What's in the Camera Bag?

In October 2012 I bought a Fujifilm Finepix X100 to take to China for that year's FIA World Endurance Championship event in Shanghai because I didn't want to take all my Nikon gear into the country.  Two years on, and on the day I travel to Shanghai for this year's event, little did I know that the small X100 would help me to change direction, photographically speaking, after many years as a DSLR professional user.

In October 2013 I added a Fujifilm X-Pro1 and 14mm, 18mm, 35mm and 60mm XF prime lenses and that camera showed me a different path than the SLR / DSLR track I had been following since 1992.  At that point I still had my Nikon D700 / D800 full frame DSLRs and associated lenses, but I was using them less and less as the Fuji X-Pro1 / X100 combo became my cameras of choice.

The final nail in the DSLR coffin came in April 2014 when I decided to visit Park Cameras in London and try a Fujifilm X-T1.  That was it, I was sold on mirrorless cameras and the Nikon gear went up for sale, with the final lens being sold in July.  After being a Nikon photographer for 18 years, the only piece of Nikon branded equipment I still own is the ME1 external microphone and an old Nikon F70 film camera. 

I added the Fujinon XF55-200mm zoom in February and then the XF10-24mm f4 zoom and XF56mm f1.2 this summer.  

For the X100 I bought the WCL-X100 wide angle converter in November 2012 and added the TCL-X100 tele converter this summer.

Now one of the things I originally bought into the X-Series system was because it offered me a lightweight alternative to a DSLR outfit.  While I have now got three bodies and 9 lenses plus all the add ons like filters, batteries, memory cards, battery charger etc, this substantial Fuji outfit is still a lot lighter than my Nikon kit ever was.  AND I can choose to go lightweight if I choose by taking one body and a couple of prime lenses if I want.  

For example on one trip to Paris I took just the X-Pro1 and the 14mm and 35mm lenses.  This covered everything I needed for that trip and I felt liberated as a photographer to be able to capture the images I did with such a small camera kit.  If I need to go lighter I take the X100 and the two converters.

However, if I need to, I can take everything in a Lowepro 350AW backpack and it still isn't a chore to lug around.

BUT how does the X-Series compare to the full frame Nikon D800?  To be very honest I don't miss the big Nikon.  The D800 is a superb camera but if I was going out for a walk it would stay at home, I had to make a conscious decision to take it.  With the X-T1 / X-Pro1 / X100 I just walk out the door with the camera, a couple of lenses, filters and the small Manfrotto tripod.  

The quality from the 16mp X-Trans sensor is stunning and is on a par with the 36mp Nikon sensor.  More megapixels does not equal better quality, despite what you read on some internet forums.  The only reason to have more megapixels is to have bigger images and I can print to A2 from the X-T1 / X-Pro1 without any issues in quality and I know I can go bigger if I need to.

The reason for the quality of the images is also down to the excellence of the XF lenses.  They aren't cheap but these lenses are professional grade at a very good price.  I have not found one bad lens yet and I have tried almost all of the lenses currently available in the Fujinon line up.

The only two things that are missing from the current Fujifilm line up is a decent flash gun and a long lens with greater pulling power than the 200mm (300mm eqivalent) of the XF zoom for wildlife and sport.  There is a long lens on the Fuji road map (and rumours of a long prime telephoto as well) and a better flash system is on the cards as well. 

For me the flexibility, the portability and the quality of the Fujifilm X-Series is the reason I use these cameras.  The attention to detail and the fact Fujifilm develop their camera system by listening to the end users means that, for me, Fujifilm is the camera of choice for me.

Currently in the Bag

Fujifilm X-T1 + Battery Grip

Fujifilm X-Pro1 + grip

Fujifilm Finepix X100 Black with Fujinon 23mm f2 lens

Fujinon XF14mm f2.8R

Fujinon XF18mm F2R

Fujinon XF35mm f1.4R

Fujinon XF56mm f1.2R

Fujinon XF60mm f2.4R macro

Fujinon XF10-24mm f4R OIS

Fujinon XF55-200mm f3.5/4.8R LM OIS

WCL-X100 wide angle converter for X100 (19mm / 28mm wide angle)

TCL-X100 tele converter for X100 (33mm / 51mm lens)

EF-20 Flashgun

EF-X8 Flash for X-T1

Lee Filters - 0.3 / 0.6 / 0.9 ND Soft Grads + 10x ND 'Big Stopper'

Hoya Pro Circ Polariser (49mm + 77mm)

Hoya Pro8 ND filters (52mm + 62mm)

Manfrotto MT190XPRO4 Tripod

Manfrotto 241V Suction Clamp

Manfrotto MKC03-H01 Travel Tripod

9 spare batteries (3 for X100 and 6 for X-Pro1 + X-T1)

1 x PNY 32GB SDHC Card

5 x 16GB memory cards (inc 2 x Toshiba Exceria Pro Hi Speed SD cards)

1 x 8GB Sandisk Extreme

2 x Peak Design 'Leash' Straps + 1 x Peak Design 'Cuff' Strap

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