I picked up someone else’s X-T4 recently and it was like handling a completely different camera. I was so familiar with my own customisations, that habit and muscle memory tripped me up.
This got me thinking about the potential and the pitfalls of familiarity. Within the context of photography, this applies to everything from the equipment and techniques I use, to the subjects I photograph.
To quickly access the function button menu, press and hold the ‘DISP/BACK’ button.
The equipment I use changes both the process of making images and the images I make. I've been testing a number of new lenses and cameras recently and it's been a good reminder that making a change can be a great way of shifting attention between subject matter, composition and process.
I spend the majority of my time shooting with primes. So using a telephoto zoom definitely took some readjustment. I found myself shooting at either 50mm or 140mm most of the time, treating the lens like two primes – removing the distraction of changing focal length whilst composing.
“Coming from the X-T4 the lack of customisable buttons (mostly the D-pad) was a noticeable omission. But it soon became apparent that attempting to use this camera in the same way as an X-T4 is fighting against the grain. Instead, I found myself relying on the camera more, not tweaking as many settings on a regular basis as I normally would. The X100V encourages a different way of working that was liberatingly simple.”
There's definitely a balance to be struck. In unfamiliar situations, knowing my equipment inside out has definitely lead to better images. The subject, composition and lighting becomes the focus. However, testing new equipment when I have the time and space to experiment has lead me to create images I otherwise wouldn't.
If you're in the UK, I highly recommend looking into Fujifilm's loan program which offers free 48 hour loans of cameras and lenses.
I’ve shot this location dozens of times, but forcing myself to look at a familiar spot in a different way has been an interesting challenge…especially in lockdown.
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Fujifilm lens list
A continually growing list of first and third-party lenses for the X-mount. Lenses can be searched, sorted and filtered by features.
