1 year as a newbie - X-T30ii and Fuji 27mm f/2.8
This forum has been SO helpful for me as I've been learning all the things my sweet little camera can do and I wanted to post for the other lurking newbies who aren't sure if they're making the right choice(s). (Saying this as somebody who had a minor freakout yesterday about picking the "best" second lens - it's SO easy when you're new to get lost in the trap of what's best and reading a million opinions.)
The reason I wanted a camera in the first place was to get away from being on my phone, especially on vacations. I wanted to be able to take pictures without falling down the rabbit hole of clearing my notifications and missing what's around me. I had a DSLR for a while about 10-15 years back and loved it, but it was heavy and awkward and I wanted something light and easy to carry around with me so I'd actually bring it instead of leaving it at home.
And, as somebody who really treasures having photos of the people I love and the times we've spent together but HATES anything that feels like work, I wanted something that would take higher-quality photos while being easy enough that I don't need to spend hours correcting in Lightroom to feel like they were the best they could be.
I went with the X-T30ii and the 27mm pancake in order to minimize size. Had it been available at the time, I might have gone with the 23mm just to get a little bit more in the frame, but I don't feel the need to get it now since it feels too similar to the 27mm. I opted for this vs. the kit lens purely because of size. I rarely missed the ability to zoom in/out - maybe once or twice a trip? (Not enough to make me regret having the 27mm as my only lens for the past year, but enough that I'm looking to pick up the 18mm f/2 before my next big trip since it'll be more landscape-focused.)
In the early days I messed around with a lot of presets, but I think I've found my sweet spot - one fairly vivid setting as my everyday, "I just want photos that look how this felt" preset; one black and white with some grain that just feels like cool newspaper photos but with sliiiiiiiiightly crisper lines; and one fun 90s disposable camera type vibes. If you're taking a big trip and using presets, I **strongly** recommend shooting JPEG + RAW just to give yourself the flexibility in the future - I went to Egypt in October and as I'm going through my photos now to put an album together I kind of wish I'd stuck to just the vivid + B&W. Luckily I've got the RAW files and a friend who loves Lightroom, so I've got options. Don't limit yourself when you're not 100% certain you're going to want that hyper-stylized look forever.
And as for the photos - all were taken in the last year, in Dubrovnik, Egypt (Aswan and Alexandria), and Paris. These are just some of my favourite shots (that don't have the people in my life in them), because so many of y'all that post here are hardcore ARTISTIC photographers and it was hard to understand what was possible without being a professional. It's possible to take pictures you're really proud of without having to spend a lot of time on composition or worrying about how it'll come out - getting the camera and having pictures you love is still worth the money!
All photos taken with the camera & lens in the subject line + the Urth ethereal 1/8 black mist filter.
