A new camera
After coming back from Rome, I had a problem. I enjoyed shooting with the Nikon FE film camera so much, that I wanted a digital camera that more closely replicates this experience than my GF1.
I wanted a more classic experience: an aperture ring on the lens, a shutter speed dial, a direct control for exposure compensation, a (optical) viewfinder, good manual focus. And more. And all of that in a compact package, not much larger than the GF1, if possible.
I didn’t have to look around much. There’s only one company right now that makes these sort of cameras: Fuji with its X-System.
So, I began reading articles and reviews about these cameras. Quickly, I got pretty excited about these cameras and couldn’t stop researching. DPreview and Thomas Menk’s blog were my starting points. And from there, I found an endless stream of articles and videos praising the Fuji cameras and their lenses.
After almost three weeks of obsession and hesitation, I ordered a new X100s via eBay last Friday.
While the X100s is apparently not perfect in all regards, it still ticks a lot of boxes for what I think makes a good camera for me: In addition to the classic controls, there’s the hybrid viewfinder, a great sensor with high dynamic range and low noise, a fast high-quality prime lens and it’s dead silent and small — to name a few.
I had some doubts getting a camera with a fixed 35mm-equivalent prime lens. But then again, the vast majority of photos I took with the GF1 in the last three years were with either the 28mm-equivalent or 40mm-equivalent primes. So I think this one lens will fit my shooting style quite well. For at least 95% of the time anyway.
I can’t wait to try it out.