# The Fuji X100T brought me back to photography



## fjrabon

So I think I recognized a few names around here when I just glanced down the board.  I used to surf these board web talkins quite a bit.  Then photography went from being a job I loved that happened to make money to a job that I did to make money.  Then I left that job, but was still, more or less, out of photography.

I was shooting high school sports, with a dash of collegiate and pro here and there. At first the team picture days were the thing that did it.  They became a drag.  I learned a lot from doing them early in my career, but they became a drag quickly. Nobody wanted anything creative, they all just wanted the same exact picture that they'd been getting for years and years, flawlessly executed, and quick.  I wasn't so much a photographer during those shoots as I was a logistics specialist. 

Then even the games started to be a drag to me.  At times some truly special stuff would happen but it mostly turned into a "I need to deliver x number of shots of the players, one of each player if possible, cheerleader shots, crowd shots, a few atmosphere shots, I need y % in landscape and z% in portrait orientation, how quick can I get out of the stadium when the game is over?" 

I had become jaded.  Cameras were purely utilitarian tools.  I used a Nikon D7000, D3 and D800 and Canon 7D, 1DX and 5DMIII depending on who I was shooting for.  I used some really incredible lenses (Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS-II L being probably still my all time favorite lens).  But they were all just gear.  Heavy gear.  Gear that marked me as a dude that was there to take some photos because somebody had paid him to do it.  Gear that got the job done.  And at times I did like it, but it was also just a job by that point. 

So, I left.  And I didn't regret it.  Waking up at 3 AM to prep for a full day of on site shoots at different locations was gladly left behind.  Bratty kids whining about the hot sun, even though you were in all black and there all day, a thing of my past.  And I was relieved. 

I thought I'd pick up my personal camera more.  And I did, but only very occasionally, and even when I did pick up my personal camera, 99% of the time it was because I felt some sense of personal guilt; $30K of camera gear sitting under the bed (lights) and in your closet (cameras and lenses) has a way of weighing on your mind.  I didn't feel that thrill.  And the stuff I took during that period showed.  I still had my technical skills, I could still take a perfectly acceptable photo.  But nothing I took during that period would ever adorn a room in my house.

And then, on a sort of whim, I bought a Fuji X100T as a birthday present to myself.  I had had a good sales year, no other "frivolity" was calling my name, and I had always loved the feel and look of those things the few times i had seen them in person.

At first there was the "new gear honeymoon" phase, of course I was taking pictures with it.  I love playing with new gear, be it a laptop, nice pen, new watch or whatever.  But then something funny happened: I fell in love with *photography* again for its own sake. 

With a camera that could go basically anywhere with me, that I didn't have to fuss with offloading a 80-200 two ring f/2.8, I actually *did* start taking it everywhere with me.  And with the Fuji you aren't "that weird guy with a camera weirdly taking pictures, kids stay away from him please and if he looks at you funny yell and scream" you're "oh, that sort of vaguely hipstery looking guy who is otherwise just normal."  Whereas people had an almost repulsed reaction about my dSLRs, everybody loved the X100T.  Tell them that I can email them a picture *right there from the camera*? Game over.

And it changed my approach too.  I used to be a "always shoot raw, always!" person.  I fell in love with Fuji's JPG processing.  Editing was previously this huge formal affair involving long hours and blurry eyes and coffee.  Now it's mostly done on my phone or ipad, if it all. 

I used to snipe away at a distance, everything nicely in rule of thirds, perfect shutter speed for the action, appropriate depth of field, all controlled manually.  Now, I get in.  I mostly shoot manual-ish still, but with auto ISO set up and exposure comp.  That dang auto-iso these days, man I tell you what, it's something. To think you used to have to actually physically change film to do that.

Photography was, once again, about how I felt.  It was again a release, not a burden.  It was about my love of the image, my love of what I'm seeing. 

