Since 2017, I have been a loyal Fujifilm shooter. It started with a summer field trip to Bushwick, when a friend evangelized the benefits of his X-T2 and the camera’s film simulations. By the winter, I had gotten an X-T20 for Christmas, a camera I faithfully used until 2021, when I upgraded to the X-Pro 3.
On many happy shoots from the streets of Midtown Manhattan to the Mojave Desert, my X-Pro 3 was always around my neck, the 23mm and 35mm F2 primes providing for some of my best recent work.
Then, inspired by YouTube channel watching, I embarked on a quest to experiment with a range of cameras: first, a Leica Q2. I started with a Leicas out of curiosity, given that my first forays into photography were on a Leica R4, a camera that my family still has.
The Q2 is a true beauty of a camera, a solid body with a sumptuous 28mm Summicron lens that takes truly stunning images:
But its high price and single focal length make it, basically, the world’s most refined point-and-shoot.
Next, I ventured into the land of the rangefinders and found the last M-E Typ 240, a 2019 entry-level model that uses most of the original M240 hardware and software.
Paired with a Voigtlander 35mm, I took some beautiful pictures:
On the cheaper end of the spectrum and inspired by the guys on the Frameline’s channel (in turn, prompted by Samuel Streetlife’s mock Leica product intro that makes fun of Leicas), I tried out the Panasonic Lumix GX85, a micro four-thirds system that also offers Leica lenses. The 15mm lens (essentially a 28mm equivalent in 35mm terms) made for great optics, but, in the end, the limited dynamic range of the sensor was just a bit underwhelming — though I did take some really nice photos, including these:
Also, prompted by YouTube influencers, I gave the RICOH GR III a try, which also allowed me to take some really nice golden hour and nighttime pics:
All around, a really good camera, excellent night performance, good colors, easy to use — but the lack of a viewfinder was just a dealbreaker for me.
But more cameras were waiting to be tried…