When people discuss their camera gear, they mostly talk about their camera bodies and lenses. Photography accessories are sometimes overlooked, but they can be just as important. While I’m most commonly asked about cameras and lenses, occasionally someone inquires about my “other” gear, wanting to know what I use and why, and what I recommend. In this article I’ll briefly discuss each camera accessory that I use and why I use it.
The way that I’m going to do this article is I’ll talk about which accessories I currently use with various camera bodies. I’ll begin with the Fujifilm X100V and continue on until I’ve covered all of the different accessories.
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Fujifilm X100V Accessories
I don’t have a lot of accessories for my Fujifilm X100V, but the ones I do have are very important. First, I have a Hoagle filter adapter (Amazon). Using a filter adapter on the X100V (in conjunction with a filter) makes the camera weather-sealed, as the only part that isn’t weather-sealed is the front lens element—simply screwing on a filter fixes this, but it requires an adapter. There are a number of brands who sell one, including Fujifilm themselves (Amazon), but I use Hoagle because it’s cheap and it works. I always use a filter, either a Fotasy 49mm UV filter (Amazon), or one of several diffusion filters: Tiffen 1/4 Black Pro Mist (Amazon), which I used in conjunction with the KodaNeg Film Simulation Recipes, 5% CineBloom (Amazon), 10% CineBloom (B&H), or 20% CineBloom (Amazon). Of these filters, the 5% CineBloom and Fotasy UV are the two most commonly used, and the 20% CineBloom is the least used. Shooting with diffusion filters is the third suggestion in my 7 Tips to Get the Film Look From Your Digital Photos article. You can also stack them to achieve a dreamy look.
What else? I found the camera strap used on eBay. I have a Monfrotto Compact Action Aluminum Tripod (B&H), which I do use occasionally with this camera (and my other cameras). Otherwise, that’s it.
Fujifilm X-E4 Accessories
I don’t really have any accessories for my Fujifilm X-E4, but I thought I’d take a moment to talk about lens adaptors. Fujifilm cameras are especially great when paired with vintage lenses, which typically have more character than modern glass. This is the fourth suggestion in my 7 Tips to Get the Film Look From Your Digital Photos article. To use vintage lenses, you’ll need an adapter, and I currently have three: M42-to-Fuji-X, M39-to-Fuji-X, and Pentax-110-to-Fuji-X. The M42 and M39 adapters are nondescript ones I purchased on eBay for cheap six years ago, but the Fotasy M42 (Amazon) and M39 (Amazon) would work just fine, and are inexpensive. My Pentax-110 adapter is made by Fotasy (Amazon).
Another thing worth noting is that, because of the compact size of the X-E4 and X100V, the National Geographic NG 2344 Earth Explorer Mall Shoulder Bag (Amazon) works really well for me, better than any other camera bag I’ve ever owned—I don’t travel without it.
Fujifilm X-T30 Accessories
I don’t have a lot to add with my Fujifilm X-T30, so I’ll take the opportunity to bring up SD cards and batteries. Because I’ve been shooting for awhile, I have tons of memory cards lying around, but the one I use the most is SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB (Amazon), which I own several of. I have a number of spare Fujifilm NP-W126S batteries (Amazon); I do own a couple third-party batteries, but I don’t like using them, and only do so in a pinch, which is very infrequently. I love the Nitecore USB Camera Battery Charger (Amazon), which just so happens to fit really well in one of the pockets in my camera bag.
Fujifilm X70 Accessories
My Fujifilm X70 came with an official Fujifilm leather half-case (Amazon), which I absolutely love! If mine hadn’t come with this, I probably wouldn’t have purchased the case because I wouldn’t have realized what I was missing. Definitely “worth it” in my opinion; however, I’m sure some of the cheaper third-party options are nearly as good for a fraction of the cost.
Fujifilm X-H1 Accessories
The final accessory that I want to bring up for my Fujifilm gear is my studio lighting: Phottix Nuada R3 II two-light kit (Amazon). I don’t use artificial lights very often, but occasionally I do (like here and when I do the SOOC broadcasts), and the Phottix Nuada R3 II is absolutely great. Best lights I’ve ever owned—bright, versatile, compact, lightweight. I’m sure they’re not for everyone, but if you’re thinking about buying some studio lights and are unsure what to get, I do recommend this kit.
iPhone 11 Accessories
Since I created my very own iPhone camera app—RitchieCam—it should come as no surprise that I have a couple of iPhone accessories: Moment Tele 58mm lens (Amazon) and Moment MagSafe Tripod Mount (Amazon), which require a Moment cellphone case (Amazon). Completely worthwhile, in my opinion.
I own a shelf-full of different accessories that I’ve collected over the last nearly 25 years, but the ones mentioned in this article are the ones that I actually use. There are a number of items that I have used before, but have parted ways with or sit collecting dust, so I didn’t mention them. I’m sure I could list a number of accessories that I wish I had, but this article is about what I currently use. For some of you, this list might seem surprisingly short. For some of you, this list might appear to have unnecessary or redundant items. A lot of times I think that less is more, particularly with camera gear, but if there’s something you’ll actually use, it’s likely worth having around.
Which of the lenses you use have micro-contrast or 3D Pop?
I did some checks on my XF lenses, and found that the FUJI 16 mm F1.4 did, as well as the 23 mm F1.4 Viltrox both had good 3D Pop.
The 50 mm GFX was better than the 23 mm GFX, although the 45-100 mm GFX was OK.
You probably know how to check for that…
Sent from my iPad, Regards Lawrence
I think micro-contrast has a little to do with the so-called “3D pop” but I think contrast (the subject against the background), sharpness, depth-of-field (probably the biggest factor), lighting direction, and (sometimes) color contrast/color vividness also play a role. Micro contrast is one of a list of factors, and perhaps not even the most important—I have seen “3D pop” from a cheap plastic lens in the right conditions. For a lens to have good micro-contrast, it starts with the coating on the glass, and the ability to control reflections inside the elements, and finally, the amount of air-to-glass (more air the light has to pass through equals less micro-contrast). I think all Fujinon lenses have good micro-contrast and are capable of achieving “3D pop” if the photographer is also capable. I’m not sure which Fujinon lenses have the most micro-contrast, but the 90mm f/2 and 27mm f/2.8 both seem to have excellent micro-contrast in my estimation. Interestingly, I sometimes prefer lenses with less micro-contrast for a more “dreamy” or soft effect.
Can you recommend me a X-A10 holster, something like u can just slide your cam with the mount attached to the cam to something like your belt etc.?
I have no idea, sorry.