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Blog posts about cameras, photography and assorted other topics.
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Fujifilm Fujinon XF35mmF2 R WR: an extensive test
I used Fuji’s weather-sealed standard lens on a couple of occasions and liked it a great deal, although some situations called for a wider maximum aperture. Weather sealing is nevertheless a good addition, and the small size is another strength.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Fujifilm Fujinon XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR WR: an extensive test
Fuji’s long telephoto zoom is a fine lens that is a pleasure to use. Its balance of focal length and weight makes it easy for an active photographer to carry under their own steam. It is large enough that a battery grip or another additional grip is almost essential. Image quality is very good, although sharpness falls towards the longest focal length. A little stopping down can compensate. Autofocus is extremely fast: with the X-T2, for example, the combination approaches traditional DSLRs in this respect. A good image stabiliser, weather sealing and support for teleconverters round out an excellent package.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Canon EOS-1D X: a long-term test
The Canon EOS-1D X is a beast of a camera, in a good way. If you shoot in extreme conditions and need very fast autofocus and a serious burst rate, this is your choice. Action photography with it is a pleasure! Reliability is another of its qualities. The 1D X responds extremely quickly to the photographer’s wishes. Its weight, size and price naturally limit its potential audience. For quieter work, other Canons offer better value through a more refined interface, higher resolution, better dynamic range and a quieter shutter. The EOS-1D X is no longer a new camera: the EOS-1D X Mark II has replaced it. I nevertheless have enough experience with the original X, announced in 2011 and sold from 2012, that I decided to write about it.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Nikon D4S: a quick test over a couple of days
The D4S is the second-newest version of Nikon’s flagship model. It is a large camera made for demanding action or wildlife photographers. Of course, it can be used for many other kinds of photography too, but a landscape or wedding photographer will probably choose another body.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Polar M600 and Suunto Spartan Ultra in a quick two-day test
Finland is largely self-sufficient when it comes to producing sports watches, as two well-known players in the field operate here, Suunto and Polar. I got to try out the devices each manufacturer introduced last year for a couple of days. Both products left a little to be desired in being perfect sports watches, but the Spartan Ultra was closer in this respect. I did not give much weight to smart features in this context.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Website redesign 2017
The redesign of the site's look turned out to be a bigger job than expected, and at first nothing seemed to work. There was one little tweak after another. Now the thing is starting to be on the winning side and the site can already be marketed at full speed. Building a website is nevertheless a never-ending thing, and there is always something to develop or improve that comes to mind. The Ilkansivu.net domain has now come off the blacklists, as I have not noticed problems with sending any email anymore.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Fujifilm X-Pro2 mirrorless camera put through an extensive test
Fuji's latest flagship model brought a new sensor and other goodies. The camera has potential for many kinds of use and the image quality is excellent. The Fujifilm X-Pro2 is a nicely made camera that packs Fuji's latest goodies of the moment into the retro body typical of the manufacturer. But the tilting screen is missing and the electronic viewfinder is smaller than in the X-T1 or the new X-T2. The user interface will surely divide opinions, but it suits my own taste, although the menu structure could be rethought.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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The Great Summer 2016 Sausage Comparison
This test covers 41 different grilling sausages and frankfurters: a total of 16 kg of food for the grill. The sausages were cooked on a Weber briquette barbecue. With just a couple of exceptions, all the products are available in Finnish grocery shops. Fat and salt percentages were not considered in the ratings, and price was also secondary. The score reflects only how the product tastes and how the sausage feels in the mouth.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Fujifilm X-T1 in a long-term test
I have now used the Fujifilm X-T1 camera for almost two years. First as a second camera, then as my main one. The journey has had both positive and negative things. The positive ones outweigh the negative, though, since I gave up the traditional SLR entirely. The Fujifilm X-T1 is not a perfect camera in every respect. Perhaps no such camera exists. But the X-T1 is very good in many respects, although the repeated service visits cost it points. It is pleasant to shoot with and pleasant to look at the results it produces. The lenses are of high quality and there are fine options for different needs. Because Fuji has no other sensor sizes or mounts competing for attention, all the lenses are optimized to the last detail for exactly this system.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Fujifilm Fujinon XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR: a quick test over a couple of days
Interested in getting by with one lens? This lens covers all the standard focal lengths from wide angle to telephoto and offers weather sealing and image stabilisation. It is an appealing idea, but the maximum aperture is not enough for every situation. In practice, photographing moving people indoors under normal lighting without a flash is difficult. Image quality also falls behind other Fuji lenses. Still, I could recommend it if you are willing to compromise a little on image quality and want a broad focal range in one package. The image stabiliser, which compensates for the limited maximum aperture, and the weather sealing are plus points.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Nikon Df full-frame system camera in a quick test of a couple of days
