Brand Agnostic Ramblings… Why Debate What Camera Is “Better”?
I will admit it. I have occasionally done this myself. But I always end up at the same conclusion.
Who cares?
Whatever floats your boat.
As I have stated in this space, cameras on the market surpassed my use case requirements years ago. So anything will do.
But, as I mentioned above, I start debating this camera or that myself at times. In fact that is why I started writing this post. I will leave what I was writing in place below before I snapped out of it. I started this as a “So…” post where I attempt to state why I am not purchasing a piece of gear. Which has backfired on me spectacularly on multiple occasions, by the way. I end up talking myself into buying it.As the immortal bard once wrote:
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks”
I am that lady… Well. You know what I mean. On to the text from the original post. Will check in below at the point where I had my little epiphany.
I am not about the who, and more about the what.
As in, I value what is created over who managed to create it.
As in, all companies create such capable image capturing devices that quibbling over this brand or that seems pointless. Choose whatever floats your boat and I wish you well.
Groundwork laid, I will proceed.
I held an X100VI in hand that was up for sale and I did not buy it. I considered it briefly, but not because I had a use case for it. The reasons?
- It is purdy.
- What? That matters.
- I rock with FUJIFILM.
- Have had many of their cameras before. It was my main system briefly. And even since pivoting to a new main system, I still have and hold a FUJIFILM camera in high regard.
- Below are some pics from when I had an X-T1/X-Pro1 two-camera kit for a while.
- The camera is unobtanium.
- Currently listed as out of stock or on back order at two major online camera retailers.
Any of those three things could set off camera GAS, let alone all three.
But I am good.
And let me be clear. There is nothing wrong with this camera at all. It is a technological tour de force at a reasonable price.
I am not one of those folks attempting to say an interchangeable FUJIFILM camera “makes more sense”, because what does that even mean in the context of photography? An enterprise that many would deem nonsensical in its entirety, what with everyone having a camera in their pocket already.
Nor am I one of those who insist on setting up a smackdown scenario between the X100VI and the RICOH GRIII line of cameras. And that is coming from someone that has had an OG GR (given to my son),…
…dabbled with a GXR (since traded on),…
…and still has a recent GR.
I kept it in my cargo pants pocket for this wedding, and it was handy for quick detail pics and also saved my hind parts as I filled up the SD cards on my main cameras just as the Bride/Father dance kicked off.
While we are at it, I also had an X100S for a time.
A great camera capable of creating great images.
And the newer X100VI bests the older X100S in every measure, as it should.
- 40MP sensor.
- IBIS.
- Tilting screen.
- …more stuff.
While we are at it the X100VI hands the GRIIIx its hind parts on paper also.
- 40MP sensor bests the GR.
- Tilting screen.
- Has a flash.
- Something the GR lost along the way.
- EVF.
- I do not count the optical viewfinder. Novel, but I never used it. Unlike others I will not do the nose in the air “Not a true rangefinder.” thing because of course it is not. Still neat that they included it though. I just prefer an EVF here.
But for me, the X100 and GR series cameras are not really competitors.
Abridged camera briefs per me.
The X100 series is a relatively small camera that packs all the major features one would expect on a modern digital camera and looks very good while doing it.
The GR is a laser focused tool for stealth photography where compactness is the main aim. For this reason, it has some attributes that may not beat the X100 on the specs sheet, but reap dividends in the real world.
- Has street photography geared features like snap focus.
- A wonderfully well implemented digital take on zone focusing.
- Truly compact.
- While the X100VI will fit in a cargo pants pocket I have put the GR in my shirt pocket.
- Not flashy in any way, so it draws no attention.
- Save the odd fellow camera nerd you may encounter.
So different that I personally would not compare them.
I also would be more inclined to own both than try and choose between them. They are that different to me.
So, why don’t I get an X100VI since one is available?
Simple.
I do not need it.
There is nothing wrong with the camera at all.
There is a camera…
…that is a part of my main system that, when properly kitted,…
…comes close enough.
It is small enough and creates a fine image, thank you very much.
A very Eric situation.
If I did not have a main system.
If I was more concerned with form than function.
If I had no desire for a lens other than a 35mm full-frame equivalent.
I would get the X100VI.
And $1,599 is a very reasonable price if you can manage to get your hands on one.
But instead, I spent less to affix to the front on what I already have…
And here is when I came to my senses. Because…
Who am I kidding?
I still want the X100VI.
While Ellen, once self described as the queen of nice, has fallen out of favor, she has a joke from her standup days that I think of at times like this.
The setup.
She is at a hotel, and the room has no shampoo. She calls down to the front desk and someone brings more conditioner to her and informs her that they are out of shampoo.
The punchline.
“You do understand that no matter how much conditioner you give me, it does not make it shampoo.”
The same applies here. The Remaster Slim kit is nice, but it does not make the A7C an X100 competitor. It makes for a compact A7 kit.
And that is fine.
The GR need not match the X100 feature set. It is a different camera for a different purpose.
And that is fine.
Why am I choosing? Why is anyone choosing between them if they want both? The price? There are many cameras on the market that cost much more than both of these cameras combined. Whether interchangeable lens or all in one. There are those, like the guy in this review, who own more than one copy of one of these cameras.
Two folks at my local camera store debate which is better. One assumes that I would choose the one I have between the two, but I do not see it like that. Both have their merits.
I had my fun rambling on about cameras above. But it goes back to…
Whatever floats your boat.
I get it. Sometimes it is innocent fun. A distraction, but some seem to take this all far too seriously. Anger seems to come into the chat. To them I say…
Run what you brung. Enjoy it. And let others be.
Life is too short for such angst over something so insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Addendum:
I came back later to add sample pics. While doing tthis I realized a couple of things that perhaps should have been obvious to me.
- For better or worse, I take the same photos no matter what I am using. Therefore…
- What stands behind the camera matters so much more than the camera. Which helped me realize…
- I just like using different cameras, and as a result…
- I do not care what I use.
Whether uber capable state of the art camera or as close to a light proof box that allows you to open the shutter and capture an image..,
…they are all fun to me. Anyhoo.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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