索尼、富士X100VI、理光GR3：我的相機全家桶

I just came back from a short but productive photo trip to Tsuwano, a cute little town in Shimane prefecture, and during that trip I used my Sony camera, and more specifically the Sony A7C2. When I go on these dedicated photography days or bigger trips, I much prefer using a slightly larger body with a proper grip. I tend to spend most of the day with the camera in my hand, not in a bag or not even hanging around my neck, so having something comfortable to hold and ready to shoot at all times is crucial. But as you may know, if you're not at the very start of your photography journey, the best photos are not always taken during dedicated shooting sessions. The truth is that quite often, the strongest images, both subjectively because of the memory we attach to them, but also objectively most of the time, come from these in-between moments. It's when you're not actively doing photography that you take some of your best shots. It can be frustrating, but that's also the beauty of photography. You can spend days hunting for shots and hundreds of dollars traveling, and in the end you can be happier about a photo you took next to an elevator in an office building. So rather than focusing on having the best camera possible, which is kind of useless, what you should optimize is your readiness. You should try to build a system that makes you ready when the moment happens, and that's what I've built over the years of doing photography. I now have like three cameras, actually four because I own both Sony a7c2 and a7iii, but I think in terms of system, like three systems, I have Sony, Fuji with the X106, and Ricoh JR3. I've used them in many different ways, sometimes even using something as small as the Ricoh as my main photography camera, but that was more like experimentation for YouTube. But if I remove the content side of things, all three systems now have a clear use case, and no camera is like the best. Because for example, technically and ergonomically speaking, my Sonys are superior, there's no debate, but that doesn't mean they are the best in every situation. So I'm definitely not here today in this video to tell you that the Sony a7c2 or the Fuji X106 will save your photography, save your life, and make you rich. I know that I'm in a privileged situation, being able to own and hold on multiple cameras, it's my full-time job taking photos, talking about them, and hopefully teaching something here on YouTube, so I can justify it. I also built this setup over several years of doing photography, and I didn't bought like them all at once after getting the advice of another random guy like me on YouTube. And yes, I bought all these cameras with my own money, and I did not have any sort of relationship with all three brands before or after getting them. And before going into the details of each system, I just want to be clear, don't try to replicate this setup blindly, especially if you're starting from zero. I would also never recommend to take on loans or going to debt for camera gear. Buying each of these cameras with only a little portion of my savings was also what allowed me to hold on to each of them long enough to find an appropriate spot for all of them in my photography practice. But still, I'm making this video, so what I would suggest you to do is understanding your own use case and your own needs, listening to what I have to tell about each system, and see if one of the solutions I talk about fits your real needs. If your budget is limited, one camera is already plenty enough, so just pick the one that tick most of the boxes. So I will make a very short summary of each system now. So one is for when I actively do photography, maybe also shoot a video, and spend most of the time with the camera in my hand. So as you could guess, this spot is filled by the Sonys. The Fujis for when photography is not the main activity of the day, but I want a solid setup to capture photos and video if the opportunity arises, and all that with either the LCD screen or a proper viewfinder. And last comes the Ricoh, that emergency camera, now that I have moved to a new place and I have a car, is the Ricoh that is not taking the dust on the shelf anymore, as I try to always have it in the glove compartment of the car. So let's start with the camera for the active photo days, and it's either the Sony a7C II or a7IV. As you may know, I love the 35mm focal length, and that's a very important factor that led me to also buy the Fuji X106, so sometimes I fall into the trap of comparing, let's say, the a7C II with a 35mm focal length, with the X106. Even if I do that, I think there's no debate, the Sony is better, not by a mile, but still technically better on all aspects. But because of that, I tend to forget the obvious advantage of the Sony, which is the ability to change lenses. If 35mm is not your thing, or if you like zooms or playing with a range of prime lenses, the Sony lets you do that. The second most important point, and what makes these cameras comfortable to hold in hand the whole day, is the grip and the ergonomics. The a7C II is smaller, with a slightly smaller grip, but still, it's plenty deep enough, it feels good and secure in hand. You can also hold the camera with just like one finger, it balances well, and it doesn't fall. Still, I would advise to use a strap if you don't want your camera to smash on the concrete floor. You also have all the necessary buttons on the camera, sometimes even on the lens you attach to it, so really customize your shooting experience. I don't know about Nikon and Canon, but Sony gives you almost full freedom with how you set up your buttons, so the possibilities are endless, and you can really assign the tools you use the most to almost any of the custom buttons available. As we all know, Sony has the best autofocus on the market. There are still like minor differences between the different camera bodies and how good the lens is at autofocusing, but even on the a7IV, which has a less advanced focusing system, and even when using like cheap third-party lenses on that camera, it blows the Fuji out of the water like every single day. Battery life is also very strong, although I think it's better on the a7IV interestingly, because it doesn't have the more advanced AI focusing systems, which seems to be consuming more battery, but even the a7CII can go through a full day of shooting without too much problem. And for someone like me, capturing both photos and