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:
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.
I recently set out to create an “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit.
Over the last couple of years, as I’ve collected more and more gear, traveling with my cameras and lenses has become cumbersome, which has lead to frustrations and reduced productivity. More isn’t always better; in fact, less is often more—this is especially true when traveling. I realized that my gear wasn’t nearly as ready for adventure as I was, and I needed to make some series changes to my kit before embarking on my next road trip.
What makes a travel kit bad? If it’s big and heavy and gets in the way, it’s not good. My travel kit consisted of a backpack camera bag filled with multiple bodies and as many lenses as I could stuff inside. I went to Montana last fall, and in my bag there was an X-T1, X-T30, X100V, and X-M1, plus a handful of lenses, including the Fujinon 100-400mm and Fujinon 90mm, which aren’t small or lightweight. I hardly used any of them, except for the X100V, which I could easily carry with me, and so I did. Because I had it with me, I used it often. The rest of the gear just got in the way—literally, the backpack took up too much space in the car, and it become a point of frustration. I would have been better off just bringing one or two cameras and maybe a few small lenses—gear that might have actually been used.
I was afraid that if I didn’t have a certain camera or lens, I would regret not bringing it, if at some point I thought I might need it. You never know what you’ll need, so it’s better to be prepared, right? What I discovered over the last few trips is that the majority of what I was carrying with me I didn’t use. Or, for some of it, if I did use it, it’s only because I forced myself to use it when it wasn’t really necessary. Having too much gear actually made me want to photograph less, and made me less creative when I did. My best photography most often happened when I had limited gear—perhaps one camera and one lens—and left the rest behind.
What makes a travel kit good? It should be compact and lightweight, yet versatile. One camera and one lens is often enough, but not always. The X100V is a great travel camera, but sometimes I need something more wide-angle or more telephoto—it’s not always versatile enough, even though it is often my camera of choice. I think two bodies and a limited assortment of lenses in a small bag is good. Small enough to not get in the way. Lightweight. Something that you don’t mind having with you, so you do. A good travel kit strikes a comfortable balance between practicality and petiteness.
I put together what I hoped would be a great kit for travel photography. I was able to put it to the test on a road trip to Arizona—was it actually going to work for me?—and I discovered many good points and a few things that still need to be worked out. Let’s take a close look at this “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit that I assembled for myself, piece-by-piece.
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Bag
It might seem strange to begin with the bag, but in my mind it’s just that important. The camera bag needed to be very small, but it also had to be able to hold everything. Finding one that I felt was just the right size and design turned out to be a challenge, but after much research I stumbled across the National Geographic NG2344 Earth Explorer Shoulder Bag, and for only $40! The dimensions of this bag are roughly 8″ x 7″ x 6″, yet I can fit two cameras and six lenses inside. I was thrilled to learn that the bag fit into the middle storage console of my car, so it is completely out of the way on road trips, yet is easily and quickly accessible.
I subdivided the main compartment into four, using the soft dividers to create “hidden” storage under the cameras, which I use for lenses. The bottom-right holds two Fujinon lenses, and the bottom-left holds three third-party lenses. Two cameras fit on top, just as long as the interchangeable-lens camera has a pancake lens attached. The small front compartment holds charging cords, extra batteries, SD-cards, etc., while the two tiny top pockets (which are probably more for looks than anything) hold lens-wipes. While everything is packed in, I don’t feel like it’s overstuffed—there actually is a little room for more, should I need it.
One thing that I don’t like about this bag is that the shoulder strap is permanently attached. I might modify it at some point to make the strap removable, as I think that would improve it. Otherwise, the bag seems pretty darn good for the travel photographer.
I already owned a Fujifilm X100V, and that camera was going to be in this kit, no doubt about it. The other camera was a question mark for me. It needed to be small yet an interchangeable-lens model. I thought that my X-T30 might be too big, so maybe the X-E3, but it has the older sensor. I really wasn’t sure which camera was going to be the right one. Then Fujifilm announced the X-E4, and I really hoped that it would be the correct camera for this kit, so I immediately preordered it. After several weeks of waiting, and just a couple of days before my Arizona trip, it arrived at my doorstep. And it fit perfectly into the camera bag.
Fujifilm X100V
The Fujifilm X100V, which I’ve had for about 10 months, was a birthday gift from my wife. It’s such a great camera and I absolutely love to shoot with it. The X100V has a permanently attached 23mm lens, which is 35mm full-frame equivalent—a very useful focal-length. The compactness of it makes it especially great for travel.
There are some X100V features that are unique in my bag. It’s weather-sealed, has a nearly silent mechanical leaf shutter, built-in high-speed-synch fill-flash, optical viewfinder, and built-in neutral-density filter. I could photograph with this camera 90% of the time and be very happy, but the X100V isn’t always the right choice. It has strengths, but it also has weaknesses that limit its versatility.