The Nikon Df styles the F model introduced in the 1950s in digital form. This full-frame system camera stirs emotions, but it contains sound technology. In keeping with tradition, the camera cannot shoot video. The Nikon Df is a camera for someone who is not satisfied with the ordinary. The camera's user interface and looks make it different from modern cameras. Inside, however, there is sound technology in its own right, so the camera certainly has what it takes to go a long way.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Fujifilm Fujinon XF56mm F1.2 R portrait lens put through extensive testing
Which focal length does a portrait photographer choose? Usually 85 mm, if shooting with a full-frame camera. Fuji's counterpart is 56 mm, whose angle of view corresponds well to this classic portrait focal length. The Fujinon XF56mm F1.2 R is an optically very capable and exceptionally fast lens that you are happy to take along. The very wide maximum aperture helps freeze motion and separate the subject from the background. Focusing is fast enough and image quality is of a high standard. The slight softness at the edges at the widest aperture is not a serious flaw. Weather sealing and image stabilisation would of course be nice additions, but it gets by as it is. Thanks to its relatively small size and light weight, it is pleasant to take along.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Fujifilm Fujinon XF50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR in an extensive trial
70-200mm at an aperture of f/2,8. This is the coveted general-purpose tele on the full-frame side. Fujifilm answered the challenge with a 50-140mm focal length, and its angle of view is close to that full-frame cousin. Add to that good light-gathering ability, fast autofocus and weather sealing, and the package is complete. For Fuji men and women this is almost a must-buy if there is a need for a telephoto in poor light or bad weather. Optically everything is in top shape, as is Fuji's habit.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Garmin vívoactive in an extended trial
A smartwatch, a heart rate monitor or an activity band? I tested the Garmin vívoactive for a good month in the summer. It is a good activity band and sleep tracker, but it does not earn a place among the best heart rate monitors. The Vívoactive works best as a watch, an activity band and a sleep tracker. Perhaps runners, cyclists and golfers will get more out of it, but for my own use its heart rate monitor features are lacking. The device would be better without the poorly working touch screen. Improving the cloud service would also make the product far more appealing.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Canon PowerShot SX610 HS in a quick trial of a couple of days
Are compact cameras still needed, or have phones finally buried these traditional small-sensor pocket cameras for good? In a quick test I compared Canon's long-zoom compact with Apple's iPhone 6S Plus, and on that basis the phone is the better choice in many respects. The PowerShot SX610 HS is a handily sized pocket camera with quick functions and wifi. Unfortunately the image quality leaves a lot to be desired, and a better phone can do the same, if not better. The long zoom is attractive on paper, but the lens speed, or rather the lack of it, makes using the tele end less appealing. Even at the wide end the lens speed is enough indoors only for stationary subjects. But the situation is not quite as bad as the text might suggest. If an image is viewed at a small size or on a small display, the shortcomings in image quality are not so obvious.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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The Fujifilm X-T10 in a quick two-day trial
The Fujifilm X-T10 is Fuji's newest mirrorless camera body. The product is a good addition to the lineup and is even suitable for professional use. I tried it alongside the X-T1. Based on the trial, I can recommend it to an active photographer. The shortcomings are not serious and, relative to the price, this is a good buy. If you long for budget-class lenses, there are hardly any available for Fuji, unless you count the two lenses in the XC series or Samyang's manual options. But the system already offers the active photographer a good range of different quality glass. Would I buy this camera for my own use? Well, why not, though as a second body alongside the X-T1. You would of course manage well with the X-T10 even if it were your only body, but in places you would certainly miss the X-T1's features.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Pentax 645Z in an extensive test
What is this box-shaped camera, where the 55mm lens is actually a mild wide angle and the tripod socket is found on one side as well as on the bottom? It is a medium format digital camera, model designation Pentax 645Z. This is the right camera for a photographer who needs uncompromising image quality and a large image size. The camera is not a gadget for a burst shooter, but a tool for a calm and deliberate photographer. The camera gives a very high-quality impression and operation is precise. Weather sealing widens the range of uses even further. The worst shortcomings are the slow saving of images to the memory card, the placement of the focus points in the middle of the frame, and the tightly packed rear panel.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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New site launched
At last! The new site is now ready and published with this first blog post. The update brought the site from the turn of the millennium to this decade. It took all kinds of wrestling to get things to this point. With breaks it also took several years, and the operation was not entirely straightforward. Now that I have experience of building one site, building a new one would already be much easier and I would know to take things into account from different angles. I would now choose the template on different grounds, because I know a suitable image gallery. With a different template some add-ons might also become unnecessary. Or the add-ons that do not work in the current template might work. But you can't know that without trying. It would help to learn more HTML and especially CSS. With these skills, getting small things just the way I want them would be much easier. Luckily the forums or the add-on developers help those who don't know. Was it worth it, or would I have got a better result from somewhere outside?
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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Ilkka Rytkönen, Photographer
I'm Ilkka Rytkönen and I live in Kuopio in Finland. I've completed vocational examination in photography in 2012.
Ilkka Rytkönen·
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