Customizable buttons

Customizable buttons is one of the better features of modern mirrorless digital cameras. There was a time when camera buttons weren’t customizable and you had to live with the way a camera was designed — take it or leave it. Now it’s possible to customize most (if not all) of the camera buttons so they work the way you prefer.

For example, I love me some “back-button focus.” Fujifilm got it right when they designed the X-T1 and X-T3 — the button is exactly where it should be, highlighted by a red circle in the following annotated images.

Fujifilm X-T1. AF-L button is used for “back-button focus.”

Fujifilm X-T3. AF-L button is used for “back-button focus.”

But Fujifilm lost their way on the X-T5. By default, the button assigned to back-button focus (AFON) is too far from my right hand that’s holding the camera grip. Instead, the button assigned to the Quick Menu is located where back-button focus had been for years.

Fujifilm X-T5. Swap functions of AFON and Q buttons.

Hey, no problem — just customize the buttons to perform different functions, in this case, change one to the other and vice versa.

There are several good YouTube videos that demonstrate how to customize the buttons on your Fujifilm X-Series camera, such as the one listed under Related Resources. Here’s an overview of the steps to follow.

Power-on the camera. Press and hold the “DISP/BACK” button until a graphic appears on screen that shows all the camera buttons and their default function. Use the D-pad to navigate to a button you would like to customize; press the right D-pad button to select a function button and choose a new function from a long list of options. It’s that easy!

Related Resources

• Fuji Guys – FUJIFILM X-T4 – Customizing FN Buttons, by the Fuji Guys Channel (1:20).
• Function Controls – Fujifilm X-T5 Owner’s Manual. See the section entitled “Roles That Can Be Assigned to the Function Buttons” for a complete list of options.
• Fuji Back Button Focus, by Ashraf Jandali (4:06). This video provides a clear demonstration of how to use back-button focus on the Fujifilm X-T1. The same technique works with the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T5.

Copyright © 2023 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Connections

I’m not as dumb as I look, you know. (I have a face for blogging, not vlogging.) But I am a little slow sometimes. For example, I was slow to make the connection between the size and shape of two lens adapters I own.

When I bought the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro lens for Canon EOS cameras, I also bought a Laowa Lens Mount Adapter for Canon EF lenses to Fuji X Series cameras. I remember thinking the adapter is oddly shaped and wondered why it wasn’t designed to be shorter/thinner.

That was before I purchased the Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter (Canon EF lenses – Fuji X Series cameras).

The following photo shows two Canon EF to Fujifilm X Series lens adapters: the Laowa EOS-FX (shown left); and the Fringer EF-FX Pro II (shown right).

Canon EF to Fujifilm X-Series lens adapters.

Notice the two lens adapters are the same diameter and thickness (26.3 mm): the former is due to the Canon EF mount (top) and Fujifilm X Mount (bottom); the latter is due to something called flange focal distance (FFD).

The 17.7 mm FFD of my Fujifilm X Series digital cameras combines with the 26.3 mm thickness of the lens adapters (shown above), resulting in an FFD of 44 mm — exactly the right FFD for Canon lenses to work properly on a Fujiflm X Series camera body!

The Backstory

The Laowa lens adapter is manual; the Fringer lens adapter is automatic. The former doesn’t feature electronic contacts that enable auto focus, etc.; the latter does.

Soon after I bought the Laowa lens adapter I used it to mount a Canon EF 100mm macro lens on my Fujifilm X-T3 camera. Although the adapter worked to connect the lens and camera, the experiment was a failure because the Canon macro lens doesn’t have a ring for setting aperture manually, and the Laowa lens adapter doesn’t have electronic contacts that enable a camera to set the aperture of the lens. Same problem with my Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens.

Enter the Fringer lens adapter.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Iberian odonate larvae

During late-October 2021, I was contacted by Miguel A. Conesa-García, PhD, Profesor Tutor Biología, Diversidad Animal, Ciencias Ambientales, UNED-Málaga.

Miguel was working on finishing the second edition of his book about odonate larvae in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). When Miguel was almost finished, an adult male Wandering Glider dragonfly (Pantala flavescens) was spotted in Spain. P. flavescens is a new species of odonate for the region, so Miguel decided to add the new discovery to the species list in his book.

