So I’m starting this blog off with a post 2 months in the making. Two months ago, I decided to finally take the plunge and engage in a creative project my inner gear-nerd is repulsed by yet my quirky artistic side adores: one camera one lens for one year.

I’ve read and read and read on the idea and while I felt tremendously inspired, I just couldn’t commit so long as I owned my X-T2. Being an interchangeable lens camera, I simply couldn’t ignore all of those marvelous lenses on offer!

Plus, when I thought more about the idea, I realized I really wanted to get down to my photography roots. Back in 2000, when I first started shooting, I was rocking a Sony Cybershot DSC-F707 with a whopping 5 megapixels! That was state of the art and I absolutely loved taking this camera everywhere with me. While it had a fixed zoom, that playful exploration of the world was what I wanted to get back to. No swapping around lenses and obsessing over the gear train.

I’ve been using Fujifilm since 2017 after trying literally every other crop sensor brand on the market. I have good things to say about each of them but Fujifilm APS-C really hits all of the right notes for me. 

So once the X100V came around, I realized it was finally time to make my dream project a reality. The only thing holding me back was the lack of weather sealing on the previous models. I absolutely shoot in the rain and I have put my gear through some serious tribulations. 

While I’ve had the sealing fail on me once when shooting in a downpour with my X-T2 + 90mm f/2, my camera bounced right back. I still test the waters now and again, quite literally!

My other major concern was that while I absolutely love the normal range for prime lenses I’ve always been more of a 50mm kind of guy. The 35mm equivalent always felt awkwardly wide and I’m a sucker for traditional 50mm portraits. The extra reach is really nice on the street if you don’ want to disturb your subject yet still want room for contextual images.

But…I decided I could get used to a wider field of view and sucked it up. Welcome to month 2 of my 12 month journey with the X100V! I’ve already started and I must confess, I’m making some of the best work of my entire life. I highly recommend picking up a compact if you’re feeling like you’re in a creative rut and getting out there with fewer choices to distract you!