When I was shopping for my first camera back in 2016, I had just taken a job working overseas, and I knew that I’d be doing a lot of traveling. So when it came time to shop for “the perfect travel camera” I had a few major “needs,” or so I thought. I had my checklist that included high megapixel count, lightweight so I could hand carry while traveling, photo and video capabilities, needed to be able to shoot in low light, etc. You get the picture.

Before I dive into how I made my choice, we need to go back to 2006. This is the “how we got here” portion of the story. My senior class was taking a trip to London post graduation, and that was going to be my first time across the Atlantic. I’d been to the Bahamas, Mexico, and a few cruises but this was the first proper overseas adventure, and as a newly 18 year old, I was stoked and knew I needed a camera to document me and my friends’s excursions. We were leaving for London the day after Christmas, so sure enough, I got a Fujifilm FinePix E900 for Christmas from my parents. Took so many photos on that trip, and it’s still one of my favorite trips I’ve been on, but I learned very quickly that I wanted more from taking photos than, well, just taking photos. There are a lot of photos from that trip that I cherish, and nearly all of those are not what I’d call “quality photos.” They’re memories, moments, scenes that meant something, and still do. Ironically, I’m writing this blog in a cafe, in London. Life is cool like that sometimes.

House of Parliament - London, UK | Fujifilm E900

Soon after, I went away to college to pursue what they called their Digital Media program, which was photography, video, and graphic design all in one. In short, I failed my first photography class. My professor actually told me my work was so bad, I needed to change my major, so I did. I didn’t touch a proper camera again until 2015, when the parents came in clutch, yet again.

I was prepping to take said overseas job, and was researching good entry level cameras. I wanted something that checked all the aforementioned boxes, but wouldn’t be too overwhelming to use for someone that hadn’t touched a camera in a while. I found the Canon Rebel SL1 and 50mm 1.8 or nifty fifty, as it’s commonly called. I shot with that for almost 2 years, took it with me to Dubai, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, etc, and got some pictures that I really like, but there was something missing. I didn’t “love” the process. Taking photos with it just felt like that, taking photos. Which probably sounds pretty stupid when you read that, but there was a piece of the puzzle that wasn’t there for me, and I wanted to figure out what that was.

Ardennes American Cemetery - Neupre, Belgium | Canon SL1 & 50mm 1.8

Now we’re back, shopping for “first camera” with my handy checklist of “needs.” I thought the things that were “missing” were the megapixels and the tech. I *needed* better video quality capabilities, a faster, bigger sensor, etc. I was down the YouTube rabbit hole, I felt like I had seen every camera review, buy this camera, etc video that existed. What I kept finding though was Fuji kept popping up in most of these videos/conversations, as the “fun” cameras. That kind of turned me off initially because I didn’t want a fun camera, I wanted a powerhouse, a do it all camera, and was ready to spend the money to get that. The more I read/researched, I found that pretty much every camera on the market at the time, and still today, didn’t vary too much in the specs/tech side of things. The biggest differences were always weight, design, and the fun factor.

I kept going back to this “fun factor.” What does that even mean? I stumbled upon a video from Evan Ranft about the Fuji X100f and simplifying the process (as seen below). Evan was one of the first photo/video guys that I found on Instagram and YouTube that felt truly informative. He always felt relatable and honest with his reviews or opinions, so I put quite a bit of weight into things he would post about. If you don’t want to watch the entire video, the video talks about scaling back on gear, finding a camera that was simple to use, could fit in your pocket, and was fun to use. This kinda sounded like what I was looking for maybe? But still didn’t quite understand what could make any camera more fun to use than another. I mean, they all do the same things right?

So, I started looking into Fuji’s cameras. I obviously started with the x100f thanks to the video above, but I knew I wanted an interchangeable lens system as opposed to the x100 series fixed 23mm lens. So that led me to the XT3 and the newly announced XH1. The XT series was more of a compact body, easier to carry on the daily. The XH series was new, Fuji had just announced the XH1, as a hybrid body camera that was a little bulkier than the XT series, but was better at video. It had the same 26mp sensor as the XT line, but had internal image stabilization known as IBIS in the camera world. This sounded promising. There were a few initial reviews out, and they all seemed promising, and all kept referencing the “fun factor.”

I pulled the trigger. I put in my pre-order for the XH1, battery grip, 35mm, and 55-200mm lenses. Delivery day was March 1, 2018. That was the day everything changed. I literally got my delivery, got everything setup, and the next day I was flying to Bahrain for the F1 Grand Prix with my new camera and no idea how to use it.

Spent the weekend at the race figuring out how everything worked, setup the dials and knobs, shooting in hopes of getting some good shots. I did get a handful that I like still, but the majority of shots from the weekend were junk. But, despite all that, I had a blast just using the camera. The tangible dials, knobs, and buttons made for a much better experience, and it felt like using an old film camera. Fuji has what they call “Film Simulations” that are basically built in filters to emulate old film styles. So you can apply the one you want to shoot with, and you get ready to post, straight out of camera JPEG files that look incredible.

Daniel Ricciardo @ Bahrain Grand Prix | Fuji X-H1 & 55-200mm

The process was fun, for the first time. I was thinking about every shot, what I wanted from each, and for the first time, the image in my head started to look more like the finished product. A lot of that is a simple mindset change, but I was looking for that “missing thing” and Fuji provided it for me. The door to creativity had been opened, in a sense. I wasn’t on autopilot anymore, just taking photos of things that looked cool. I was now capturing real moments that meant something to me again. Which was ironic, because the last time I’d felt that was using my first Fuji camera on that London trip in 2008.

I’m not here to tell you that Fuji cameras are the best. They’re simply not. There’s a lot of really good tech in the camera world, and every brand makes some absolute powerhouse cameras that out-spec Fuji in most ways. However, I can tell you, there’s nothing like shooting with a Fuji. And I’ve always said, the best camera is the one you have on you, and the one you love shooting with. For me, it’s Fuji. That doesn’t mean there isn’t other gear that I want, because there definitely is, and I’m sure there will be blogs about that as well. But to wrap this up, I chose Fuji because I wanted that fun factor, the feeling of creating something, and Fuji gave that to me.

“I have no interest in taking photos. I want to make photos” - Matt Barnes