The thrill to get my first DSLR or Mirrorless

After getting used to my Fuji HS-30EXR, learning what Photography is about and having fun taking pictures for more than 5 years, I decided it was time to upgrade.

So in the year of the pandemic, 2020, I started searching for my perfect interchangeable lens camera. My first question was if I should go with Canon or Nikon, these being the manufactures I heard about from the majority. After some time I also started to check the Sony system, but I was hanging on the A6 models. My main question now, was which camera I should buy? I had a short list with: Nikon D5200, Nikon D7100, Canon 800D or the Sony A6000...

A tough decision to take. For some months I continued doing my research, checked my budget and finally I made my mind on what I will buy. Out of the short list of Nikon, Canon and Sony, I decided I will buy a Fujifilm :).

At this point you might ask yourself -> Is this guy crazy? Didn't he said he wanted one of the big 3?

I would ask myself the same question, but as I said, I made my research and in the end the color science, the retro look and feel, the manual settings buttons and the fact that I loved my HS-30EXR made me take this decision.

So on a late spring day I placed my order for the Fujifilm X-H1 and normally, for an enthusiast photographer I went with the best prime lens for portraiture from Fuji, the Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2.

To give you some perspective, the X-H1 is a Pro-level camera from Fuji. The X-H line is their flagship when it comes to Cropped sensors, but many confuse the camera with the bigger brothers, the Fuji GFX line-up. The camera has a 24Mp sensor, it has IBIS, a good usable ISO range and a body that can withstand rough use and falls from more than 1m (I used it in all conditions, without additional protection and unfortunately it had a couple of falls). In addition to all of this, the camera also has dual SD card slots and it is the best feature for professionals, since you can use one card for RAW images and the other for Jpegs.

So right now (at the end of 2024) I am still using this wonderful camera and I am the happiest person for taking the decision to buy this and not one of the others. I am sad that Fuji decided that with the X-H2 they will go for 2 approaches, one focused on Photography and one on Videography, but neither has the same look and feel as the original X-H1.

So if I will upgrade, I think I will go in the future with the X-T5, since it is the closest to the X-H1 when it comes to look and feel. And when you have more than a Decade of experience, you know that the camera is a tool and you are the one that takes the photo in the end and this leads you to appreciating more and more the look and feel of the camera. To make a comparison: It is like thinking if you should get a Ferrari or Cadillac SUV? (I think you can answer this question yourself).

For now I thank you for reading this and hope I will manage to post more often, and not just story telling, but also educational posts and photo shoots :)