video at the same time, it's really the best system I ever had the chance to try. With the dedicated mode switch dial, you can jump between photo and video. The ability to save multiple shooting presets for each of these modes makes it so that you can capture some photos, switch to video, and it will have its own like appropriate settings, focus mode, etc. It's a huge time saver and what makes you stay involved and observant of what's around you. The camera is not coming in the way and the amount of time you spend looking down at your camera to tweak your settings is really cut to the bare minimum. I know that you can also become very familiar with a Fuji x106 for example. I think I'm quite good with it and I have optimized the capacity to switch between modes, but still, it doesn't reach the same levels as the Sony's. All in all, it's not the sexiest setup. People will not compliment how your camera looks nice with your vintage outfit you paid overpriced at a used clothes store, but it delivers constantly and flawlessly. I'm lucky to be still holding on to two Sony cameras, the Sony a7CII and the a7IV, which still work well after more than four years of using it heavily for photo and video. And now that I have both, I tend to use the a7IV whenever I use a zoom or a larger lens, like maybe the Sigma 35mm f2. Also recently I was using an M mount lens that I adapted and the adapter was just not super comfortable to use when I attached it to the a7CII, so I used the a7IV. It's slightly heavier, yes, but the load is better distributed so it really balances better with heavier lenses. So still having the a7IV lets me choose the body that complements better the lens I use for that day. But when I use a small pancake lens, I opt for the a7CII and the whole setup becomes crazy capable for the form factor. I'm saying that but during that recent trip to Tsuwano, I used the a7CII with my zoom lens so it's a bit weird for me to advise that, but it's the Sigma 28-70mm so it's not huge also. Sometimes I like to try again and challenge my own opinions to see if they are still legit or if it's worth reconsidering. It was okay but for it would have been just a bit more comfortable with the a7IV. So now if you're interested in getting a Sony camera and if you intend to use it as a main active setup, although I love my a7CII, I would still recommend you to get a larger body like the a7IV or like the a7V now. Like I said, it will be more comfortable with larger lenses and when you decide to stick a pancake lens on it, you will realize that it also becomes very light and very portable. For example when I used the 35mm f2.8 on the a7IV, it feels very light and easy to carry so I think a larger body is just more versatile overall. You see those clips I showed earlier in the video? I got them using two interesting pieces of equipment from K&F Concept who is kindly sponsoring this video. The first one is this RGB flashlight which is small, easy to carry and pretty powerful. Of course you can use it as it comes but it also has different colors and gobos so you can create more interesting lighting situation depending on the shot you go for. It also has its own battery so you can be creative with the placement of the light without having to think where you will plug it and make the cord goes. You can just really throw it in your bag and it's ready. The second thing is this tripod and it's the same idea. Something simple, reliable and easy to carry. I've been filming myself more and more recently as I now have access to nature and the countryside more easily and this tripod fits in my backpack super nicely. It's just a few centimeters shorter than my other ones that are quite a bit heavier and just cannot fit in my bag. It's also super fast to deploy and to retract as when you open those buckles, the legs are extending by themselves with gravity. It's compact enough to always bring with me which means I actually use it and that's kind of the whole point. So if you're interested, I'll leave the links in the description and thanks again to K&F for sponsoring this video. But when I go somewhere with family or if I go on a little trip with some friends, the kind of cases where I might see places that I have not seen before or I might want to take nice photos of my close ones. Also when catching a few clips here and there is not out of the question, the Fuji fits right in this gap. On a technical standpoint, the Fuji X106 can do almost the same thing as the Sony camera paired to my favorite lens, the Zeiss 35mm f2.8. It's the same focal length and roughly the same depth of field with the Fuji opening at f2 on APS-C and the Zeiss at f2.8 on full frame. You have also good video specs with some high quality 10-bit footage. So if I ever go on a dedicated photo trip with just the Fuji, which I did in my testing phase, I wouldn't have like lower quality results. It's just that the ergonomics, the buttons and also the sub-par autofocus system, the slow photo to video switch, just how it feels in hand, are not optimal for all-day active shooting. It's just making shooting more complicated so that's why I'm now categorizing this camera as my highly capable camera for when I'm not actively shooting and when I'm not just by myself. Sorry I couldn't find a better and a shorter category name but you get the point. The internal ND filter makes it a camera that has its shortcomings in terms of ergonomics but that can totally deliver stunning professional results in the most simple package. You just get a fixed lens so you're not overthinking your focal length choice, you have the internal ND and that's it, nothing extra and you're fully covered. It's also a camera that is a lot more comfortable to have hanging around the neck than the bigger Sonys and for that it becomes really the perfect camera for when you're traveling and hanging around with friends and family. Also when I play with my daughter, it's closer to my body, it's lighter so the risks of the camera bumping into her head or whatever are also lower and the consequences of it might be less big than getting smashed in the head by a Sony with a 70-200. It's also weather resistant and I use this filter from Nissi that does the job of both being the adapter ring and a standard UV protecting filter at the same time so the camera becomes quite strong against harsh conditions. And you can see all sorts of things online, people bringing the X106 in the craziest conditions and other people being super