A few years back I borrowed an AE-1 from a friend as a side piece to my Canon DSLR setup, and I became obsessed with the pictures. I loved traveling with it and using it to take pictures of my friends, but film and development costs were adding up fast. I wanted something digital that gave me a similar experience and images. I use a 5DIV for my freelance work so I enjoy having something more stripped down for personal use.I tried a Ricoh GRIII street edition, but it wasn't enough for me. Definitely a fun camera and the image quality was impressive for the body size. However, it reminded me too much of the Canon Powershot I got for Christmas when I was 12... I wanted something that felt more like the AE-1. IMO, $900+ is a high price for a fixed lens, no VF, and ... MoreA few years back I borrowed an AE-1 from a friend as a side piece to my Canon DSLR setup, and I became obsessed with the pictures. I loved traveling with it and using it to take pictures of my friends, but film and development costs were adding up fast. I wanted something digital that gave me a similar experience and images. I use a 5DIV for my freelance work so I enjoy having something more stripped down for personal use.I tried a Ricoh GRIII street edition, but it wasn't enough for me. Definitely a fun camera and the image quality was impressive for the body size. However, it reminded me too much of the Canon Powershot I got for Christmas when I was 12... I wanted something that felt more like the AE-1. IMO, $900+ is a high price for a fixed lens, no VF, and very few physical controls. Still a great pocket camera if that's what you're looking for. B&H was quick and painless with the return process as always.I waited for a few weeks to see if I could get my hands on an X100V, but with a trip to Europe quickly approaching I decided to spend the extra money on the X-Pro3 + 23mm f/2 + 35mm f/2. I'm sure I would loved an X100V as well, but one of the difficulties with the AE-1 was finding glass in good shape and I always wanted more options, so spending $1400 for a fixed lens didn't feel like as big of a step forward. As soon as I took it out of the box I was enamored, then I snapped a few pictures with the basic film sims and was absolutely blown away by the dynamic range. I played around with it for a few weeks and tried some film recipes from FujiWeekly (which is an awesome resource as a new Fuji owner). I loaded 4 color and 3 b&w recipes before the trip, but that was quickly whittled down to 3 color and 1 b&w. When I was using the AE-1 I almost exclusively shot Portra400 (can't go wrong) or TriX400, and with the Fuji that's stilly pretty much all I want. I have an Ektar-type recipe that I like in direct sunlight and then a vintage recipe that I keep tweaking for a different look. For my purposes, that's all I need. My goal was to avoid post-processing the images from my trip and that was very easily accomplished. Every night, I would download my favorite pictures to my phone and put them in a shared iCloud folder. The whole process took 10-15 minutes. I will say that the WiFi function is just as annoying to use as my Canon cameras always have been, but it works. I still recorded RAW & JPEG so that I can post-process some images later but I'm perfectly happy with the JPEGs. If the wireless continues to be spotty I'll just get an iPhone SD card reader.The one thing that really blew me away was the hybrid viewfinder. I've kept from upgrading my 5DIV because I still prefer an OVF, so being able to switch between a real rangefinder and an EVF is the best of both worlds to me. And this EVF may have finally convinced me that it's time to upgrade. Especially compared to the GRIII that doesn't even have any kind of viewfinder built in.I love the range that this camera has in terms of user experience. You use it like a traditional rangefinder camera without most of the digital interface or you can use it like the state of the art camera that it is, and I think that's what I love the most. On days when I want to take my time and shoot with a more old school approach I can and when I want to take some cool pictures quickly and keep moving I can and the results are great both ways.I like the 23mm and the 35mm, especially for the money. I'm sure the f/1.2 versions are amazing but for leisure and travel the f/2 are great. Not really sure what I was thinking getting two lenses so close in focal length... I suspect that I'll pick up the 16mm, 27mm f/2.8 pancake (which I think could replace both the 23mm and 35mm for quick daily use and portability) and 56mm f/1.4 eventually to have a better spread.In short, if you're looking for a great street camera with an old school feel and a lot of options I can't recommend the X-Pro3 enough, especially if photography is a source of income for you and you can make a bit of an investment. I may even consider switching to Fuji entirely because of this camera.

