Kick, swing, step, ascend.
Each move starts with the metallic clink of our steel points breaking the surface, quickly followed by the unmistakable crunch of our weight bearing down upon the ice. Winds howl, causing the ropes linking us to buffet as we slowly ascend the massive vertical sheet of ice that lay ahead of us. Now, I love bouldering, rock climbing and all that - but ice climbing isn’t exactly my thing.
It’s a whole other discipline, extremely technical, with even less margin for error than most other forms of climbing. Not to mention, for a good bit of the year, I live in a place that doesn’t really have mountains; let alone snow or massive sheets of ice. However, on the anniversary of my friend’s passing, I try to make the effort. Ice climbing was their favorite thing in the whole world, and fittingly, it’s how they left this world. I’m not sure if they’d enjoy seeing me follow in their footsteps given the final outcome, but at least for my friends and I, it’s our way of keeping them alive.
We reach our first summit and set up camp on the glacier, we laugh and cry, eat and drink, reliving old memories while making new ones.
While my friends were on vacation with their backpacks full of snacks and such, I was on assignment with my pack full of cameras, lenses, and tripods alongside all the other gear we each had to carry. Though, not a single photo was taken that day. Despite being in one of the most beautiful places on earth, surrounded by some of my best friends in the world, doing one of the coolest activities possible, and despite this being my entire job and the second biggest reason I’m in the middle of nowhere throwing myself at a wall of ice, I couldn’t find it in me to bring out my cameras. I could only play hostage and sit there, immersing myself in the unbelievable beauty that surrounded us.
Standing on the glacier, my own breath condensing on my hair, freezing it in place, the realization that I’d fallen completely out of love with photography had finally hit me. In all honesty, I’m not sure if that love was ever there. At some point, I abandoned any thought process behind my images. I’d just snap a picture, pack up the camera and carry on with my expedition. Except that’s the thing, it’s never once been about the pictures. For me, it’s only ever been about getting to experience this world, to observe the wildlife around us, and to connect with the planet. The pictures are just there to spread the message - that it’s beautiful out there.
A year passes and I find myself in Namibia, sitting around the hotel lobby, Savannah Dry in hand. I’m not much of a drinker these days, but after an intense three weeks of non-stop hiking, camping, and work, I definitely earned myself a couple brews. With plenty of time before my flight home, I, like any other photographer, did some window shopping online only to find…
The elusive Fuji X100VI was in stock from a reputable online retailer.
For those out of the loop:
Ever since its release, the Fuji X100 VI has been out of stock. Every few weeks, whatever stock Fuji is able to conjure up is shipped to retailers, where their entire stock sells out within hours. Within minutes of them selling out, the same cameras can be found on eBay for twice the MSRP. In fact, this entire process has kind of been norm since the release of the X100F. These cameras are incredibly hard to purchase - at this point, many who had preordered their cameras were still waiting on it to ship.
(The X100F is the Fourth iteration of the X100 series camera, before Fuji realized that the number five also started with “F” and they had to abandon the lettered naming system for Roman numerals)
So obviously, I bought it.
That said, I don’t really know why I bought this camera. It’s not like I needed it; I have three cameras, two drones, an action cam, and a phone. So I’m clearly not lacking on that department. It’s not like I wanted it either, because beyond the GFX series, I literally know nothing about Fuji’s modern lineup. I didn’t even know the sixth edition of this camera had come out, I thought we were still on the V. Nevertheless, a box is waiting at my door as I return from the airport two days later.
The second I held the camera in my hands, I understood.
You see, my daily drivers are the Sony A1 and A1 ii. Two unbelievably good cameras. They’re just about the best all round cameras you can buy today. But when I look at them, I just see a camera. A thing that cost me a ton of money, and a thing I use for work. To me, they’re no different than a hammer. But the X100VI, it’s definitely something else.
The pressed and machined aluminum, anodized to for a smooth surface. The dials rotate, click, and snap into place with a weight behind each action. The knobs spin like velvet, buttons click into place, the subtle indents on the front and rear for grip, and the inherent charm of an optical rangefinder, coupled with this ingenious hybrid EVF solution.
This is no hammer. This is no tool.
Through and through, the Fuji X100VI is a work of art.
Most importantly, on top of its build quality, its elegance, its ridiculous spec sheet, and its rarity - it’s convenient, inviting, and easy. Sure, there’s a million settings to get your head wrapped around. But you can also just leave everything on auto, slap on a Film Simulation, and still get incredible results. There’s no carrying a heavy backpack that’s so padded it doesn’t have space for anything else, there’s no big sling and several thousand dollar object hanging off your neck, there’s no changing lenses, diving in the menus, having to get a card reader to transfer files to my laptop, editing the images, then exporting them as a JPEG, then transferring it back to my phone.
You just take it out of your jacket pocket, take a photo, put it back in your pocket, and take your phone out. Within seconds, I can take a photo with my camera, have it automatically transfer to my phone, already “edited” with the Film Simulation, in a small JPEG ready to be uploaded anywhere I wish. It’s easy, stupidly so. It’s the kind of camera you instinctively reach for. The one that you can take everywhere, any time, to any event, or to any occasion without looking out of place. It’ll fit comfortably in most slings, purses, or even large jacket pocket.
The Fuji X100VI picks up where work stops. When I’m tired of swinging the hammers around, the X100VI still finds its way into every bag, pocket, or pouch I own. It’s the camera I want to bring around, the one I want to use, the one that makes me want to take photos - and not just for work. Which is definitely something I can’t say for any of my other cameras. With those, it’s all work - I get the shot, pack up, touch grass. With the Fuji, I begin to think a little more about my images, to constantly search for compositions, to let my eyes take the lead.
It’s an inspiring camera.
As always, thank you all for reading!
Has a camera changed your outlook on photography? Which one was it, and what changed for you?