A visit to Dubai, and to FUJIFILM Middle East

I've recently noticed some bright pixels in photos made with my FUJIFILM X100T, and they repeat in all photos at the same place. The consistency of their location confirmed they were dead pixels.

So, I tweeted @FujifilmME, asking if they have a solution. They directed me to contact Mr. Mohamad Al Moumani of FUJIFILM Middle East for assistance, and I emailed him. He was a professional gentleman, prompt, and offered several solutions to examine the camera. But since I was planning a trip to Dubai, I asked if I can deliver it myself & he generously accepted.

In my visit to their office, I met Mr. Al Moumani and Mr. Kawamura, who took my X100T and gave me a FUJIFILM X-T1 with a 56mm f/1.2 lens (they knew how much I adore my Canon f/1.2 lens). I didn't expect such generosity, but I was happy that I'll have the X-T1 to test with an excellent lens.

One thing that I immediately missed, was the lack of an ND filter, like the one I had in the X100T. Shooting at f/1.2 without an ND filter was a real challenge, especially at bright sunlight with a shutter speed limited to 1/4000. I, of course, totally forgot about enabling the electronic shutter that can go as fast as 1/32000. I lost a few opportunities, but I promise not to forget about the electronic shutter again :)

On the way to Dubai Mall, through the taxi's windshield - X-T1. The 56mm (equivalent to 85mm) gives very nice compression, that I miss in wider lenses.

Dubai Mall - Waterfall Diver - X-T1. I didn't have a tripod, so I improvised with Photoshop in post processing :)

Dubai Mall - Aquarium - X-T1. The long focal length allowed such closeups, while standing 5 meters away. Photoshop was used to remove the glair from the aquarium.

Dubai Mall - Sometimes, texting is the only way - X-T1.

Dubai Mall - Afghani ladies weaving a carpet - X-T1. They were too shy to allow any other angle.

Dubai Mall - Colors - X-T1. I honestly don't know how can those be comfortable.

The next day, I received a call from Mr. Al Moumani informing me that my X100T was fixed. Their software was able to revive the dead pixels, and my images were clean again. They even gave me an extra battery as a gift, with the free repairs. We discussed the FUJIFILM plans for Saudi Arabia, and I was excited to hear about their plan to give us more attention than ever.

So, I took the metro back to my hotel apartment ...

Through the metro's window, a car was zzzooommming by, glad I was able to catch it - X100T.

Walking from the metro station to the apartment - Manhole Cover - X100T

Walking from the metro station to the apartment - abandoned motorcycles - X100T.

I'm back to Riyadh now, let's get back to work ;)