Sometimes It Snows In April

DSCF0055FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (35mm, f/2, 1/75 sec, ISO200)

I know perfectly well that it’s not April yet. I shot the pictures this week. Mid of March! Some snow at last after the warmest winter ever. But this is not about snow. This is about unlikely events.

When I was twelve years old I got my first camera. It was my dads old Exakta VX1000. A fully manual SLR. I even needed to use an external light meter to determine exposure. Many SLRs and later DSLRs followed. For the last 35 years I shot cameras with a mirror. Well, no more! This week I traded my Canon 6D and my Panasonic GM1 for a Fuji X-Pro 2. I still have my Canon lenses but they will go next. There is no way back.

DSCF0071FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO250)
DSCF0076FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO200)
DSCF0080FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO800)

What happened? It was a rather long process. In December 2012 I bought a second hand Fuji X-Pro 1. Despite all its quirks I immediately loved this camera. In spring 2013 I got the Fuji XF 14/2.8 R. At the same time my new job gave me the opportunity to travel to Asia on a regular base. I always took my Fuji X-Pro 1 with me and the Fuji XF 14/2.8 R became my favorite lens. On average I travel to Asia at least four times a year. As a consequence I shot my Fuji cameras much more often than my Canon DSLR that I used only for my main vacation.

In spring 2014 I crashed with my race bike. I broke my collar bone and when I returned on my bicycle three month later I had a disk herniation. Just two weeks before a vacation to the USA. I was able to go on vacation but to carry a heavy camera backpack was not an option. So I got the Fuji X-T1 plus kit lens and the Fuji XF 23/1.4 R. Plus the Fuji X-M1 double lens kit for my wife. For the first time I spent a main vacation without a big camera and I enjoyed it.

In 2015 we went to the South West of the USA again. This time with a massive amount of camera gear. I brought my Canon 6D plus 24-70 II and 70-200 II plus the Sony A7R that I shot with the Canon 16-35 IS. Plus the Fuji X-T1 with the 14mm and the 27mm lens for the times where I did not want to carry the big gear. I ended up shooting the Sony A7R with the wide angle zoom most of the time. I didn’t take my Canon plus the 70-200 II on the hikes because it was extremely hot and I had to carry water bottles instead.

Since I returned from the last vacation both the Canon and the Sony sit in the cabinet almost all the time. When I go to Asia I take the Fuji. When I meet friends I take the Fuji. When I take portraits I take the Fuji.

Now with my next vacation just ahead of me I started to think what to bring. I think I will keep it simple.

DSCF0085FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/2.8, 1/180 sec, ISO200)
DSCF0147FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (56mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO400)

The last nail in the coffin for my DSLR system was what I experienced when I was shooting the 12 weeks old french bulldog of one of our friends. To be on the safe side I took not only my Fuji X-T1 but also my Canon 6D plus 70-200 IS. I thought that the AF of my Canon would be better in low light since we were indoors on a dark day. I started to shoot with the Canon but gave up quickly and switched to the Fuji. There was no way to shoot the puppy in action in a dark apartment with anything but an 1DX or D5 but my Canon even struggled with the static shots. AF was not reliable enough. The Fuji was different. Its contrast AF nailed focus practically all the time.

Ok – a lot of words to say: I finally switched! I don’t have a DSLR anymore. It also means that I switch back to the APS-C format. Today APS-C is definitely good enough. There is a small compromise regarding control over depth of field but I’m willing to trade that in exchange to a much smaller and lighter system.

Plus Fuji cameras are the most enjoyable cameras by far. No other camera maker manages to give such an involving shooting experience. And the Fuji X-Pro 2 is maybe the fastest to operate camera on the planet.

Which brings me back to the title. The unlikely event. Sometimes a small step back can be a big leap forward. Sometimes it snows in April.

DSCF0156FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (14mm, f/8, 1/100 sec, ISO250)