Fuji Travelling lighter today, physically and mentally.

BruPri

Top Veteran
Location
Seattle, Washington USA
Name
Bruce J. Pritchard
I am easily one of the most fickle when it comes to brand loyalty and, I'm a collector of stuff. I want quality images, I want cutting edge tech, without tech getting in the way. I became really fond of the X100 for getting out of the way, I loved the NEX-7 for it's ability to use my Zeiss glass but ARGH!!, the mere idea of having two (really good) camera systems in and of itself was a mental obstacle. Today, traded it all in for an X-Pro 1 w/35mm and I feel so much better focusing (no pun intended) on one tool and learning it really well instead of juggling lenses, batteries, ideas about what would be better for what. It's the Fuji look and simplicity I wanted, along with the lens adaptability and IQ of the 7. The NEX however left me cold at the end of the day, it did not inspire. Feeling better now...
 
Enjoy it! I've been slimming down too and indeed it feels better. For me, I got too far away from the art of photography itself and I also was not getting to know my cameras well enough. These days I shoot almost exclusively with one camera system. Even with that I'm often better off just taking one lens. As a byproduct I also simply enjoy the photowalks more, I'm more present all around.
 
I'm down to an X-Pro and an m43 system with the OMD and a few lenses. I often will just go out with just the X-Pro with just the 18mm (the 35 is a better lens in some respects, but its just not a focal length I "see" very well through) or the OMD with just the 12mm. But sometimes I'll take both cameras with a lens on each and a few extra lenses too. I only shoot with one at a time, but I've had days where I've used almost everything I've had in the bag and was glad to have it all. Just depends on what I'm gonna be shooting that day. Some days a single camera and single lens. Other days, an extra lens or two. On rare occasions, I'll take the whole kit...

I still have the X100 and really should sell it. And probably will. There's a part of me that doesn't want to because its such a perfect size and feel and is a really wonderful camera. But I haven't used it once since I got the X-Pro and frankly don't know when I would. So I'll probably sell it soon, but that one's gonna hurt. I generally buy and sell photo gear without even a moment's sentimentality, but that camera is going to be hard to part with...

Oh, I also have a couple of little compacts that I don't use much but there's no point in selling - I wouldn't get much for them and they're occasionally really handy to have on hand...

-Ray
 
I am still considering getting rid of my D700+ 3 lenses and going with the XPro-1 + 35 & 60mm, this way I can still keep the X100 to cover the images that the 18mm would be used for - it also means I will still have my Mu43 kit but again, I want to slim it all down so may just go with Fuji kits.

Oh dear, what a dilemma - and still sitting on the fence!
 
I worked with the local camera store that I purchased the 7 from and they allowed a very liberal trade on both cameras, where you take it in the shorts is all the proprietary accessories for both systems that I no longer have need for. The X-100 was a tough goodbye, Fuji just about brought this piece to where I wish it would have been initially functionality wise, plus I had the Really Right Stuff L-bracket and grip. All water under the bridge. Onward and upward!
 
My biggest problem is that I want to keep *all* the cameras I have, and yet acquire more. I'm off bughunting this morning, and in prepping, have thrown the x100, xz-1, grd3 *and* f550exr in the bag. I'll probably only use the GRD3 or XZ-1, but I feel incomplete without the x100. the F550... meh. And I am currently contemplating taking the entire dslr kit too, just in case. I'm pathetic.
 
I find it really tough slimming my gear down. I enjoy "new" toys to play with and have regretted selling some cams. It's not all about the pictures for me - I like the whole experience. Researching new gear. Sourcing a cheap way of getting it. Learning how to use it. Adjusting my post processing to suit the new files.

If there is one thing I wish I could do that would be to turn a blind eye to so-called bargains and save enough to get the quality gear I'll never let go of..
 
I find it really tough slimming my gear down. I enjoy "new" toys to play with and have regretted selling some cams. It's not all about the pictures for me - I like the whole experience.

