Recent images from the Fuji Natura Black P&S

[merciless49]

Have been using the Fuji Natura Black quite exclusively as the camera that I carry all the time. Usually gives perfect exposures and is a pleasure to use! Below are a few pictures from a roll that had been sitting around for a while (just developed and scanned, thanks NCPS!).

Ferry Building, San Francisco. Ektar 100.

The wide-angle capabilities. Reflection in a small puddle. Ektar 100.

Modest feast of avocados and lemon wedges. Ektar 100.

Lovely lines. Ektar 100.

Shopping in San Francisco. Ektar 100.

I would love to see your shots with the Natura Black!

 

[bagdadchild]

Great shots! No 4 is my favorite. Good punchy slide film look of Ektar. Thanks for sharing

 

[merciless49]

Thanks very much bagdadchild! I've only started using Ektar 100 for a few months, and you're right! Very "slide-like" in the images it produces. I'm really loving it as an alternative to the Velvia, which can be tough sometimes, especially given my propensity to shoot into the sun.

 

[sleepyhead]

I've only run a couple of rolls through my Natura Black 24/1.9 so far.

The camera seems to handle well, and the lens is sharp, contrasty, and colours appear somewhat highly saturated.

It was Leica's introduction of the 24mm Summilux that gave me the idea to buy the Natura Black: I cannot justify the Summilux (I only use the 24mm focal length occasionally), but the Natura is a great complement to the 35mm and 75mm Summiluxes which I do use. Plus, the Natura fits in your pocket, focuses very close, and has a built-in flash (just in case you need it).

SUMMER STRAWBERRIES

STUDY IN COLOURS

(FILL-FLASH) ON THE BIKE

CLOSE-UP PORTRAIT

TRAIN CONDUCTER-ESS

 

[merciless49]

Very nice pictures Yaron! And yes, I agree with you regarding the Natura Black. The lens is fantastic, and it's a great performer IMHO as an all-around, carry-everywhere camera. The colors are nicely saturated, which is what I'm used to from Fuji's EBC lenses. A major plus for me, as well. I've yet to try it with slide film, but I think a roll of Velvia 50 is in order. I've also yet to fire an ISO 1600 roll through it to trigger the "NP" mode, so that'll need to be done soon! All in all, a very good camera for the money! Thanks for sharing!

 

[merciless49]

Here are a few from my recent trip, I realize that the Natura Black + Ektar 100/Velvia 50 is a perfect combination!

Velvia 50, stitched together with no PS processing (except to resize).

Velvia 50

Ektar 100

 

[sleepyhead]

Merciless49 - nice pics!

I find the stitched together panoramic shot particularly interesting because as an "auto-everything" camera, I would have thougth the exposures across the scene may have been different enough to cause stitching problems, particularly in the sky areas.

But maybe stitching software is better than i think...?

 

[merciless49]

Merciless49 - nice pics!

I find the stitched together panoramic shot particularly interesting because as an "auto-everything" camera, I would have thougth the exposures across the scene may have been different enough to cause stitching problems, particularly in the sky areas.

But maybe stitching software is better than i think...?

Sleepyhead, thanks, I appreciate the comments!

You're right, the pictures individually did yield slightly different exposures for each frame, but the stitching software that I used was excellent. There are many control points from perspective all the way down to making the entire pic uniformly exposed. I like it quite a lot, actually, and will be trying to do so at every available opportunity now!

The software is Hugin, you can download them for free. Yup, FREE, that's the best part about it!

 

[Bruin]

Yeah, Hugin is excellent. Enough options to make your head spin, but that's how powerful Panorama Tools is.

 

[micromoogman]

Unedited pics. Sorry for dust etc... Fuji Superia

 

[noimmunity]

I love what this camera does in black and white. Here are some recent(ly developed) shots. Unfortunately, my camera is developing the same electrical problem that previously sent it in for repair one time (the lens won't always deploy went switching on).

 

[merciless49]

@ Jon, WOW nice pictures! You're right, the ability of the Natura Black is perfectly demonstrated even with the B&W shots. I've heard about a few of the electric problems associated with the camera, thankfully I've not experienced it myself (knock on wood). Glad to see Taiwan Beer represented well! (second pic)

 

[noimmunity]

that's taiwan beer in photo one, too!
thanks for the positive feedback. I love that camera. Maybe I'll have to see if I can get another, ouch!

 

[merciless49]

True, I did not realize that. I believe that you can find them more often in Japan nowadays? Since you're closer to them maybe that's not such a hassle? For me it took about 2, 3 months of solid looking to find mine through Ebay (US). I'm sure I overpayed, but since I'm getting lots of use out of it I guess that's justified. Either way, good luck with the camera!

 

[sleepyhead]

Sleepyhead, thanks, I appreciate the comments!

You're right, the pictures individually did yield slightly different exposures for each frame, but the stitching software that I used was excellent. There are many control points from perspective all the way down to making the entire pic uniformly exposed. I like it quite a lot, actually, and will be trying to do so at every available opportunity now!

