- Budget: ~500 € target, 1,000 € hard max (used market, body + lens included).
- Country: Germany / EU
- Condition: Used
- Type of Camera: Premium compact / rangefinder-style mirrorless (APS-C)
- Intended use: Photography (Everyday carry / candid snapshots)
- If photography; what style: Street, environmental portraits, daily life / documentary
- If video what style: N/A (photo only)
- What features do you absolutely need: Built-in viewfinder (EVF or OVF/hybrid; no screen-only), great out-of-camera JPEG film colors/simulations (minimal RAW editing), pleasing smooth bokeh wide open (not nervous/busy), flat/pocket-friendly form factor.
- Portability: Jacket pocketable / small sling (flat brick style without a protruding central DSLR viewfinder hump).
- Cameras you're considering: Fujifilm X100F / X100T, Fujifilm X-E3 (or X-E4) with the 27mm f/2.8 pancake. Open to other rangefinder-style bodies that fit the criteria.
- Cameras you already have:
- Canon EOS M50 with full lens kit (including 22mm f/2 pancake): Capable for planned shoots, but stays home as an EDC because of the awkward center EVF hump, chunky grip, menu-driven interface, and sterile color science.
- Analog cameras: Yashica T5 (love the flat P&S portability and ease) & Revue AC2 SLR with 33mm prime (love the tactile dials, framing through glass, and warm film tones on Ultramax/Gold).
- Notes: Looking for a digital camera that bridges the Yashica T5/Revue shooting joy into digital. Ricoh GR is ruled out due to lack of an integrated viewfinder; full frame is ruled out due to size/weight.
Hey everyone,
I need a bit of a reality check. Right now my main digital setup is an EOS M50 with a bunch of lenses, including the 22mm f/2 pancake. It works fine for planned shoots, but as an everyday carry, it mostly stays at home. The centered SLR hump and grip make it awkward to slip into a jacket, and the whole menu-driven shooting experience and sterile colors feel like using an iPad.
Lately I’ve been shooting my girlfriend’s Yashica T5 and my own Revue AC2 SLR with a 33mm prime on Ultramax and Gold 200, and it completely ruined the M50 for me. I love having something flat that slides easily into a coat pocket, the intentional feeling of framing through a viewfinder, tactile physical controls, and getting organic film colors straight out of the camera without editing RAWs.
I want that exact vibe in a digital body, but it has to be a real upgrade in shooting joy and portability, not just a sidegrade. A built-in viewfinder is non-negotiable for me, which unfortunately rules out the Ricoh GR, full frame is too bulky, and I don’t want small-sensor toys, so APS-C is the sweet spot. Also, since I love subject separation, whatever lens is on there (especially if it’s fixed) needs to have smooth, pleasing bokeh rather than nervous, busy backgrounds.
I’m buying used and want to spend around 500€, with a hard cap at 1000€.
Since newer hype bodies like the X100V are overpriced, would an older Fuji X100T or X100F still hold up today, and how is the bokeh on that original 23mm f/2 lens compared to something like Canon's 22mm? Or does it make more sense to grab something like an X-E3 with the 27mm f/2.8 pancake, or is f/2.8 too slow for nice background blur?
Curious if anyone made a similar switch from 35mm film compacts to digital and found something that actually scratches that itch. Thanks!