Fujifilm has built its reputation thanks to its Kaizen approach to camera development in the 2010s, its willingness to quickly pivot to a more lifestyle brand in the 2020s, and, of course, by making digital “medium format” accessible to more photographers. Fujifilm has been a company that has pushed innovation with a strong commitment to photographic history. With that said, Fujifilm Fanboys and Fangirls are the worst.
Who is the Fujifilm Fanboy?
If you’ve ever wondered if you’ve encountered the elusive Fujifilm Fanboy/Fangirl in the wild, don’t worry – they probably would’ve told you already. You see, the Fujifilm Fanboy is as easily recognizable as a zebra on safari. Like most pretentious creatures, the Fujifilm photographer can be easily spotted thanks to their second-hand vintage leather straps, faint scent of gentrified coffee, beard or essential oils, and the simulated click of their electronic shutter firing. A Fujifilm shooter is not about capturing the scene, but about becoming one with it.
You don’t know what real photography prowess is until you post “#SOOC #ClassicChrome +2 Shadow, WB Shift: R+4, B-3” on your Instagram.
The Fujifilm shooter is what faux vinyl collectors are in the music world – espousing at length about the warm sound vinyl produces without ever owning a turntable. Similarly, the Fujifilm Fanboy will tell you all about their latest gear find – a coveted X100VI – that they paid twice the MSRP because Fujifilm doesn’t make enough stock of any camera. They’ll tell you that to get the most out of their APS-C-sized sensor, which is more than fine today, and you absolutely don’t need a full-frame camera, while secretly trying to figure out how many Fujifilm Film Recipes they’d need to sell before they can finally buy the GFX of their dreams.
The Fujifilm shooter knows that it’s more important to look the part than to have a solid portfolio. They’ll tell you they had to source an artisan-made brass lens hood made from reclaimed brass hardware from an ancient monastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Or how they found the perfect leather wrist strap made from braided yak leather purchased on Etsy – the artist only takes payment in rare seashells. The point is that while the camera may not have cost as much as those entitled Leica nerds, the vibes do.
Longing for Human Connection
The Fujifilm photographer is one who yearns for genuine human connection. That’s the only way to explain their incessant fascination with tactile dials. Yes, the Fujifilm user views aperture rings, shutter speed dials, ISO dials, and a modified shutter button as a deeply profound spiritual connection. A way to become one with the camera. They’ll wax poetically about a time when photographers exposed by sight, cameras were made of metal, and spilling fixer on your $500 vintage jeans meant you were an artist. A true Fujifilm Fanboy/girl will pull out their camera and adjust a dial for you, highlighting the audible click – all the while staring at you with a smirking, self-satisfied look. They’ll go through all the clicks each dial makes, as they work themselves up to a euphoric frenzy. Later, they’ll forget that they’ve changed the exposure compensation dial and wonder why every shot thereafter is underexposed.
The Fujifilm shooter is what faux vinyl collectors are in the music world – espousing at length about the warm sound vinyl produces without ever owning a turntable. Similarly, the Fujifilm Fanboy will tell you all about their latest gear find – a coveted X100VI – that they paid twice the MSRP because Fujifilm doesn’t make enough stock of any camera.
JPEG is the new RAW
Look, when your Instagram/VSCO feed (because if you’re shooting Fujifilm you’re definitely not building an actual portfolio) is 90% images of tightly-cropped 20-somethings’ vape pen, a “neon” sign in Chinatown, a puddle reflecting lights in Times Square, or the on-purpose accidental shot of their X-Series camera in a storefront’s reflection, you don’t need to shoot RAW. In fact, the Fujifilm Fanboy will let you know that JPEGs are the new RAW files – especially when you get it all in-camera. That’s right, the ultimate flex for the Fujifilm photographer is knowing you’ll be taking hundreds of lay-flat brunch pics and never have to touch a slider in Lightroom. Except for the clarity slider. And maybe you’ll need to lift the shadows some. And you know what, while we’re here, maybe the contrast. You know what? You can just buy a preset, and that’s fine, because it’s based on Classic Neg anyway.
The point is that while those Sony guys might love to spend their every waking hour in Lightroom or Capture One, the superpower of the Fujfilm shooter is that we’ll never have to do any of that. Their JPEG quality is unmatched; even when shooting at anything above 1600, your image turns to colorful mush. However, that’s simply not understanding that file fidelity pales in comparison to the straight-out-of-camera vibe. You don’t know what real photography prowess is until you post “#SOOC #ClassicChrome +2 Shadow, WB Shift: R+4, B-3” on your Instagram.
The Streets are Our Runway
The Fujifilm photographer can best be likened to a peacock on the street. They’ll strut and ensure that everyone within earshot knows that they’re not shooting Leica, “it’s Fujifilm.” Every Fujifilm Fanboy knows that real street photography is done on an X-Pro or X-E camera. Or for those who are like ninjas in the city, an X100 – because it’s compact, even though it won’t fit in a pocket. Those are the ones who get it; why worry about multiple lenses when the fixed 23mm from about a decade ago forces you to embrace the moment and think. You’re not out in these streets chasing specs, you’re chasing the soul of the city.
It’s Not a Filter, It’s an Identity
As we wrap up our profile of the Fujifilm Fanboy/girl, it’s important to remember that photography isn’t about the photos. It isn’t about the tech. It’s about the experience and trying to capture that pre-digital feeling. It’s pining for when photography was great, as you hold a 40-megapixel camera. Deep down inside, being a Fujifilm shooter is all about living out your Wes Anderson fantasies with each grainy, Classic Chrome shot. It’s not just a filter, my friends. It’s an entire identity.
Please, just don’t ask them what they did with the RAW files.