image courtesy: Zack Arias
Zack Arias announced it a couple of weeks ago, when he tested the X100S: “DSLR is dead”. And now, how is his life without the DSLR? What changed in Zack’s photography after he switched to Fuji? See his shots and read the whole blog post here. And if you plan to switch too, check out the X-superkit deals.
“I was recently asked on my Q&A blog whether I was switching to Fuji just to be different and not because they are better. I replied saying it is part of the equation. Not a large part. Not even half of the part, but yeah, that’s part of it. Who has a DSLR these days? Everyone. Moms, grandpas, clients, kids, that guy in accounting, everyone. Nikon this. Canon that. […]
It’s mostly a mental departure from how I’ve done things for a long time and how much of the rest of the photography world works. It makes a difference with my clients and subjects as well. DSLRs are so generic these days that when you show up with something different like a Fuji or a medium format people take notice. They ask questions. These cameras start conversations. When I shot DSLRs I always heard about what camera my client or subject had. “Oh. You shoot Canon. I have a Nikon.” Etc. Etc. And then those conversations would take place. Not any more. “Wow. What is that? I’ve never seen one of those.” is now the opening line. […]
When you change those tools there’s a mental change as well. The retro styling of the Fuji cameras isn’t just for show. There’s a reason cameras have been set up like those for decades. There’s a very practical reasoning behind dedicated aperture dials on the lens and shutter speed dials. I can “feel” where my settings are.
I say all of this to say I’m emotionally connected to my Fujis. I’ve never been emotionally connected to a DSLR. Ever. That connection matters. It’s not on a spec sheet. It can’t be tested in the lab. I look at my Fuji cameras and I want to go shoot. I want to make photos. They don’t belong in a bag. They belong on in my hand.”
Fuji X100S: [shopcountry 12883]
42 Responses
I really feel what he says !
I did the same thing. I was a DSLR guy, but to me part of the joy of photography was gone because everything in DSLR are too big, too chunky, too heavy. You want to take three lenses to cover a wedding? Ok let’s take a 24-70, a 70-200 and say a 85mm. How many kilos your bag will weight?
So I switched a first time to micro 4/3 but I was’nt quite perfectly happy, though the ones I had were very good cameras (GH3 & OM-D). I sold everything to give a try to Fuji.
I went for the Fuji X100s. Oh boy, what a camera. As Zack Arias say, I feel connected with the camera, it has never been the case before with any camera I owned…
Now I wait confidently for a full frame camera the size of the Sony RX-1 or the size of the X-Pro 1 (wich is smaller than many dslrs) with interchangeable lenses. I know it’s coming, it seems according to various rumors that Fuji and Sony will be the first to launch those long awaited products. Sony is expected to launch their Nex Full Frame next year…
So we live in a fantastic time, where we will have the quality if not better of full frame DSLR in cameras the size of the Sony RX1 or X100s… The thing Leica failed to accomplish since they switched to digital !
i totally disagree (for now). Fuji X cameras are still on their early stages to conclude that “DSLRs are dead”. there are still so many things to consider – faster AF, choice of lenses, faster controls and so many other things. Things that we all know one day will be developed by Fuji, since they’re the only company that listens to us (customers)!
Cheers!
The statement that the DSLR is dead (to him) by Zack Arias is annoying. He usually had more common sense, but I guess with the reach he has through social media, you need to fuel the fire from time to time to keep up.
The kit he uses is not for everyone, it’s clearly for him. You don’t need to declare something dead only because you found a new workflow or using a different set of tools – given how specific tools, namely the Fujis, are compared to the extremely wide range of requirements DSRLs are used for.
They’re nice cameras and depending upon what your needs are, they could work great. But if you shoot birds or anything that moves, that’s not their thing, for a variety of reasons. Grand proclamations that this or that is dead is a little over the top. Maybe their dead to him, but some of us still need a dslr in our lineup. BTW, I have an x100.
digitalrev does not have it in stock, it appears in the website but I asked customer service and they said no.
I agree with Zac’s over all argurment in his article and for me the dslr is largely dead. However, overall sales would indicate the dslr is still going strong. People like Zac are trend setters and so for him the dslr (except medium format) is dead. If the the mirror less systems continue to develop they will start to eat into the dslr markets. Once a compact full frame (& non Leica) system is marketed we may see some serious competition to the FF DSLR systems.
