Small Camera, Big Problems: The Truth About Compact Cameras

I Used Big DSLRs for Years, Then Switched to Compacts. Here’s What I Loved and What Drove Me Crazy

Photo by author

Are you a big-camera person or a small-camera person? These days, that choice is getting harder and harder to make.

I was a big-camera person for a long time, especially after the digital era kicked in. I shot with big DSLRs for years and years. You might have read my post about how much I love my old DSLR, the Nikon D70s.

But in 2017, I tried an entry-level compact camera from Fujifilm at the time, the X-A3. And honestly, it felt completely different from anything I had used before.

Then there are lenses. Pancake lenses are becoming a trend now, too. Cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI have become some of the best sellers on the market, with a relatively small body and a fixed lens that you can’t swap out.

I think that’s a unique breakthrough that a lot of people love right now. And I think it’s a good thing, because it gave the photography world a breath of fresh air. With cameras like these, photography feels alive again. You can carry such a tiny camera anywhere you want, because it barely takes up any space.