013

I've not posted in here in a while, as I've mostly been using the Nikon at the Zoo, and more recently, playing with my new Fuji X-series cameras. Still prefer the Pentax for certain things though. Our local photo club is doing a Picture A Day Challenge for February, and I decided to stick to a theme this year - Things That Live On The Bookshelf. In addition to way too many books, we have all sorts of little things we picked up along the way sitting our our bookshelves. I'm using the K-5 and DA-35 Macro for all of the shots, not cropping, and trying to shoot everything from the same spot. After 10 days in my wife has come to accept that the tripod is going to be sitting there until the end of the month. It's dark in our front room, and I'm often taking the day's shot at night after work, so I've had to improvise the lighting, including hand-holding flashlights, sometimes with a Kleenex diffuser.

Since today is the first day of the Year of the Snake, I'll start off with today's shot.

Here's a Leaning Tower of Pisa that I picked up back in 1979. Side-lighting from a high-powered halogen flashlight.

A troll, from the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard (Seattle), Washington. Supplemental lighting from a small LED flashlight.

I'm putting the shots into a SmugMug <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/San-Diego-DSLR/PAD-Feb-2013/">gallery here</a> for anyone who wants to follow along.

You can see the rest of the club's work in a series of forum threads (one for each day) <a href="http://www.sandiegodslr.org/dotnetnuke/Forums/tabid/62/forumid/28/scope/threads/Default.aspx">located here</a>. There are some very creative themes going on there this year.

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