Despite the X100s’s inherent goodness, did anyone bother to question Zac’s financial relationship with Fujifilm USA? I dislike the “shill” label but no one does this sort of prolonged endorsement for free.
@CGW – I have talked about that myself on my blog, on twitter, and on my Q&A blog. I am not paid to endorse these products. I have to lay it out due to FCC guidelines on endorsements and advertising. I have been hired by Fuji to shoot for them (as I’m hired by any other company to shoot for them) and they have hired me to speak at industry events.
The reason they hired me is because I love their stuff so stinking much. What I share on my blog and in social media is all me. I swear to all that is holy… Sony could come along and offer me $100,000 to switch to their gear and blog about it and I’d say no. I’m not the type of person who can be bought off.
Look at my blog. Go through it. How many banner ads do you see? How many affiliate ID numbers are in 99% of my links? How many? Zero. How many posts do I make about my DVD I sell? My lighting guide? How many times in each post do I point you to my Creative Live classes? How often can you find me shilling anything?
How often do you find me monetizing my feeds?
I talk about the shit I love and that’s it. If Fuji paid you a good day rate plus usage plus expenses to go to India, Turkey, Germany, and New York and didn’t make you sign a contract or require anything of you other than photos and some promo videos would you say no? Are they supposed to hire shipping clerks from Home Depot to test their gear? Or pro photographers who love their shit?
Would you say no to those jobs? And you have a family of six you have to support? Are you kidding me? So many people now think I’m just a paid endorser to talk Fuji stuff. They pay well for the jobs at hand but they don’t pay that well. I don’t get a freaking dime of commissions or any of that.
Also, I’ve stood on their platforms and talked about all that I don’t like about their cameras and all that I want to see changed. I have an absolute open policy to say whatever I want.
Guess what I just bought recently? An Olympus TG-2. If I was an shill for Fuji there’s no way in hell I could actually say that. I don’t want that kind of relationship. I’ve met endorsed pros and they can’t so much as be seen with a different brand of camera around their neck. No thanks. Not for me.
So before you go thinking I’m paid off… do your homework. Look to see if I’m one of those who are constantly pushing shit on people to buy. I have plenty that I can push. How much do I do that? Go look around. You won’t find much.
Cheers,
Zack
Tone of reply is completely undeserved.
Your blog entries do look suspect & over the top to a lot of people, maybe there is a reason for what he/she said?
The lack of banners ads etc. is not an argument, on the contrary.
Just saying, devil’s advocate etc.
I would say it’s 100% completely deserved. This guy is one of a long list of guys that have leveled the “shill” moniker at Zack and you can see he’s getting tired of it.
But in reality, no matter what he says, some people have made up their mind about him and there’s nothing or no one that will change their minds. I suppose the next “shill” accusation will be levied at David Hobby since he’s gushing over the X100s also. Yeah, the same David Hobby that makes snoots out of old pasta boxes and gaffers tape. He’s obviously rolling in endorsement money!
@zach
ouch! tell it like it is brother!
zack*
With respect I disagree. The reason they hire you is that; you like their stuff, you are a great photographer for show casing their product, and in doing so you provide an endorsement of their product – whether this is implicit or explicit is somewhat irrelevant as you have disclosed your relationship with Fuji and this means the FTC Guidelines are also satisfied.
This is not a criticism of you, but lets be real, Fuji is selecting you out of all the Pro photographers in this World for a reason. Right. They want more than just some photos, they want a well known Pro to show us all just what is possible. Its great. Its also an endorsement. You would not get the job if you would use the HB or a Sony.
I personally don’t have a problem with it, since you are open about the relationship its easy enough to weight your comments appropriately. However, ultimately you cannot be truly independent when you are on the payroll – its just not possible, in any industry. Funny enough, people on the “payroll” don’t seem to notice this – hey, I’m a pro in my field, I’m on a payroll too. I know the deal.
And further, if Fuji wants to pay me to use their next camera I also would jump at the chance because I think it would be useful to see what normal people can do with these cameras since it is mostly normal people who buy them. Zac A. taking an awesome shot is kinda boring, me getting one good shot out of ten is on another planet!