While the X100T is a great piece of gear, and certainly not cheap, maybe my favorite thing about it is that it just gets out of the dang way.  It's my favorite camera ever, because it makes things not about the camera.  

It's like going from the finnicky girlfriend who you have to constantly worry about every little thing.  She has all the measurements and is objectively way out of your league.  She impresses people, but in a standoffish, aloof sort of way.  But you don't like being with her.  The Fuji is the classic beauty who just lets you relax and enjoy yourself and just have fun with being with her.  

Every step along the way just flows, from carrying it, to quickly being able to grab a shot, to nailing the in camera JPG processing, to uploading it in seconds after shooting. 

My D600 and D7000 are great cameras.  All the glass I have for them are awesome.  I don't love those cameras.  I love the X100T.


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## Ysarex

Sweet camera.

Joe


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## Derrel

Good post Frank. I was wondering where the heck you went. I still see you're following me on Instagram...but I don't post much on it. Glad to hear that that sweet new Fuji has rekindled the photo fire in you.


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## dxqcanada

... hold on, you mean to tell us that you woke up one day ... quit your job, purchased a mirrorless camera with a fixed lens, started shooting JPEG, used AUTO mode ... and you are happier now ?


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## fjrabon

dxqcanada said:


> ... hold on, you mean to tell us that you woke up one day ... quit your job, purchased a mirrorless camera with a fixed lens, started shooting JPEG, used AUTO mode ... and you are happier now ?



Well, it's not exactly auto mode in the sense of what I think we normally think of as auto mode.  I set Aperture and SS to what I think are scene appropriate levels and then use auto-ISO, exposure comp and the viewfinder to fine tune the exposure.  Which, I think with modern ISO is probably the most efficient means.  Modern ISO at normal levels (on the Fuji between 200 and 6400) is, for all intents and purposes, just a setting, not an actual artistic aspect of the process.  So, it seems crazy to me that most cameras make ISO the most difficult setting to change.  

Basically, I control the artistic aspects of the photo (aperture and shutter speed), then let the computer start with a good guess as to the appropriate ISO, and then I look at the actual proposed picture and adjust with exposure comp, which since I've set aperture and SS, essentially operates as an ISO control.  If the exposure starts to hit the ends of my defined auto ISO range, then I can adjust aperture or SS accordingly (or engage the built in ND filter).

Putting aside that relatively minor quibble, yes, that's pretty much what happened.  I'm not going to sell off My nikon setup, but it's been relegated for mostly specialist applications.  Anytime I can get away with the X100T, I will.


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## sashbar

Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.


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## bribrius

sashbar said:


> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.


you aren't suppose to do that. You have to shoot RAW. Haven't you been paying attention? 


Good for you o.p. 
Having a camera you love to use is important.


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## fjrabon

sashbar said:


> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.


Part of the issue to me is that a lot of raw converters don't do an awesome job converting from the Fuji, IMO.  It's a relatively new sensor technology Fuji uses, and it seems like their in camera engine is actually better than what lightroom or ACR will do (I guess those are really the same as far as conversion goes anyway).


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## Gary A.

Another Fuji fanboy ... I have the 'S' ... love that camera. I haven't crossed that bridge crossing from RAW to JPEG.  The fixed lens is very liberating.


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## unpopular

I know how you feel. I for all the hate I have for my XE-1's viewfinder, the camera's shooting experience makes up for. 

I pulled out my a700, and started missing the optical viewfinder, but actually using it, I missed the XE-1.

Now, if I only had the time to get out and shoot more :/


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## sashbar

fjrabon said:


> sashbar said:
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Part of the issue to me is that a lot of raw converters don't do an awesome job converting from the Fuji, IMO.  It's a relatively new sensor technology Fuji uses, and it seems like their in camera engine is actually better than what lightroom or ACR will do (I guess those are really the same as far as conversion goes anyway).
Click to expand...


I have tried several converters and found Capture One to be the best one for Windows. I hate the interface though.


