30 Days with the Fuji X-Pro3: Day 10

December 20, 2020 by kyle In photography Leave a comment

Note: I missed a few days due to some issues with my hard drive…thankfully I was able to get it resolved and I’m back with posts!

I’ve touched on the portability of the X-Pro3 a little bit so far, but it’s something I want to delve into more with this post. I took this photo while I was walking the dog around the block. Despite the fact that my neighborhood is pretty dull, there are some interesting things to shoot in the areas that are still being developed. Because I’m doing this 30 Days project, I took my camera with me (not something I usually do) and I’m glad I did because this unusual scene caught my eye.

The X-Pro3 is somewhere in the middle ground in terms of portability. It’s small and light enough that I don’t have to think twice about slinging it over my shoulder for walks around the block or day hikes/rides, and it doesn’t present too much of a burden for backpacking. It’s extremely rare that I’d lug my GFX 50R around for these everyday walks, by contrast. But the X-Pro3 isn’t small enough that I can fit it in my pocket like I can with my X100F or my iPhone. Because of that, I don’t have it with me all the time.

I don’t know what to make of its portability, to be honest. It’s kind of in the “jack of all trades, master of none” zone when it comes to the continuum of quality, flexibility, and portability. I have a love/hate relationship with the X100 series because it’s so damn good with portability and quality…but I just don’t love the 35mm focal length. Similarly, the GFX series is just jaw dropping with its quality, but the lenses are costly and lack variety and I usually end up cursing it at the end of a long hike. The interchangeable X series cameras fit very nicely in the middle of these extremes, and they are an obvious win over full frame systems for me. But the perfectionist in me is frustrated that I’m compromising on all fronts when I pick up an X series camera.

Like I said, I’m not sure how to interpret all of that…but it’s something that I’m increasingly thinking about when I pick up each of my cameras.