Tim, it would be very strange for Fuji to select someone who doesn’t like their products.
Speaking of Sony, Hassel and “dead” DSLRs… There’s a word in Japanese, as untranslatable as “bokeh” – the word is “bunkai”. It is used in martial arts to describe a very deep and nonverbal understanding of what particular technique actually means. For example, this beautiful sliding motion you practice over and over again in “kata” form – it can actually be used in a street fight to break your adversary’s neck.
Something very similar can be applied to photographers: most of us practice “kata” all the time just for the sake of it, but there are also an open minded few who can go deeper than “image quality” or “color reproduction”, a few who can actually understand the “bunkai”.
Zack seems to be one of the few who gets it.
PS: for me, DSLR is dead as well – I switched and I like it 🙂
Bunkai is literally “breakdown” or broken down. I think that’s pretty close to what it actually mean. To break something down to it finest detail, and understand the dynamics between those pieces.
I think you’re getting it wrong. Normal people with any camera takes normal pictures. This is not about camera is about to be a good photographer.
Zack can take wonderful pictures with any camera, but now he prefers and give us his personal thoughts on a particular camera.
The camera isn’t going to make you a good photographer is the other way around.
No camera company is going to here “normal” people for the same reason: they need a photographer which dominates the technique to showcase the maximum from their products.
If you buy a x100s and you don’t get quality pictures is probably because your mistakes not the camera.
@Jesper and @Alcides:
I know the dictionary translation of “bunkai”, but it’s wrong. Close but wrong – it’s as impossible to translate without cultural background as it’s impossible to translate a “trespass” to the language that has no such concept (like Russian, my native tongue). I used to be a press officer for Russian Tomiki Aikido federation for a long while, I know that. So let’s go with a “deep understanding”, or “understanding of inner workings” instead of a dictionary “breakdown” and “analysis”. “Reverse engineering” (as in “what did they actually mean by that”) also works. For example, some MA techniques won’t make any sense until you realize their application with the weapon (despite the fact that they are never practiced with weapons).
Anyways, back to the topic and Zack. Better yet, let’s keep martial arts as a reference point. “The camera isn’t going to make you a good photographer” is a very popular sentence, and I use it too – guilty as charged. People take photographs with matchboxes and beer cans all the time. I’ve created a few landscape photographs using a shoe as a camera (on a bet). You can take a photograph with literally anything. It is even possible to develop a B&W film or paper in a blackcurrant juice. But that’s not the point.
Some cameras (or camera systems) WILL help you grow as a photographer, for me it’s a proven fact. However, this is very individual thing, like learning to swim. Some need a lifesavers, others preferred noodles, yet some people can’t learn how to swim without fins. Fins can easily drown a “lifesaver” person, noodle is a bad choice for “styrofoam board” folks, etc. Yet at some point everyone starts discussing snorkel designs.
Or, back to our martial arts references… There’s a whole bunch of MAs that teach you how to handle long weapons, then (once you’ve mastered them) short weapons – and only then they begin to study bare hand fight.
There’s a lot of similarities in photography.
Owned! So many questions can be answered by just reading. Seems to be a dying art.
Zach – don’t let absurd comments like this bother you. It is funny how people get upset when you make a statement like the “DSLR is Dead”, as they fail to realize you are voicing your opinion. Just like when I told my friend, who is a M4/3 fanatic,that I don’t have any interest in those cameras, and he got upset and defensive, when really that is my opinion – M4/3 is not for me…who cares. Before I bought the X-Pro 1 about a month ago, the same guy was sending me e-mails and instructing others to tell me how so in so stopped using it and how quirky it is, and how great the OMD is, when all that mattered to me was what I liked, not what somone else had to complain about.
After using the X-Pro 1 for about a month now, I must say, it is a joy to use and it is a fantastic camera. I have used it for various types of shots (street, macro, landscape, long exposures, panning shots, etc) and I have used it in all sorts of lighting conditions, and I have had no problems with it. And for me, it is a “DSLR Killer”, as I have no need to use one anymore, unless I get into wildlife photography.
In my opinion, people need to stop making excuses for their own weaknesses, as the missed shots and failures are not due to the camera, but rather to the individual using it.
