We had a couple of outings with friends over Fourth of July weekend, and I, of course, brought along my XT-5. I haven’t had the camera for very long, but I can already say it’s such a natural fit— easily the most comfortable I’ve ever felt with a camera from the get-go. I’m not sure if it’s the physical buttons and dials or simply the feel of it in my hands, but it makes for such a seamless shooting experience. Just before that weekend, I’d received the Fuji XF 35mm f/2 lens, and I was excited to bring it along with me. I was worried that I’d feel constricted with the ~50mm focal length as I’m more comfortable with a 35-40mm lens, but it felt so natural from the moment I began shooting with it. All that to say, I’ve carried it around a lot and have taken many photos I really love. I’m excited to share some of those here.

Andrew and I hadn’t been to a fireworks show since moving here, but we both decided we wanted to do that this year. We met up with some friends and scouted the perfect spot for the big display. We were told the fireworks started at 8, but they didn’t actually begin until closer to 10pm. With the unexpected delay, we hung out and enjoyed golden hour from the hillside from which we were perched. As blue hour rolled around, some homes in nearby neighborhoods started launching their own fireworks, so we were treated to 4 or 5 extra shows before the official one started.

As we were packing up to head home, we decided to meet up again the next day for some snow cones, iced coffee, and a stroll around the park. It was a hot day— hot enough for my camera to give me an excessive heat warning. But we made it through with tired dogs and a satisfied sweet tooth. The dogs even got to enjoy their own puppy snow cones!

During the firework display the previous night, I’d set my shutter speed down to 1/30. Because of the physical dial, I forgot I had to manually change it back to auto for the walk the following day. I didn’t realize my mistake until halfway through our walk. While many of the early shots are overexposed, I actually really love these photos of the ducks. The slower shutter speed gives the photos an ethereal look that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought to try. That small mistake now has me thinking up different things I want to experiment with in-camera. I’m very hard on myself with the photos that I take, but I actually have these displayed on my wall and set as the wallpaper for my desktop, iPad, and phone. To me, these perfectly encapsulate the summer so far.

Our favorite bench in the park lol

Green Grape and Dada came along, too.

Although these were taken over just two days, Andrew and I rarely go on outings like this. As tired and sweaty as we were, we had such a good time that weekend. I hope we’re able to have many more weekends like this before the season is over. I’m still adjusting to living somewhere with all four seasons, so I have to remind myself to enjoy each one while it’s here.

All photos taken with a Fuji XT-5 & Fujinon 35mm f/2 R WR lens.

x

Two weeks ago, I got my dream camera. When I was first thinking about going mirrorless, the camera I was most drawn to was the just-announced Fujifilm XT-5. There was no way I could justify that purchase at the time, so I went with Micro Four Thirds via Lumix and have generally been happy. However, a few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to get my hands on the XT-5, and I jumped at it. I’ve spent the last two weeks tweaking settings (which was surprisingly daunting) and setting up some recipes. Although I shoot RAW, I was excited at the possibility of shooting only JPEGs and relying on the camera’s 40MP sensor for casual outings. Although the menus and settings had me close to tears in frustration in the first couple of days, I’ve finally gotten the hang of it, and I think I’ve landed on a pretty good starting point.

First Impressions

I've been shooting with my GX9 for the better part of a year, and its small form factor is something that I've become accustomed to. The size of the XT-5, while not huge, still took some getting used to. However, this also means the camera can house a larger battery— something that I didn’t realize I’d been missing dearly. With MFT, I always had to keep 2-3 batteries on me if I was going to spend the day (or even just the afternoon) shooting. Although I haven’t been out for a full day with my XT-5 yet, I can already tell the difference. I’ve gone days without charging it, only to find the battery level hovering around 65% after regular, daily use. I’ll eventually get some spare batteries for the summer road trip we’re planning, but it’s nice knowing that the battery life isn’t going to be an issue.

And, of course, film simulations. I love the idea of film simulations. Even if I’m still planning on editing from RAW, getting a preview of what my shot will look like is something I didn’t realize would be so useful. I’ve a keener eye now that I’m getting a real-time preview. And while we’re on the subject of presets, I’ve also been spiraling down the recipe rabbit hole. Being able to zero in on adjustments in camera has made editing so much faster. Big shoutout to Fuji X Weekly for that. I get it now.

Finally, having 40MP is awesome. This sounds so vapid because I’m the last person to care about megapixel count, but I have to admit that knowing how much more I can get away with in post is such a sigh of relief. Also, it simply feels nice having something new. I have a soft spot for older gear, but man, having the current flagship model of something is nice.

I said he looks happy, but Andrew thinks he looks miserable lol

Shout out to Andrew for insisting on taking a photo of me before we left. (And for taking direction on how to take the photo.)