I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard it: “Why would I carry a camera when my phone takes such great pictures?” And I get it — your phone’s already in your pocket, it’s small, it’s quick, and it’s probably the best it’s ever been. But here’s the thing no one tells you: … Read more
Last updated: 3 Oct 2025 Field-tested through 2024–2025: This article is based on months of real-world use of the Fujifilm X-T5 across travel, street, and family/documentary shooting in the Philippines and the UK. Every accessory below is something I’ve personally used (or tested against a credible alternative) and would happily recommend. If you’re choosing between … Read more
Updated October 2025 — This review covers the newer XF 23mm f/1.4 R LM WR version released in 2022, not the older non-WR model. After using it extensively alongside Fuji’s 18mm and 33mm WR lenses, here’s how it holds up today. Introduction The original Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 was one of the lenses I owned … Read more
Since leaving the UK in 2014, I always thought it was temporary. A few years abroad. Some travel. A bit of life experience before I did the “normal” things people like me are meant to do — get a job, buy a house, settle down somewhere predictable. That was the plan. Until my first daughter … Read more
As you read this, I’m making the 26-hour journey back to the UK. I’m not going for a holiday. I’m going to bring my mum to live with us here in the Philippines. ⸻ My Nan got Alzheimer’s. At first, it was just little things. Misplacing objects. Forgetting names. But we all knew where it … Read more
You’ve heard it a hundred times: full frame is better in low light. And yeah — technically, that’s true. If you shoot wide open with fast glass, you’ll squeeze out more from your sensor. Better high ISO performance, cleaner shadows, less noise. It’s real. But the keyword there is if. If you shoot wide open. … Read more
Updated October 2025 — After using the XF 33mm f/1.4 WR for over a year alongside Fuji’s other premium primes, here’s how it holds up and whether it still feels like the right choice amongst the growing X-mount lineup. Is this a worthy successor to Fuji’s legendary 35mm f/1.4? I’ve loved the 50mm equivalent focal … Read more
Think you need a $6,000 flagship camera to take great photos? You don’t. I’ve used most of them — and I’d still pick these instead. Update October 2025: The goal of this article is to show where the point of diminishing returns really kicks in for most photographers. I didn’t want to create yet another … Read more
I grew up before smartphones existed — back when a “mobile phone” was a brick with an antenna, often tethered to a box the size of a car battery. I remember getting my first phone at sixteen and returning it the same week. None of my mates had one. What was the point? Little did … Read more
For photographers looking at larger systems with lenses and more performance flexibility, I’ve also compared the best travel cameras including full-systems here. Who needs a compact camera for travel photography these days, when smartphones are already in our pockets? If you’re thinking that, you’re not alone — but smartphones, despite what you read, are simply … Read more