I can relate. But I'm at a point where I feel like I want to learn more about photography (and printing) and the best way for me to do that is to use the same outfit day in and day out. I've also tried enough that I reliably prefer the output of my GXR system over any other. I'm not sure what it is, but for one thing when I shoot with it I feel like I have more of a photographer mindset. It may that I know the cameras well and when I use them I get straight to the point. I'm not sure if that makes any sense.
 
I recently had a jolly good clear out. Sold some stuff on Amazon and traded some other stuff. I held back until I just had one camera left, the K5 and then I decided to go for the Fuji X Pro1 and the Oly OMD and 3 lenses each. This way I believe I'll have the best of both worlds and I'm going to try and keep these two outfits for some time. I found the hardest cam to part with was the GXR 50mm but I absolutely could not let my Pentax FA77 lens go and still hanker for something to put it on :)
 
I tend to not sell my older stuff, I either pass them on to the girls or put them on my shelf as a part of my photo history collection, I am basically down to just shooting with the XPro, because I love the way it fee, the images are amazing and the OM-D, because I have wider lens options with M4/3, and the IBIS lets me do some interesting things. After that leaves the X100, X10 and GRD IV, I do not know what to do with the X100. love the camera, but like Ray have not used it since I got the XPro, the other two are not serving their intended purpose at the moment and just sitting around, the GRD was all the time travel camera,the X10 my was my all the time in town camera. But since I started taking either the XPro or OM-D with me everywhere they just sit, I might hasve to move them
 
Entered this in the May Challenge - if I sold a few cameras I'd have less battery chargers to keep tabs on. :)

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A few weeks ago I went to a wedding and stayed at the hotel for the night. When I was deciding which cameras to use the following day, I laid out all my gear on the bed and was surprised to see that I had eight cameras!

- Leica M9
- Leica M7
- Ricoh GXR - M
- Fuji X100
- Fuji X10
- Ricoh GRD III
- Contax T3
- Canon 5D Mark II + 35/1.4L

I found this more than a bit disturbing! The M9 and GXR were my main cameras, and everything else was only a bit here and there. I could have done the wedding with only the M9, GXR, and the GRD III as backup. I've never sold a camera as I tend to form emotional bonds with them, so I give them to my immediate family who I know will take care of them. They've 'inherited' my Canon S45, G7, G10 and 30D!

My first digital camera was the Canon S45. It came with me everywhere and I learned to live with its limitations. Over time I've accumulated a lot of cameras to meet different situations (and gear lust) but there are times when I kind of wish for a more simple camera setup. It would be nice to consistently grab one camera for the day and be confident that it will do what I want! But the perfect everyday pocket-ish camera for me does not exist just yet. It would be a Ricoh GXR with high end DSLR operational speed and X100 high ISO, plus a full frame M-module, hahaha.

Landshark/Bob - could you write a comparison between the X-Pro 1 and the OMD, particularly in terms of usability and image quality? Says he with the massive mound of gear, in a thread about simplifying the rig? Haha!
 
For me this is very timely thread. I am looking to simplify my life in many ways and have been doing that to a large degree in my photography as well. Lately I find I do well with my phones and my GRD 3. Less thought about toys and more about their uses...

Lili, I think it was you who said a long time ago that you used to have a Canon G10, but when you started to use an Olympus E420 with the 25/2.8 you stopped using the Canon. Was that you? What was your camera journey after that?
 
Entered this in the May Challenge - if I sold a few cameras I'd have less battery chargers to keep tabs on. :)

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Bill, your photo of the chargers brought to mind what I've had to do: I bought a Brother label maker (white plastic tape, black letters) and have affixed a label to every charger and almost every battery. Has made life ever so slightly more organized. Now I know I'll be heading into the sunset when I have to put labels on the cameras as well...
 
I faced this too -- on a conceptual level.

I wanted a wider wide and a longer telephoto, but I couldn't bear the thought of lugging a ton of gear.

That's why I went with a bridge camera, a Fz150. It's like a drawer full of gear that you can hold in one hand.

My wife now enjoys my G12 and my "system" film cameras -- four decades old, still collect dust.
 
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