Camera review.

The Fujifilm X-T5, a 40mp APS-C, may be one of the most significant cameras I have ever used:  I can feel it pulling me away from film photography.

How did I get here?  It started with my favorite film camera, the Fuji GW670III, and its sibling, the GSW690III.  These medium format rangefinders have given me some of my very best photographs and pretty much put me off 35mm.  Even after the disappointing GF670, I had a continuing interest in cameras from this company that eventually led me to the X100F, a fixed-lens compact, which (I thought) would be merely my digital backup when convenience or airport security intervened.  It served that purpose well until our 2019 European trip called for more versatility than I could achieve with only a 35mm-equivalent lens, so I purchased an X-Pro2 with a 135mm-equivalent.  It was a great match – same sensor, same battery, same controls, same menus.  It was very much not a step toward system-building – I would definitely (I again thought) stick with just the one lens.  Still, in the back of my mind I realized that a wide-angle lens would make the X100F superfluous.

But then the bird shots from members of the Ukiah Photography Club, along with a nice used discount from KEH, enticed me into a 600mm-equivalent zoom, and suddenly I was system building.  A 45mm-equivalent macro soon followed, and I realized that I had been sucked in like so many years ago with Minolta.  Still, I continued to see myself as primarily a film photographer.

It crept up on me slowly, so at first I didn’t really notice:  I was shooting less film.  Carrying a tripod and standing in the darkroom became more of a burden as my back didn’t always cooperate.  Image stabilization would solve the tripod problem and processing on a computer didn’t involve standing.  And then there was that dormant GF670 with pretty high resale value.  Add in my two digital cameras and I could cover the cost of the X-T5 plus a wide-angle, this one a 24mm-equivalent.  Now I did have a complete system.

The X-T5 is a wonderful camera:  dials and buttons where God intended them to be, solid construction, superb image quality.

What do you do when you have an expensive new toy?  You play with it!  On our recent Arizona trip – car, no plane:  in the past that would certainly mean film – I shot only digital, and with a little click click click I had some great photos.

Is film dead?  I hope not.  I have an extraordinary darkroom plus a lot of film in the frig and the freezer.  I have beautiful classic cameras, both 35mm and medium format (not to mention large format, but that’s a different story).  I’ll be going digital on our upcoming Texas trip (flying), but after that I need to make a concerted effort to shoot film.

The first step of the solution is color.  Not sure what I have (most of my film is in Fort Bragg).  I’m thinking there’s a roll of Portra 400 35mm.  Something along the coast.  Tripod close to the car (or maybe, if I’m using a short lens, skip the tripod).  Send it off to The Darkroom and then finish on the computer.  I can do this.

After that, some T-Max 100 in one of the Fuji rangefinders. I can do this.