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As is often the case, I’m writing this article with my camera situated to my right. Having it close by while writing about photography inspires me; it serves as a constant reminder of why I do this. It’s a little worn, and scuffs and scratches are visible all over the body, but it’s still beautiful. Some would have the temptation to upgrade and get something more fresh and fancy. Not me, though. I love my Fujifilm X-T2, and this is not so much an article as it’s a love letter.
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Buying My Fujifilm XT2
I’m not one for material possessions. I’m not against them, but I always had difficulty connecting to anything deemed to have material value. I shop at H&M, buying the same black t-shirts or jumpers, depending on the season. For the longest time, I wore a cheap $12 Casio watch, having only recently upgraded to an Apple watch to monitor fitness and health. My whole life can easily fit into two small bags, so you can see I’m not one to get overly attached to things–other than my camera.
I bought my Fujifilm XT2 back in 2018. Relatively speaking, owning a camera for four years isn’t that long. But in our world of upgrade culture, it feels like a lifetime. Sure, the Fujifilm XT4 piqued my interest. So do most cameras Fujifilm releases. But then I look at my XT2 and tell it, “We’ve still got plenty of life left in this relationship.”
So, Why Do I Love My Fujifilm XT2?
Why do I love it so much? It has nothing to do with specs. Sure, I adore the image quality, but I couldn’t care less about megapixels and frames per second. All I ever care about is whether or not I enjoy using the system, and I certainly do with this camera.
Enjoyment aside, the main reason I love this camera is because of the times we’ve shared together. In January 2019, I bought a one-way ticket to Sofia, Bulgaria. After traveling in 2018 (then a Nikon shooter), I made the decision to become a full-time nomad. The Fujifilm XT2 and the 35mm f2 were perfect travel companions: light, easy to transport, and compact enough to go unnoticed while making travel photographs. At the time of writing, my camera and I have visited 13 countries, 33 cities, and four continents. From subfreezing temperatures to tropical climates, I can’t count how many photos we have made together.
Throughout that time, I’ve met an unmeasurable number of people, of which only a handful will remain friends for life. People come and go in my world. Sometimes it’s lonely and isolating. But one constant that remains is the relationship I have with my camera. We immortalize memories and create records of what is without question the best time of my life.
It Helps Me Be Happy
Not to play the violin, but I did not have much growing up as a kid; the government often subsidized my clothes. I had to work hard to find a lifestyle that suited me and allowed me to be happy. Maybe that’s why I don’t have much interest in material objects and why my route to happiness is as simple as having the chance to experience new places and create photographs. That’s all I need, and my Fujifilm camera allows me to do that.
It’s my teacher when I want to learn about new places, my best friend when nobody else is around. It’s my reminder of how lucky I am to have seen this world and experienced it, and it’s the tool that allows me to express myself creatively.
It’s hard to put into words what my camera means to me; photographers reading this will understand. It reminds me to love life and the people and places that have been the subjects of my frames.
So when the XT-5, the X-T6, and so on are released, as long as my X-T2 isn’t ready to retire, we’ll have a lot more exploring to do together. Thanks for reading.
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