The why

The X-S10 actually got me started into taking photos around end of 2021. To be honest, I actually wasn’t too familiar with photography at the time nor good camera brands. I had a classmate who had a blog where she posted about her travels and also her photos. She had a Fujifilm (I believe the X-T4) and I liked idea of having a physical camera actually a lot. For me I wasn’t always someone who properly appreciated taking photos, how deep it may sound. My phone takes excellent pictures, great quality and great processing, but it just sometimes doesn’t seem right to me. When I take photos with my phone it tends to be very sporadic as in I click and shoot and put it back into my pocket. I don’t take my time to take a very nice picture, my photos on my phone are quick moment captures, just like a screenshot on your phone. Now when I travel and have my camera with me, when I walk around I really try to really observe the environment. The camera makes me stop and appreciate everything much more. I am less in a rush of getting to the next stop and crossing off another sightseeing item from my list, instead of that I sit and watch more. It might sound deep, doesn’t have to be, but this is how I get to experience it and it’s such a beautiful feeling?

I notice it more how children are as worriless as back home, how lovers share their meals, how people give a helping hand to each other and all these things are things I want to capture. I just sometimes find it very hard to describe feelings and I think photos and videos do it better than I ever could. Also at the same time being able to appreciate the architecture, the nature, and just everything around it is for me harder with my phone. It’s another source of distraction, while with a camera I just want to capture it.

I think this feeling is also one of the reasons I love diving, it’s genuinely just so relaxing. The mammalian diving reflex probably helps with it. It’s a completely different world with so many beautiful animals, just doing their thing? Here I would actually argue having a camera is unnecessary, but I do take photos and videos underwater. I sometimes want to revisit and share these moments with others.

In the end, a nice little ramble and just don’t take my word for gospel. See what works the best for you and what makes you the happiest. You definitely do not need all these cameras to take good photos. Use the one you are the most comfortable with and whatever you actually want to use. I have noticed for me heavy and big cameras are not my thing: annoying too carry and too visible.

Cameras

For my mainly driver I mostly have mostly two main cameras, the Fujifilm X100VI and a GoPro Hero Black 11. Most of the new photos I take are taken on the Fujifilm, but underwater I use the GoPro Hero much more. Out of the box it directly compensates the blueness underwater, without too much post-processing needed.

The complete list is, ranked with respect to purchase date:

• Fujifilm X-S10
• Olympus Tough TG-6, including a waterproof case.
• GoPro Hero Black 11
• Fujifilm X100VI

The X100VI is the camera I got the latest, since I wanted something smaller and lighter. I to be honest generally am not a fan of zooming with my camera, as it’s a shortcut to me. I prefer having a fixed lens and if I want to get a closer shot I can always walk a bit closer. If not, then I guess that how it is.

Accessories

• Fujinon XF 35mm lens: very sharp lens and great for portraits.
• Fujinon XF 18-55mm lens: usually the lens you get included, but having a zoom is nice.
• Manfrotto Befree Tripod: I should actually find a reason to use this one more.
• Tiffen Glimmerglass: this adds a nice diffusion to my photos.
• A lot of microSD cards: storage is cheap nowadays anyway.
• Peak Design Leash: makes it easy to carry my camera around and unclips very easily.