….and the saga goes on

And so it goes.  The never ending, ridiculous exercise of trying to decide what to take, how to carry it, and what to do with it!!!!  So here goes, I generally go out to shoot with two purposes, actually more than that, but for now let’s limit ourselves to the main two, just to try and save our minds!  I’m either doing travel, (going light), or doing serious in-the-field work, ( a bigger system),  generally nature or Americana work.

For travel, I want the smallest possible system that gives me a good spread of focal lengths, but remain lighter and smaller.  For travel I think I will be using the Fuji X-T10, that I call the “baby” X-T1.  The X-T10 is just as capable and has lots of great features, but weights at least 25% less and is more compact.  Image quality is identical, so no sacrifices there.  To go very wide I like the small, light and super sharp 14mm f 2.8 lens which is a 21mm equivilent.  The 35mm f 1.4 is small and light and once again super sharp, hey these are Fujinon lenses, I really don’t need to keep saying that, and I won’t!  A nifty fifty is always a great lens to have along!  My most used travel lens and one of my favorites is the 18-135 f 3.5-5.6 which is the equivalent of a 28-200 or there about.  A great range and it is, ooopps sorry about that.  The last lens is the 55-200 f 3.5-4.6 (70-300) which gives me the long lens when I need it!  4 extra batteries, chargers and cords go in my luggage.

When the assignment is field work for Nature and Americana I need lenses with more speed and rely a lot on the best of the Fuji zooms.  Let’s start with my mainstay bodies a pair of Fuji X-T1s. Since there is room in the bag, and only, because I rarely use it, but hey it will be there just in case, the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye f 2.8.  For wide angle images the 10-24 gives me a 15mm to 36mm equivalent lens and it is Optically Image Stabilized.  It happens to be one of the best wide angle zooms on the market as a plus!  The 16mm f 1.4, (24mm equiv.), is spectacular for focusing close up on foregrounds and throwing the background out focus, not used all the time, but the ticket when you need it!  The 16-55 f 2.8 is a 24-85 equivalent mid-range zoom that gets a great deal of use. The next lens is the incredible new 90mm f 2 lens which, like the 16mm, is a wonderful tool for out of focus backgrounds.  The 50-140 f 2.8 lens is one of the most incredible of Fuji’s lenses, it’s OIS is so effective that even I can shoot at 1/15th of a second at 200mm equivalent and get tack sharp results.  That only leaves one last lens to add, the 60mm Macro f 2.4.  If you need to shoot closeups this is the only option right now, and actually it is, oops, almost did it again, a truly great macro lens and by adding the auto extension tubes from Fuji you can get to greater than life size.  It will be replaced by the 120mm f 2.8 Macro next year!  For now, though, it is a great little lens!  Yep, 6 spare batteries!

Now the bags.  The Travel System fits perfectly in the Lowepro Flipside Sport 10L AW The travel system weighs in at 7.5 pounds.  The Field System is carried in a Think Tank Airport Essentials backpack.  The field system weighs in at 19 pounds.  I don’t carry the Field System but work out of that bag into a Vest or belt system.

For now this is the way I’m going to try to work, and of course I will keep you informed.  When I travel buy car, I will take both bags, by air I will pack the Field System in a Think Tank Airport Security V. 2.0 rolling bag, and transfer the gear on location.  The Airport Security also allows transporting the laptop, hard drives and cords.

So, the right gear, on site, “may” be solved, but the proof is in the pudding!

Blessings,

the pilgrim