SAGRES NATURA - SOUTH PORTUGAL WITH THE FUJINON XF 55-200mm

Now it`s time to show you some pictures from my recent trip to Portugal where I got the opportunity to test the new Fujinon 55-200 f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS lens. But first I want to tell you some background information to the journey. A good friend of mine, Nicole Kramm told me about the fun she had learning to surf. Every time she mentioned her adventures in the south of Portugal her eyes got that special look... So I remembered back the days (about 15 years ago) I was in the same situation. Heading down south, a surfboard on top of the car, looking for good waves in Italy or Portugal. Nicole´s tales about perfect lefts, glowing sundowns and the nice people down there made me dream. So I decided to pack my bags...

So where is the missing link between a rolling wave and the 55-200mm telephoto zoom lens? Neither of them is perfect! But some things are getting close! As Patrick La Roque mentioned in his review of the new XF23mm: "Damn, another winner" - this is also true for the XF 55-200mm zoom! I shot the most pictures on this journey with this lens. Not just because of it´s common range - no! It´s because the lens is really near perfection! It is very good for separating a subject from the background and gives a very pleasing bokeh. One of the things I like most about this lens is the color rendering. You are able to capture incredible sceneries of light. So you might ask about the autofocus? In my opinion absolutely adequate, especially after the last firmware update. If there is somebody out there who tells you you can´t shoot sport or action with the Fuji X-cameras - he is absolutely wrong or simply don´t know his camera! Yes the X-Pro1 is no D4 but either is a longboard made for all this radical new style turns. On the other hand, in some situations the shortboard simply will not catch any wave at all...So is one of this surfboards redundant? Each tool for it´s own purpose!

So for me the Fujinon XF 55-200mm is the perfect addition to 2 or 3 fixed focal length lenses like the XF 14mm and XF 35mm. It complemented the system. Back to surfing jargon: Out there are some guys who ride the biggest waves on the planet with tools they call "guns". For my trip to the south the X-Pro1 with the XF 55-200mm was my gun!

Till next time, more pictures from Portugal will follow!

Andreas

FUJI X-PRO1 WITH FUJINON XF 55-200mm PORTRAITS AND B/W WITH X100