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## TTLui

Thinking of joining the Fuji club as well! I feel the same as the OP regarding gear has just become a tool. This would be a great camera to just keep in my pocket at all times to shoot life itself, and all my personal photos. I should just go out and buy one right now. LOL


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## fjrabon

TTLui said:


> Thinking of joining the Fuji club as well! I feel the same as the OP regarding gear has just become a tool. This would be a great camera to just keep in my pocket at all times to shoot life itself, and all my personal photos. I should just go out and buy one right now. LOL


Well, I wouldn't say you can keep it in your pocket unless you have a jacket on. I usually keep mine in a small messenger bag along with a graph paper notepad, a book, a portable USB charger, some spare batteries and a couple other random things.


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## fjrabon

sashbar said:


> fjrabon said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sashbar said:
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Part of the issue to me is that a lot of raw converters don't do an awesome job converting from the Fuji, IMO.  It's a relatively new sensor technology Fuji uses, and it seems like their in camera engine is actually better than what lightroom or ACR will do (I guess those are really the same as far as conversion goes anyway).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I have tried several converters and found Capture One to be the best one for Windows. I hate the interface though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I haven't gotten around to installing capture one on my new computer. Will give it a whirl soon though.


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## Ysarex

fjrabon said:


> sashbar said:
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Part of the issue to me is that a lot of raw converters don't do an awesome job converting from the Fuji, IMO.  It's a relatively new sensor technology Fuji uses, and it seems like their in camera engine is actually better than what lightroom or ACR will do (I guess those are really the same as far as conversion goes anyway).
Click to expand...


The problem you're noting is uniquely Adobe. The X-Trans sensor is a bit trickier to demosaic: Rather than the repeating four filter CFA that we find in a conventional Bayer array, the X-Trans sensor uses an alternating nine filter CFA.




 

Most of the major raw converters now support the X-Trans CFA (notably absent is DXo). Adobe's (ACR/LR) demosaicing algorithm fails to render the fine detail that the camera is capable of. Capture One as Sashbar noted does an excellent job as does PhotoNinja, Aperture, Iridient, SilkyPix, Raw Therapee, LightZone, DarkTable, and DCraw. Adobe in this case is odd out, but the imminent release of LR6 we are told should address and remedy this issue.

Joe


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## fjrabon

Ysarex said:


> fjrabon said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sashbar said:
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Part of the issue to me is that a lot of raw converters don't do an awesome job converting from the Fuji, IMO.  It's a relatively new sensor technology Fuji uses, and it seems like their in camera engine is actually better than what lightroom or ACR will do (I guess those are really the same as far as conversion goes anyway).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> The problem you're noting is uniquely Adobe. The X-Trans sensor is a bit trickier to demosaic: Rather than the repeating four filter CFA that we find in a conventional Bayer array, the X-Trans sensor uses an alternating nine filter CFA.
> 
> View attachment 96006
> 
> Most of the major raw converters now support the X-Trans CFA (notably absent is DXo). Adobe's (ACR/LR) demosaicing algorithm fails to render the fine detail that the camera is capable of. Capture One as Sashbar noted does an excellent job as does PhotoNinja, Aperture, Iridient, SilkyPix, Raw Therapee, LightZone, DarkTable, and DCraw. Adobe in this case is odd out, but the imminent release of LR6 we are told should address and remedy this issue.
> 
> Joe
Click to expand...


Yeah, pretty eager for LR6.  I had forgotten what an expert on raw converters you are. Thanks.


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## dxqcanada

fjrabon said:


> ... Putting aside that relatively minor quibble, yes, that's pretty much what happened.  I'm not going to sell off My nikon setup, but it's been relegated for mostly specialist applications.  Anytime I can get away with the X100T, I will.



Great to hear that you are enjoying photography again ... I try not to take it seriously and just enjoy it.


