So I recently decided that it was time to dabble in the mirrorless world. A good friend had recently made the jump and advocated for my doing so as well. So, having already been looking into it from a distance… I decided to replace the D7100 as my back-up/daily shooter and primary video camera. I did my research and came across the Fujifilm X-T20. So, terribly, very… hesitantly… I traded gear in and placed the order. It was a decision that would reignite my passion for shooting… a change I desperately needed.
I ordered the black, they sent me the silver model(That’s what I get for interacting with Adorama over B&H… but, it’s fine) and the 18-55mm f/2.8-4. I actually really like the retro look of the camera with the silver, so that worked out I suppose. As for the lens; anyone who knows Nikon knows the 18-55 is a SUPER common stock lens, that barely does it’s job well enough. I was skeptical of using stock glass.
Fujifilm, (or Fujinon, to be specific) however, has made a fantastic kit lens. On it’s own, the lens actually retails for something like $600+, but is a mere $200 more when paired with a body. I recently also picked up the 23mm f/2 lens. I am so deeply in love with that lens already after a couple weeks of shooting with it…. as the 35 is my normal favorite lens, and with the APS-C sensor size… the 23mm books out to about a 35mm angle of view.
Here’s my rundown of this camera in one simple sentence: Shooting is not only fun again, but it’s easier to be creative than ever.
In the world of digital photography, the workflow is often: shoot, download, edit, upload. Not anymore…. I shoot, wifi transfer to my phone, and upload. I have been happily shooting in .jpeg over the raw files… partly because the raw files are like 50MB a piece, but mainly because the jpeg’s are so good that I don’t feel the need for a raw file. Fuji is gaining ground for their film simulations in camera. Not just some clunky, cheesy, crap-in-pretty-bucket bunch of presets that don’t really do much… but really nicely applied color and tonal adjustments meant to replicate film looks. The sensor itself has a unique layout and design in its pixel structure, which I think is helping to create a very subtle but unique look to the final image in terms of creating a film look.
Biggest difference, it’s a mirrorless camera, meaning no single-lens reflex. No little mirror bouncing the image up into a pentaprism and no “direct” view of what’s going on through the lens. Instead, I get a “live” preview of all my settings, and real-time exposure feedback, which comes in the form of either back-of-camera LCD view, or in a 60fps electronic viewfinder (EVF).
My favorite is really the real-time exposure and the fact that the presets apply to the EVF or LCD view before you take the photo. I KNOW what the photo will look like when shooting available light exactly before I press the button, and it has sped up lighting with a flash dramatically… more on that in a different post though.
This live preview thing has been especially awesome for me in using the black and white film simulations. I have been getting the hang of shooting black and white for the first time in ever.
Enough talk; here, look at some of my photos from the last month and remember that these are all straight out of camera…:
And some favorites in color… again, all straight out of the camera… transferred to my phone and uploaded:
The exposure system seems to be pretty damn on point too, I have shot everything in aperture priority, completely relying on the camera’s meter and over- or underexposing with the EV comp dial located right on the top of the camera.
It’s crazy lighter and smaller and has me considering making the jump away from SLR’s altogether. In a world where the biggest megapixel count is dominating the market, Fuji is busy creating camera’s that speed-up workflow by creating truly beautiful images straight out of camera… Humorously, their retro design pairs nicely with the retro concept of using what you get directly from the camera… It’s nice to shoot and not spend hours in Lightroom or Bridge and Camera Raw afterwards.
All that said, I’ve been shooting a lot more lately, rekindling my love for having a camera in my hands. This thing is small and light, and goes with me literally everywhere. From a full day out to a quick trip to the store…
Shooting so much recently has also reignited the need to be teaching, and I’m working on getting content together and searching for a venue to start hosting photography workshops; have some blog post drafts in the works for some basic photography stuff (yet another reason to be out shooting, creating demo content), and I’m working with a new speedlight flash system, learning the in’s and out’s of it… super stoked to get to a post about that as well…
All in all, I think, despite the shitty weather and dark hours, I should be doing some things over the next few months to prep for a hopefully busy Spring filled with shoots and workshops… getting back on the horse and picking back up the desire to get Eye of the Shutter out there and off the ground.
So… here’s to hopefully finally getting my head back in the game and reigniting the fire I once had. Stay close, more soon///
Eye of the Shutter Photography - The Blog 
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