When I heard the first rumors about the Fujifilm X-Pro3, I wasn't convinced. A camera whose main USP is that the rear flippy screen is backwards, to discourage me from chimping? Yeah… no thank you.
I remained staunchly unconvinced about the Fujifilm X-Pro3. After all, almost every camera I own has a fully articulating screen – so I can turn the flippy screen backwards and not chimp my photos without spending a penny, thank you very much. And for the ones that don't have that kind of screen, that's what duct tape is for. Not to mention that the camera has an electronic viewfinder, though admittedly you can turn that off as well.
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Regardless, the more I played with it, the less cynical I became. Because the Fujifilm X-Pro3 is basically the closest a digital camera can possibly get to a film camera. It's not just the chimping that it cures you of; when you flip the hybrid viewfinder from an EVF to a traditional optical affair, you no longer get the instant exposure feedback that mirrorless cameras are known for.
Then there's the rangefinder design, which doesn't give you a through-the-lens viewpoint – meaning that the field of view is the same whether you're using an ultra-wide lens or a super telephoto.
All of which is basically an elaborate way of saying that the Fujifilm X-Pro3 does a great job at "analog-ing" the digital process. Everything that's great about modern mirrorless cameras – the instant chimping, the full-time live view, the electronic viewfinder – is stripped back and removed, giving you a much more SLR-like experience.
Indeed, with the rear screen closed, it even displays the kind of "film" you're shooting with, if using one of the brilliant film simulations – just like the old days, when you'd cut out a tab from the box of film and slide it into the back of your camera.
So why don't I just use an actual old film camera, with actual film, then? Because, I fear, the Fujifilm X-Pro3 has made me a hipster – or maybe a poser. I want the vibe, the kudos and the experience of shooting film, but with all the trimmings of shooting digital.
And that's okay. I just hope it stops before I grow a silly moustache and start riding a fixie bike around Shoreditch.
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