Many photographers change systems in this digital age. It is a competitive market for those of us who like to shoot with a camera that is not in our phone. Why did I make the move from my established system, a Canon 5D Mk II with some excellent Canon L glass, to the crop sensor of the Fuji X-Pro 2 and the Fujinon lenses?
Canon image
Fuji image
Weight was the first motivator. The 5D is a tank with wonderful image quality, but I no longer had a photography business and lugging a heavy camera and lens around was just not something I looked forward to. And I was doing more street photography, so again, size/weight was the enemy. The Fuji is more discreet, easier to grasp and shoot, so much so that it’s a no-brainer for me. The image quality is fantastic (it has a higher megapixel count than the 5D on the smaller APS-C sensor) and the glass is fast and reliable. I primarily shoot with a 35mm/1.4 lens to capture street images, but I also have a 23mm/1.4 and 56mm/1.2 for portraits.
Fuji Image
Another factor was the realization that I was printing my images less and less. My audience, such as it was, moved online and that means Instagram. Knowing I can still make a pristine 11×14 print when I really want to is a great relief, but using the X-Pro 2 Wi-Fi utility to transfer and edit my images on my iPhone sure makes sense in my typical workflow.
Fuji image
The deciding factor was perhaps the toughest to qualify-that Fuji color. Even though I mainly shoot in black and white, the Fuji X-Trans sensor rendered colors differently than the Canon and I simply found them more pleasing to my eye. Ultimately, that’s what it is all about for a photographer.
See more of my photography on Instagram @exitframeleft
Writing and Photography by Jeff E. Brown 