MPB Meets: Photojournalist Jo Plumridge

This week, we speak to photojournalist Jo Plumridge. Due to health issues, Jo has struggled with reduced mobility—leaving her no longer able to handle her bulky DSLR. So, we asked her to try out three mirrorless cameras— the Canon EOS R, Fujifilm X-T3 and Sony A7 III. Let’s hear what she has to say about camera gear and removing barriers to photography.

MPB: Thanks for speaking with us, Jo. Could you tell us about your background?

JP: I’m a film photographer. When I started out, my first camera was a Canon—but for years I shot with Hasselblad, which I adored. And then, of course, digital came along and ruined that for everybody! I love the Hasselblads, they were the most amazing cameras. I used to fix them myself because they were mechanical. There's nothing to go wrong in them. Very simple.  Then digital came along, and I had to make the switch because of my clients. People wanted stuff on disk. They wanted the immediacy of digital that you don't get with film. So, I made the switch. I went through a succession of dreadful digital cameras, quite frankly.

Eventually, I landed with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III—and I shot with that for a long time. Brilliant camera. I felt it could hold its own against the old film cameras. I'm a terrible purist, and I still feel digital is lacking in depth and range in comparison to film.

So, I'd been shooting with the 5D Mark III for years. Then, unfortunately, I developed some health issues. I now can't walk properly. The cameras became too heavy for me, and it took all the joy out of shooting. I had to switch because of the physical need to have something lighter, and the desire to get back to taking photographs for fun. I’d been thinking of changing my system for a long time, but I didn't feel the mirrorless technology was there. They weren't sharp enough, and the shutter lag and battery life was fairly dire on some models.

I think even down to the way the kit is designed. It's so often not designed for women. I know this is an issue for a lot of women—even women who are perfectly fit and healthy, they don't want to lug around heavy gear.

MPB: Is it about grip size, ergonomics, or something else? 

JP: It's just the sheer size. Manufacturers haven't made mirrorless cameras smaller to appeal to women—it's just a gimmick. In 2020, everything in photography is still astonishingly male orientated.

MPB: So how should we change the industry?

JP: I think the Me Too movement has been helpful for all industries. It's woken a lot of these manufacturers up to realising “hold on a minute”. But they're doing it for the wrong reasons—they don't want to be labelled as misogynistic dinosaurs, not because they actually want to make the changes. But we have to take advantage of that. Let's push. Women need to be more assertive. I think there has been a gradual shift, but it's very slow.

MPB: Thank you for sharing. With that in mind, which of the three cameras did you prefer?

JP: I knew I wanted to test a Fujifilm, so I went for the Fujifilm X-T3. And because I already shoot Canon, I wanted to try the Canon EOS R. But I had a feeling it wasn't going to help with the weight. So I also tried the Sony A7 III. 

And, second-hand, they were all in astonishingly good condition. Just amazing quality.  So, really—wow. I’ve nearly always bought a brand new camera body before, but I'm so impressed with the quality of this used equipment.

The Canon EOS R was easiest because, of course, it was a Canon. Some of the controls on the mirrorless are slightly different to the DSLRs. But it was very intuitive—I just picked it up and changed a few settings. It was easy to use. But it was too heavy and big. Especially with the lenses. It completely threw the balance off because the mirrorless bodies are lighter than the lenses. For somebody with mobility issues, the thing nearly tipped me into a hedge! Perhaps it comes down to the fact that Canon entered the mirrorless game a lot later than the other manufacturers. I didn't want to dismiss the Canon—but no, it's out.

Then it was the Fujifilm X-T3. I’ve used an Fujifilm X-Pro 1 before and I loved the design. It looks like a film camera, and the lenses are so small. They’re just so neat. I love the Fujifilm film presets too. They have Astia! I used to shoot with Astia all the time because it's so neutral. Great for portraits. I got carried away taking pictures in every film preset, just so I could look at all the differences. So, looks-wise, my heart belongs to Fujifilm. I love everything about its design. And there’s been a huge improvement on the autofocus since I last shot with a Fujifilm, so I was pleasantly surprised. My only issue with the Fujifilm is that it’s a crop frame sensor.

Now, the Sony A7 III—just the most remarkable camera. The dynamic range is ridiculous. And the crispness of them. But I think they’re too overprocessed, too sharp. I value sharpness, but this isn’t a natural sharpness. It's a fake clarity. And nobody needs that many functions on the Sony menu system. But again, you know, I'm an old-fashioned photographer, and I don't need all those settings. I think it’s a gimmick. I wanted to like the Sony A7 III—on paper, it’s full-frame and it’s tiny. Just the sheer size, and how they've crammed so much into something so small.

MPB: So, which setup do you think you’d choose?

JP: I think it’s the Fujifilm X-T3. But, I'm going to be quite honest and say that is a compromise. It's not the camera I necessarily want—but it's the nearest camera. Obviously, I'll always keep a mix. But I want to take the Fujifilm out with me because it's small, light and has nice controls. It's all really smart. With the crop-frame sensor, it's a compromise—but my heart belongs to the Fujifilm X-T3.

Read more interviews on the MPB content hub.