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## TTLui

Ya, good idea! So I actually just went out and bought a silver one yesterday after reading your review... yup its too nice to just throw in my jacket pocket. I'll be getting a bag for it, but for now its been glued around my neck with the strap. Played with the camera all day and all night. Love it! The beep sound and shutter sound is nostalgic..Reminds me of my first digital camera, the FinePix MX-700, I swear it made the same noise. Beep beep, snap. Too many good things to say about this camera! 



fjrabon said:


> TTLui said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thinking of joining the Fuji club as well! I feel the same as the OP regarding gear has just become a tool. This would be a great camera to just keep in my pocket at all times to shoot life itself, and all my personal photos. I should just go out and buy one right now. LOL
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I wouldn't say you can keep it in your pocket unless you have a jacket on. I usually keep mine in a small messenger bag along with a graph paper notepad, a book, a portable USB charger, some spare batteries and a couple other random things.
Click to expand...


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## bribrius

sounds like a nice camera. i just went through and read some reviews.  "simple layout, feels mechanical, aesthetically pleasing, reminds me of a film camera, feels good in hands"  and noticed it had a "film simulation mode"

is that what is causing the draw to it? It kind of mimics a older film camera in some ways?


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## Gary A.

fjrabon said:


> sashbar said:
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Part of the issue to me is that a lot of raw converters don't do an awesome job converting from the Fuji, IMO.  It's a relatively new sensor technology Fuji uses, and it seems like their in camera engine is actually better than what lightroom or ACR will do (I guess those are really the same as far as conversion goes anyway).
Click to expand...

I'm using Aperture ... and I am quite pleased with the results. PhotoNinja is probably the best RAW converter for my tastes ... but it is terrible slow if you have a ton of images to process. When Aperture goes away, I will use Capture One.


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## fjrabon

bribrius said:


> sounds like a nice camera. i just went through and read some reviews.  "simple layout, feels mechanical, aesthetically pleasing, reminds me of a film camera, feels good in hands"  and noticed it had a "film simulation mode"
> 
> is that what is causing the draw to it? It kind of mimics a older film camera in some ways?



I think that may be part of it.  But it's also just a great camera.  Image quality is great, IMO, it's easy to carry, unobtrusive.  I really love the way it shoots.  Having three dedicated dials (aperture, shutter and exposure comp) is a HUGE deal for me.  

I've only shot film a handful of times, so I think for me it's not that it recalls film nostalgia, as I don't have any nostalgia for film.  It's that it just blends in with my hand and becomes a part of me when I'm out.  For the first time I can enjoy both shooting and being in a place.  Before I always had to choose between being present in the moment personally, or taking photos.  Now I can do both.


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## fjrabon

TTLui said:


> Ya, good idea! So I actually just went out and bought a silver one yesterday after reading your review... yup its too nice to just throw in my jacket pocket. I'll be getting a bag for it, but for now its been glued around my neck with the strap. Played with the camera all day and all night. Love it! The beep sound and shutter sound is nostalgic..Reminds me of my first digital camera, the FinePix MX-700, I swear it made the same noise. Beep beep, snap. Too many good things to say about this camera!
> 
> 
> 
> fjrabon said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> TTLui said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thinking of joining the Fuji club as well! I feel the same as the OP regarding gear has just become a tool. This would be a great camera to just keep in my pocket at all times to shoot life itself, and all my personal photos. I should just go out and buy one right now. LOL
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I wouldn't say you can keep it in your pocket unless you have a jacket on. I usually keep mine in a small messenger bag along with a graph paper notepad, a book, a portable USB charger, some spare batteries and a couple other random things.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

I don't really have any qualms putting it in a jacket pocket.  While I love this thing, I never feel like I need to pamper it.  If anything I'm much rougher with it than I am any of my dSLRs.  The only camera that comes close to feeling as robust is my 7D.  But even with the 7D, I often worried about hitting the lens.  I don't have those worries with the X100T.  Which again goes back to it just melting into the background of my shooting experience.  With dSLRs I'd always have to think about "where am I going to PUT this thing?" when I was between bouts of shooting.  With the X100T that's not a worry, heck, if worse comes to worse and I don't have a bag, I can just put it in my girlfriend's purse, which would be laughable with even a small dSLR.


