Size Matters … And Sometimes Smaller is Better

Ok, this one is definitely for the photographers. If you have no interest in photography (then why are you reading my blog?) or photography gear (again, why?) click here now.

Really, this post is going to be full on photography geekery.

Last chance.

I used to be a dedicated dSLR shooter. I carried a heavy pack with a big camera with big lenses. When traveling, it was always two big cameras, in case one stopped working (and that did happen to me in Croatia). That’s what I thought I needed to make a good photograph, and when I started into photography that was what was needed. Better, smaller cameras just didn’t exist … yet.

In February of 2013, I accompanied Matt Brandon, Piet Van den Eynde and Matt’s wife Alou on a photography trek in Rajasthan, India. Two and a half weeks driving from town to town through Rajasthan. It was an amazing trip, but it was also a heavy trip. I brought a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EOS 7D, EF 17-40mm f/4 L, EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L, EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L, TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L and a Fuji X100. I don’t remember what all that weighed but it was a lot!

For the first week of the trip, I carried it all. I used a double R-Strap which allowed me to carry both bodies, with a lens attached to each, dangling from my shoulders. The rest of the gear was on my back in a LowePro Slingshot 200. If the cars were going to be nearby and accessible then I might have left the Slingshot there, but normally I carried it.

I walked through temples and mosques and narrow alleys with these beasts bouncing off my hip, bumping and banging into walls and pillars and other people. Pretty soon my shoulders started to complain. And then my back. And then just about every muscle in my upper-body. I started shedding gear, leaving more and more in either the cars or in the hotel. But the more I shed the more I had this nagging feeling of “what if?” What if I missed that chance of a lifetime photograph because I left the lens I needed in the hotel? What if I only carried one camera and it stopped working? What if … ?

Most of the group was similarly laden. All except Matt and Piet (and Alou who used her iPhone).

Matt and Piet were each carrying a single Fuji X-Pro 1 camera (I think Piet may have also had an X-E1 as a backup). They had one lens on their camera and a second lens in their pocket. Yes – their pocket – because most of the Fuji lenses are that compact.  Piet usually had his bag of lights, but Matt didn’t have any bag at all. They moved through the crowds easily (at least easier than the rest of us, but India is a very busy place) and their muscles didn’t ache at the end of the day.

But how were their photos? Well, a lot better than mine. That’s mostly due to the talent of the photographers, but it shows that the equipment didn’t hold them back. They were producing excellent results without carrying pounds and pounds of gear.

So why was I?

Not long after returning from Rajasthan I started investing in the Fuji system. At first, I went a little nuts. Each time I bought a camera, Fuji released another must have camera. At one point I had four Fuji bodies – X-Pro 1, X-E1, X-E2 and an X100. Finally, Fuji released the X-T1, and yes I had to have that one as well.

I bought the X-T1 and immediately fell in love with it. The control and ergonomics are a lot more natural to me than the other cameras. The EVF was the best on the market at the time (still is?). The auto-focus is faster and more accurate (although not as good as a dSLR yet). And it’s weather sealed. I loved that camera so much I wanted another one so I could have two identical cameras when I travel. I sold all of the other cameras, except the X100, to fund the purchase of a second X-T1 (truth be told, I bought the second X-T1 before selling the other cameras, but I knew I would sell them).

Today, I still have both the X-T1’s but the X100 has been upgraded to an X100S (twice, but that’s another story). The Fujis are my primary cameras now, and the first cameras I reach for when I’m going to do some photography.

I still have my Canon 5D3 and most of the lenses mentioned above (the TS-E 24mm has been sold). The 7D is gone. I would like to sell the 5D3 and the remaining lenses, but the camera has developed a bit of an issue. Every now and then it will stop working and display ERR on its screen. Taking the batteries out of the camera and putting them back clears the problem, but it shows that the camera can no longer be trusted. I don’t feel right selling a camera in that condition, even if I tell the buyer about the problem. I can’t promise that the camera won’t die permanently the next time it is used.

Since switching to the Fuji cameras, I have been to Vancouver a couple of times,  and New York City several times. The Fujis have performed flawlessly and I never felt I was missing anything by not carrying my big, heavy dSLRs. I certainly didn’t miss the achy shoulders and back. I’m pleased with the photographs that I’ve been able to create with these little cameras.

I’ve also been back to India with Matt and Piet, this time to Ladakh in Northern India. On this trip, approximately half the group were shooting with Fuji cameras while the other half were still hauling around their big dSLRs.

We visited several monasteries and attended their morning prayers, where the Fujis showed another advantage over the big dSLRs. The prayers alternate between periods of loud noise with drums and bells and cymbals and chants, followed by periods of near silence while the monks drink their tea or eat whatever it is they eat. During the silent periods, every activation of a shutter on one of the dSLRs rang out and drew the attention of the monks, especially if the photographer used burst mode. Some of the monks were looking quite displeased with this intrusion on their prayers. The Fuji’s on the other hand are near silent. Even during the quietest moments, the Fuji shooters could continue to photograph without drawing any attention to themselves.

I’m fully committed to my Fuji cameras now. They do everything I need to them to do in a smaller, lighter, non-back-breaking package.  I haven’t pulled out the Canon 5D3 in months.

Anyone want to buy a somewhat flakey 5D3?