Mike, I don’t have the 12-100 f2.8 but I did have the 12-40 f2.8 and the 40-150 f2.8 along with the Olympus OMD mark 1. The lenses were surperb but the dynamic range was not there. A number of my shots in buildings were there was a range of light from dark to very light ended up being blown out. So I looked for a solution between sensor size and quality lenses that were small and portable and followed the advice of a well known blogger and purchased a Fuji XT 1. I now have the xt2, xt20 and x100f all based on a recommendation by you. I would think long and hard about the Olympus. I feel the sensor is just too small. The Fuji isn’t perfect and I honestly don’t think the IQ is as good as my FF Nikon, but it is good enough and great for travel. My thoughts.

Mike as long as we are on the subject of lighting, I have to add my two cents. I just purchased a new camera and one of the reasons I bought it was the pop up flash. I have the Fuji XT 2 and love it but anytime I shoot people indoors I run into problems with lighting. The XT20 Fuji has a pop up flash and I might add much cheaper than the XT2. I went ahead and bought the 20 to go along with my xt 2. I noticed the big "pro" cameras do not come with pop up flashes. I can't tell you how many times I have used the one on my Nikon d750. In bright sun it provides some fill light to make sure the faces are properly exposed, and when taking pictures in a well lite rooms the pop up flashes illuminates the subjects perfectly. I will say my Nikon with a light on top just works, but the Fuji is ok and that is my travel companion not the Nikon. The Nikon stays behind and I view it as my studio camera. Lighting is so important to good photography that it is a subject all on its own. Good discussion. Thanks and happy New Year.

Mike, Merry Christmas to you as well. Enjoy a few days away from the blog. Thanks for all your good work in 2017 and have a happy and healthy new year.

Mike, this same debate has been raging in our photoclub for several years now. I take the side that says a hard copy of a photo is just another delivery mechanism for an image, just as a digital image is a delivery system of an image. One method is no better nor no worse than the other. The generation behind us, the iPhone generation, doesn’t seem to want hard copy of images what they want is instant sharing. Digital images are perfect for them. Hard copy for us. Who are we to say what is right and wrong? It is how we chose to view the image. Good discussion, can’t wait to read all the responses to the question. Eric

Mike, well done. I have been arguing with my photo club that we do an smart phone competition. I take pictures with mine, but for ordinary things like a menu to share or dinner at a special restaurant, not fine art work. This post has inspired me to use my phone for real images not just mundane images of stupid things. Have another one of these call for images, and I will share an image. Great piece. Eric

Mike, I currently use the Adobe cloud with PS and LR. I plan on staying with Adobe with the classic version of LR. I normally use LR and use PS only sparingly. I will not release my photos to the cloud. They will always stay on my desk except my backups. With that said, over a 35 plus year career in investment banking I had to change software 3 times. It is a painful process. I was younger at those times and do not have a desire to relearn a new software platform. Unless forced to change, I will continue with Adobe. As an anology I rarely watch TV but still pay $150 a month for internet and cable so 10-20/month isn’t bad. My contribution to the good of the order.

Mike so well said and so true. It is always about the content. My happiest moments in photography is exploring a new, at least to me, city with my little Fuji x100 series or my XT2 with a prime lens on it. I get some wonderful pictures. Many are really sharp and exposed correctly, but even the ones that are not, it is still fun to capture the life of a City, and tell it’s story through my 70 year old eyes. Keep grinding them out. Eric

Mike, congratulations. Very nice post and one I am sure was not easy to write. Keep up your good work. All the best Eric

Mike, I have been following your posts on the 35 mm lens or equilvant version of 23 mm on the Fuji platform. I love the 35/23 focal length but also love the 50/35 focal length. I have the Fuji 35 which lives on my XT2 and the X100f which has the 35/23 on it. Over the years my best shots where done with one of those two focal lengths. As I get older I sure appreciate the small lighter versions that Fuji produces. At one point I owned the Nikon 1.4 35 mm lens which I used on several FF Nikons. It produced some terrific IQ but was way too heavy to be considered a walk around lens. I still own my big iron but seem to use my Fuji gear more and more. Keep it up Fuji and keep up the good writing and topics. They seem so relevant to me now for some reason. All the best Eric

Mike, I really like Sony. I had a Sony computer once and probably would have bought another but sadly they don't make computers anymore. I had a Sony TV and liked it, but they don't make TVs anymore. Big diverse companies like Sony all live by ROIs ( return on Investment). Sony seems to have a bad habit of leaving an industry when things become too competitive. Not saying that Sony will be gone but with all their development costs to introduce a new camera so frequently the ROIs may not be what the share holders expect. With that said I agree with you, I believe there will be consoladition within the industry. Fuji/Nikon type of consolidation. It may be good for the photographers in the end.

Mike, the first image just begs for a longer focal length. Stay with one camera and buy a few lenses. It is a great subject and wonderful light but you need to be closer. Who said to take a better picture get closer. With this image it is true. Enjoy your weekend.

Mike, the only difference an average image and a great image is the light. The top image is a good composition but dull light. Go back and take the image again in early morning or early evening light and I bet you would have your " keeper". I try and take pictures of the same subjects at varying times of day and the difference is striking. Light as they say, is everything.

Mike, I really liked what you had to say today and what Roger said. My favorite lens photographically is the Nikon 24-70 f2.8. It just provides the best images I have ever taken; however I rarely use it lately since I got the small Fuji camera, because the lens and FF Nikon are too big and heavy. I find that despite the fact that the Fuji does not produce the quality of images that my Nikon does it still goes with me 90 percent of the time. I simply make it work. You make the lens and camera you have do the work you need done. Photoshop and Lightroom do help a lot but most lenses today are really "good enough".