Cover photo, courtesy Amazon Books.

The following screen capture shows the search string I used to find the book on Amazon.

Screen capture, Amazon Books.

The book is richly illustrated with beautiful photos and diagrams. It’s abundantly evident I could learn a lot from the book — I wish there were an English Edition!

Miguel requested permission to use a photo of a Wandering Glider exuvia in my photoblog, published on 14 November 2018. I was, of course, willing to help.

Page excerpt from Miguel’s book, featuring my photo.

I’m mentioned in the acknowledgements at the end of the book. Regrettably my first name is misspelled and the Web address cited is no longer current. I took the liberty of annotating the page from Miguel’s book to provide the correct information.

Acknowledgements, p. 539 (annotated).

Acknowledgements, p. 539 (original).

Migratory Dragonflies

Wandering Glider is one of at least five major species of dragonflies known to be migratory in North America. P. flavescens is the only species of odonate known to occur on every continent except Antarctica.

The exuvia that I photographed is the “cast skin” from an odonate larva (nymph) that was collected in the field by Andy Davidson, a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia USA. Andy reared the larva in the laboratory as part of a research project entitled “Predator-Prey Interactions in a Changing World.”

Part of the value in rearing odonate larvae in the laboratory is knowing with certainty that an exuvia is from a particular species. This is perhaps the reason that Miguel chose to use my photo.

Related Resources

• Test shots: Pantala flavescens exuvia.
• Field Guide to Migratory Dragonflies, by Migratory Dragonfly Partnership.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Tethered

“Tethered.” What does that word mean to a photographer? In its simplest sense, it’s when a camera is connected to a computer either by some type of cable or sometimes wirelessly.

“Tethered shooting” implies the photographer is able to control the camera remotely, either partially or completely.

Is there really a distinction between the two terms? I think so.

In my last two blog posts I mentioned that my older Fujifilm X-T1 mirrorless digital camera cannot be used for tethered shooting using either the free Fujifilm X Acquire 2 software or via some sort of HDMI Video Capture device. That being said, the Fujifilm X-T1 camera can be tethered to my computer in order to display the output from the HDMI port on the camera.

The section entitled “Viewing Pictures on TV” that appears on p. 108 of the Fujifilm X-T1 Owner’s Manual is shown below.

When the Fujifilm X-T1 is connected to my Apple MacBook Air computer via a MavisLink Video Capture Card and displayed on-screen using OBS Studio, the camera thinks the computer is a TV. Well, sort of.

OBS Studio | Properties for ‘Video Capture Device’

First, add a “Video Capture Device” to a “Scene” in OBS Studio. Select “USB Video” since the “HDMI Video Capture” device connects to the computer via USB. A colorful test pattern appears on screen, even when the camera is turned on.

When the “Play” button on the back of Fujifilm X-T1 camera is pressed, a small green LED in the upper-right corner of the camera turns on and the photos saved to the memory card in your camera are shown on-screen, one image at a time. Use the “D” pad on the back of the camera to cycle through all of the photos on the memory card. Press the “Play” button when you’re finished and the test pattern reappears in OBS Studio.

By the way, the photo shown in the preceding “Screenshot” of OBS Studio is one of the images I shot for Sumo Citrus still life, a recent blog post.

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

What is it?

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages. It’s time for another exciting episode of “What is it?”

MavisLink Video Capture Card

This episode is a little different because the name of the mystery item is printed clearly on the product itself. I guess the real mystery is two-fold: What does the acronym “HDMI” mean, and what does this video capture device do?

“HDMI” stands for “High-Definition Multimedia Interface.” The MavisLink Video Capture Card converts HDMI 4K 60FPS (from your digital camera) to USB 1080P 60FPS (on your computer) that can be either recorded or live streamed on video conferencing services.

“MavisLink” is a brand name that was recommended by Graham Houghton, a gentleman whose expertise I respect and opinion I value. It’s worth noting a quick Web search will reveal lots of video capture cards sold under different brand names that look identical to the MavisLink device shown above. Do they work as well as the one recommended by Graham? Who knows?

