Why I shoot with Fujifilm X-Series cameras
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| Selling the morning's catch, Bãi tắm Phạm Văn Đồng, Đà Nẵng, Việt Nam in Velvia. Fujifilm X-T1 SOOC (straight out of the camera). image: ©Brian Beeler |
When choosing a camera please don't be swayed by MP which can either mean megapixels or "marketing points." If you're final product is mostly shown on a screen or snapshot anything over 8MP or about the resolution of 35mm film is overkill. In this day and age of 50MP sensors I'm still content at 16MP which prints beautifully at A2 (16.5 x 23.4 in) and well at A1 (23.4 x 33.1 in) thanks to Fujifilm's X-Trans II sensor but more on that later.
If you're looking at taking the dive into a MILC or DSLR camera my advice is to take a day trip to New York City and visit the big camera shops and try out a few. Find what feels good and works for you. Specs can tell you a lot about a camera but specs can't tell you if that camera will work well for you. It doesn't matter what the megapixel count is or how many steps of dynamic range it can capture if it doesn't feel right in your hands. That's the difference between a camera that gathers dust in a drawer and one that inspires you to use it everyday. A trip like I've suggested also lets you check out the plethora of used camera bargains that can be had.
A quick word on buying a used camera: buy from a used camera dealer if you can as many times they'll service it including cleaning the sensor better than you ever could and offer a warranty. If you buy off an auction site it's a crap shoot. It might be a steal and in great shape or freshly stolen garbage. While auction sites are good for those with experience they are definitely not for novices.
I started my photojournalism career with a used Pentax Spotmatic 1000 and 50mm f/1.8 lens and quickly moved to an Olympus OM-4 with a couple of lenses. Both were good cameras for the day. While I shot a bit of Kodachrome and Ektachrome, Kodak Plus-X (ISO 125), Tri-X and Ilford HP5 (ISO 400) were my go to films. I loved shooting film but in this day and age doubt I'll ever go back except for a quick stroll down memory lane. To properly create a film image one must also print these images in a darkroom which is a very long and error prone process. Digital images and even basic image editing software makes this process look like something from the Stone Age.
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| "Best wishes [for the] new year." Olympus XZ-2 iHS. ©Brian Beeler 2019 |
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| Buddhist flags frozen in ice. Olympus XZ-2 iHS. ©Brian Beeler 2019 |
While I had my share of used, low end Olympus cameras for years which served me well it wasn't until I got my Fujifilm X100T, to which I still use almost daily today, did I fall back in love with photography. While I bought it on its rangefinder style looks and specs like its film simulations after a few minutes of use I fell in love. Unlike other digital cameras that have little relationship to the days of film cameras, feeling more like a video game, the Fujifilm X-Series feels like I'm using a film camera again. Fujifilm X-Series cameras are hardly perfect and have a few flaws but so doesn't everything in life.
My gear includes 2 Fujifilm X-T1 bodies that have a look similar to the Contax RTS and a Fujifilm X100T which looks very similar to the iconic Konica Hexar rangefinder camera but both are very similar under the skin.
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| Fujifilm X-Trans color array. image: wikipedia. |
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| Bayer color array. image: wikipedia. |
Let's start with the sensor or more over the color filter array. Camera sensors capture light but not color, that's the job of the color filter array. While basically every other of the millions of cameras out there use a Bayer color filter array Fujifilm decided to develop their own. The Bayer color filter array was developed by Bryce Bayer at Kodak in 1976 for the first digital color camera and it's served the world well. It's simple pattern required simple processing power to render but it has it's drawbacks like an unpleasant "digital noise" in low light we see too often. Fujifilm wanted better. The pattern of the X-Trans color filter array is meant to mimic silver halide crystals dispersed in gelatin or simply film and it truly does. Where most photographers shun higher ISOs which produce noise Fujifilm photographers welcome it. Where most photographers rarely shoot above ISO 800 I rarely shoot below it. At ISO 1600 to 3200 I can faithfully in camera recreate the feel of Kodachrome and Kodak Plus-X films and at ISO 6400 Kodak Tri-X. I've heard many accounts of professional photographers displaying an array of images to clients shot on traditional digital cameras using the Bayer color filter array intermixed with those using the X-Trans color filter array and inevitably the clients choose the images that used the latter.
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| Marmalade (2000-2019). Fujifilm X-T1 in Fujifilm Astia film simulation. ©Brian Beeler 2019 |
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| Pagoda dog sleeping by the Buddha hall on a hot afternoon, Da lat, Viet Nam. Fujifilm X100T in Classic Chrome. ©Brian Beeler 2019 |
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| Buddhist monks lining up for breakfast, Pak Chong, Thailand. Fujifilm X100T in Monochrome. ©Brian Beeler 2019 |
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| Paper lanterns in shop, Hoi An, Viet Nam. Fujifilm X-T1 in Velvia. ©Brian Beeler 2019 |
Where most cameras have a control wheel on the top to set to automatic when using a Fujifilm X-Series camera one just needs to set the shutter speed dial to "A" for auto shutter speed and without looking turn the f/stop ring to the right to "A" also for automatic. Want a manual setting on most cameras? Get ready to play Tetris. Maybe you want to f/stop down to get a creamy bokeh? No fiddling with a menu on the X-Series, just turn the f/stop ring to the left to the desired f/stop, just like a film camera. Where most cameras require the photographer to think about what dials to turn the X-Series allow the photographer to rely mostly on "muscle memory", again like film cameras of old.
Fujifilm X-Series are not without their flaws the biggest being video. If much of your work is for YouTube then consider something else (hint: any Canon) as these cameras are much more constraining. They can take excellent video but if you're color grading the final result can wind up a mess. I've shot a few videos for YouTube on both Fujifilm X-Series and Canon cameras and while I prefered the former my editor clearly preferred the latter. If you can live within the restrictions video produced from X-Series cameras present then you'll be very happy with the results, if not you'll be miserable. There is simply no middle ground here. Please let me be clear: video, like stills, from the X-Series are like no other camera. It has a dreamy feel to it while still being sharp and I love it. Later models with the Eterna film profile and their own LOG format mitigate many of these issues.
While I'd love to say go buy an X-Series camera right now and include an affiliate link to make a dime I won't. Take that trip to NYC and try one for yourself. Just like on-line dating buying a camera is easy, too easy. You need some face-to-face time with your new friend to see if you're really compatible. Just like you wouldn't marry a Tinder date you've never met you need to explore a camera before making a commitment.
If you're buying new then I recommend B&H in NYC. I bought all my gear from them and have always been happy with the price and the people. Take the trip to their wonderland-style store and explore. You can still mail order your camera from them avoiding a hefty sales tax. If you're buying used both B&H and KEH rank at the top as both clean and inspect what they sell before selling it.
If you decide like me to make the leap into Fujifilm's X-Series cameras I promise it'll be an experience like no other and isn't that why we are photographers, for the experience?
