camera store

Nuzira is a Fujifilm camera store with a friendly dog

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

You might have noticed that I began including affiliate links for Nuzira. Most likely you’ve never heard of them, so let me introduce you—it’s actually a fascinating story.

Located at 9420 East Doubletree Ranch Road—a nondescript industrial business park in Scottsdale, Arizona—is Nuzira. Walking in the door to Suite 107, I was immediately greeted by Lollipop, a kind and gentle dog with a short tail that wags quickly. As I stepped inside, I shook hands Lucas, who has a warm smile and an affinity for fedoras. This isn’t a typical camera store.

Nuzira began in 2009 when Lucas and Jennifer White, a husband-and-wife team, began supplying materials for government contracts. When certain agencies, such as the U.S. military, need specific items that they don’t normally have on hand, Nuzira can find and supply those. They’re a purchaser, a middleman between manufacturers and organizations. One day, they were contracted to provide some videography equipment, and that was an aha moment for them. You see, Lucas and Jennifer are hobby photographers, and they thought, why don’t we sell cameras? Why not include their personal passion in their business? So they decided that their company could also be a camera store.

Lucas and Jennifer put together an e-commerce website—Nuzira.com—as their main storefront. Their driving philosophy is to empower creators to thrive, and they have some big ideas for how to achieve that. While Nuzira has been around for 15 years, they’ve been a camera store for less than one, and a lot of their plans are still developing, and will take time to become reality. After speaking with Lucas, I have no doubts that it will get there. Their mission to foster a community of visual enthusiasts is in the early stages, but expect it to grow into something substantial.

Going back to Suite 107 in Scottsdale, Nuzira doesn’t look like a camera store. The front door opens to a small waiting room that is also the receiving room, where UPS, FedEx, and other curriers are the regulars. Next to that is a shipping room, where packages are prepared for transport. In the back are a couple of storage and supply rooms—the warehouse. To the right of the front door is Lucas and Jennifer’s office, which is currently doubling as the physical Nuzira store. You can walk in and buy cameras and lenses and accessories, but it’s not necessarily a good place to browse. It is, however, a great place to discuss photography with Lucas, who loves to talk shop. And if you need something specific, he might just have it in stock. One day they will have a more proper store, Lucas told me, but they’re still working out the details.

Nuzira is an authorized Fujifilm dealer. Both Lucas and Jennifer primarily use Fujifilm gear for their own photography, so that’s mostly what they carry. They also sell products by Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Blackmagic, Manfrotto, NiSi, and more. Largely, though, it’s Fujifilm stuff. If you are anywhere in the U.S. and are buying Fujifilm gear, Nuzira.com is a great option. If you are in the Phoenix area, consider stopping in—Lollipop will give you a friendly greeting, and Lucas will be very happy to talk cameras with you.

For those wondering about the pictures at the top, they were captured with my Fujifilm X100VI using the 1976 Kodak and Kodak Tri-X 400 Film Simulation Recipes.

Film Simulation Recipes Sell Fujifilm Cameras

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

Yesterday, MPB (“an online platform for used photography and videography equipment”) published an article entitled How to Install and Use Fujifilm Recipes, which was largely written by Michael Schulz. I knew that this story was in the works because MPB had reached out to me several weeks ago just to make sure that it was ok to mention Fuji X Weekly in an upcoming piece; however, I only found out that it was published because I noticed a number of clicks to this website from theirs within today’s daily stats. What I love about the MPB article are the lovely photographs by Michael captured with his Fujifilm X100V, using mostly the Pacific Blues, Kodak Gold 200 (or is it this one?), and Kodak Portra 400 v2 (maybe Vibrant Arizona, too…) Film Simulation Recipes. It’s a real testament to what can be done straight-out-of-camera with Fujifilm models.

Back in January, Moment (“the world’s largest marketplace for creators”) had asked me if I would be willing to write an article for their website about Film Simulation Recipes, and in February they published my story Why Shooting JPEGs Is So Popular (& 10 Fujifilm Simulation Recipes). This was a follow-up to an article that (back in 2021) I contributed to called Why I Never Shoot RAW—Fujifilm Simulations, Recipes, and More!—I made my portion of that article a standalone piece on Fuji X Weekly entitled History & Poetry of Kodachrome. Moment told me that both of those articles are very popular, and are some of the most viewed on their website.

