Fujifilm upgrade - finally?

In my last post I talked about loosing my landscape photography 'mojo'. With my interest in macro photography 'sparked' recently, I can kinda see a way out of my photography funk. But there is another way...

It's no secret that I change camera systems - a lot. I've been writing this blog for 16 years now (yeah, I know...), and in that time, I've owned almost any system you could care to mention. Except Leica. Oddly, I've never even ever touched a Leica camera. Might need to change that one day? But I digress...

And yes - changing camera systems does tend to invigorate my creativity. It get's me excited again. Out taking photos again. Reviewing bodies and lenses again. Looking to be creative again. You get the idea.

Previous to owning my current Olympus E-M1 (a camera I've owned at least twice before...), I was heavily involved in the Fujifilm eco system - and loving it! Honestly. I even made a vlog for my YouTube channel where I gushed over Fujifilm cameras and said I'd be using them forever! (embarrassing much?) Well, we all know how that went. But it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone - least of all me. Part of what I LOVE about photography is using different gear. Always have. It's what made me want to be a camera reviewer for a national publication.

So yes - my genius solution to my current disinterest in all things photography... change systems.

There are two in the running this time around, although one is out in the lead by a decent margin. Currently the heart is winning over the head. I'll briefly outline the 'head' decision first - before completely ignoring it for the heart 😁

Sony is a system that has fascinated me for a long time. Especially the SLT (single lens translucent) technology that allows for a mirrorless EVF combined with a DSLR shooting experience. The best of both worlds.

I am also a huge Minolta fan - especially of their A mount autofocus lenses. I owned an a200 briefly, with a sweet Minolta 35-70mm f4 that I paid peanuts for, and am 'borrowing' an a99 from a friend at the moment. But I've never really gone deep into the system myself. Now might be a great time to do it? Especially since I do have the a99 (great camera) with several great Minolta lenses - including a 50mm macro and 16mm fisheye! My 'local' Christchurch camera store just happens to have an a57 for an excellent price in the 2nd hand section, and it's very tempting... 

And that's what my 'head' is telling me to do. "You've got a full frame body (on loan), and you've got a bunch of sweet lenses for it. What are you waiting for? Get the Sony!"

But what does my 'heart' want?

17 months ago, in September 2020, I wrote about the camera I would probably upgrade my Fujifilm X-E2 to here. It was a great idea, and I would have done it too - if I hadn't had a brain explosion and switched to Olympus in the meantime! But now.... now I can.

Yes folks. I'm moving back to Fujifilm! (I think). And getting the Fujifilm X-T20! (I hope).

Why Fujifilm? And why the X-T20 (and not the X-E3, X-T2 or X-Pro1)? The second part is easy to answer - why the X-T20? Because said Christchurch camera store also has a great deal on a 2nd hand X-T20 at the moment. AND because I've had my eye on it since I wrote that blog post about the upgrade 17 months ago.

Why Fujifilm then? Especially since I left the system in something of a 'huff' a year and a half ago. The answer to that has to do with the creation of this blog, and my 'archiving' of it. Every couple of years I go back and grab all the previous articles, compile them into a book, and print them out. This gives me a hard copy of what I've written. It means that if Google ever decides to abandon blogger (wasn't that a concern a couple of years back?) and dump all my posts, at least I've got a copy of them. It also means I go back and read what I've written. This can be quite nostalgic. And also very illuminating.

Looking through my 2019/2020 posts, I realised that I absolutely loved all the images I had taken with my Fuji cameras. They just had 'something' special. They were filmic, sumptuous, different and epic! Why was I not still shooting with Fuji's!?

Yeah, ok - there was that whole 'mushy detail' thing. But honestly, when I just 'looked' at the images I took on my Fuji's, they were all just brilliant! And I got all inspired to shoot with Fuji again. And to explore their film recipes again. And go down that whole SOOC Jpeg shooting rabbit hole again!

So I think that's what will be happening - soon. I've contacted the camera store in Christchurch, sent them photos of my Olympus gear as a trade, and asked them to price it against the purchase of the Fujifilm X-T20 body they have for sale.

I should come out of it with the X-T20 and enough money to get a 16-50mm XC kit lens for it. Yes, I realise that was the very lens that caused all my 'mushyness' concerns in the first place, but it is also the lens I used to create all those 'epic' images I've just been banging on about. So it can't have been that bad - can it!? (Told you this was what the 'heart' wanted and not the 'head' 😆).

Nothing has been finalised with the trade yet, but now that I've said it out loud, I'll be gutted if it doesn't actually happen.

I will, of course, blog about it again soon. Updates to follow...