Fujifilm X-T5

When I was shopping, I was comparing the Sony Alphas with the Fujifilm XT line. And in reviews, complaints were made that the lens (and view finder) being centered in the XT means you squish your nose against the screen in the back. But... I just liked the look and dials of the XT-5 so much more than the barebones boxy look of the α6700. (Sony has meaningfully better autofocus too, I'll be sad, but I wanted the nice looking body...) And yes my nose squishes against that back screen.

It’s really a night a day difference once you spend just a little amount of time learning your camera. I always show people the difference in quality with two photos of my wife and kids during Fourth of July. One shot is with my iphone15, the other with my Fujifilm xt5. It’s such a stark difference

I was reflecting on something similar to this this while photographing the recent lunar eclipse with a Fujifilm X-T5, a highly tactile camera that is just an absolute joy to operate. I was on my roof in the dark at 1:30 in the morning in the cold and wind. I'm tired, can't really see much, but still need to actively work with the camera's controls. Thankfully, the X-T5 is covered in physical dials, switches and buttons. Without looking at the camera's screen, I can quickly change shooting modes and the majority of the settings I care about and be confident that I changed the right things. The same cannot be said about a large number of modern cameras, which opt instead for a more digital approach. In terms of modern "computing" devices, my cameras are an absolute joy to use compared to most of my other hardware. So much so that I've recently been finding myself looking to recreate this tactile experience on my general purpose computers. I've been looking at weird bespoke dials, switches and various input hardware to make processing the photos (among other tasks) feel more tactile.

Ewaste makes me super sad. I was in an electronics stores recently and found myself bored and even a little bit disgusted - new macbooks! new ipads! new laptops! new phones! Every year, new new new. But I have a lot more fun in the used electronics shop in my city (Guanghua digital plaza in Taipei). I find it a lot more fun to find good deals on parts punching above their weight for the price, e.g. if I find a used computer with a great processor in it that's selling for cheap because the specs are otherwise bad or whatever. And, in general, I find the thrill of the project much more fun than new new new. Can't wait to install linux on this used laptop, oooh a used pixel phone, the camera is still pretty good, maybe I can use this for a pet camera for my lizard, etc. New phones especially I just don't understand anymore. My phone's been able to do everything I need it to do since like, 2016. New AI "feature," better processors, bigger screens, I don't get it. I have an excellent camera (fuji xt5) so better cameras don't excite me.

First mirrorless for me was the Fujifilm X-T5. High resolution, great design, easy and fun to use. I find editing is rarely needed with the film simulations. I started with the 16-80 f4 and it really is an excellent all rounder but for wildlife the XF150-600 can’t be beat. Light and sharp!