Mike, first I do hope you feel better. I like your comment about the snow. I live in Columbus, Ohio and we rarely get much snow. We only got a dusting with this last storm. I, like you, really like a good snow for a lot of reasons. Most of which are photo opportunities and natural beauty that come with a storm. Many of my friends run to Florida in the winter and can't understand how I can enjoy winter as I do. Maybe it's my Swedish heritage but there is nothing like the magic of a winter day. Enjoy your fine snow, and get healthy.

Mike, Happy Birthday, just turned 70 myself this year so I completely understand the anxiety of getting older. The good news is we made it this far, the bad news is we are older. Do as I do and look at each day/year as a gift to be saviored and not to be wasted. I always remind myself of that whenever I feel bored. Still lots to accomplish and more pictures to take and process. Enjoy the years ahead and carry a camera. Eric

Mike, I didn't include my favorite camera because I am trading it in tomorrow on a new model. It is the Fuji X100s which I am trading on the new F. I have had the S for 2+ years and take it everywhere I go. I am optimistic that the new F will be as good and as loved as the S. My main comment is that there are very few DSLR that are loved as much as small-portable cameras. Maybe it is just that your readership loves the small cameras rather than the larger ones or the smaller cameras are just with us all more often. Interesting question and topic for a future article. Great post. All the best. Eric

Mike, Great read, he writes a good analysis of prime vs zoom lenses. Most of my photography is travel, and thus I tend to gravitate to zoom lens; however when I look at my wall, and think about which lens I used on which image, I find that most of my best work was done with a prime lens. It can be difficult to change lenses when you are traveling in challenging conditions. Also one does not want to burden his back with a lot of glass. So with that said, I just rented the 18-135 Fuji lens from lens rental to see if it will work. I know it will not be in the same league with my 16-50 f 2.8 fuji lens, but it may replace the 55-200 and 16-50 on future trips along with the beautiful 35 f2 fuji lens. I always carry a prime where ever I go, they truly offer better IQ. Thanks again for directing us to the article. Eric

Mike, I had to jump in here because I like one your other readers are a big fan of audio books. I used to drive 30-40000 miles a year in my car and I would go through about an audio book a week. It was a great way to use the time. My favorite thing was to read a book and then listen to it. Many times it was a different book listening than reading. One of my favorite authors is your friend John Camp/ Sandford. I have read and listened to every one of his books, just love his characters. The best books to listen to are the ones with southern characters the actors reading them make them come alive. Another great author is James Lee Burke, if you haven't read him I would encourage you to do so. I still love audio books even though I am retired I still get them. Just finished Blue Highway, a book I read 30 years ago but you reminded me of it. It was a different book this time. Thanks for the great column on reading.

Mike, even if you did not have a great year, your blog made my year so much richer. It is much more than photography. I just pickup Blue Highways, a book I read 30 years ago, but forgot, and am enjoying it much more the second time around. I have written down several book titles from the comment section of this post that need to be read in 2017. Thanks so very much for all your thoughtful comments about photography or life, and I hope your 2017 is better. All the best.

Mike, couldn't the same be said of Nikon. I have been waiting for years for a real Nikon Mirrorless camera. Thankfully my Fuji works as a real substitute and the new XT2 looks like the "real deal" I don't own it yet, but may sell the "Big Iron" and replace it with the Fuji XT2.

Mike, I just checked my pay pal account and it appears that you took some money out in both May and June, but not July. I assume you take the $6 out on a monthly basis. I keep a few dollars in the account just to pay you,and maybe some small things at B and H. Just wanted to give you a heads up. If you would rather charge by the year, I would be fine with that just let myself or us as a group know. All the best.

Mike, when the D500 camera was first introduced, my local camera store called and wanted me to come in and look at the D500. I spent a little time in the store with the camera along with the 16-80 lens. I have to admit the size of the camera was similar to my current D750. However, with the smaller lens, the whole package was smaller than my D750 and 24-120 lens. It was attractive for travel. In the end, I decided I just wasn't ready to give up my full frame sensor yet. When I travel I take my Fuji gear, which I love, but when I have to do a shoot that is important and I want to make sure I have some quality images I reach for the D 750 and either the 24-120 or the 24-70. The latter is the best lens,camera combination I have ever shot. It just flat out works. As a life long Nikon shooter that is just my opinion. All the best and I hope this week is better for you than last week.

Mike, I shot Olympus for about two years but always felt the sensor was too small. I did love the Leica/Pany lens that would work on the camera and took some really good pictures with the EM1 and the Leica combination. I would encourage you to stick with the Fuji, and use a tripod more. They are really cheap and light now. With Fuji you can just turn up the ISO a bit, and shoot at a faster shutter speed. You will be amazed how much better your pictures will turn out. If that fails add a light on top of the camera and light-up the subject. Just a suggestion. I am done with GAS and trying to ignore all the noise out there about new products. I will continue to use my Fuji and Nikon gear until it breaks, or becomes obsolete. Good Luck.

Mike, a wise teacher of mine told me once that the hardest thing about being good is you have to prove it every day. He was right, of course. It still doesn't make easier, but it helps. With that said I would love to be able to shoot an 85, let alone a 62. But I don't make a living playing golf, just a hobby.

Mike, Excellent post. I couldn't agree with you more. I have recently gone through a purging of the gear shed and am trying to resist re-stocking it with another brand and just focus on the art of Photography. That is what is important. I love the idea of buying a cheap lens on Ebay and just trying it for awhile to see how it performs. If you don't like it, you could probably sell it for what you paid for it, and be no worse off. We would all be better off using the extra money we spend on gear taking a photo trip, or buying a book rather than a new lens. Thanks for reminder. Also Happy Belated Birthday, you are about to enter the best years of your life. I have really enjoyed the 60's, just stay healthy.