40 http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

There are some cameras you need

in your life and the Fuji lm X100V

is one of them, as Michael Topham

explains having purchased his own

Testbench IN THE FIELD

At a glance

£1,249

● 26.1MP APS-C X-Trans

CMOS 4 sensor

● 23mm f/2.0 lens

● Hybrid viewfinder (OVF &

3.69-million-dot EVF)

● 3in, 1.62-million-dot

two-way tilt touchscreen

● 4K video at 30fps

● Weather-sealed (with

adapter ring)

T

he best camera is the

one you have with you

is a cliché we’ve all

heard before. As much

as it states the obvious, it does

have relevance in today’s society

where there can be big rewards

for being the  rst person to

record a crisis, extraordinary

event or unexpected moment.

Most of the time these situations

to which I refer are recorded on

smartphones, which can be

pulled from pockets to snap stills

or snippets of video in seconds.

I have nothing against people

using phones to document world

events and daily life, but there’s

part of me that feels like I’m not

taking photography seriously

when I do it. Smartphones will, in

my opinion, always lack the same

creative and inspiring feeling you

get when you lift a view nder to

your eye and operate a camera

with tactile controls at your

 ngertips.

Ever since reviewing the Fuji lm

X100V last year I’ve had an itch

I’ve needed to scratch. A practical

pocket compact seemed like it

could be the perfect answer to

get away from using my

smartphone when I don’t have my

DSLR, or small mirrorless camera

to hand. If I needed another

reason, my increased interest in

cycling since lockdown regularly

bullet

presents opportunities to get

some great shots at  rst light

and I often pass subjects and

other points of interest that

justify a brief stop for a quick

shot. Neither my DSLR nor

mirrorless camera really cut it for

this purpose unless I carry a

backpack, which I’m not fond of

on long rides or when heading

out for a brisk walk. But

something had to give if I was

serious about the idea of owning

an X100V as I only had £500 to

spend, not a penny more. After

deciding to part with my Fuji lm

X-T10 and XF 23mm F1.4 R (for

which MPB.com offered me

£520), I had a shortfall of £780

Bite

the