For many people, the relentless movement of the city can be monotonous, but for street and documentary photographer, Rinzi Ruiz, it is exactly what inspires him to keep shooting. In fact, Rinzi believes this inevitability of change is the very thing that makes the everyday remarkable, something he has been celebrating with the FUJIFILM X100V camera.

 

“People walk on, we eat that plate of food we just photographed, buildings go down, new ones come up, and little things that we walk by and take for granted get removed and replaced,” says Rinzi.

 

“The ambiance and feeling of a place can change with something as small as a wall being painted a new color, or a mop that you walked past every day not being there anymore. Or something as big as a new skyscraper blocking that great light you used to like working with,” he continues. “The point is, whether intentional or not, the pictures I (and many others) take of the everyday in LA is a good way for us to remember what was.”

Rinzi’s signature style brilliantly uses the contrast between light and shadow to highlight the beauty in day-to-day scenes that most of us can miss. This is a skill he first honed using the X100 series of cameras.

 

“The original X100 helped me with understanding light and how exposure works on the camera, because of the external dials and aperture ring on the lens,” he reveals. “I observed different light qualities throughout the day and throughout the year, and would experiment with different exposure settings until I got a combination that worked for me,” he remembers.

 

As a photographer with such a long history using X100 cameras, we were keen to find out what Rinzi thought about the new features that X100V brings to the lineup, starting with the 1.62 million dot tilting touchscreen LCD.

 

“I wasn’t expecting X100V to include a tilting LCD, so because it’s a new feature on this camera, I wanted to make use of it,” he tells us. “It is designed so well! When not extended, it keeps with the original look and feel, and when extended I was able to get really low, sometimes directly on the ground,” he explains, adding that it has only encouraged his creativity. “With X100V, I’m definitely experimenting again and seeing what new angles and compositions I can get.”

 

The optional weather-resistance that is available on X100V with the addition of a specially designed filter and adapter ring was also a big positive for Rinzi. “There were times where I’d be traveling and, because the previous models were not weather-resistant, I wouldn’t take the camera out with me. But now there is the option of weather-resistance, I can take X100V anywhere, in any weather, and not worry at all,” he enthuses.

 

It wasn’t just the new features that impressed Rinzi. He also praised the many other improvements this camera boasts compared to previous X100 models. These include a redesigned FUJINON 23mmF2 lens, an enhanced Hybrid Viewfinder, the fourth-generation 26.1-megapixel X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor, and the mighty quad-core X-Processor 4, which powers superfast autofocus right down to -5EV (candlelight).

There may be a huge amount that has changed on the inside, but on the outside, X100V has maintained the sleek, stylish and super-portable design that X100 cameras are renowned for.

 

“Aside from the functionality and image quality, what I value most is the ability to have a camera on me all the time. X100V is perfect for me in that respect, because I can just carry it around my neck and it’s ready for when the moment hits,” says Rinzi. “They are really good-looking cameras and that’s a part of the appeal. Having one in hand can feel good and sometimes with that comes inspiration,” he continues.

 

Overall, Rinzi tells us that he thinks X100V is a camera that can fit perfectly into everyone’s everyday. From smartphone users looking to take the first step into mirrorless photography, who will love its Auto Mode and touchscreen, or beginner photographers who can easily hone their skills using the external control dials, right through to street and documentary photographers or professionals who want a camera that isn’t for work.

 

“It’s the camera for family and friends time, travel time, and fun time – like doing some street shooting,” he smiles. “For me, it will be my everyday carry, like previous models have been, and I will continue to take pictures so that I can remember what was.”

 

X100V is now available to buy across the USA. Read the full specifications here, or contact your nearest FUJIFILM Authorized Dealer.

It’s the camera for family and friends time, travel time, and fun time – like doing some street shooting

About The Photographer


Rinzi Ruiz is a street photographer and FUJIFILM X-Photographer based in Los Angeles, California. He is renowned for his use of light and shadow to portray the beauty and emotion in the mundane and this skill has led to his work being exhibited and published around the world.

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