FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO1600)

The two most important cameras of the last years. The Fuji X100 and the Fuji X Pro-1. Two cameras that changed everything. At least for me.

Let’s start with the Fuji X100.

The Fuji X100:

I got it in 2011. It wasn’t my first small camera with a big sensor, that credit goes to the Sony NEX 5 I bought in 2010 but the Fuji X100 transformed the way I take pictures. Most obviously because of its integrated “35mm” prime lens but also because of its beautiful hybrid viewfinder, the noiseless leaf shutter and its traditional operation with dedicated aperture and shutter dials.

At that time I had a lot of business trips to Eastern Europe. To places where I haven’t been before. I travelled to Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Russia, Latvia. I have seen a lot of beautiful and also a lot of strange places. I have seen magical places like the red square in Moscow during a snow storm and I have seen horribly places like the concentration camp in Auschwitz/Poland. My Fuji X100 was with me all the time.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/2, 1/15 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/1.4, 1/20 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/1.4, 1/30 sec, ISO200)

The Fuji X Pro-1:

Then I changed my job. I got a second hand Fuji X Pro-1 and my business trips led me to Asia. I started with the 18mm and the 35mm lens but got the 14mm lens before my first trip to South East Asia which is my most used lens now. It just works perfect in crowded mega cities like Bangkok or HCMC.

Now I’m traveling to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. What’s different beside the fact that I do not need to bring a winter coat? More people. More street life. More colors.

I have seen magical places like all the temples, Chinatown in Bangkok, the never-ending stream of scooters in HCM and many, many more and I have seen depressing places like the slums of the fishermen in Chennai, India. My Fuji X Pro-1 was with me all the time.

Time To Say Goodbye

I shot them in a snowstorm in Moscow, Russia at -17 degrees Celsius. I shot them in the sticky heat in Chennai, India and in the blazing sun of Southern Arizona, USA. They never failed*. They simply worked as reliable as an old Volvo. They gave me many beautiful shots, many memories. And now there are gone! I traded them for a lens.

Yesterday I took them out for the last time and before I packed them in their boxes I decided to take some pictures of them. Just before I started to get a little sentimental I thought about the famous lamp commercial from Ikea.

FUJIFILM X-T1 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/15 sec, ISO200)

* My Fuji X100 had the sticky aperture defect. It happened in the first month. It has been repaired by Fuji Germany and worked since then without any further problems.