I can relate to the importance and value that the tactile feel of a camera can offer. When shopping for my first real camera (after years of pushing my point-and-shoot to it's limits), I was often disappointed by the feel of many of the cameras offered by the likes of Canon and Nikon. The smaller and lighter cameras were mostly over-simplified, with manual controls buried deep within menu's, since their target audience were never going to use them. On the other side of an imaginary product divide lay the 'pro' cameras, which felt like big and heavy workhorses that reviewers often praised for 'having a good deep grip for big hands'. They were not cameras that I would want to carry with me everyday or while travelling, just in case a good photo opportunity came up. Then I found a little corner of the camera shop that had some Fuji mirrorless cameras, and I fell in love.
Finally there was a camera that was both pleasing to look at, pleasing to hold (I guess I don't have 'big hands'), and pleasing to use. It had all the manual dials that I was used to using while growing up with SLR's in the house. It was compact and light, and wouldn't be a burden to carry around. - In fact, the body and kit lens was light enough that I would often just carry it with a pinch-grip while walking around looking for a photo opportunity. And on the rare occasion I would completely forget that I was holding it, and try to push open a door with my camera hand...
I eventually upgraded from that introductory tiny XT-10 to a somewhat bigger XT-3 (both for the much better sensor, and to gain weather sealing), but it's still a pleasure to pick up every time. I realize that that might not be a priority for everyone, and other cameras can certainly get you more features or performance for the same price, or they may be just better suited for certain types of photography (Fuji doesn't really cadre to longer focal lengths, though there are some options available if you have deep pockets, or are ok with smaller apertures).
Choosing the right prime lenses to purchase to compliment my kit zoom was also challenging. In the end, I just took note of where I tended to zoom to most often (or alternately, when I sighed because I could zoom in/out further to get the framing I wanted), and bought those, balancing desire for larger apertures with weight and cost.
Do I wish I had more gear / more options? Of course. Do I mind having to get creative with what I have to make it work? Not usually. 😉
