Fujifilm kit

My Fujifilm Travel Photography Kit

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

Back in March I published My “Ultimate” Fujifilm Travel Kit. In that article I stated, “A good travel kit strikes a comfortable balance between practicality and petiteness.” I really feel that I accomplished that with this kit; however, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the lenses. Specifically, I had too many lenses, some of which didn’t really serve a purpose.

To quickly recap, my “ultimate travel kit” consisted of:

– National Geographic NG2344 Earth Explorer Shoulder Bag
– Fujifilm X100V
– Fujifilm X-E4
– Fujinon 18mm f/2
– Fujinon 27mm f/2.8
– Fujinon 35mm f/2
– Peargear 10mm f/8 fisheye
– 7artisians 50mm f/1.8
– Asahi Pentax-110 50mm f/2.8

Yosemite Creek – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V

So, nine months later, I’ve made some minor modifications. I’ve eliminated the Fujinon 35mm f/2 and the Asahi-Pentax 110 50mm lenses from the kit, although I still own and use them—they just stay home when I travel. The 7artisans 50mm f/1.8 remains for now, although I do hope to replace it with a Fujinon 50mm f/2 at some point, hopefully in the coming year. With the space that’s been freed up from the eliminated lenses, I’ve added a Ricoh GR to the bag, but obviously that’s not a Fujifilm item, so it’s an unofficial tag-along.

I mentioned yesterday that I’m an “Amazon Influencer” now, which means I have a “Shop” on their website. I can create, publish, and share “Idea Lists” in my Shop. How this relates to this article is that I created an Idea List for the current iteration of My “Ultimate” Fujifilm Travel Kit. All of the items currently in my kit can now be found in the “Ultimate Fujifilm Travel Kit Idea List” in my Shop. This might be helpful to some of you.

As my travel kit evolves, I will continue to periodically share with you what those changes are. Everyone’s wants and needs are different, and so I can only tell you what works for me. In the comments, be sure to let me know what’s in your Fujifilm travel kit, and why it works for you.

Budget Fujifilm Kit Recommendation

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

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Back in June I wrote a post explaining how one could buy an elaborate kit, complete with multiple bodies and lenses, for $3,000 or less, the exact price depending on the body and lens combinations. The deals that made it possible have since expired, so I thought I would suggest a budget kit based on what’s on sale now. This one won’t be as grand as the previous, but if you are trying to assemble an “ultimate kit” on a low-budget, this might help you achieve that.

The first thing that I’d start with is a Fujifilm X-T20 bundled with the excellent 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens, which will set you back $1,000. This is a great mid-level body to build the rest of the kit around, and bundling the lens saves some cash. For a second camera body, I would buy an X-E3, which right now is $600. This would give you two quality camera bodies and a good zoom, and you would have spent only $1,600. Assuming that we’re staying within the same $3,000 budget, you now have $1,400 to spend on lenses.

If you visit my Fujifilm Gear page, you can see the different lens options and what they’re currently going for on Amazon. There’s a lot of potential combinations that would fit within the budget, and what would work best for you will depend on your photography needs. That being said, I will lay out a few ideas for how to spend that $1,400. You could buy the 10-24mm f/4 or the 16mm f/1.4 or the 56mm f/1.2 for $1,000, and the 35mm f/2 or the 50mm-230mm f/4.5-6.7 for $400. You could buy the 14mm f/2.8 or the 23mm f/1.4 or the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 for $900, and the 23mm f/2 or the 27mm f/2.8 or the 50mm f/2 for $450. Or, if you want the most lenses, maybe choose your favorite three from the $400-$450 options listed above. I really like the 90mm f/2, which costs $950, and the 35mm f/2, which are two lenses that I use regularly, but you could choose any one of the $400-$450 lenses to pair with the 90mm. There are a lot of potential combinations!

For $3,000 or less, you could have two solid camera bodies, and three or possibly four quality lenses. That’s really quite amazing! While these current deals aren’t nearly as blockbuster as the ones in June were, there’s still a lot of value available for your money. You could still assemble an very solid Fujifilm kit for a reasonable price.

Full Fujifilm Kit For Under $3,000

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

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Yesterday I mentioned that, with the current deals being offered, you could get a two-camera kit with several lenses for under $3,000. I thought I’d break down what that might look like, as it could be helpful to some of you out there. I know that people are constantly changing systems, and perhaps somebody is considering Fujifilm and wondering where to start. Or maybe someone has an older Fujifilm camera and wants to update and expand their gear. Whatever the reason, the idea of having a full Fujifilm kit for under $3,000 is fascinating.

What makes this all possible is that the X-T2 and X-T20 are heavily discounted, since the new generation X-T3 and X-T30 have replaced them. The new cameras are indeed better, but not by huge margins, and that shouldn’t diminish the fact that the X-T2 and X-T20 are excellent bodies. The X-T2 and X-T20 should still be considered great options for those in the camera market.

To begin with, I would purchase both the X-T2 and X-T20. The X-T2 is weather-sealed and slightly more feature rich, while the X-T20 is smaller and lighter and better for travel. I imagine that they’d both get plenty of use. Different tools for different jobs that deliver identical image quality. I would purchase the X-T2 body for $800 and I would purchase the X-T20 combined with the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 for $900. At this point you have two bodies and a decent zoom lens for only $1,700.

