Fujifilm XE-3 Mirrorless Camera

It's been a bit since I reviewed anything on here. But considering the circumstances, I thought it might be worth my while. You see, nearly all of my camera equipment was stolen out of a friend's car in Seattle a few months ago. Canon kit - a body and two lenses - as well as my beloved Yashica T4, my laptop, flask, some motorcycle gear, and about half of all the clothing I own. It sucked, most certainly. The kind of sting that comes only from knowing someone is out there drinking from your flask, shooting photos with your gear, and tippy typing on our computer. But that's not what this is about. This, my fearless readers, is about the little mirrorless camera I acquired as a stop-gap. Something to hold me over while Kyra and I film the first three episodes of our new travel show, Perpetual Motion.

Much research went into this acquisition. Much. Like maybe a solid 48 hours without sleep. My criteria was convoluted. Something small, easy to carry, not too expensive, but that could also shoot images fit to print. I initially looked at Leica. And nay - too expensive, too much commitment. Then at some Sony stuff. An older A7 (small-ish, full frame, etc), but it seemed soulless, no matter what Linhbergh says. If I was going to gamble, I wanted something that inspired me. Something which would allow me to create an image on the camera, not in post. Something that made me feel like I was shooting film, only not wasting a wad of coin every time I burned a frame. And so I started looking at Fujifilm - much to the delight of my friend Nimi from Big D Speedshop, an avid Fuji shooter, fellow surfer and generally dope dude.

Why Is It So Hard

If this makes you feel nothing, you're probably part robot...

Thirty Five Millimeter | Biltmore & Monticello

From the largest private residence in the United States to one of the most important ones. This roll was shot while traveling between Asheville, NC and Charlottesville, VA. We visited both the Biltmore Estate and Monticello, two homes, as mentioned, of tremendous significance. This was my father's first time on the East Coast, and as an avid student of both history and politics, he insisted we include the latter in our travels. Not much else to say about all this, other than that if you haven't visited, you should.

Check out more of my 35mm musings here.

drkrm

Note: I wrote this poem, probably intoxicated, in June of 2014.

This.
It occurs often.
Taking it’s time.
Your face, conflicted.
Mine, understood.
I see past the previous.
Forward.
I am eager.
You are optimistic.
The sun through the kitchen window.
Above the sink.
The sound.
Jazz.
I look at you through an open eye.
It’s enough.
My arm reaches out.
Reels you in.
The same thing.
Sunday.
She’s something else.
Incredible.
And there’s so much more.

Raz Simone

What I've been listening to lately...

You know, there was this time I thought I was ready to share some shit from Raz. A friend. Someone from where I'm from. Better friends with my God brother, but still. Then I didn't. I hesitated. I assumed. Now, though, I don't give quite as many fucks (see: this). So here's something substantial. Something he's done recently that I think leans hard on the what we need, and has a lot less of the what we wants.

BTS | Baja Norte

Three weeks beyond the border. Into Baja to film the first episode of our new series, Perpetual Motion. Before we crossed, I picked up a new camera (because all my shit was stolen in Seattle). Something small. Something that wouldn't distract. An XE-3, Fuji's latest prosumer class rangefinder with a 23mm f/2 lens. Kyra made me an adjustable paracord strap, and I hung the thing around my neck or over my shoulder the entire time - taking photos whenever and wherever we stopped. Unlike my Canon kit, the Fuji system was nearly unnoticeable. Found myself doing a double-take to make sure it hadn't slipped loose. And while the rangefinder setup was a new steez to me, I quickly learned that people, mostly, found it less obvious, less obtrusive. They smiled as I did behind the body, my face peering out from one side, an eye open, looking through the EVF. It was different. It was better. So, here's an assortment of photographs I took with that little Fuji, each of which came SOC, and remain unadulterated. Testament to it, I suppose. But also a good example of just how much better everything looks in Baja.

Thirty Five Millimeter | The Blue Ridge Parkway

This is the third (maybe fourth?) roll of film that was shot during our ride up the East Coast. After a few nights in Nashville, we headed east through Gatlinburg, TN - one of the weirdest places I've ever been and where I acquired a most dope wiener dog shirt - and into the Great Smoky Mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We eventually found our way to Asheville, NC, where we stayed the night and then spent the following day exploring the Biltmore Estate (next roll). This was my first foray into that big stretch of green running across four (maybe five?) states up the East Coast. And while the pace was just about geriatric and the tourist attractions a pungent mix of terrible and comical, it was a beautiful ride, and a great way to shake off the post off-motorcycle-incident that my father incurred. More to come.

Check out more of my 35mm musings here.

Nipsey...

What I've (also) been listening to lately...

Baja Norte?

We're in #Baja filming the first episode of our new #Perpetual_Motion series. Stay tuned! 📸 @thecalloftheroad

A post shared by WESTx1000 (@westx1000) on Feb 8, 2018 at 12:25pm PST

We just finished filming the first episode of our new series, Perpetual Motion.

Click here and throw a subscribe at our YouTube channel?

Merlin's Merlins

When WWII ended, my grandfather purchased an 85-ft ASR boat from AAF surplus. The boat was designed to rescue downed pilots off the coast of HI. It was powered by three Merlin V12 engines making a total of 4500 horsepower, consuming 125 gallons of fuel per motor, per hour. His boat, 'The Adventure,' had a 4000 gallon fuel capacity, and if my math is right, could burn the entire tank in ten hours at full throttle. He paid $8000 for the vessel, when fuel was $0.32/gallon, so again, if my math is correct, filling the tank would run him $1280. He ran an illegal poker game on the boat during his post war years in Hawaii. The vessel was eventually sold and spent the rest of its life ferrying tourists to the USS Arizona memorial site.

He turns 97 in May.

Double Shot

A post shared by Justin W. Coffey (@justinwcoffey) on Jan 26, 2018 at 3:04pm PST

Inspired by the WWII bomber jackets on display at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, AZ, I asked my friend @thr_asher to throw a custom paint job onto the back of my old ICON 1000 jacket. This is the result.

So Long

What I've been listening to lately...