I have too many cameras. Too much gear. I've been thinking about selling my Fuji X-T1 for a while. Why did I buy it in the first place? Is there still a place for the Fuji in my type of photography? I took the X-T1 for a walk without any unnecessary equipment. Just the X-T1 with the XF 35mm f/1.4 and an ND4 filter (It was a very bright, but chilly, day). I also took the Flash unit that came standard with the camera to do some fill flash. I ended up not using the flash, though.
Not carrying a bag made a huge difference. Kneeling down, bending over,... the bag was (always) in the way. I had to put it down or swing in back. Not this time.
A few years ago I made the best decision ever to remove all straps from my cameras. It felt like freeing myself. Leaving my bag at home felt like the same. I know this doesn't work for all types of photography.
Above is my setup for this day. As simple as possible; The Fujifilm X-T1, XF 35mm f/1.4, cheap ND4 filter, two batteries, lens hood and flash. I put the extra battery, filter and flash in my pocket and head outside.
I set my camera to black and white and added some extra contrast. Shot RAW + jpeg. Most images are almost un-edited, straight from the camera.
@ f/2
The bokeh of the XF 35/1.4 is amazing.
f/4
f/2
I did bump up the contrast on the above image to get what I saw when I took the shot.
She doesn't look happy at all.
The sun was very bright today. I did get the shot I wanted with the ice blocks at the top of the frame.
Although slightly off-focus, still one of my favourite shots of this afternoon.
Another one of my favourite shots. This is, to me, the most beautiful building in my city.
The wood textures are amazing.
These Chestnut trees are incredible!
One of the oldest streets full of Chestnut trees.
Am I going to sell the X-T1? No. Although my Sony A7RII is a better camera, Fuji created a better system. Both cameras have their purpose.
I love the Fuji X-T1. It's small, has great controls and awesome image quality. It made me love photography even more.
Let me know what you think, Thanks for reading!
- Jeroen