The software is Hugin, you can download them for free. Yup, FREE, that's the best part about it!

THANKS for the information. I was not aware of Hugin.

Speaking of PANORAMIC photos, I've recently decided to try to find a Hasselblad Xpan for a special trip that I'll be taking this autumn, so panoramas are really on my mind.

I will probably regret it (because the Natura Black is so rare), but I'll probably have to sell my Natura Black as well as Widelux F8 in order to fund the Xpan.

Decisions, decisions....

 

[sleepyhead]

SOME INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THE NATURA BLACK:

As you may know, when ISO 1600 or higher film is loaded in the camera, the camera goes into NP mode, which permanently suppressed flash usage, limits the long exposure time to 1/45 of a second, disables +/- 2 stop manual exposure compensation, and kicks in a programmed automatic exposure program that provides some degree of overexposure (I think up to 3EV depending on light level). This is designed for well-exposed photos in low light, hand held with no flash.

BUT WHAT ANNOYED ME ABOUT NP MODE is the lack of shutter speeds longer than 1/45th, as well as the ability to manually set exposure compensation (up to +/- 2 stops).

SO, I recently took a roll of Fuji Natura 1600 film and re-DX coded it to 800 (took 3 minutes, really easy to do). Then my Natura Black was NOT in NP mode, plus I prefer to overexpose Natura 1600 film anyway, especially in incadescent light conditions. I then had logn shutter speeds, and exposure compensation, BUT THE PRICE TO PAY is the need to manually turn the flash off each time the camera is powered up (if you don't want flash, and I usually don't). That is a bit of hassle, but you get quick at it with the button pushing.

The results from this roll at ISO 800 were better exposed than the 1600 results I was getting in NP mode (subject was dimly lit party - so primo Natura Black territory).

BUT HERE'S THE REALLY INTERESTING BIT: I tried an experiment (only one frame) in which I covered the flash with a piece of black tape and DID NOT DISABLE THE FLASH - the frame came out perfectly exposed, leading me to hypothesize that when using flash, the camera attempts to balance ambient and flash exposure to some extent, and therefore if the flash is absent (or weak) the shutter stays open longer to compensate.

This observation needs to be investigated further.

If this is true, then several possibilities open up: permanent tape over the flash for those times when you need to grab a quick shot without flash and don't have time to do the button pushing excercise (or forget to) disable the flash, as well as putting a ND gel filter over the flash to custom balance flash and ambient mix.

Like I said, somebody (maybe me) needs to play with this more.

The Natura Black is definately and interesting camera!

 

[merciless49]

Hmmm...interesting observation indeed! I've only gone through a few rolls (2-3?) of ISO 1600 film with this camera. Reason being, I usually do the button-pushing exercise to disable flash with any other ISO film that I use, so flash usually is not on. Second, I find that like you, I do like to have shutter speeds longer than 1/45th, so NP mode is good, but not THAT good to me.

I have yet, though, to experiment with tape/filters over the flash. But if true, that sounds like this could be exploited in more detail. I shall give it a try with the next few rolls, I'm thinking tape over the flash and just go with it. Thanks for the suggestions!

Regarding panoramas, I definitely like the software approach as it saves money from the "real" version. I've had done 2 of them this way so far, and I must say I like it quite a lot! One was posted here earlier, and the other was done using my Fujica GL690 (3 frames). IMHO, the advantage to doing it this way is there are frames that can stand on its own, but can also be stitched together to give a nice panorama. With XPAN or G617 (medium format pano), you can certainly crop but these are essentially very specialized tools. Just my opinion, of course. The gear nut in me still would love to play with those cameras!

 

[sleepyhead]

I have yet, though, to experiment with tape/filters over the flash. But if true, that sounds like this could be exploited in more detail. I shall give it a try with the next few rolls, I'm thinking tape over the flash and just go with it. Thanks for the suggestions!

You're welcome, BUT PLEASE, don't waste too much film too quickly on this observation - I only tried it with one frame - I would advise that you try a few frames initially with the flash covered, under different different lighting conditions, and then evaluate the results before proceeding. Remember too, that the flash is still firing behind the tape and wasting battery power, so if I use this method it'll be for those moments when i can't do the button pushing.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[Kevin]

Merciless49 - nice pics!

I find the stitched together panoramic shot particularly interesting because as an "auto-everything" camera, I would have thougth the exposures across the scene may have been different enough to cause stitching problems, particularly in the sky areas.

If I were to make three Natura images to stitch into a panorama I would probably take the middle frame first and focus + lock exposure on a particular place in that frame. Then, when taking the left and right images, I would start with the same focus point from the first frame and recompose. I think that by doing it this way - provided the ambient light doesn't change - all three exposures should be nearly identical.

 

[sleepyhead]

Kevin - thanks for the good idea.