![\"Image\"](\"https:\/\/fujifilm-x.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/x-pro3-stories_3_02-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nSince then, I\u2019ve come to the opinion that the best cameras are those that last the longest. From a business perspective, a long product-replacement cycle represents a loss, but I find it strange to be planning the sale of a new model the minute a customer buys the current one.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how, when it came time to draft a product and promotion plan for the X-Pro2, I hit upon the idea of using an image of an old and worn X-Pro2 in the catalog. The message was, \u201cPlease keep using this product till it looks like this.\u201d It generated a good response, but it also made me feel uneasy for reasons I couldn\u2019t express.<\/p>\n
Once, at an event, an X-Pro2 user showed me a battered X-Pro2 much like the one in the catalog. I honestly thought, \u201cThank you, thank you for using our product until it looks like that,\u201d but a moment later I was disappointed to be told that the damage had been inflicted by the customer himself, to make his camera like the image in the catalog.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe customer in question was a cameraman who had many cameras and lenses made by L\u2014; I suppose you could even call him wealthy. No doubt from his perspective, a few scratches on a new-model digital camera was a matter of little import.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard the reason the hood on Charlene\u2019s XF35mmF1.4 is bent is that she hit a car while taking photographs. The reason why we love our damaged equipment is that each chip and scratch is part of both our and our camera\u2019s history. If you added the scratches yourself, what then would you say when asked what shot you were taking when the damage occurred?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nThis is not to say that this is the reason we chose to clad the X-Pro3 in titanium\u2014we did it because it is tough and rugged. During development, we also learned about the Duratect\u2122 process. Although titanium is itself quite hard, it achieves hardnesses as high as 1500 HV when coated with DURA Silver and 1200 HV when coated with DURA Black\u2014seven to ten times harder than stainless steel and second only to materials such as diamond or sapphire, rendering it virtually impervious to damage from ordinary files and blades (\u201cHV\u201d = \u201cVickers Hardness Units\u201d, a measure of hardness). These are the two colors I recommend to customers who intend to cherish their cameras, as these options will allow them to enjoy a beautiful finish that takes advantage of the titanium base.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n