A question for you, Is it wrong to keep changing your camera, lenses, etc? I ask this question as I tend to change my camera about every 12 months, sometimes less. Friends of mine know I like to change my camera often, I don’t do this because something newer or better comes along (well not all the time) this time around I’ve gone from X-T2 to the X-E3, why you might ask, well it’s because the X-E3 felt better for my street photography and unlike other cameras I’ve tried in the past few months it just felt more comfortable in my hand and comfort goes a long way, after all, I am carrying it on the streets all day. So I ask again is it wrong to keep looking for a better camera?
I don’t think there's anything wrong with changing any of my gear, now it’s a very different story when I talk about my lenses, it’s extremely rare for me to change these. I’ve had my 56mm lens for over a year and I don’t see me selling that anytime soon. I’ve also had my 35mm lens for nearly 2 years and again I won’t be selling this anytime soon and my latest addition is the 23mm F2 which I bought after Fujifilm UK sent me one to try out. I’ve been looking for a more comfortable bag that I can fit my 13” MacBook Pro if I need to, plus sometimes I stay over a friends house in London and I needed a bag to fit a clean T-Shirt, etc in, but this hasn’t been easy, I’ve been looking for more than a year to find one that I like, with no luck, so I don’t rush into buying new gear.
With all that being said I do have another reason for g.a.s and it's more to do with my photography and me moving forward as a better street photographer. I’ll change my camera so that I don’t get comfortable in my street photography, it’s like getting a fresh set of eyes, yes I know this sounds like an excuse but it isn’t. Having a new camera gets me excited again for being on the streets.
The past few months I’ve started growing more with my photography and in this, I’ve slowed down, so the need for a camera like the X-T2 isn’t necessary. I like waiting in areas for the right person to walk past, with the X-T2 therein lies another problem, people notice the camera and most of the time they will try to avoid it, I found while testing out the X-E3 from Fuji, that people just didn’t seem to notice the camera and if they did I don’t think they took it seriously, I guess people don’t think of it as a professional camera and this helps me.
All street photographers out there will understand the more discreet the camera the better the street photos. With a camera, people notice you can end up changing the scene you're trying to photograph and for me, this goes against street photography, as street photographers we're meant to blend in with the scene and not disturb it, remember it’s all about being candid.
So don’t be put off buying or changing your gear, do what feels right and don’t worry about what anyone else says or thinks.
Below is a selection of photos taking with the Fujifilm X-E3
