I’m not overly precious about the gear I use. I use what I like and use what I need; in other words, if it gets the job done, I’m not opposed to giving it a shot. Sometimes that’s a Sony a7R II and sometimes it’s my (now busted) Zenza Bronica ETR-S shooting 120 film. At the start of the pandemic, I got the opportunity to review the (at the time) recently available Fujifilm X-Pro 3, and then everything shut down.

My most recent review for G Style Magazine acts as a love letter of sorts to the FujiFilm X-Pro 3 and how it helped me cope with what was a difficult time for everyone. Take a minute to check it out and let me know what you think:

Excerpt

Though the the flip-down screen may seem like an odd choice – especially as an entire generation of photographers have come to expect that a real-time preview of your last shot is a given – it truly allowed me to get lost in the moment. A feeling that I’ve been able to tap into on the street, one that I found especially difficult to do after slogging away on video calls all day. I hate to sound twee about it, but it felt like the way photography is supposed to feel – a connection to a specific point in time where you’re able to truly “see” a photograph as it is being made. My subjects weren’t “special” in any way – food, my dining room table, my plants – but by focusing on the light and not on the distractions of a display, I was able to find my zen and enjoy the process of making photographs again. 

Closing Thoughts

When the world inexplicably shut down and forced us all into isolation, the X-Pro 3 became a way for me to reconnect with the world that was available to me. I was able to use it as both a distraction and a means to communicate with loved ones who were at once physically nearby but a world away due to social distancing and lockdowns. It was a companion on walk,s and when the world eventually began to get back to “normal,” I picked one up for myself.

The Fujifilm X-Pro 3 is not a perfect camera. It’s not a camera for everyone, but it held me down through one of the darkest times in my life, and I’m grateful for it.

Image Samples