And, anyone with common sense would recognize that Fuji has hired you to work for them for special purposes because you are a great photographer with passion and personality, and because you love and are passionate about their gear. in addition, you have been voicing your opinion about the camera because you are passionate about it and you want to voice your opinion, not because of some endorsements.
These same morons fail to realize that you have always been honest about the X-Series cameras, as you were actually critical of the X-Pro 1 for its weaknesses when it first came out.
I am getting tired of reading some of the nonsense that is being spread on this forum from time to time. I will never forget this one moron that was wining to Fuji, saying “come on Fuji, give me an X-Pro 2 so I can take stop missing shots and take sharp shots”. If you cannot take sharp shots with these cameras, which have no AA filter, and you are always missing shots, perhaps you should take some lessons, practice your technique, just enjoy shooting, or quit, as the problem is not the camera.
Anyways, I really enjoy your photography, your expression (blog or videos) and your honesty. So, for yourself, keep doing whatever you like, irrespective of what the haters think, as you seem to be doing it right – from your heart – and most people recognize and appreciate that.
I love the X-Pro1 and X100s – I’ve used them both for my recent weddings, but sadly I was unable to use them 100% of the time. There are still focusing issues that limit the cameras. For example, the bride coming down the isle shot was slightly blurred even when open wide at f/1.4. And the focusing – while improved – still does not come close to the rapid AF of my 5D.
Would I love to use the Fuji X camera all the time during a wedding? Without a doubt. The whole X series has breathed a new life to my photography. I love it! But realistically, I can’t make the 100% jump.
I will also admit that perhaps I still have a lot to learn and that’s preventing me from making that complete jump. I’m only 1 month into the Fuji system.
I’m very excited to see what the future holds for these cameras.
It sounds like there’s some confusion here. There’s a difference between being hired as a photographer to shoot a gig vs being on a payroll. I think quite a lot of folks have in their mind that Zack Arias is getting a monthly paycheck in the mail, signed by Fujifilm, to continue to spread the good word of all things Fuji. I don’t know of one single professional photographer that gets paid a monthly paycheck from any camera company. Sure, many pro’s are sponsored by Canon, Nikon, Leica etc., but none that I know of are on a ‘payroll’ – unless you’re an employee. Which essentially is what being on the payroll is referring too. Those that are officially sponsored get free schwag, discounts etc, and the bigger named photographers get free gear. Talking good about the company you’re sponsored by would go hand-in-hand. If you like their product, it’s natural to say good things about it. If you’re sponsored, get good deals, and love their products, then it’s a no-brainer to continue saying good things about the product until it fails you or something else better comes along.
Thousands of professional photographers around the world are hired by many global corporations to photograph ad campaigns, or editorial spreads for marketing purposes. They’re commissioned to do so, as a contractor. That does’t make you someone who’s on their payroll.
Zak Arias said: “I think Zeiss screwed the pooch by releasing the wrong X mount lenses right now. They should have come out of the gates with a portrait lens.”
cd.embrey has been saying for a long time: “Both Fuji and Sony need to release a fast 90mm (=135mmFF) for X-mount and E-mount.”
From the comments section of Zac’s post. Zack said on June 13, 2013: “I’d LOVE a portrait version of an x100. With leaf shutter!!!”
An X100S with a 90mm f2.0 would be a great camera. Not many jobs I couldn’t shoot with the combo of 90mm and 23mm X100s cameras.
damn… that is one health girl
Pretty soon calling someone healthy will be offensive.
I have followed this discussion with some interest. Mr. Arias is a very talented professional photographer with name recognition. I’m not sure how this Fuji X thing started: did he shot an X100, like it, write about it and then Fuji noticed his interest? Or did Fuji sent him a prototype X 100 and a big check?
No matter to me because as a long time Fuji shooter, his words ring true to me. These X Cameras are an emotional experience, especially to shooters of my age, who remember film, and classic cameras. The imagers and the XF lenses are among the best I’ve ever used.
Is it bad when Tiger Woods, or Serena Williams endorse a sports product? If they truly use the subject of their endorsement, it has to make them a living, much like Zack and the Fuji equipment.
I hope Fuji is paying him, and well. He’s an excellent ambassador for their products and likely worth the money.