Lenses are a bit trickier because it all depends on your style and genre. Different photographers have different needs. For example, if you do astrophotography, you might want the 16mm f/1.4, but if you do portrait photography you might appreciate the 56mm f/1.2 more. I personally love the 90mm f/2. The first two lenses are $900 while the last one is $850. However, there are great alternatives that are more budget friendly. For example, you could get the 16mm f/2.8 for $400 and the 50mm f/2 for $350, which altogether is $750, and it’s not all that much different than having the 16mm f/1.4 and 56mm f/1.2. So you could buy one expensive lens or two cheaper alternatives, whatever you think would serve your photography best. I would recommend the 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 for $400. If you went with the two-lens alternative, you could afford to get the 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 for $500 instead of the cheaper zoom. If you don’t need a telephoto zoom, I’d recommend selecting one of the cheaper primes instead, such as the 16mm f/2.8 for $400, 23mm f/2 for $400, the 27mm f/2.8 for $400, the 35mm f/2 for $350, the 50mm f/2 for $350, or the 60mm f/2.4 for $400, whichever one best fits your needs.

If you chose one of the $900 lenses plus the $400 telephoto zoom, you’ve now spent $3,000. If you chose the $850 lens plus the telephoto zoom, you’re now $50 under budget. If you selected the two-lens alternative from the previous paragraph and the telephoto zoom (or one of the $400 primes), you’re now $150 under budget, or $50 under budget if you upgraded to the nicer zoom. If you selected the two-lens alternative plus the 35mm f/2 instead of the telephoto zoom, you’re now $200 under budget. You could also select one of the $850-$900 primes plus one of the $350-400 primes, which would put you between $2,900 and $3,000, depending on what you chose. For somewhere between $2,800 and $3,000 (depending on your combination), you have two camera bodies, a pretty good zoom, plus perhaps two primes, or one prime and another zoom, or two primes and another zoom, or three primes, just depending on what you selected. Whatever the combination is, that’s a pretty darn good kit for the money.

The Ultimate Fujifilm X Kit?

Posted on by Ritchie Roesch

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What would be my ultimate Fujifilm X camera and lens kit? What would I have in my camera bag if money was no issue? I have been asked these types of questions several times, and I don’t really like to answer them because, like many of you, my resources are limited and I’ll probably never own an “ultimate” kit. Some of you might have the money, so perhaps you’re trying to assemble such a thing and are seeking advice, so this will be my attempt to answer the question of the ultimate Fujifilm X kit. Hopefully my opinion will be useful to someone.

I’m going to limit this to APS-C Fujifilm X, and not the medium-format GFX system. In all honesty, if I were independently wealthy, I’d likely own a GFX camera. That would be amazing! My best hope for that, perhaps in five or six years, is to buy one that’s used and is being sold at a bargain basement price. I can always dream, right?

What cameras would be in my bag? Well, probably the Fujifilm X-T3, which is the ultimate X camera right now (I know, an argument could be made that the X-H1 is the top X camera). Later this year the X-Pro3 should be released, and I’d prefer that over the X-T3, but it’s a close call between the two, and since the X-T3 is available right now, that’s the camera that I would own. I would have a backup interchangeable-lens camera, one that’s smaller and lighter and better for walk-around and travel, and that would be the Fujifilm X-T30, which is a camera I already have, so I suppose that’s a start to my ultimate kit. I would also own a compact fixed-lens camera for travel and street photography, and that would be the Fujifilm X100F, which is an incredible camera for that purpose. The X100F is not essential, but it is an extraordinarily enjoyable camera, and so it would definitely be in my ultimate bag.

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I would have a number of different lenses to go with those cameras. My choice for Fujifilm primes would be the Fujinon 16mm f/1.4, Fujinon 35mm f/2, Fujinon 56mm f/1.2, and Fujinon 90mm f/2. I would also own the Rokinon 12mm f/2. I would have a telephoto zoom, probably the Fujinon 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8, and maybe even a wide-angle zoom, perhaps the Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4. I prefer primes over zooms, but occasionally zooms are preferred for their versatility, so having a couple of them would be important.

All of those cameras and lenses are going to add up to a lot of money. This would not be a cheap kit! Of course, that’s the point, as this would be a money-is-no-object situation. Most people, myself included, are on a tight budget with limited resources. So I will give alternative suggestions for a more budget-friendly ultimate kit. Maybe this will be helpful to some of you.

If you still want an “ultimate” Fujifilm X kit but the suggestions above are out of budget, I would choose instead the Fujifilm X-T2 and Fujifilm X-T20, which will save you several hundred dollars right off the bat, and will get you essentially the same exact thing. If that’s still too much, get the X-T20 and the Fujifilm X-T100, or skip having a second camera body altogether. You could skip the X100F and purchase the Fujinon 23mm f/2 lens and get similar results to that camera without actually owning it, which will save some money. Alternatively, if you really want the X100F, buy one used or get the X100T, or even choose the Fujifilm XF10 instead.

For lenses, you could save money by choosing the Fujinon 16mm f/2.8 lens over the 16mm f/1.4, and the Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 instead of the 56mm f/1.2. Or just skip those lenses altogether, and get the Fujinon 16-55mm f/2.8, which would cover those focal lengths pretty well. If you chose carefully, you could have an almost-as-good ultimate kit for probably half the price as my suggested ultimate kit. There are certainly options for those on a small budget. And don’t be afraid to buy a lens here-and-there when you can, slowly building your glass collection. Nobody says you have to buy everything all at once.