Self Portrait of my Fujifilm X100F reflecting off of my iPadPro Screen

Switching Cameras Systems

I am in the middle of switching camera systems. I finally gave in and went with a Sony A7 III full frame camera mainly for paid gigs and video work, and I am currently selling all my micro four thirds gear, but that will be for another post. Let’s talk about how I picked up a used Fujifilm X100F, yes I know I need to work on my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)! I didn’t even see this one coming, but man this little camera definitely lives up to all the hype! Not only that, can we just look at how gorgeous this camera is? I mean this has inspiration written all over it.

Choosing a new camera

For the last two years, my go to cameras for street photography were the Lumix GX85 and Lumix GX9 with the Panasonic Leica 15mm f/1.7 lens, and I truly loved that combo. They’re great cameras, but they have their limitations. So I started to do some research for a new street photography camera. I was mainly looking for a compact sized camera with a bigger sensor and good autofocus. Some of the cameras I was considering were the Fujifilm X70, Ricoh GR II/III, Sony A6400 (which I bought, but later on sold) and the Fujifilm X100F among others.

Ultimately, I decided to go with the Fujifilm X100F. A few of the specs that drew my attention to this camera was it’s compact size, it has a 24.3 megapixel X-Trans CMOS III APS-C image sensor, a 23mm f/2 fixed lens (35mm full frame equivalent), and fast autofocus (91 autofocus points). I’ll admit, I had no interest in Fujifilm cameras before this, but the more I looked into them the more I became interested. I mean l kept coming across some awesome photos and the film simulation on these cameras are awesome.

My thought process

Since I am investing in the Sony system, one of the reasons I decided to go with the Fujifilm X100F because it has a fixed lens so I don’t have to invest in more lenses for a new system. Not only that, when I go out with this camera it’s grab and go, I don’t have to worry about what lenses to bring. Additionally, this camera not only inspires me to get out and shoot more, but it forces me to get more creative and since it has a fixed lens it forces me to put more thought into how I want to frame my shots.

I’ve only used my X100F for a few weeks now and all I can say is that I am loving this camera. While there is no such thing as a perfect camera and I can point out a few things I don’t like about it, I can truly say that it’s hard not to like the X100F. It’s a great all around camera, I can see myself using this not only for street photography, but travel, landscapes and events. Might even be a good photojournalism camera.

The image quality is mind blowing, the buttons and dials are laid out nicely and it feels really good in the hands. I feel right at home with the aperture ring around the lens (just like my Panasonic Leica 15mm f/1.7 and Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 lenses). It has some really awesome features, but I still need to learn the ins and outs of this camera. I need to fine tune my custom settings, but that will take some time and require me to shoot a whole lot more with it. For now, I am going to keep enjoying it and shoot more. Below are some shot’s I’ve capture with it so far. Enjoy!

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