So today I want to talk about my new camera that I have been using for the past couple of months – Fujifilm XT20.

To be very honest, I am not so much a photography enthusiast. I owned many many different cameras before, most of them were compact cameras or selfie cameras. And actually, 90% of the the photos I took were with my iPhone or my selfie camera (which everything turns out overly-smooth and pale. Fair-skinned burgers, anyone?). Photo quality was not really a big deal to me because I thought my iPhone was doing a great job. And, honestly, as long as *I* look good (after many filter apps), who cares? Shocking, coming from a (sort of) full-time blogger/social media person!

This was what I thought, until my Casio TR selfie pro died on me. It has been dropped countless times before and this time it was broken for real, after Junya accidentally flung it on the floor.

And then I thought, it’s time for a real camera. Like a real one.

I don’t know. Maybe I started taking less and less selfies and more of everything else. Maybe I wanted to look more professional especially when it comes to work. Maybe I just needed an upgrade. Or maybe, I just wanted a new challenge. Selfie cameras and iPhones are too easy, shamefully so. Am I going to not put in more effort to create better content for my followers?

So I decided that the game changer this time, is Fujifilm XT20. Our first encounter was in Setouchi where Chanwon brought hers on the trip and I played with it a little. I was instantly smitten. What have I been missing out???? I was in shock.

So yes, instead of a very techy reviews over all the specs, this review comes from me, a social media person who is too busy to sit down with a tripod for that one magical picture, a complete noob who is still trying to figure out why the number of focus points matter, and  who prefers the electronic shutter because she always take sneaky pictures and don’t want to alert anyone lol.

Sorry for the long intro. So here are some of the photos I have taken with Fujifilm over the past few weeks.

I’d say that I can never look back again. Given that I shot most things on auto or semi-auto, I am beyond impressed.

Stylish outlook

First of all, the Fujifilm XT20 is a very compact camera, given all the amazing stunts it could do. And more importantly, it looks extremely stylish for a blogger like me. I really love the retro look of it and it feels good to be holding it and have it featured in a mirror shot too.

Excellent quality

To illustrate how it would be very difficult to go back to using phone cameras again, here’s a comparison of the same scene taken with my iPhone7 and Fujifilm XT20 without any editing:

Night time, at our ryokan in Nagasaki. Taken with my iPhone7. I am actually quite surprised with how bright it turns out because the lights are off in the room!!

Same photo taken with Fujifilm XT20. It could be better if I used a tripod and play with more settings (but honestly who has time to fiddle with settings when all they need is a quick, instant shot of a very precious moment?)

Selfies

I was actually mentally prepared to ditch selfies (or wefies) forever the moment I decided to get this camera. There are more important things to capture in this world than just my own face. (Although with my face in it it will still be better lolol).

But I was surprised to find out that, with an app and a stool (or tripod, better still), I could still get that classic self portrait every social media lady is ever so pro with.

Combined with a couple of filters, you are your own professional photographer in a studio.

The app is called Fujifilm Cam Remote, you can download it on your smartphone can just remote control the camera. It’s sooooo awesome! Don’t even need to press timer then rush back to pose within 10 seconds lolol.

This photo is me showing Junya how I took this photo with a button on my phone.

First wefie I took with the camera haha. With the kit lens, it is actually possible to snap a wefie of two person, although I’d suggest a wider angle lens.

Other functions

There are some other features I have yet to mastered like multiple exposure, where you take a photo that combines two exposures from two different shots:

My favorite views – sleeping baby and Tokyo tower in one shot, a scene that’s not usually possible with phone cameras, which would turn out like this:

Night shots:

Fireworks:

Telling A Story

The best thing I love about it is, how it is able to tell a story with every shot.

In all its vividness.

Capturing a precious moment.

The details of every pixel is just remarkable. I feel like life is a movie… with this camera. Hahahha.

Finally, I’d like to summarize my love for Japan with this camera in this video, shot with Fujifilm XT20 on 4K recording.

I’m using a combination of the kit lens and also a Fujinon XF35mm F1.4 that I have been drooling over for a long time.

So for those who are looking to get a stylish, high quality camera that won’t break your bank, I hope this blog post can help you make a decision! ^^