Fujifilm 80mm Macro Lens

I recently picked up the Fujifilm 80mm Macro lens and from the moment I held this lens, I knew it was special.  First thing you will notice about this lens is the size. It is a pretty large and heavy lens, made of all metal and glass. The only plastic seems to come from the lens hood. Even with the weight, it seems to balance well on the Fuji X-T2, even without a grip.  When I really noticed the weight was when it was in my camera bag. 

As other people have said, the sharpness of this lens is insane.  But even more impressive is how smooth the backgrounds are when using this lens.  It is by far the highest quality glass I have used and I expect to be using it for a lot more then just close up macro photography.  

The image stabilization made it possible to shoot sharp images like this without a tripod. 

Shot handheld, thanks to the outstanding OIS features included with this lens. 

Shot in the blacksmith shop at Empire Mine State Park. 

Another handheld flower image.

Like all Macro lenses, the depth of field is very shallow, so locating the ideal focus point can be a challenge. Overall I thought the lens focused quickly when used inside and outside. Being able to work without a tripod gives me the freedom to quickly move around the subject. 

Empire Mine blacksmith shop

I really like how well this lens gives you a feeling of depth, even when shooting directly at something like this old rusty gear. 

Red White and Blue

I have always loved shooting rusty things and Empire Mine State Park is the motherload for rusty history. Add some snow and everything changes.  I went out early on Sunday morning to try and see if I could capture the snow mixed in with the gold mining equipment, before the snow melted.  

The park was closed when I first arrived, but i was able to shoot this over the fence from the parking lot. The sky was pretty dark still at this time of the morning. 

When I returned 2 hours later, much of the snow had already melted. 

Shooting in the snow is new to me, and the biggest challenge has been to keep the white balance as close as possible, without the snow turning blue or the highlights being blown out. 

Cabin in the Woods

If you like old shacks and cabins, then check out the Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park in Nevada City, California.  The park is the location of an 1800's gold mining town and what is left is a mini ghost town. 

My first trip to this park was last year in the middle of summer. When I decided to make my 2nd trip to the Malakoff Diggins park, I didn't realize it would be 1 to 2 feet deep in snow, but that really made for some interesting images. 

If you visit the park, you will find an old cemetery, historic church, lake, hiking locations and you can take guided tours of some old general stores.