Following a decade of relying on my mobile phone for capturing all my memories, storytelling and documenting adventures, I wanted to upgrade to a real camera that would give me better resolution of control. In particular I wanted better results at medium to telephoto focal lengths. I found a good deal on a Sony RX100 with a 28-100mm f2.8 zoom lens and definitely noticed a bump in image quality. As good as it was, I was not inspired to carry it with me all the time, and so I fell back to my phone for most of my shots. I sold the RX100 and purchased an a6000 with the 16-50 zoom lens. This did the trick and soon I was purchasing prime lenses and accessories and carrying it all the time. And while the photos were superb, there were times it was clearly a digital ... MoreFollowing a decade of relying on my mobile phone for capturing all my memories, storytelling and documenting adventures, I wanted to upgrade to a real camera that would give me better resolution of control. In particular I wanted better results at medium to telephoto focal lengths. I found a good deal on a Sony RX100 with a 28-100mm f2.8 zoom lens and definitely noticed a bump in image quality. As good as it was, I was not inspired to carry it with me all the time, and so I fell back to my phone for most of my shots. I sold the RX100 and purchased an a6000 with the 16-50 zoom lens. This did the trick and soon I was purchasing prime lenses and accessories and carrying it all the time. And while the photos were superb, there were times it was clearly a digital camera.I don't recall what drew my attention to the Fuji cameras, but they intrigued me and a found a good deal on an X100T. It didn't take long until the a6000 was back on Craigslist so I could invest in a Fuji with interchangeable lenses. I found an X-E4 and started investing in glass. While I loved the size and mostly was fine with the minimalist design and lack of buttons, I was often afraid to carry it as I do most of my shooting outdoors in all kinds of weather and was afraid of getting it wet or doused in dirt or mud. Enter the X-Pro3.It's the perfect combination of quality, compactness and professional features. And it's a joy to look at. With it's gnarled dials, classic lines and rangefinder design, it's an amazingly handsome piece of kit. I have the Durasilver, which for better or worse is a conversation starter.I have the 18mm f2, 35mm f2 and 50mm f2—but it's the 27mm f2.8 pancake lens that's usually on the camera. I shoot in jpg and RAW, but mostly share the jpgs captured with one of Fuji's excellent film simulations. Across with a green or red filter, along with Classic Neg and Pro Neg Hi are my current goto's.Much has been debated about it, but I personally love the LCD configuration. I rarely use the LCD to frame my shots and the only time I desire a tilt screen is when I'm shooting from the hip. And I love the little film box end on the back, nice touch.Time will tell, but I'm feeling this one will be the camera I keep for many years and hand down to my kid someday.

Now that I have used the camera for two-months I am ready to write a review. I love this camera. The image quality is excellent even at ISO 3200. My favorite feature is the hybrid viewfinder. I find the optical finder much better for framing and following the action. I usually have the focus set to manual with the electronic rangefinder and when I need quick focus I have it set up to use the AF-L button for back button focus. The menus are not as easy to navigate as on Canon cameras but they are workable and once I set the camera up I have rarely had to use the menu system. The ability to customize the settings just the way I want them is fantastic. The highly customizable Q-menu gives me access to the things I only change occasionally. The one negative about the ... MoreNow that I have used the camera for two-months I am ready to write a review. I love this camera. The image quality is excellent even at ISO 3200. My favorite feature is the hybrid viewfinder. I find the optical finder much better for framing and following the action. I usually have the focus set to manual with the electronic rangefinder and when I need quick focus I have it set up to use the AF-L button for back button focus. The menus are not as easy to navigate as on Canon cameras but they are workable and once I set the camera up I have rarely had to use the menu system. The ability to customize the settings just the way I want them is fantastic. The highly customizable Q-menu gives me access to the things I only change occasionally. The one negative about the camera is that it is too easy to accidently change the exposure compensation and focus point while carrying the camera over my shoulder; I have never had this problem with my Canon cameras. Startup time is quick so I now usually turn the camera off when I sling it over my shoulder and then check the exposure compensation when I pick it up again. Overall, this is the best digital camera I have used yet.