If I was switching away from FUJIFILM, what camera would I get?
With the current state of firmwares of the FUJIFILM camera a lot of you have been asking me what camera I would choose if I was to switch system. So let’s find out.
What I need in a camera?
A big chunk of my work consist of Proposals, Engagement and Wedding photos and videos. That means that I need a camera that can keep up and that I can rely on, in terms of AF as well as . Most of the moments that I capture happen only once, so I can go back to my clients and be like “sorry, the camera did not work, can you propose again?” “Could you cry again a little? Thanks!”
That does not work. And to be fair, Fujifilm has been pretty bad on the reliability issue recently with the firmware issues. Hopefully they fix this soon.
I am also someone who like working with a light setup. I don’t enjoy having tones of heavy gear to carry around. So size matters, to a certain extent. I mostly work with prime lenses and I enjoy a relatively light setup. Sometimes I also work on other kind of video project, where having a wide variety of codecs, allows me to adapt to different kind of production needs. And finally, there is a budget aspect as well. If I change system, I need to buy at least 2 cameras to have redundancy and also to integrate into my workflow. So with all of that in mind, here are my thoughts.
The best camera I have tested this year
I had the chance to test a lot of different cameras this year. And of all the cameras that I have tested, I have to say that the one that impressed me the most overall was the Nikon Z8. The Nikon Z8 pretty much has everything that I need. Good AF, Ok size, great image quality, very good codec choice with RAW output, and overall a great ecosystem. I also personally prefer it compared to the Nikon Z9 because it has a smaller form factor, which is what I look for my workflow. It packs so many features that are pretty much what I need, with great AF as well, that I considered it as a possible candidate.
Now my only issue with the Nikon Z8 is its price. It stands at 4000$ currently and if I have to buy 2 of them, that would be definitely a big financial hit/investment, depending on how you want to see it.
The camera that actually interests me
Recently though, Nikon released the Nikon Z6III. Think of it like a Nikon Z8 but with 24.5MP vs 45.7MP, without the 8K but with 6K 60fps, a smaller and lighter camera at around 700g, but otherwise a very comparable beast. The same RAW capabilities, similar AF and all of that for 2500$. I don’t think that I was the only one that was surprised by that price, as this is the same price point as the X-H2S and the only think that you are losing compared to the X-H2S would be the open gate capabilities. I did spend a few days with the camera back in June but did not have time to test it as much as I wanted, however I would say that my initial impression of the camera is very good. The focus works well, I had a good time with the video capabilities and photos and overall it did everything that I needed it to do. The RAW also has a lot of latitude to play with it seems like a good camera for my needs. So currently, if I had to switch, I would pick the Nikon Z6III.
Ok so now you know. What camera would you be interested in? Now of course the camera is not the only thing to consider, I would need to consider the lenses as well as the whole workflow around it. But let me know what you think and what would be your camera of choice, if you had to switch.And that does not mean I am ready to switch or that I already have made a decision, it is a big investment and a big change and I am still waiting to see how Fuji will fix their issues with the next firmware.
That’s it for today though, I will see you in the next one!
Watch the full video here.
