I know, I know, another photographer with a “What’s In My Gear Bag?” post. But I’ve had a lot of people ask me on Instagram what Fujifilm gear I use in my photography. So I thought I’d go into it in depth as to why I chose these lenses and how I find shooting with them. Sooooo, let’s begin!

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I purchased the new Fujifilm X-T3 recently and have completely fallen in love with it. I had been using my trusty X-T10 for the last few years and I had worked it into the ground.; literally, the number of times I dropped it in carparks, I can’t tell you! It’s now a patchwork of black gaffa tape, but it’s still a ripper camera, and I’m happy it will be still in my studio as a backup body.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a person that is a big believer in buying glass over bodies. But the capabilities of the X-T3 compared to that of the X-T10 were chalk and cheese. From 77 to 425 autofocus points, is a big advantage. The hyper boost mode has opened up a whole different avenue of photography I didn’t know I was interested in; capturing motion. So I’m really looking forward to playing with that more.

I think we would all agree as photographers that new technology allows us to learn so many different image-making skills and the 4K video capabilities of the X-T3 is something I’ve been playing with and looking at expanding the way I capture experiences and places. Shooting video and processing it is already a bit of a learning curve for me, but it’s been really rewarding having a camera that does it all in one.

MY FUJI LENSES

Sooooo, onto the kit! I have a minimal kit, but it covers a range of possibilities. A large aperture prime, a wide(-ish) angle lens, and a telephoto. This is the kit, that will cover anything that I take interest in photographing. It’s a trio that is not incredibly heavy and bulky and therefore is rather adaptable in what I choose to carry my gear in. I would say the lens that I would use the least would be the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS. Having just moved to the coast and a regional area, I thought I would be using it more than what I did in the city, but I’ve been using the telephoto in landscape shots a lot more than anticipated.

THE WORKHORSES

These two beauties are my workhorses; an odd coupling some may think. It took me a while to realise what I wanted my images to feel like, but I want them to give a sense of a moment, a snapshot of certain details; the details that create my experiences of a place or moment. Quite often that is one object at a location or one specific subject in the distance. The XF 35mm F2 and the XF55-200mm achieve these objectives for me.

TELEPHOTO LOVE

I’ll be honest, I was really resistant at first to buy a telephoto. Having moved from using Canon for over 10 years, carrying a heavy kit bag was not an experience that I wanted to reproduce. When I moved to the UK for the year in 2017, I only took two lenses (XF35mm F2 and the XF18-55mm), and it wasn’t long before I felt like I was just missing out on those zoomed in shots of what I saw before me. Whether it was birds, coastal scenes, trees in the middle of distant fields, I was able to catch them again with the XF55-200mm.

It’s more of a diverse lens than you think! I was able to catch the ‘‘Sunrise Balloon’ Photographic Print with XF55-200mm as well as the ‘Seaweed Flowers’ Photographic Print and the ‘King of the Bush’ Kookaburra Photographic Print. All three totally different from each other in the shot setup, but it proves that the lens is more multipurpose than just a straight telephoto.

MY FAVOURITE LENS

I wasn’t too sure if I should just come out say it’s my favourite lens, but it really is. You cannot underestimate the XF35mm as the perfect prime length. It literally is the most versatile lens I have ever used, and I’m not ashamed to say it’s on my X-T3 at least 90% of the time. I’ve been asked recently why I chose the XF35mm F2 over the much-loved XF35mm F1.4. And there were two main factors in my decision to choose the F2.

Firstly, it was lighter and smaller and that makes a difference when you want a smaller kit but packs a punch. It’s smaller size gave me so much opportunity to take my camera with me anywhere just in the normal bag I was taking. It’s often said that the best camera you have is the one with you, and the fact that is this compact lens has afforded me more photo opportunities than I’ve had before, simply because I have my camera with me more regularly as a result.

Secondly, it’s water-resistant. It never really mattered to me before but when I lived in the UK last year with its renowned tempestuous weather, it became rather handy. Now using it with the X-T3, the WR effect is in full effect and it feels great to keep the combo slung over my shoulder at all times.

I could probably say that this lens made me fall in love with photography all over again. It’s a strong statement I know, but for me, it really rings true. It’s produced some of my most favourite images that I’ve taken, so I can’t recommend this lens enough, its a dream.

“But what about the actual bag you keep your gear in?” I hear you ask, well I’m going to save that for the next post because I think that’s something that needs its own post! Until then, let me know what is in your kit bag and why?