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Hello, from England


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Hi, guys thank you for adding me to the forum.
 
I am currently on the hunt for my first serious camera and I have been saving up for almost a year leading up to the holiday season hoping for either Black Friday discounts or a new release that catches my eye.
 
For my personal use case, I think this Fujifilm X-S10 might be the closest to that "perfect camera" out of those currently in the market or just about to launch, given my budget or personal criterias I am looking for.
 
Anyway I just wanted to say hello, thank you for the welcome, and I am excited to join you guys for this upcoming launch announcement and hopefully even this photo/video journey as a brand new Fujifilm user. :)
 
Bring on the 15th of October!!
 
 
(I'll add some personal background below [Edit : wall of text] if anyone is interested in reading more of my ramblings, although I think it would probably be sensible to stop reading from here XD)
 
 
I am currently shooting everything on a 3 year old iPhone X, which admittedly isn't too bad as smartphone cameras are actually pretty decent these days.
I have started saving up for a more serious camera though as I wanted to up my game and continue learning how to take better photos (and recently videos).
Mostly, to document my family life as my kids (aged 2 & 5) are growing up and I want to capture both those moments and also of my wife and I as we are not getting any younger either.
Partly, to take videos of some of the hobbies I enjoy both and to occasionally share them in the community for those hobbies.
 
I have also started a YouTube channel, although it's a little embarassing to call it a "channel" as I have only just started and with just 3 videos up so far. XD
But I started the channel so that I can learn to edit videos more effectively and in a fun way, because learning how to edit videos as a noob with sample footages are super boring with no motivation to do well with no clear goal.
No one really watches my videos yet but I am enjoying the process and it is definetly helping me learn how to edit videos better and I am starting to learn how to shoot videos now too. :)
 
So I guess what I am looking for is a hybrid camera that will be used for both photos and videos (including some vlog style clips).
 
Size is a big consideration, knowing myself and my faults, I really do not want anything too big or heavy as I will eventually end up leaving it at home which renders it useless.
It will need to be small and light enough that it's not too much of a burden to grab and go everytime I leave the house and to carry.
Ironically I don't want something too small either as I find it uncomfortable and kind of takes the fun out of it as well.
Size wise I think something along the Canon M6 mark II, Sony A6400 is what I am shooting for and the Fujifilm X-S10 seems to be the perfect middle ground.
 
I have tried borrowing various cameras from family and friends over the past year ranging from really small compacts to slightly bigger Canon EOS M, DSLRs, both cropped and full frame, Mirrorless full frames (A7 II) and even monster big one (Canon 1DX) for varying period of times and my hunt for the perfect camera is based off those experiences.
 
It would be great to have something that can shoot in log format so that one day I get to a point where I am wanting to learn or have already learnt to clolour grade the flexibility is there for me to play around with.
But more importantly, I want something that will ideally look good straight out of the camera without need for post editing to get to look good as that is how I foresee myself shooting for a good while, and even if I did get into colour grading and enjoy the process I would still want something quick and easy for general use.
 
Lens & ecosystem seems like a vastly important point and it looks like this should be the first thing you pick and not the body.
I must admit initially I was fixated on getting a M6 mk II or a M50 mk II (when it comes out) but I have read one too many articles on how the EF-M mount lineup could get discontinued soon.
Seems silly to buy into an end of line ecosystem, even if this isn't true and turns out to be false rumours it doesn't seem sensible to take the risk and take a financial loss in the future to migrate to another eco-system.
So recently I struck out Canon as an option.
 
I might look back in the future and find this amusing, but at least for now I don't see myself going full frame cameras.
I can understand the benefits of full frame and yes the prices are coming down (and I know there are smaller foot print ones like the Sony A7c) but for my use as an amateur beginner, I don't really see the justification for ever needing that extra difference, it will always be more of a want than a need even if I did "upgrade" to a full frame and even if I could afford a nice body, I can't really see myself affording to keep up with full frame lens prices.
Not only financially, but I don't think I would actually carry them around with me regularly looking at how big those lenses are even if I could live with a bigger body.
 
So my reasoning is if Canon and Sony, ultimately wants their consumers to take an upgrade path into their flagship full frame and lens line up, and Fujifilm only really focuses on APS-C cameras and that is their end game within their ecosystem, then if I am going to stick with APS-C it makes sense to pick a brand and ecosystem that makes APS-C (Almost) their sole focus.
I guess the only upgrade path for me in the future will be something like a X-T4 (or whatever the current gen equivalent is at the time) but I am okay with that as I will probably stay around the X-S10 / X-T30 kind of range even for future purchases.
 
So currently my choices are something like a Sony A6400/A6600 or Fujifilm X-S10 / X-T30 / X-T200 / X-A7 kind of range of cameras.
And looking at the lenses, it seems neither companies are particularly cheap but Fujinon makes quality lenses while Sony's APS-C lens while still great quality is still a more budget offering in comparison to their full frame offerings.
 
So I am leaning heavily in favour of Fuji right now given Fuji colour science seems to get a lot of praise, apparently has better menus and UI, has an actual touch screen, etc.
 
Lenses wise I guess I won't really know until I start using a bit more, but currently the idea is to have something like a 10-24m lens for vlogging etc, and a 23mm F2 or a 35mm F2 for general purpose photos etc as a daily lens.
 
Given my use case taking Youtube videos and family selfies etc a flippy screen is a must, whether it flips to the side or the top, and also an external mic input will be a must too.
 
I also love the look of Fuji cameras from an aesthetic point of view, and I like the look of the new deep grip (although I understand the opinions on this is split, I personally enjoy a big grip for comfort.
 
Sorry I ranted on for ages, turns out I had more things I wanted to talk about than I initially anticipated.
If you read this far, wow, thank you, and any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated as this is my first camera related post ever I think.
 
TLDR; Is the Fujifilm ecosystem the right direction for me?
 
Moon :)
Edited by MoonageMin
Duplicated the exact same post twice by mistake, can you delete one please :)
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Hi Olaf,

Thank you for the welcome! 

When borrowing other people's camera I did find the viewfinder useful in certain situations, but I don't think it's a deal breaker for me.
I found myself using the screen 95% of the time and for the times I did use a view finder, if the screen quality was good I probably wouldn't have minded not having one.

So I think viewfinder is a nice to have for me but if it meant a smaller body or a cheaper price by not having it I think I would probably prefer that.

Another thing that is important for me is AF, but I hear that Fuji's AF is already quite decent. I read articles saying Sony or Canon is better but I don't need the absolute very best, just something that is more than usable for my needs. :)

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