I plan to use the device in combination with Open Broadcaster Software (OBS Studio) to record the video and audio output from some of my digital cameras; the saved video clips will be featured in future “how to” blog posts.

So far I have tested the process with several of my cameras: My Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 and Fujifilm X-T3 work; my Fujifim X-T1 doesn’t work.

I still need to test my older Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It should work but as far as I know the camera doesn’t feature “clean HDMI” output, that is, some or all of the info display on the camera viewfinder/LCD (e.g., the focus rectangle) is included in the output.

Related Resource: DSLR and Mirrorless Webcams Versus Capture over HDMI, by Graham Houghton (8:56). See the segment entitled “HDMI Capture” that begins at ~5:01 into the video.

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Sumo Citrus still life

Have you seen/eaten Sumo Citrus? They’re easy to peel, seedless, and billed as “the sweetest orange.” Delicious, I say!

How I got the shots

I set up a tripod at a good distance from the subject for a 50mm lens. Then I switched cameras without moving the tripod. Each camera/lens combo was set for an aperture of f/8; other camera and flash settings varied as necessary. (See EXIF info for details regarding camera settings for each photo.)

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens (“Nifty 50”), Godox X2TC, Godox TT685C plus Lastolite flash modifier.

18 March 2021 | BoG Photo Studio | Sumo Citrus

Fujifilm X-T1

Fujinon 18-55mm zoom kit lens set for 34mm (51mm, 35mm equivalent), Godox XProF, Godox TT685C plus Lastolite flash modifier.

18 March 2021 | BoG Photo Studio | Sumo Citrus

Fujifilm X-T3

Fujifilm 11mm extension tube, Fujinon XF80mm macro lens, Vello Off-Camera TTL Flash Cord, Godox X2TF, Godox TT685C plus Lastolite flash modifier.

18 March 2021 | BoG Photo Studio | Sumo Citrus

Sumo Citrus from Giant Food

Bernard Nimmons is the produce manager at the Giant Food located in Beacon Center. I sent a Facebook Messenger message to Bernard recently…

I need Sumo Oranges STAT! Are they back in stock?

The following selfie photo is Bernard’s reply to my message. Now you can see why I always say “Bernard puts the ‘Pro’ in Produce.”

Selfie photo used with permission from Bernard Nimmons.

Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Matchbox Monday

The Matchbox MBX Construction II set of toy vehicles.

I love toys — always have and always will. When I was a young boy, I was especially fond of toy dinosaurs, Matchbox vehicles, and building scale models, to name a few.

I always check the toy department whenever I visit stores that stock, well, toys. I was delighted to find a small selection of Matchbox toys during a recent trip to Target. After looking at every box hanging on a display wall, I chose the MBX Construction II set. In my opinion, commercial vehicles have more character than say most automobiles.

According to the side panel of the packaging, the following vehicles are included in the toy set (from right to left, relative to the preceding photo): Matchbox Skidster; 1966 Dodge A100 Pickup; Matchbox Water Worker; Man TGS Dump Truck; and 2014 Chevy Silverado.

Related Resource: Matchbox toys at Mattel Shop.

Post Update

I stumbled across a YouTube video that features two favorite Lesney Matchbox toys from my childhood: the yellow “Evening News” van; and the red double-decker bus.

Video outtake courtesy ToyCarCollector.com.

As I mentioned in the comments for this post, I need to find my old Matchbox toys!

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

The last rose of summer

The Last Rose of Summer is a poem written in 1805 by Irish poet Thomas Moore.

15 NOV 2020 | The Beacon of Groveton | rose bud

“You look like the last rose of summer” was one of my Irish mother’s favorite sayings. Miss you, Mom!

Tech Tips

A rose bud cutting from the landscaping at The Beacon of Groveton was photographed against a pure white background (255, 255, 255) using the “Meet Your Neighbours” (MYN) technique.

I used my Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera and an 18-55mm zoom lens, set for 55mm. One external flash was used to backlight the background (a piece of translucent white plastic) and another flash was used as a key light on the subject. Check the EXIF/IPTC info for the photograph for complete details regarding photo gear and camera settings.

