Following up the computer and phone posts with a post about cameras. Probably the most interesting of the three, at least to me anyway.
My first camera that was solely mine (as opposed to the family film camera I took control of each holiday) was this:
Fujifilm Finepix A345 (2005 - 2006) - A present for my 18th, exactly half my life ago as of this week (yikes!)
The Finepix was worked to the bone as I took it everywhere with me. When it was close to biting the dust I managed to get a job in a camera shop and bought this around the following Christmas:
Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd (2006 - 2008) - not an SLR but a Bridge Camera, and an absolutely smashing one at that. It helped me grow so much as as photographer and I miss it.
After a couple of years I decided it was time to make the jump to an SLR, but in my haste I jumped too soon...
Pentax K100D Super (2008 - 2013) - an awful first SLR. I ended up leaving it at home and using my S6500fd more.
After years of moaning about the K100D and lamenting its purchase, my mum and stepbrother clubbed together to get me a new camera for both my birthday and Christmas that year.
Nikon D5100 (2013 - 2020) - A superb camera - it still takes as good a shot today as it did back when I got it. I was loathe to call it a day with this one, but I really didn't have a choice - I was beginning to get a chronic sore neck from the weight of it and newer cameras were beginning to leave it in the dust.
Fuji X-A5 (2020 - 2022) - seeking a budget replacement, I looked to get a mirrorless camera. I also wasn't happy to shell out a lot of money on a camera format I might not like, so I opted for a reconditioned model which my mum then surprised me by paying for for my Christmas. I loved it and didn't regret making the switch to a mirrorless camera. It was far from perfect, especially in terms of build quality, but the pictures I got from it were some of my best.
Fuji X-T30 II (2022 - present) - When my X-A5 began to fall apart at the seams midway through a photography course I was doing with the OU, I decided I had no choice but to upgrade. After several weeks of research I decided I couldn't justify going for the more expensive Fujis I had my eye on. Instead I went for this camera, and despite it lacking weatherproofing, it's a beauty. Again my mum surprised me by giving me the money for it after I'd bought it - at her insistence! I definitely made the right choice in buying it. I love mirrorless cameras - they do everything the average SLR does but they're so much more compact and lightweight. Plus I love the Fuji aesthetic these days of evoking old school cameras - they remind me of my uncle's old film SLRs which I've inherited. Modern Fujis are both functional and nostalgic.
Having worked in a camera shop I've seen cameras across different brands, I have to say Fuji and Nikon are my two favourites, closely followed by Canon.
Although I like Nikon a lot I can't honestly see me moving brands again. I think I'll stick to Fuji!