However, in my experience, he speaks the truth. His articles mirror exactly my experiences with the Fuji X gear.
BTW I am not a paid endorser for anyone. But I’m open to it.
It’s the first senario you mentioned. Zack first found the original X100 and fricken loved it. I mean, he really gushed about it, saying how it totally zapped more life into his photography. That “zap” could have come from anywhere. A new client. An inspiring trip, etc. For him the zap was a new camera and form factor that made him think in a different way.
Fujifilm then picked up on his love of the camera and hired him from there. Zack has written about it several times. I believe the X-Pro 1 he was given to try out when he was on an assignment for Fujifilm though.
I understand what he is saying. And the physical nature of the settings are nothing short of beautiful.
However let’s not go overboard. Canon is converging it’s DSLR range very close to Fuji’s pro line.
There is a startling difference in quality and features between the X-Pro1 and the Canon 6D. Especially given the 6D is the same price on eBay.
A full frame camera that…. amazingly…. can shoot video….. GPS….. Wifi……. great lens line……it’s small and attractive…. stick the 40mm on a 6D and I guarantee people will ask questions about it too (if that’s your kick).
All this….. AND it is fast at focusing.
(Don’t get me wrong, I believe the Fuji Pro line has progressed in focusing, but it is still a noticeably behind.)
Yes Fuji’s Pro line is lovely. But to the modern consumer it does not always compare well.
Let’s keep the comparisons real!
I really pity Mr Arias if he feels his photos do not set him apart enough, and don’t speak for themselves loud enough, that he has to rely on mere appearances to try and make a difference with people who don’t know better. Vanitas vanitatum… Showing off their equipment should never be part of any real pro’s toolbox, it’s simply childish and makes one wonder why one should resort to such devices…
Showing up with a camera that was first and foremost designed to look like a Leica for people who cannot afford the genuine article, and hoping to impress clients or subjects, is a bit like a novelist showing up at a possible publisher’s with a cheap replica of the Montblanc fountain pen Hemingway used, and thus hoping to convince that they too can write the next “For whom the bell tolls”…
This comment has of course nothing to do with the intrinsic qualities of the camera in question, it’s just the method that is pitiful. To think that Cartier-Bresson’s #1 imperative was to blend in, disappear in the crowd, not stand out at all —oh, and HE was using Leicas, of course.
It’s more than that. He is making comparisons to how people look turning up with an DSLR.
I’d suggest most Pro photographers aren’t so shallow.
I confirm : most aren’t.
Leicas are overpriced, boutique items now. They’re not made for today’s photography. Back when they were big, they ruled their little world because they filled a niche. Now, now they’ve priced themselves out of being a serious photographer’s tool. I’m not sure if you know many pro photographers, but we’re not all Annie Leibovitz’s. When the M series of film cameras were out in the world, they actually provided something you couldn’t get from an SLR. Now…now there’s nothing a Leica can do that you can’t do with something else without breaking the bank, AND do it better. There is not ONE shot you can do with a Leica that you can’t get from something else and do it better with something else. They’re prestige items. They’re nice, but no way would I use one on a gig…and this is coming from someone that shot with an M3 and M6 in my film days (along with a variety of other gear).
Now, that’s out of the way. Zack opens up his camera bag and talks about his gear because the man is inundated CONSTANTLY with questions like “what do you use? what do you like? do you think this or that is good? Why do you use this?” He’s showing his gear and what he uses, including how he shoots on his blog for the small group of photographers that want to know this stuff. He’s not going “hey, look at me everyone! Look at what I have!”. He’s not being “childish” in the least. At least, it didn’t come across to me as childish.
Cartier-Bresson used Leicas because he used Leicas. There wasn’t a huge variety of small camera’s back in the 50’s. BTW, the last half of his life he used paints and pencils. You seem to admire the man and want to use what he used…so maybe throw away that camera and go painting and drawing. 🙂
Thank you for your kind advice. I will however not heed it just now.
If I do “admire” Cartier-Bresson, it is because he achieved a status as a legend of photography that Mr Arias can never even hope to approach. And so, when I hear Cartier-Bresson give an advice, and then Arias give another, guess which one I’d rather follow?
