As a long working pro during the "film era" of photography, I had the great pleasure of taking photos with magnificent precision made machines from the likes of Hasselblad, Leica, and Nikon. When the digital wave hit I considered quitting photography rather than be forced to take photos with a plastic computer with a lens on the front. I know any change is hard, but I can't help feeling the camera companies sold their soul when they allowed the young computer geeks to completely design the new cameras. There was no transition from manual controls, it was a jump right off the cliff into digital oblivion. Many of these designers were too young to have even experienced the joy of a simple three point control of a photograph. The idea that there was no need to take your eye off the subject to read a menu and lose the shot.

Then along came Fuji to save the day with their great camera controls. When I shoot with the GFX and X cameras they allow me, once again, to forget about the equipment and concentrate on the subject.

Perhaps my greatest disappointment was the way Nikon introduced their greatest achievement to date, the Df. The price was too close to the D810, a simple $300 reduction would have probably doubled the sales. Then they called it retro.....what the h___ is retro!? Com'on Nikon, it's not about the looks, although it helps, people bought that camera because of the controls. I know I did. Which brings me to my point.... Am I the only one who would like to see one of the Nikon Mirrorless cameras come with Df/Fuji style surface controls? I am really surprised no one has mentioned this.

I can't speak for the MF GFX series but one plus with the Fuji X series is the classic and intuitive control layout that is familiar to anyone coming from the film age (which I suspect is many on these forums since it was not that long ago). Fuji has many other pluses - quality of construction, great IQ, great handling....I am waiting to see what the XT-3 will offer next month! Ken the angry photographer called Fuji the new "Leica" but with a lower price tag! Of all the mirrorless cameras to date, my top two likes are Fuji and Olympus.

You are hard on technology or technology is hard on you. If digital is not for you it was a mistake to sell or get rid off the cameras you had. Film is still available and you can do your own development or find one of the many stores that develop it.

Digital is a different and new technology not a "plastic computer with a lens in the front." We are working now with photons not with a negative. The cameras are more sophisticated and the electronics awesome. We even have several editing programs to satisfy anyone. We can do to our photography what you never thought it could be possible. These are new times and new technologies and it has not been a problem with me at this age of 82.

I cannot speak on behalf of other cameras since I use Nikon dSLR bodies and NONE of them have ever been a problem when it came to controls. Electronics make the camera to communicate with the lens to the point that it is very easy to set the apertures with camera although using an old lens apertures can be set with the lens if that is what the operator prefers. Many D lenses allow to set the apertures manually but you will not find many photographers that favor that preferring to set the apertures electronically in camera.

If technology is not acceptable to you and you have your reasoning my recommendation is that you go back and find those bodies you miss, usually at a fraction of what they cost in the past and begin to use them instead of using digital.
Respectfully submitted.