Five Stars for Fuji in Monte Carlo
As a full time professional for 30 years I’ve used Canon gear for most of that time though I’ve also had Leica rangefinders, medium format and various other systems.
But now I’m definitely in a minority of full time professionals using Fuji cameras and lenses. Although I also have a Sony full frame system, the professional world is still heavily dominated by Canon and Nikon.
Much to my surprise and delight I encountered some Fuji privilege on a recent photo shoot in Monte Carlo.
I was doing a commercial assignment, part of which entailed photographing a group of university students learning about the hotel and restaurant business in Europe. What better place than a 5 star restaurant in Monaco? I know, tough assignment when your lunch break is at such a place.
I was shooting until everyone started eating and needing nourishment myself, I started to set my camera gear on the floor next to the table. The head waiter said “let me get you a table for your gear” At first I thought he was kidding until he showed up with a small table that also had a shelf so I could fit all my gear without using the floor.
He actually insisted on putting a white table cloth on it before I set my cameras down. I was shooting with two X-Pro2 bodies and a number of lenses.
He said he sees a lot of professional photographers come through but this was the first time he’d seen one using Fuji cameras and it was a special occasion. He wanted to provide that extra privilege for my use of Fuji cameras.
That’s some nice icing on the cake from a five star restaurant!
Joel Wolfson
is an internationally published photographer who loves teaching as much as shooting. He shares his 30 years of experience as a working pro with other photographers and enthusiasts by way of his workshops, 1 on 1 training, webinars, articles, blog and speaking engagements. His technical articles have been translated for use in more than 30 countries yet he is best known for his artistic images of nature’s fleeting moments and unexpected views of everyday places around the globe. He is one of the pioneers of digital photography having conducted digital photography seminars for Apple and other corporations starting in the early 90s. His roster of notable clients includes numerous publications and fortune 500 companies. He currently works with great affiliates like Arizona Highways, Topaz Labs, ON1, and Macphun to have more avenues for working with those wanting to pursue their love of photography. His goal is to make learning and improving one’s photography easy, fun and rewarding.
I noticed the date on this article is July 10th 2017….you stated that not many pros use the Fuji system. Fast forward to 2020 and are you now seeing more pros using it more. I read of many that do.
Enjoyed your Topaz DeNoise AI 2 presentation today, Jan 30th 2020.
I switched to Fuji a few years ago from Canon 5D4 and L lens. Enjoy the system and sharp lens. Along with the lighter weight.
Hi Tom,
Yes, this is an older article. And there are more pros using it now. Since then I had numerous equipment failures with my Fuji system. Unfortunately, as I write this comment, they still don’t have a professional service. It’s been almost 4 years since their service department told me it was in the works. Don’t get me wrong. I love using the Fuji gear but photography is my full time living and I can’t afford to wait 3-4 weeks for a repair.
I’ve used my Sony pro service numerous times and it’s superb. In fairness I recently spoke to Fuji again and they are now offering rentals for gear that they can’t turn around quickly enough for pros. Of course loaners are included with Sony’s pro service.
With the X-T4 and some of the newer lenses I’m thinking about getting some Fuji gear again. The Fuji system is just plain enjoyable and natural to use. I won’t get rid of my Sony system as that is my bread and butter right now. I can’t say enough good about Sony’s service and the image quality is second to none.
Happy shooting,
Joel