Pacific Poppies – Montaña de Oro SP, CA – Fujifilm X-E4 – Pacific Blues Recipe

B&H (“the people who know your gear best”) briefly mentioned Fuji X Weekly and Film Simulation Recipes back in 2021, in an article called Your Guide to FUJIFILM Film Simulations by Todd Vorenkamp. Last year, Vistek (“Canada’s camera store”) mentioned this website and Recipes in their YouTube video Zen & The Art of Fujifilm Film Simulations | The deep science of matching to film stocks.

I was thinking today: why are camera stores talking about Fuji X Weekly and Film Simulation Recipes? It would be more obviously understood if I had merchandise for sale in their stores or on their websites, but I don’t. What’s in it for them? I think the answer is pretty simple: Fuji X Weekly Recipes sell Fujifilm cameras.

Golden Light in Abandoned House – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Fujicolor Reala 100 Recipe

Recipes are one of the reasons why the X100V has been so hard to find for over a year now. Social media influencers began saying that the X100V’s pictures “mimic film” and require “zero editing”—next thing you know they’re out of stock everywhere. With a little research I found out that these influencers were using my Film Simulation Recipes.

If you have a camera store and want to move your Fujifilm inventory, the best way is to point out to customers that the straight-out-of-camera pictures look so darn good, and post-editing isn’t necessary. Specifically, Film Simulation Recipes make it easy to get great-looking pictures without fuss, which can make photography more accessible and enjoyable, saving tons of time and frustration. There’s even an app! I think Fujifilm themselves have overall done a fairly poor job of communicating this; it’s been influencers and camera stores and really just word-of-mouth by Fujifilm photographers that has spread the message to the community at large. Outside of Fujifilm circles, this whole concept is fairly unknown or misunderstood, so there’s still a lot of work to go. MPB’s article will help; hopefully there will be more like it in the near future.

Moment — The Marketplace for Creatives

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

What’s the coolest online camera store? Moment! The Marketplace for Creatives. To say that it’s just a camera store is incorrect, because it’s an experience. Whether you are a beginner, a journeyman, or advanced photographer or videographer, there’s something on Moment’s website for you.

For the beginner, there are online courses to help you get started. There’s a Fujifilm X100V In-Depth Setup Guide, for example. Or Everyday Fujifilm Camera Basics. There was even an over-four-hour live Fujifilm workshop that’s still available to watch. These are put together by some highly reputable photographers, including Faizal Westcott, Andrew Kearns, and Gajan Balan.

Dr Pepper Closed – Childress, TX – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Reggie’s Portra”

For the journeyman, check out Shooting Lifestyle on Fuji, Shooting Portraits on Fuji, and Shooting for Brands. Again, these are put together by some talented photographers, including Victoria Wright and Reggie Ballesteros. You might already be familiar with Reggie’s Portra Film Simulation Recipe.

For the advanced photographer, check out some experiences: Jordan Photo Tour and Faroe Islands Photo Tour. Or, maybe become a Gear Guide or create a course for Moment.

The point is, no matter your skill level—from first-camera beginner to seasoned pro—Moment has something for you. In fact, much more than I just shared above, so check out all of their courses, reviews, and experiences.

iPhone 11 + Moment 58mm – RitchieCam App – “Faded Film” – Canyonlands NP, UT

And I haven’t even talked about their gear yet! They sell their own brand of products, such as CineBloom filters (that’s Tip 3 in my 7 Tips To Get The Film Look From Your Digital Photos article), and cellphone lenses (check out my review of the Tele 58mm lens). They have apps. And, of course, they sell Fujifilm cameras and Fujinon lenses.

I know this sounds like a paid sponsored post, but I promise it’s not. I just think Moment is the coolest online camera store out there, and I wanted to say so—this is my website, so I’m allowed to do that. I do have a history with Moment. You might recall that back in 2021 I jointly wrote an article with them, Why I Never Shoot RAW — FujiFilm Simulations, Recipes, and More! Also back in 2021, Fuji X Weekly and Moment teamed up to give away some CineBloom filters. Anyway, even though I’m not getting paid to do so, I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce you to Moment just in case you’ve never visited their wonderful website, which is the marketplace for creatives.