NOTE: This article was first published over at johncaz.net on the 19th March 2014
Fujifilm X100 ISO 500 1/60sec @ f/2.0
INTRO
Back when the XPro1 was released (March 2012), I got a chance to use it and was very impressed. Fuji was doing well with the X100 and it felt like they were on the right track. By late 2013 there were some signs of a new weatherproof X and I was getting excited since I was always in anticipation of the XPro2. Although disappointed that there was no update to the XPro1, I was still excited about the new SLR like X-T1. Then came the first test at my local dealer – boy was I hooked!
In 1990 I was shooting with the legendary Nikon F4 as an editorial / news photographer! Then followed the F5 by which time I was doing weddings and then we entered the digital revolution with 15 years of constant upgrades. Model after model, each camera got better and better until we reached the point of “what now?” Well, it seems that we've reached the point where the modern DSLR is just too much! Why not use something smaller and lighter that’s just as capable? Has the time come for the mirrorless revolution? I think so!
THE WEIGHT
I’m still doing weddings and even though my technique and style have refined and become more fluid over time, by 2009 my gear had expanded and grown way out of proportion! I was very concerned about the gear I was hauling around so a decision had to be taken. I went from dragging 4 large bags with light-stands, lighting, camera bodies, lenses, flashes and accessories to 1 bag! This was possible because not only could I now shoot flash-less, thanks to the D3 generation of cameras and led lights, but because my shooting style started to change as well.
That was 5 years ago, now as I’m typing these words my one bag Nikon solution weighs in at nearly 6 kilograms! My new Fuji kit when complete will be weighing in at only 3.5 kilograms! That is a BIG difference! Both my shoulder and neck have never been happier. And guess what, my new bag consists of not one body, but two bodies! (NOTE: Gear list at bottom of page)
LOOSING FAITH
So after more than 25 years using SLR's both film and digital, I'm finally letting go and joining the the mirrorless revolution. There are plenty of reasons for me dumping my Nikon gear for the Fuji X-T1 and I cant list all of them here, but here are the main reasons for disliking Nikon and some for preferring Fuji:
At my age, I'm nearly 50, weight is starting to become a major factor influencing my photography, and I know off a lot of photographers who don't want to admit that the weight of their gear is affecting their photography but it is and thankfully there is a solution - it goes by the name of mirrorless.
People have been asking me for a long-long time when is the D400 ever going to show up and my answer is always the same, It aint! If Nikon or Canon ever released a crop sensor in a pro body they would lose sales from the full frame models, so it aint going to happen. Until then, pro speed crop body is out of the question and both Nikon and Canon try hard to cripple crop DSLR’s just enough so pros are kept away! This is a big reason for me to lose faith in Nikon .
I also disliked Nikons next big corporate decision; No replacement for the D700! Like most Nikonians, I was pissed when I first heard of the D700 replacement. A massive 36MP, what a shocker! Great camera no doubt, but at the end of the day it was just too much! I tried the D600 but it was crippled by Nikon in such a way that pros couldn’t use it! Loosing more faith.
Like a lot of Nikon users, I too have been waiting for the small, light and simple retro styled digital camera from Nikon that would inspire photographers to slow down and actually "create" images! I was privileged to have had some inside info about a digital FM2 since 2007, but again i was disappointed by Nikon's Df. Way too expensive, much bigger than anticipated , overloaded and overall an ugly camera.
How degrading for a company to use a non standard and unknown product in a flagship pro model camera! I don't know how they pulled it off, but there were no negative articles about it and no one dared mention that a Sony deal was in force. Overall, the Nikon D4 was a small upgrade that went sour mainly for its XQD card. Another bad move, more faith lost!
Another annoying thing about Nikon, is its software development; its non-existent! I've been waiting 7 years for Capture NX to evolve, it hasn't, actually its gone backwards. Nik Software was a good chapter in Nikon's software history, but they screwed that up. Now with Nik gone, they insist on doing it alone! Instead of looking for a partnership with a software giant (Adobe maybe?) they insist on locking their RAW files and doing it alone. Nikon are great at optics and cameras, but not software. By this time, I was looking elsewhere, all faith was gone!
LAST WORDS
So far you may be thinking that John Caz is a Nikon fan boy that didn't get what he was expecting for Christmas. Its not like that. When you invest both money and time learning a system, you expect a certain level of commitment form the company you have chosen to invest in. Nikon for a long time was a company that seemed to respect both professional and amateurs by producing quality products throughout its price range. Forgetting for a moment about my dislikes with Nikon though, the real reason for changing, the thing that really made me divorce Nikon after so many years together, is weight, plain and simple. I have long desired to reduce my kit and have now found the answer to my needs, its the Fuji X-T1.
Footnotes
My previous “light” camera kit: LowePro Magnum 400 AW: D800, AFS 70-200mm f/4, AFS 24-120mm f/4, AFS 28mm f/1.8, AFS 50mm f/1.8, AFS 85mm f/1.8, LED light and other small accessories. As can be deduced, in trying to keep it lite, I have selected f/4 zooms and f/1.8 primes – something that doesn’t need apply with my Fuji selection below
My new kit fits into a lightweight Kata PR-440 bag and will have the following: 2x XT1 bodies, XF 18-55mm, XF 55-200mm, XF 35mm, XF 23mm, XF 56mm, small flash, grip, LED light and other small accessories
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