RONiN photography wins national photography contest!

Back in the month of November i got an email from a kind lady named Mary from the distributor of Fuji Canada.

They were contacting blogging photographers across Canada asking if they would be interested in entering a photography contest using Fuji cameras.

Mary asked me if i would be interested in trying a Fuji HS10 for a week with the condition that i would send in up to 10 images for the contest.  As the camera would be shipped out and returned free of charge i certainly had nothing to loose!

A few days later as promised a fresh Fuji HS10 Ultra Zoom was delivered.  You can check out the camera with the link below.

Fuji HS10

And a fine camera it was!  Featuring a 10mp sensor for great resolution, high ISO capabilities (up to 6400!), 3 inch swivel LCD screen, and HD video.   But better yet a this camera features a 24-720mm equivalent lens....right up my alley!

To give you an idea of just how much focal length this thing packs i normally shoot wildlife with a Nikon camera and Nikkor 500mm f4 VR lens.  The Nikon camera and lens setup retails for about $12,000 CDN!  And here in my hand is a functional 30X zoom lens that has more focal length than my setup which cost about 25 times more than the Fuji HS10!  Plus, it weighs about 1/10th the Nikon setup which is about 11 lbs!

I'm going to be honest that the camera's delivery date was less than ideal for me.  I had just moved into a 'new to us' house and had begun looking after my two year old daughter full time as this was a slower time of the year for my business.  I only had one good outing with the camera for just a few hours in less than ideal conditions.  Those few hours did give me time to assess what the HS10 is capable of achieving.


I did have a few nitpicks about the camera, one of them being a slower focus speed than what i was used to but considering that my normal camera setup is about as fast to focus as any camera on the planet (and better well be for 12 grand!) there is really nothing to complain about!

Some nice surprises about this camera include the clear and sharp swiveling 3 inch LCD.  When shooting wildlife (among other subjects) it is desirable to shoot from a low angle.  The swiveling screen allows one to lower the camera to the ground and still be able to shoot from a comfortable position.

Another strong suit of the HS10 is the it's performance shooting at higher ISO's.  I was pleasantly surprised at image quality at ISO 800 and 1600.  Even ISO 3200 cleans up nice with a little noise reduction!  The last point and shoot i owned wasn't even in the parking lot, let alone in the ball park of the Fuji.

I opted to submit 6 images in total as i really didn't think i had gotten much that was worthy on my limited outing.  Below are a few of the images that i submitted to Fuji.


*Please click the images to view larger and sharper!



Winter Is Coming


Adrift


Transmissions


Below is the winning image.  To create it i used the swivel LCD (something my $3000 DLSR lacks!) to place the camera as low to the water as i possibly could.  In conjunction with the use of maximum zoom and a wide open aperture  i was able to produce an image that has the look of photo from a DSLR mounted with long lens as there is very limited depth of field.


 Black Duck on Blue

I don't consider the winning image to be fantastic or stunning to be quite frank.  However one of the conditions of the contest was that the photographer should employ the use of the massive amount of zoom available on this camera.   'Black Duck on Blue' shows what is possible with the Fuji HS10, an image more akin to one made with an expensive DSLR and lens setup.  I think this image illustrates the possibilities well.  I hope Fuji can use this image to market the camera and future models to their potential market.


The grand prize is a $5000 travel voucher which i intend to use to travel to some wonderful place in the world that my meager income would never allow me to visit otherwise.

Any ideas as to where i should go?  If you have a suggestion please leave it in the comment section below!


As a bonus Fuji Canada is throwing in a HS10 with the voucher.  Looks like i'll be spending some more time behind this little wonder in the future!

Huge thanks to Mary Attard From Fuji Canada for everything she has done for me!  Really appreciate it!

Comments

  1. Very cool Scott and well deserved! I'm guessing you'll be going somewhere bird related? Alaska for the bald eagles?

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  2. Hi,

    These are wonderfully fantastic images i ever seen. Thank you so much for posting these really awesome. I simply love every single photo shot. Last two three images are truly fab.

    Wildlife Photographer

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  3. well-deserved. go to the Ozarks.

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  4. Thanks so much Peter and Ritchie for the words! Much appreciated!

    Alaska would be awesome!

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  5. Thanks Lisa! I've heard of the Ozarks but have ever checked it out.

    Thanks for the suggestion!

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  6. $5k in travel... hmm.

    international for sure.

    Switzerland, Thailand, Japan...

    maybe the Galapagos

    LG

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  7. Ya I think you will be traveling to Baker Lake, NU. Just let me know when you will be arriving! Come in the spring when the millions of geese return and the Caribou are bunched together in the thousands. Muskox, wolves and grizzly bears will all be around for your viewing pleasure! Not to mention the hospitality is top notch and although it costs a FORTUNE to get here, you can make use of that travel voucher. You missed my wedding, you owe me one!

    XOXOX

    Dave

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  8. First of all CONGRATS! That is AWESOME! And secondly, I agree with Dave and I bet Leanne could be convinced ;) The wildliife up here... especially in Baker Lake is insane. Baker Lake was actually named one of the top 13 places to hunt in Canada in Outdoor Canada 2010 Special Issue. Interestingly enough, they're advertising Nikon scopes on the back cover.... I think it's an omen. You should definitely do it up.

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  9. Galapagos....now that would be something!

    Thanks so much Dave and Stephen (TSC)!

    Baker Lake sounds great for wildlife! Especially if my timing was good!

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  10. hai great picture with the hs10...one should also remember its a point and shoot camera and not to compare with a DSLR which is much better.But this would depend on the user...I my self own a D90 with expensive lenses..But my HS10 is my best companion.Enough of talking....like ur blog and pictures...
    On ur next travel why not try Malaysia or Brunei.

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