And I beg to disagree: Leicas, overpriced as they may be, are excellent, excellent tools for today’s street photography. Mr Arias I’m sure would love to agree, if he could afford even only one, with a couple of those famous lenses…
If you don’t have loyal enemies that discredit your work, your opinions and your personality, you have hardly accomplished anything. Seeing that Zack keeps attracting flak is just proof that he’s doing something right. 😉
I love the logic : people opine he is dumb; therefore, he must be intelligent.
With this kind of reasoning, it’s a wonder Man ever came out of the cavern.
It begs the question, why are you here on this forum at all? You don’t seem to be a fan of Zack…okay, no problem. Not really a fan (from what I can tell), of the Fuji cameras….so why come here to even comment?
I mean, I’m not a fan of NASCAR. It’s a nice sport and all and people seem to love it, but it’s not my thing. But I don’t go to NASCAR forums and sit there and denigrate the fans or the drivers or the sport itself. Why would I?
Almost every pronouncement you utter is false, so I will not waste more time responding. Do let me be and go talk to other people, if you don’t mind.
Good story!
And I thought that Zacks tabloid statements like “dslr is dead” are just meant to increase clicks and earnings 😉
Saying the “DSLR is dead” was very simple minded… Nothing is dead as long as ONE person in the world is using that type of equipment/Workflow and think that has stirred a lot of emotion with readers/DSLR users when they heard that ( But controversy sales and I’m sure he knows that). When a person asks me what camera is best or what I use, I say they all have their strengths and weaknesses but they are all good these days, Especially for web viewing, and quality lenses are your best investment.
I also don’t think Zack’s work is that great for readers/viewers of his blog/work to put so much faith in his words… Buy the tools/workflow that works best for YOU ( Yes I know he reads this blog and yes my name links to some of my work ) I do like the fact that he shows people that you can be very minimalistic with your gear and technique… ALL of the photos on my blog are shot with a Sony “Consumer camera’ and only with the ONE lens I took with me on that day (Forces me to get different looks with different focal lengths and no get too comfortable with a ‘favorite’/’best’ lens) and a lot of the time no flash. For size and convenience, I recommend using/bringing one lens per day and switching the neck strap for a nice leather wrist strap… A ‘Consumer’ DSLR like a Sony a580 or Nikon D5200 with a small 35mm prime lens with a nice leather wrist strap( had to order mine on ebay from asia ) will give you better/same results as the setup he uses with pretty much the same convenience/ease of use without having to purchase an amazing Fuji camera like the X100s if you already own similar sized ‘Dead DSLR’s’.
I find that girl strangely attractive.
Ok….so Zack buys a Fuji camera, falls in love with it and wants to share this with us. We read it, are shocked/stunned/amazed at his enthusiastic response and start thinking about this newcomer. Further opinions appear online and in print, also enthusiastic, so we think there may be something to this retro cutie other than looks. Many of us buy one and think these men are, in fact, right on the money. Fuji hire Zack (and others) to speak to us at shows. They also hire him for some location work. He gets paid for these jobs, goes home, gets on with his regular work/hangs out/does the dishes etc. For these latter things he is not paid by Fuji. Yet he still enthuses about the X-series, so much so that he states, yet again, he is not on their payroll, because he simply isn’t. This makes some people very unhappy, or rather unhappier than they already are. His situation is not unique. English pro Damien Lovegrove is more or less in the same boat. He recently did a Film Noir shoot using the X-Pro1. He enthused at length at the quality he achieved with this modest kit, going so far as to say that his results with the X-Pro1 at ISO 1600 were at least the equal of what he achieved when using a Hasselblad H2 with Phase One back at ISO 400. Naturally there are those readers (like the ones here) who would be suspicious of such a view, so he too had to add that he buys his own gear and is not on Fuji’s payroll either. Well, neither am I (gosh darnit). But everything these talented and generous men have written about the X-series I agree with because they’re right. I am not on Zack’s payroll either but I defend his comments because I have put them to the test. And his video “Transform” (YouTube it, go on) is one of the best pieces of advice/encouragement I have ever seen. I haven’t used my DSLRs for months, but I know I will if the need arises. It’s dead to Zack, but not to me….yet. But it’s not looking good. Let’s all move on….anyone seen World War Z? 😉