I don’t just shoot with older cameras. I also use a Fujifilm X-T5 for travel and a Canon EOS R8 for video and product photography. I also review many of the latest cameras, so I have plenty of context for comparing the performance of older used models. For regular everyday stills photography, I think so little has changed or advanced over the past ten years that most beginners and enthusiasts, even many professionals, will be perfectly happy with most of the mid-high-end cameras from the past decade.
Fujifilm
Fujifilm is a camera and lens maker that was well known for its film cameras and both color transparency and black and white films. Its fortunes have revived in the digital world with the popularity of its X-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras and the performance, features and value of its medium format GFX range.
Fujifilm X-T1 review in 2024, with sample images
Verdict 4.3 stars The Fujifilm X-T1 is a terrific low-cost used choice that makes a great camera for photography students and enthusiasts today. Its traditional external exposure controls are perfect for re-discovering the lost art of exposure, and its excellent build quality and handling make it a very satisfying camera to use.
My top 10 best used cameras to buy today: and I’ve owned all of them
This is not an exhaustive list! There are still lots of older cameras I will try to get hold of when good ones become available and funds permit. This list is of cameras I own right now or have owned, and which I think are particularly interesting buys. I happen to think that some of the best cameras have already been made, and that the new cameras now being released are not necessarily better than the ones we already had and which have now passed into history.
Fujifilm X30 review in 2024
Verdict: 4 stars I honestly consider this to be one of the best cameras Fujifilm has made. Is 12MP enough? That depends on you. I think that it probably is, and if you accept that then the X30 is not just a stunning little travel camera for its time, it still is today. Its specs are good, its design and handling are superb and while Fujifilm might have decided it wasn’t a camera people wanted any more, the used prices say otherwise! I will never sell mine.
Has the jump to 40MP really worked for Fujifilm?
Does there come a point when lens optics can no longer keep up with sensor resolution, and has Fujifilm’s 40MP sensor reached that point. Optical properties are not as scalable as you might imagine. You might be able to miniaturize sensors apparently ad infinitum, but lenses have very definite limits to their resolving power and their resistance to diffraction.
Best medium format cameras for full frame upgraders
This is not a buying guide to the best medium format cameras at all levels. It does not include high-end modular systems from Hasselblad and Phase One. It covers a new generation of much more affordable medium format cameras designed for portability and handheld use, and higher-quality and perhaps more desirable alternatives to full frame cameras.
How hard can it be to find an all-manual camera with actual DIALS?
We all know that any DSLR or mirrorless camera can offer both manual exposure and manual focus. What I’m actually asking is how many cameras offer these as external controls like old-fashioned film cameras? The answer, depressingly, is almost none.
It’s like the Fujifilm X100V is a cult camera now, so why did I sell mine?
I bought the X100V as a ‘street’ camera and then found it wasn’t especially good at it – or at least in the way I like to shoot.
Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | C now comes in Fujifilm X-mount
The Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary is already available in a Sony E-mount version, where it makes a portable and affordable constant aperture standard zoom for Sony’s APS-C cameras. Well now Sigma has launched an X-mount version of this lens, which could be a great option for Fujifilm owners who want to step up to a constant aperture f/2.8 pro-spec lens without the weight and expense of the Fujifilm XF16-55mm.
Why is Fujifilm torturing us? Do I want the X-H2 or the X-T5? It’s impossible!
Obviously it’s not impossible, but it is quite a difficult choice. Both cameras have Fujifilm’s new 40MP sensor, both cameras have similar technologies and both cameras even cost a similar amount of money.