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Laowa LED Ring Light for 25mm Ultra Macro Lens

I prefer artificial light from electronic flash units rather than continuous light sources such as LEDs. That being said, when the working distance between lens and subject is small, a lens-mounted LED ring light makes sense to use.

Minimum focusing distance versus working distance

The “minimum focusing distance” is the distance from the subject to the focal plane. The “working distance” is the distance from the front of the lens to the subject. For macro photography, usually the latter is more important than the former.

According to Venus Optics (Laowa), the minimum focusing distance for the “Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro lens” is 23.4 cm at 2.5x magnification and 17.3 cm at 5x. According to several Web sites, the working distance is 45 mm (4.5 cm) at 2.5x and 40 mm (4.0 cm) at 5x, or a range of working distances from ~1.8 to ~1.6 inches.

Adding one or more extension tubes reduces the working distance and increases magnification. For example, adding a Kenko 12mm extension tube reduced the working distance from 45 mm to ~30 mm at 2.5x.

And it’s worth noting that adding the Laowa “Canon EF lens to Fujifilm X mount camera adapter” to the lens further reduces the working distance — the adapter is ~26 mm wide, essentially equivalent to adding a 26mm extension tube. Combined with the 1.5x crop factor of Fujifilm X-Series cameras such as the X-T1 and X-T3, it’s no wonder the magnification of the lens is increased dramatically when used with select Fujifilm cameras!

Ultra Macro Lens

The first two photos, courtesy B&H Photo, show the version of the Laowa lens for Canon EF. For what it’s worth, f/4 is the “sweet spot” for this lens.

Product image courtesy B&H Photo.

Look closely at the front of the lens. Notice a “flange” (one of two) that is visible around the outer rim of the lens. Those flanges are used to mount the Laowa LED ring light on the lens.

Product image courtesy B&H Photo.

LED Ring Light

The next two photos, courtesy Allen’s Camera, show the Laowa LED ring light.

Product image courtesy Allen’s Camera.

The LED ring light ships with a USB power cable. A power source for the ring light is NOT INCLUDED. My next blog post will feature a discussion of the pros/cons of the power source solution I decided to use.

Product image courtesy Allen’s Camera.

LED mounted on lens

The last photo shows the Laowa LED Ring Light mounted on the Laowa Ultra Macro Lens that is mounted on my Canon 5D Mark II digital camera. The USB power cable is connected to the LED ring light but not connected to a power source. (Don’t mind the clutter in the background!)

Notice the face of the LED ring light extends ~5 mm beyond the front of the lens, thereby reducing the working distance by ~5 mm (~0.5 cm). Plan accordingly.

Laowa LED and 25mm Ultra Macro lens mounted on Canon 5D Mark II.

Related Resources

• Have you ever wondered…? [a blog post by Walter Sanford (Hey, that’s me!) related to minimum focusing distance and working distance]
• Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5x Ultra-Macro – Review [lens-specific information regarding minimum focusing distance and working distance]
• Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro [Venus Optics (Laowa) Web site]
• Allen’s Camera [My first experience with Allen’s Camera was very positive. Rob, the sales associate with whom I spoke by telephone, was knowledgeable about the Laowa product line and very helpful.]

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Macromia illinoiensis exuvia (face-head) redux

A Swift River Cruiser dragonfly (Macromia illinoiensis) exuvia was collected, with permission from park staff, on 27 May 2017 along the Potomac River at Riverbend Park in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

27 MAY 2017 | Riverbend Park | Swift River Cruiser (exuvia)

The preceding image shows the remnant ommatidia clearly.

From this viewpoint, it’s harder to see the prominent horn on the face that is a key field mark for larvae/exuviae in the Family Macromiidae (Cruisers). The base of the triangular horn is located above the labium (face mask), between the long, thin antennae; the apex of the triangle is pointed toward the viewer.

It’s easier to see the horn in the featured photo in my last blog post.

Tech Tips

The subject was photographed against a pure white background (255, 255, 255) using the “Meet Your Neighbours” (MYN) technique.

20 photos of the specimen were taken using 2.5x magnification at an aperture of f/4; in-camera focus peaking was used to highlight select areas in each photo. RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0 was used to convert Fujifilm RAF files to TIFF files. Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create a focus-stacked composite image that was edited using Apple Aperture.

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.