A couple of months back I was able to grab a very hard to find (at least at the time) Fuji x100s. The x100s is a compact digital camera that has a ton of manual features as well as a fixed 35mm f2 lens. I hadn’t really even considered owning another compact digital in years. The last compact digital I owned was the Canon G9 which was amazing up until the Canon 5D mark II hit the streets with its ground-breaking video functionality. In 2009 I sold the G9 and since then its been just my primary DSLR kit with my iPhone taking care of all the quick snaps and casual video work.

What I really like about the x100s, besides the overall aesthetic styling, is the double-exposure feature and the high flash sync ability. Since I hadn’t really had much of a chance to put it through the paces, I decided that an upcoming trip overseas would make for some nice bonding time, so to Budapest for a quick 3-4 day shoot it went. I was only really able to use the camera during scouting trips and during off-hours, but it was definitely the most time I have spent with the camera. In retrospect I should have probably taken photos more photos of the huge and cushy Airbus a380 from Lufthansa that we took on the way over, or the AMAZING new-ish, exclusive first-class lounge that we were spoiled in during a layover in Frankfurt, or possibly the ridiculously awesome and over the top AMG benz that personally escorted us to our airplane, but alas I did not. I made up for it, by using my then day-old iPhone 5s to capture a gratuitous amount of 120fps or “slo-mo” footage during the actual travel time.

As for both my new iPhone 5s and the new-ish x100s, just like any new piece of gear, it can take some getting used to, but I absolutely love the weight & size of the Fuji (read: I love not carrying around 40lbs of gear) and the fact that its fixed 35mm really makes you think about the picture before you take it.