I think they’d set you up pretty nice - nice digs and lots of play money. Not 80 mil, but enough to not work and have some real fun. Taking out the leader of a sworn enemy is doing them a solid. Fully agreed you’d be their pet for life though

Hahaha ever since I saw your msg I’ve been wanting to use the phrase: You want to disabuse me of the notion that this is a one-and-done purchase. I like it, what I’m learning as I read and review responses is that there’s a lot to learn, a lot of growth to be had, and a lot of money to be spent.

I’m glad to hear that the cropped sensor is a reasonable starting point, and maybe even a little overdoing it - I can live with having a few functions that remain mystical for a while!

Thanks for sharing about the issues you had with Fujis, it sounds like they’re at least decent cameras with largely foreseeable issues across the years? Based on your comments and some of the known issues with the X-Ts, it seems like they’ve done this before.

I love the story of how you got to where you are, I see a reflection of how I think I’d want to approach this - with intent, both in the photos and learning/buying the equipment. Even as I’ve started talking about this, I’ve already started looking at things a little differently - seeing much smaller photo opportunities around the city, moments that would have been fun to capture.

All this to say, I don’t mind learning the camera/lenses, their advantages and drawbacks. If you’re gonna spend more than 2k on any given item, might as well get to know its abilities - I think the lenses are gonna be a danger to my pocketbook after looking into them a bit hahaha. Man, they get expensive. I think my hope is that the X-T5 (which I seem to be settling on) will be a solid all-rounder for at least a couple of years, to investigate the hobby further, build my skillset, and see what I actually end up using it for. While I started at landscapes/slow-moving nature, as I mentioned above about seeing small opportunities, it seems to be evolving just by talking about it.

I really appreciate this last bit of advice. Its a good philosophy that I keep coming across - it’s not just about the camera, it’s about the person behind it and how they use it.

That’s a great point. I was quite worried about the Autofocus on the recent X-Ts, early reviews indicated they did a lot of searching for nothing haha - my love of sticks and leaves is great, but usually tapers out around the time I’m busy admiring a bird or smtg. It sounds like at least a few reviewers have found Fuji has dialed it in in the past little bit. But also that if I want --AMAZING-- AF, just to go with Canon or Nikon(?).

Is there any particular setting/requirements that you’d recommend looking for in a camera when it comes to ease of focusing modes?

As I talk about this, I’m realizing that I will want some attn to go to wildlife and potentially some low-light photography (e.g. dusk-time animals in a field comes to mind), but more of an opportunistic thing than the dedicated daylight shots/landscapes/etc. I absolutely plan on hiding behind the AF for a while, but do hope to make use of some of these settings as I improve.

Dude, thank you.

Sorry it took me a bit to get back, wanted to give this my full attn. You’ve given me a lot to chew on, but reading this, I think my major takeaways are: a) image quality and getting there reign supreme (go full frame), b) recognize that my needs and priorities will evolve as I get deeper into the hobby (e.g., lens collection, post production, printing), and c) spending the $3-5k on a comparable full frame and some good quality lenses/attachments will be worthwhile, but lifespans on some gear are not as long as they once were. I hope that doesn’t cheapen the value of your comments. Full disclosure, I hadn’t given any real attention to printing (your highest recommendation), I was just excited at the prospect of better photos!

A couple of questions then:

a) I did a some research on full vs. cropped and their +/-, and compared two comparable-ish cameras (XT-5 vs. Sony A7 III/IV full frame), at least in price point. Is the cropped a reasonable intro for now, as I develop my eye for detail/style/preferences? Your comments suggest it’s just not worth it. My thinking is, coming from a phone, everything should look better for a while, and I have a steep learning curve ahead. STEEEP lol. Does this seem like a reasonable interim approach? Or would you still just push for a full frame/end game camera?

b) I love your comment about how it feels in the hand and the joy of use. The comments on the X-T series suggest this is a pretty fun camera to use, which drew me to the X100VI initially (before realizing X-Ts are a better fit). I think on top of ergonomics, fun to use sounds important. Can you share some thoughts on your ergonomics/fun to use experiences with the X-Ts vs., for example, the Leica?

c) More of a comment: I’m mindful of the allure of Leicas. Even before this venture, I had heard of Leica, and decided against early on cuz they absolutely destroy anything like my budget lol. Since your camera history mirrors my potential future, did you find Leica lenses were good with an X-T? Or was it the apparent gap that made you go “screw it, getting a Leica full frame”?

Duly noted about the 70-200mm range, thank you! Also, I looked at lens prices and I see what you mean by out of control - holy crap.

Thanks again for your feedback, and sorry for deluging with more questions - just getting my bearings on what is turning out to be a rabbit-hole :)

This is a great thought! From my understanding, the 16-50 is supposed to be a remarkably good kit lens, so in discussion with the local shop, I’d initially planned to run that and maybe pick up a pancake/prime lens (not sure if I’m using that right) too.

But it sounds like maybe the 50 is a little short for wildlife shooting? This might be a lack of familiarity on my part of the “effective range” that lenses have.

I’ll make a point of digging in a bit more detail on telephoto lenses - thanks!

