G.A.S. stands for Gear Acquisition Syndrome. It’s something that affects a lot of photographers. The compulsive buying of cameras and lenses to satisfy this urge, fuelled by manufacturers who are constantly churning out new models to tempt us. It has to be said that new cameras are very often better than older ones if you look at the raw specifications. More megapixels, better low-light performance, image stabilisation…
For the past few weeks, I’ve suspected I’ve got G.A.S. I can’t stop fantasising about certain cameras, particularly the Fuji X-E5, which came out last year and which I find absolutely gorgeous. So what, am I going to buy a camera just because it’s ‘gorgeous’? I own an old predecessor to the X-E5. I bought the X-E2 in 2016, which was 10 years ago. To put this camera into context, let me tell you that it has 16 MP, no touchscreen and no tilting screen, but it has one brilliant feature: a pop-up flash. Pfff, I can already hear some of you grumbling about how weak this flash is – though it’s not really a flash at all. Well, in my opinion, it’s super useful and helps brighten up the foreground when the light’s running low. You’re not going to cover a wedding or a major event with this pop-up flash, but it’s more than just a gimmick. I regret that manufacturers are increasingly abandoning the pop-up flash. Since the X-E3, Fuji has removed it from subsequent models. Ricoh has done the same, moving from the Ricoh GR II to the GR III…
A few weeks ago, we were in the west of the island and we had a drink on the beach a couple of times to watch the sunset, and I only had my Ricoh GR III with me. Well, I can tell you I really regretted not having that flash! I took a few photos of friends against the sunset and they were rubbish… Whereas with the flash, those photos would have been brilliant! A stunning sunset with a flash to bring out the people in the foreground. When I use the Ricoh GR III on the street, I rarely need the flash, but if I had it, I’m sure I’d use it on certain occasions to do more creative work using that artificial light. Not necessarily right in people’s faces! That’s not really my thing, the Gilden-style aggression…
So there I was, browsing for Fuji X-E5s on something like Gumtree, wondering how much this little treat would set me back. The worst part is that this week, at work, a colleague who’d gone to see the lava flow from the volcano – which is very active at the moment – had brought his camera in to edit his photos. And I immediately saw that it was a Fujifilm X-E5 with the 23mm f/2.8 pancake lens (which is equivalent to a 35mm lens as the Fuji is an APS-C camera)! Yep, that body is dead sexy, and with the pancake lens on it, it’s got a bit of an X100 VI vibe. Anyway, I had a go with it and found it feels nice to hold. It’s slightly thicker than the X-E2 I own. On the other hand, you can tell the camera is heavier than the X-E2! I had a look online and sure enough, the X-E2 weighs 300g body-only and the X-E5 is 450g! Wow, that’s quite a weight gain! It’s like me after the Christmas holidays!
So what’s the story? Did Jeff give in and upset his bank manager by buying this little gem? Well, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer… No, I don’t intend to buy it. Quite simply because I wouldn’t know what to do with it! I hardly ever use the Fuji X-E2. It’s more of a fun camera that I’ve fitted with a 23mm f/1.4 and a 35mm f/0.95 (35mm and 50mm full-frame). Two fully manual lenses just for my own enjoyment. I did some street photography with the TT Artisan 23mm in Thailand because I wanted to try out the 35mm and I didn’t have anything else. You can see the results here. Mind you, that was before I realised I could use the Ricoh GR III’s 35mm crop… Since then, the GR III has become the only camera I use. I don’t like to complicate things for myself on the street, and I can’t see myself taking photos with any other camera.
Another point in the X-E2’s favour is that, despite its modest 16 MP, it’s still a camera that produces some truly stunning photos. Of course, the X-E5 outperforms it when light is scarce, and its 40 MP allow for plenty of cropping. But I avoid using the X-E2 when the light is rubbish, and I’m not a fan of cropping (apart from the 35 mm crop on the Ricoh GR III, but that’s a different story…). So no, no X-E5. My X-E2 is sexy too, even if it’s 10 years old, and what’s more, it has a pop-up flash! Which, of course, the X-E5 doesn’t have!
I don’t really understand people who rush out to buy the latest version of their favourite camera as soon as it’s released. Whether it’s the Leica Q3, the Ricoh GR IV or the Fujifilm X-E5. I’m only mentioning these cameras, but it’s the same for all brands. It’s as if, the moment the latest version of their camera comes out, the old one becomes obsolete… In fact, the same thing happens with smartphones. We live in a consumer society that can’t seem to be satisfied with what it has. I’d only consider buying a Ricoh GR IV if mine were faulty and I had to replace it. And even then, I’d look into it to see whether upgrading to the IV is worth it or not. If not, I could always fall back on a second-hand Ricoh GR III…
Basically, I’m not ready to swap my Ricoh GR III / Fujifilm X-E2 combo just yet. Fuck the G.A.S!
PS: I actually wrote this blog post a good month ago, but as I’m not exactly the most diligent person, it took reading John Harper’s latest blog post to finally kick myself into gear and publish it… All this to say that this whole X-E5 business is well and truly dead and buried! 😉
