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Photography can be back-breaking work. After running a photography business for seven years, the heavy equipment I was toting around started to weigh me down in ways I wasn’t fully prepared for, namely a dull pain in my lower back that followed me around for two days after a photo job. Although the camera gear wasn’t the only factor that contributed to my bad back, it was a big one. Which was a huge problem for me, because I like to be prepared with every lens option and several battery back ups and chargers at all times, just in case.
So I did what I had to do. I invested in a rolling bag and pared down the amount of equipment I brought to a job. But this new self-imposed weight limit went beyond just my freelance photography travel—it affected my personal travel, too. When I traveled, I had to limit myself to just one camera and one lens.
Perhaps as a result of gear limitation, but more likely because I got a little older, my relationship with travel photography also changed. I made a conscious decision to focus more on experiencing the locations I was visiting with my friends and truly living in the moment instead of laboring over getting the perfect shot with a bulky camera. On these more social group trips, I would rely only on a film camera or a handful of disposable cameras that I could pull out for a spontaneous snap—like grabbing a photo of my friend triumphantly riding to the finish line on an alpine luge in Chamonix—with minimal setting and framing adjustments.
But after a while, I started to miss the control of a DSLR, where I could dial up the ISO to capture a photo of my friend in a dark Parisian cafe without using a built-in flash. I also missed being able to view photos immediately after taking them and adjusting my settings as needed. And, I was ready to do without the hassle of changing out the film every 36 exposures. So I started looking for a camera that had the look and feel of a traditional film camera, paired with the control I love in a digital one. And that’s how I came across the Fujifilm X100F. At $1,099, It’s pricier than your average compact digital camera, but it’s roughly the same price as the majority of the higher-end options out there.
Before I made the purchase, I polled my friends on Instagram to get their input. After receiving an 87 percent approval vote and an excited DM from a friend who already had it and loved it, I purchased the camera, along with a leather case. The next morning, I practically ran to B&H to pick up my online order and immediately knew I had found the ideal travel camera for me. The Fujifilm X100F has a sturdy, beautiful, retro-style body reminiscent of my film camera, plus it has manual ISO dial and film filters, providing both the aesthetic, and in some ways, the functionality, of shooting on film.
The build also includes a 23mm fixed lens with an aperture that goes down to F/2, giving me the flexibility to adjust the depth of field. This means I can take a shot of a scenic landscape, quickly dial down the aperture, and then snap a portrait of my friend in front of that same landscape, but this time with the background blurred.
Since I’ve owned it, this camera has come with me on every trip, from a road trip to Montreal to a day at New York’s Governor’s Island. And the best part? Sometimes I even forget I’m wearing it around my neck. It’s that light.
Buy now: Fujifilm X100F, $1,299, amazon.com or bhphotovideo.com
Buy now: Leather case and strap, $26, bhphotovideo.com
All products featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.