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## fjrabon

Gary A. said:


> fjrabon said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sashbar said:
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome to the FUJI club.  I have started to use auto ISO and JPEG with my FUJI  as well.
> 
> 
> 
> Part of the issue to me is that a lot of raw converters don't do an awesome job converting from the Fuji, IMO.  It's a relatively new sensor technology Fuji uses, and it seems like their in camera engine is actually better than what lightroom or ACR will do (I guess those are really the same as far as conversion goes anyway).
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I'm using Aperture ... and I am quite pleased with the results. PhotoNinja is probably the best RAW converter for my tastes ... but it is terrible slow if you have a ton of images to process. When Aperture goes away, I will use Capture One.
Click to expand...

Cool, I have aperture, but had switched to mostly using LR.  May make for a nice division to do all my X100T editing (which I don't do much) in aperture and my other cameras (which is mostly paid work at this point) in LR.


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## bribrius

fjrabon said:


> bribrius said:
> 
> 
> 
> sounds like a nice camera. i just went through and read some reviews.  "simple layout, feels mechanical, aesthetically pleasing, reminds me of a film camera, feels good in hands"  and noticed it had a "film simulation mode"
> 
> is that what is causing the draw to it? It kind of mimics a older film camera in some ways?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think that may be part of it.  But it's also just a great camera.  Image quality is great, IMO, it's easy to carry, unobtrusive.  I really love the way it shoots.  Having three dedicated dials (aperture, shutter and exposure comp) is a HUGE deal for me.
> 
> I've only shot film a handful of times, so I think for me it's not that it recalls film nostalgia, as I don't have any nostalgia for film. * It's that it just blends in with my hand and becomes a part of me when I'm out.  For the first time I can enjoy both shooting and being in a place.  Before I always had to choose between being present in the moment personally, or taking photos.  Now I can do both*.
Click to expand...

that is HUGE. I tend to shoot dslr or film and often have the kids and wife around when we are somewhere. The tug of war between attentions on shooting and attentions on family is immense. Either way i think i miss out on something.


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## bhop

I got an X100 when it first came out in 2011 and it quickly became my favorite digital camera of all time ever.  When I need a digital shot, I rarely pick up my DSLR anymore unless I need a different focal length than 35mm

I replaced the original with the X100T a few months back because of the better AF, useable MF, and wifi, (and black paint) and love it just as much, although, I liked the older sensor more to be honest.  If i'm shooting digital, it's usually with this camera and it's small enough to carry everywhere and not really get in the way.

I think I originally liked the X100 because the 'feel' of using it similar to other rangefinder cameras that I like using, so I can use both and not have to switch my frame of mind.


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## errol

fjrabon said:


> So I think I recognized a few names around here when I just glanced down the board.  I used to surf these board web talkins quite a bit.  Then photography went from being a job I loved that happened to make money to a job that I did to make money.  Then I left that job, but was still, more or less, out of photography.
> 
> I was shooting high school sports, with a dash of collegiate and pro here and there. At first the team picture days were the thing that did it.  They became a drag.  I learned a lot from doing them early in my career, but they became a drag quickly. Nobody wanted anything creative, they all just wanted the same exact picture that they'd been getting for years and years, flawlessly executed, and quick.  I wasn't so much a photographer during those shoots as I was a logistics specialist.
> 
> Then even the games started to be a drag to me.  At times some truly special stuff would happen but it mostly turned into a "I need to deliver x number of shots of the players, one of each player if possible, cheerleader shots, crowd shots, a few atmosphere shots, I need y % in landscape and z% in portrait orientation, how quick can I get out of the stadium when the game is over?"
> 
> I had become jaded.  Cameras were purely utilitarian tools.  I used a Nikon D7000, D3 and D800 and Canon 7D, 1DX and 5DMIII depending on who I was shooting for.  I used some really incredible lenses (Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS-II L being probably still my all time favorite lens).  But they were all just gear.  Heavy gear.  Gear that marked me as a dude that was there to take some photos because somebody had paid him to do it.  Gear that got the job done.  And at times I did like it, but it was also just a job by that point.
> 
> So, I left.  And I didn't regret it.  Waking up at 3 AM to prep for a full day of on site shoots at different locations was gladly left behind.  Bratty kids whining about the hot sun, even though you were in all black and there all day, a thing of my past.  And I was relieved.
> 
> I thought I'd pick up my personal camera more.  And I did, but only very occasionally, and even when I did pick up my personal camera, 99% of the time it was because I felt some sense of personal guilt; $30K of camera gear sitting under the bed (lights) and in your closet (cameras and lenses) has a way of weighing on your mind.  I didn't feel that thrill.  And the stuff I took during that period showed.  I still had my technical skills, I could still take a perfectly acceptable photo.  But nothing I took during that period would ever adorn a room in my house.
> 
> And then, on a sort of whim, I bought a Fuji X100T as a birthday present to myself.  I had had a good sales year, no other "frivolity" was calling my name, and I had always loved the feel and look of those things the few times i had seen them in person.
> 
> At first there was the "new gear honeymoon" phase, of course I was taking pictures with it.  I love playing with new gear, be it a laptop, nice pen, new watch or whatever.  But then something funny happened: I fell in love with *photography* again for its own sake.
> 
> With a camera that could go basically anywhere with me, that I didn't have to fuss with offloading a 80-200 two ring f/2.8, I actually *did* start taking it everywhere with me.  And with the Fuji you aren't "that weird guy with a camera weirdly taking pictures, kids stay away from him please and if he looks at you funny yell and scream" you're "oh, that sort of vaguely hipstery looking guy who is otherwise just normal."  Whereas people had an almost repulsed reaction about my dSLRs, everybody loved the X100T.  Tell them that I can email them a picture *right there from the camera*? Game over.
> 
> And it changed my approach too.  I used to be a "always shoot raw, always!" person.  I fell in love with Fuji's JPG processing.  Editing was previously this huge formal affair involving long hours and blurry eyes and coffee.  Now it's mostly done on my phone or ipad, if it all.
> 
> I used to snipe away at a distance, everything nicely in rule of thirds, perfect shutter speed for the action, appropriate depth of field, all controlled manually.  Now, I get in.  I mostly shoot manual-ish still, but with auto ISO set up and exposure comp.  That dang auto-iso these days, man I tell you what, it's something. To think you used to have to actually physically change film to do that.
> 
> Photography was, once again, about how I felt.  It was again a release, not a burden.  It was about my love of the image, my love of what I'm seeing.
> 
> While the X100T is a great piece of gear, and certainly not cheap, maybe my favorite thing about it is that it just gets out of the dang way.  It's my favorite camera ever, because it makes things not about the camera.
> 
> It's like going from the finnicky girlfriend who you have to constantly worry about every little thing.  She has all the measurements and is objectively way out of your league.  She impresses people, but in a standoffish, aloof sort of way.  But you don't like being with her.  The Fuji is the classic beauty who just lets you relax and enjoy yourself and just have fun with being with her.
> 
> Every step along the way just flows, from carrying it, to quickly being able to grab a shot, to nailing the in camera JPG processing, to uploading it in seconds after shooting.
> 
> My D600 and D7000 are great cameras.  All the glass I have for them are awesome.  I don't love those cameras.  I love the X100T.


I sold all my canon gear after falling out with all and bought a fuji xt1.
Absolutely love this camera and its retro looks and instant access manual control dials.


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