This Camera Is Not for You
A new camera just dropped.
It’s lighter, faster, sharper, more dynamic-rangey than ever.
But also, more expensive. Again.
There are so many mirrorless options now, it’s honestly overwhelming.
Every brand has a flagship. A compact. A vlogger-friendly model. A retro-inspired one.
Not every camera is for you. And that’s kind of the point.
You Don’t Need “The Best”
Let’s get this out of the way. Just about any mirrorless camera released in the last seven years is ridiculously good. Like, overkill-for-most-of-us good.
Image quality? Sorted.
24 megapixels? That’s the norm and more than enough.
Dynamic range? Sure, some camera might claw back a shadow or two. But unless you're zooming in like it's a crime scene investigation, you’ll never know.
We get stuck in this loop, brands feeding us FOMO, reviewers chasing clicks, and people online arguing about autofocus like it’s a competitive sport. Look, I get it, the camera industry is a business. You just need to focus on features that fit your use case.
But Do You Even Like Using It?
Here’s something no spec sheet will tell you. There are two types of cameras.
The ones that get out of your way.
The ones that pull you into the process.
And neither is better.
Some cameras let you just pick it up, point it, and shoot. No thinking. No fiddling. Just reacting and framing.
For me, lately it’s been the Sony A7C II or previously, the Nikon Z7II We will call them traditional PASM dial based cameras. Both just disappear in your hands and let you focus on what’s in front of you. True work horses.
Others want you to slow down. Twist dials, set exposure manually, feel the click of each control. Or just look cool. Cameras like the Fuji X-T5 or the X100VI want you to be involved. For some folks, that’s the magic.
So ask yourself, do you want a camera that flows with you?
Or one that invites you into the ritual?
Both are valid. But knowing which one you actually enjoy using makes all the difference.
Features You’ll Never Use (And That’s Fine)
Every time a new camera drops, the feature list gets longer.
Eye AF, bird AF, AI subject recognition, Insane fps bursts rates, no blackout EVF. It’s all impressive on paper. Maybe that fancy film recipe dial tickles your fancy…?
But be honest, do you need any of that?
Maybe you shoot still life. Nothing’s moving except you.
Maybe you do product work and care more about resolution and sharpness than tracking a pigeon.
Maybe you’re like me, wandering cities with a compact prime, trying to travel light and be discreet.
Most people don’t need everything.
But camera advice keeps treating us like we all do.
Here’s how I shop
I want a screen that tilts, vertically and horizontally. Like the one on my X-T5.
Not flip-only.
I want a compact body. Actually portable. Something I want to carry with me.
The X-T5 with the Fuji f2 primes has been amazing to this point, but prices have started to creep up and lens availability, at least here in Australia, has gotten pretty bad.
Fuji’s zooms are just too big for this body, so I’ve reduced my kit down to the 23mm and 50mm f2.
As a second body, I picked up the Sony A7C II because it gave me a small body with full-frame features and access to a much larger lens lineup. Not that I need more lenses but so I can build a kit that fits me.
What really drew me in was the Sony 24–50mm f/2.8 zoom. It’s versatile… sure, it gives up the classic 24–70mm range, but it makes up for that in compactness.
And when I need more reach, I just punch in with the Super 35mm crop. Easy. The Sony 40mm f2.5 prime is also just a joy to use, being so damn small!
But that video-focused flip screen? Honestly, it gets annoying. Horizontally flipping out to the side making framing off centre to the lens. It made me appreciate the X-T5’s tilting screen even more. Just quicker. More natural. Less flappy. Yet I accepted the trade-offs because it offered so much in compactness and hyper specific lenses for my needs.
Sony has some of the features I want, like the multi-tilt screen, but locked to their top-tier models. I don’t need 60 megapixels or every bell and whistle crammed in.
So I keep waiting. Because when you know your dealbreakers, you stop chasing specs you don’t care about.
And then there’s the Ricoh GR III, which I picked up to simplify things even further.
No fancy screen. No EVF. Fixed 28mm lens. Shutter speed tops out early. It’s full of limitations.
But that’s kind of the point.
It comes with huge trade-offs, yet I can throw this tiny thing in a jeans pocket and take it anywhere without feeling over encumbered.
I love having it on travel days, just documenting the in-between moments.
Pure experience. And yes, it still kicks out solid image quality.
You could make the statement, that these are expensive modern cameras. Yes they are, but they have USB-C. So does all my other stuff, perfect for travel.
Gear Enables. It Doesn’t Define.
It’s not the camera that makes your photography feel like you.
It’s how you compose. What you notice. The way you tell a story.
Gear helps, it gives you tools that fit your workflow.
But it’s not the main character. You are.
No one’s ever said, “Wow, I really felt something from this photo because it was shot on a stacked BSI sensor.”
They connect with the story. The timing. The feeling. That can be done with any image taking tool.
Every camera is trying to be the one.
But most of them aren’t for you.
And that’s totally fine.
The goal isn’t to find the “best” camera. It’s to find one you’ll actually use.
One that fits your hands, your habits, your weird little preferences.
The kind of camera that disappears when you lift it to your eye, the one that motivates you to pick it up, so
So yeah, this camera might not be for you.
But the right one is out there. And when you find it… you’ll know.
Sometimes, you have to accept a trade-off to get the feature you really care about.
