Why I Chose FUJIFILM—Color, Form, and My Approach to Photography

It has already been eight months since I bought the X-E5.
If I count from when I started using the X-M5, it has been a year and a half.

Since I started using FUJIFILM cameras, the number of days I go out to take photos has increased dramatically. Aside from professional work, I rarely went out for snapshots before.

That was when I suddenly wondered.

Why was it FUJIFILM?

I imagine there are people looking for a camera right now. There are many manufacturers, and they are all good, aren't they?

I don't know how many people choose FUJIFILM among them, but I wrote this with the hope that it might encourage those of you who are unsure about which camera to choose📸

The act of taking photos

When I thought about buying a camera, the first thing I considered wasn't "what I want to shoot." It was "what kind of feeling I want to have when I shoot."

Photography is a record. But it's more than just that.

Feeling something at the moment of pressing the shutter and capturing that emotion along with the image. I think that vague desire was the reason I started looking for a new camera.

I checked the specs and read through countless reviews. If you watch enough comparison videos on YouTube, you'll see sensor sizes, autofocus speed, and video performance. There is no end to the talk about numbers and features.

But it didn't quite click. I felt that what I was looking for wasn't in the specs.

That was when I remembered FUJIFILM.

Love at first sight with the form.

My first impression was, "It's cool!" That was it.

The texture of the metal, the flat body reminiscent of a rangefinder, and the simple design that doesn't demand too much attention. An appearance that makes you want to carry it around. Before the specs, I was captivated by the look.

A camera is meaningless if you don't take it out. No matter how high-performance it is, if it's heavy and bulky and you think, "It's a hassle to bring it today," then you won't be taking any photos.

FUJIFILM cameras have an irresistible charm that makes you think, "I'll take it with me today, too."

From there, I started researching again from scratch. It wasn't about the specs; I wanted to know the philosophy behind how this camera was built.

And that is when I encountered the existence of Film Simulation.

At first, I honestly thought, "Is this just some kind of filter feature?" But that is not the case.

FUJIFILM is, after all, a film manufacturer.
PROVIA, VELVIA, Classic Neg. These are attempts to faithfully reproduce the color characteristics of films that once existed in the digital realm.

Rather than simply "processing it to look like something," they are trying to reproduce the way film itself captured light, how colors were rendered, and how shadows fell. Within that, there was a philosophy unique to a manufacturer that has been making film for many years.

This is interesting!! Thinking that, I looked at as many photos taken with it as I could.

The Film Simulation Rabbit Hole

Once I started using it, I was hooked in no time.

The blue of the sky captured with VELVIA was more vivid than what I saw with my own eyes, yet somehow nostalgic. The street corners captured with CLASSIC NEG felt like scenes from an old movie. When I shoot with ETERNA, I feel like even the most mundane moments of daily life take on a quiet sense of drama.

Even in the same place, with the same light and the same subject, just changing the Film Simulation changes the "narrative" of the photo. I suddenly realized that this wasn't just a setting, but a choice of expression.

When choosing a Film Simulation before shooting, I naturally start thinking about "what kind of photos I want to take today." Just by doing that, I felt like the photography had already begun before I even pressed the shutter. It wasn't so much that I was hooked on a feature, but that my very approach to photography had changed.

Before I knew it, I couldn't imagine using anything other than FUJIFILM.

The Choice of the X-E5

If I were choosing based solely on features, there are plenty of "stronger" cameras out there. But I chose the X-E5 because it most honestly embodied the intuition I felt at the beginning: "I want to carry this around."

A thin, compact body, the texture of the metal exterior, and simply organized dials. It doesn't stand out whether it's in my bag or out on the street. And yet, I can operate the shutter speed and exposure compensation with physical dials. That tactile experience makes me feel more conscious of my shooting.

The feeling that I am properly involved in the act of "taking" a picture. That is what the X-E5 has.

The Vibe of People Who Use FUJIFILM

There is a unique community around FUJIFILM.
Not a specific community, but perhaps what you might call a "vibe" on social media.

When you search for hashtags on Instagram, photos taken by users from all over the world flow by. Snapshots, portraits, landscapes, daily life—the genres are all over the place, yet the tone is somehow similar. It also feels like everyone is "enjoying photography."

Rather than talking about specs, many people are talking about which Film Simulation they like or which lens they are pairing it with. I sometimes think that might be because the FUJIFILM brand places "enjoying the act of photographic expression itself" at the center.

Buying a camera is also participating in a culture. By choosing FUJIFILM, I naturally gravitated toward a community I could resonate with.

Finally—The Reason I Keep Shooting with This Camera

In the end, if I had to sum up the reason I chose FUJIFILM in one word, I think it would be "because it makes photography fun."

At first, I was drawn to the form. As I researched, I learned the philosophy of Film Simulation. Once I started using it, I fell down the rabbit hole. And then I got the X-E5 and started carrying it with me every day.

Looking back, there wasn't a single part I chose based on specs. Everything started with the feeling of "I want to shoot with this camera."

There are things about a camera that cannot be explained by performance or price alone.

What kind of feelings do I have when I look through the viewfinder? What do I feel the moment I press the shutter? What do I think when I look back at the photos I've taken?

I want to keep taking those kinds of photos with the X-E5 from here on out.