careful about the wording weather resistant so they end up leaving the camera home when there's just a bit more than the lightest drizzle. I broke mine in the snow and it went through it like without problem so you do you but I think it also reinforces this use case and the idea of this camera being one you can have hanging around your neck whatever you're doing, having a beer at the pub or hiking a mountain in the rain. If you've seen previous videos of mine you would have seen some where I used the Fuji X106 as my main camera during an active shooting day. It can still handle this like I said but it's just less convenient and less smooth than with the Sony. I'm also in this particular situation where the story and what gear I use is almost equally important as the results I get because I'm a photographer on YouTube. I try things, techniques and workflows to have the experience and share it with you and my audience. And I have to say that this idea of the Fuji X106 having a strange mystical power in it is a bit true and it also works on someone as pragmatic as me so that's why sometimes I'm tempted to use it even on my active photo days. It's also a camera that I may fall back to in a deep of inspiration because it's kind of carefree, it's a nice object and it's fun to play with. But if what you need is a good reliable working tool to bring your vision to life, a bigger body with the grip and plenty of buttons will be better suited for the job. But if you want a camera to document your life without too much seriousness, if you are not deeply involved in photography to the point of going on dedicated photo trips by yourself or with other photography friends, the X106 is just a fantastic all-in-one package to capture beautiful photos and videos. You also get to benefit from the limitations of having only one focal length which I think is the best way to learn photography, sharpen your skills if you're more advanced and even find clarity in your own photography style. Initially I was thinking of making a Sony a7c2 versus X106 video but it's kind of turning into this video because I came to the realization that it's pointless to compare them. It's important to know them and that's what I'm doing here, kind of laying out the strengths of both cameras to make an informed decision but in my opinion they are just not fighting on the same ring. That said, we cannot ignore the price. Yes, you can always find more expensive ones without a rational explanation in the form of Leica cameras but I still think that this Fuji X106 is kind of expensive. I paid like 300 000 Japanese yen here in Japan for it brand new while you could get a Sony a7c2 with a size 35mm lens for roughly the same price, also brand new and it's a full frame camera with everything I mentioned before. And I don't really know how to conclude this chapter on the X106. I love this camera and I'm not the only one. If you can afford it, go for it but just don't go crazy and just don't overpay for a used copy. Maybe that. Now that I have a Fuji camera, some may wonder why I don't do the switch also for my active shooting camera. That's a fair question to ask. Why don't I get an X-T5 or an X-H2 for my interchangeable camera setup? One is for the Sony reliability and performance, autofocus and all that jazz and also because nowadays APS-C cameras are not really smaller than full frame. If you compare a depth of field equivalent setup on APS-C and a full frame one, they are about the same size and weight so since I love my Sony cameras and I am invested in the system, I see not a single reason why I would switch to the Fuji or any other brand. It's just that this very specific camera, so the Fuji X106, is kind of the best and still affordable fixed lens camera with a viewfinder on the market right now. And last, the Ricoh. I'm still on the GR3 by the way and for my use case now, I see no reason to upgrade to GR4 unless it breaks. You may actually know me and my channel from my Ricoh GR3 videos a few years back. I went on a challenge to use it as my main photo camera for a few months and I really loved it. There were some features from the GR3 I really liked, I'm thinking of the snap focus, the size and other things but I also enjoyed digging deeper into something as wide as 28mm. I learned a ton from it which I am very grateful for but the lack of a viewfinder and just no good quality video made me gravitate back towards my Sonys. I didn't see any reason to force it into my photography practice after that so it stayed unused for a lot of time but I think I finally found a good spot for it which is in my car. It will be kind of my emergency camera, the one that is always sitting in the glove box in the car just in case. I'm thinking of days where photography was kind of totally out of my mind but still, my photographic eye was suddenly triggered by something. Actually the other day I was operating as a full-time dad and I went to visit one of my favorite temples here in Hiroshima, the Mitagidera. I put my daughter in the baby carrier, the light was good and my GR3 was in the car so I threw it in my pocket just in case. And we finished our little stroll there, making some pretty cool shots and I definitely know that if I redid all of this again but with simply my phone, I would not have taken a single photo. I know phone cameras nowadays are amazing but there is just something for me that makes me never want to take photos with my phone. I don't know why but I'm just not inspired by them. I would not advise getting a car so you can fit your GR3 but if you're commuting to work for example, you can just throw your GR or any other pocket camera you may have in your commuting bag and forget about it. I mean don't forget completely about it because the goal is still to take it out and get some photos from time to time but you get my point. And I think that's it. I have a camera in my hand, another one hanging around my neck and a last one sitting in the car. That's the shortest summary I can make about my camera setup and how I systemize it to make sure I take as many photos as possible. And having them separated like that really stopped me from comparing them, trying to determine which one is the best camera. They are all fantastic for a specific use and it's when you don't force one into a use case that is not ideal for it that you can really get the best out of it in my opinion. So I hope it was somewhat helpful. Thanks a lot for watching and see you next time!