I’ll piggy back on your comment, I was gonna say something similar (and I fully agree with it 😊)

With only the information you provided, it sounds like you’re potentially navigating some high functioning depression, maybe some meaninglessness. They can go hand in hand, and much of the joy of life is lost when/if you’re depressed with no personally meaningful direction.

Therapy is a good starting point, or even just some gentle self analysis of what may have led you to these feelings (as opposed to the symptoms of it, which it looks to me like what you described).

It’s a process, and it can take a very long time to learn how to be gentle enough to listen to yourself without judgement. So in addition to therapy, I’d add meditation to allow yourself space and journaling with personally directed questions (e.g., what do I feel, what may have led me to feel this way) that might grant you insights. Dig for what means something to you, and find a way to make it your reality.

One final thought - do try getting out there and connecting. It’s hard, irritating, and exhausting. But sometimes we spend so much time in our own space/heads that we ruminate ourselves into a quagmire. Ppl and activities corner that rumination to fewer hours of the day, and gives us a break from our own thoughts.

As poster above said, you’re not even 40 - lots of years of beauty, hope and meaning to be found and loved, though it can take time to really get there :)

All the best, OP

Yup, second on this one. Exact same change made, and the gf and I love it. We even walk when it’s minus 20 (though after that we’ll drive). Many days afterwards we’re both too beat for much more of a hard workout, so I’ll hammer out some pushups to failure or smtg

So it’s safe for my takeaway from this to be that I CAN get a modern crystal decanter? This conversation had me leaning away hard until your comment 😂

I think this is the most accurate answer. Trump and Musk have a direct impact on ppls’ day to day, and has the impact of the countries politics to be considered. Putin is just the big bad guy that’s always been there for Americans, so maybe a bit of a novelty affect for the other two too.

Oh for sure, just a PSA - once I found out there were cards I wanted some, then found out I couldn’t have them lol

Damn, can’t buy this pack of cards outside the USA

I read a few and didn’t see this. I’m from a smallish town and ended up adopting the community gym. Best decision of my life, saved me from a really rough time. Gymrats are far friendly than their rep gets, most of them are just guys that just wanna bullshit and push shit. A community rec center is also a great option, or a beer league. Just stuff that forces you outside, even when you pull the “but I don’t wannaaaaaa”

Okay so I forgot how big the sun is and had that absentminded mental picture moment of “oh it would make a big bang as something 3/4s the size of the sun would hit it”…

This picture was a very helpful reminder of just how out to lunch that thought was. Don’t trust your absent thoughts, folks 😅

Ah but you assume I will remember to BUY Chia seeds 😂

Realistically it looks like the majority of my fiber intake is about to become oats and popcorn…

IMO, AWD is overhyped. I’ve driven in snowy, hilly terrain in Canada for 16+ years, and the number of times I’ve been truly, call for help stuck is 2. Always FWD and manual.

AWD is more expensive to purchase and maintain, burns more gas and tires, and doesn’t convey that many benefits. The ppl who really need AWD are generally the ones who actually need 4x4, and if you actually need 4x4 it’s for a good reason. Knowing how to drive your car well is more valuable.

Case in point: I once drove up a rocky mountain ski hill on an icy day. There was a rise where everyone was getting stuck, including AWD and FWD drivers. Ppl were helping each other by pushing the cars to get them up/started. I was there for 40 mins, not a single AWD car outdid a FWD car. Trucks with low gear 4x4 made it, with effort.

TLDR: IMO, AWD is more marketing hype than value that benefits the dealership more than the buyer. Save yourself the coin and get good winter tires instead. Stick with the Versa.

Love,

A fellow Versa driver

Absolutely it is.

See: Millenials post 200…4?

Source: is Millenial.

Ppl are offering great advice about where to start, and it’s what I’d suggest too - start with car camping to get a feel for it. If you overcommit too soon, you could ruin the experience for yourself. I know many ppl who will never camp again because they treated it like a hotel stay, got rained out, and decided it wasn’t for them lol.

A couple of resource suggestions - you mention an interest in self sufficiency. Read the SAS Survival Guide by one of your own, John Wiseman. It’s my go to for general survival tips and skills, including the ones I hope to never need. But lots of good info just to be aware of too.

Some other great resources can be books on flora and fauna. One I have sitting on my desk is the Canadian Outdoor Survival Guide. Obviously it’s for Canada, but it teaches you edible plants and behaviour around some bigger beasties (I don’t think that’s an issue in the UK).

And a final thought - an old Parks Canada marketing slogan is a really good nature-respecting thing to keep in mind: Take only pictures, leave only footprints.

Nature is in our backyard, but it’s home for the animals that live there.

Happy camping! ☺️

In my experience, your first sentence sums it up nicely.

They assume a moral high ground because they’ve adopted a diet that is generally deemed healthier and better for the environment (I don’t always agree with this).

But unless they’re also doing all the things we could all do better (e.g. not buying new, not upgrading the the latest and greatest, not taking 40 minute showers, not eating out every second day), they’re only somewhat less guilty of environmental damage than the average person, but they’re taking a generally undeserved “holier than thou” position and then shoving it down your throat. This isn’t everyone, and I don’t really care what you eat, but these are the vegans that get under my skin.

Not a realistic outcome, but he deserved to have been blood eagled. Real torture/execution or not, he’s one of few to really earn it. Fuck that guy