If I could only have one camera, it would be the X100V; however, I believe that this camera demands a partner. If you have this camera, you also need an interchangeable-lens option to accompany it. That’s why I have two cameras in my kit, even though the X100V is oftentimes all that I need.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujifilm X100V on the Arizona trip.
Putting Practice – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Metal Pool Flowers – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Pinnacle Peak – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Fujifilm X-E4
The Fujifilm X-E4 is the smallest interchangeable-lens camera with an electronic viewfinder offered by Fujifilm. The compact size of the X-E4 is an important aspect of this travel kit. I have an X-T30, which is a small camera that’s a little bigger than the X-E4, and it does fit into the camera bag, but barely—it’s much more snug than I want it to be. In a pinch it would work, but the X-E4 is a more comfortable fit, and a better choice because of that.
When the X100V isn’t the right tool, the X-E4 fills in nicely. It adds great versatility to the travel kit. I can go more wide-angle or telephoto by changing the lens. It can store one more film simulation recipe than the X100V. It has some new JPEG features that the X100V doesn’t. Even though 90% of the time the X100V is all that I need, I found myself using the X-E4 much more than I thought I would. It’s a fun camera that’s easy to have with you because of its compact size.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujifilm X-E4 on the Arizona trip.
Three Palms – Sun City West, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
That Way – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Blossoming Red – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Lenses
In the camera bag I have six lenses—seven if you count the one permanently attached to the X100V. This provides versatility for whatever photographic situations present themselves. The lenses must be small, or else they won’t fit inside the bag.
Would a 100-400mm zoom be nice to have as an option? Yes, for sure! But it’s too big, and it would add a lot of weight—if it’s not going to be used much, it’s not worth bringing along. The Fujinon 90mm f/2 is one of my favorite lenses, but it’s also big and heavy, and not used often enough, so it’s not in this kit. A zoom lens would make a lot of sense, perhaps something like the 18-55mm f/2.8-4, but I prefer primes. My philosophy as I put this travel kit together was smaller is better. Zooms are often smaller than a few primes put together, but are rarely smaller than a singe prime. If a lens attached to the X-E4 made it possibly pocketable, that was a win. The more compact the camera and lens combo is, the more convenient it will be for travel. With those goals in mind, I chose six lenses to place inside my camera bag.
Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R
The Fujinon XF 18mm f/2 R is Fujifilm’s second smallest lens, which makes it a great option for travel. The 18mm focal-length, which is 27mm full-frame equivalent, is very useful—great for walk-around photography and landscapes. This is my primary wide-angle lens in this kit. The 18mm f/2 is a little loud and a bit slow, but it captures beautiful pictures. The compact size and lovely image quality are what makes this lens great.
Most of the time when I want a wide-angle option, the 18mm focal-length works well; however, occasionally I would like something a little wider. I think a 14mm or 12mm lens would be preferable sometimes, but unfortunately there’s not an option that’s small enough for my camera bag—for example, my Rokinon 12mm f/2 is just a little too big. Thankfully, this lens is often a great choice when I want to shoot wide-angle, so it gets used a lot, and is an essential part of this travel kit.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujinon 18mm lens on the Arizona trip.
Sunlight Through Palm Leaves – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 18mm
American Motorcycle – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 18mm
Roundabout – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 18mm
Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR
The Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR was my most used lens on the trip to Arizona. It’s Fujifilm’s smallest lens, so I knew that it would be an essential element of my travel kit, but I didn’t know just how much I’d love using it. The 27mm focal length, which is 40.5mm full-frame equivalent, is the closest to a “normal” lens on Fujifilm X, yet it is slightly wide-angle.
If I wanted to really simplify things, I could be happy just bringing this lens and the 18mm f/2 to pair with the X-E4 (plus the X100V). That would be a lightweight and uncomplicated kit. Expanding the focal-length options with a few other lenses is a nice bonus, but the heart and soul of the camera bag are the two camera bodies and the 27mm and 18mm pancake lenses.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Fujinon 27mm lens on the Arizona trip.
Old Cars & Tires – Kamas, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Two Roses, Mary & Child – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 27mm
Two Thirty – Surprise, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 & Fujinon 27mm
Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR
The Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR has been my most used lens over the last two years. The 52.5mm full-frame equivalent focal-length makes this a slightly telephoto “standard” prime lens, often referred to as a “nifty fifty”. There’s a little redundancy between this and the 27mm, as they’re both “standard” lenses, but the 35mm has some advantages: quieter autofocus, larger maximum aperture, slightly superior optics. Despite that, I found myself using the 35mm f/2 less often than I thought I would.
Because I have the 27mm lens, this lens isn’t an essential part of the travel kit. Since there’s room for it and it’s been a favorite lens of mine for a couple years, I decided to include it anyway. I did use it a little on my trip, but more because I forced myself to and not so much because I needed to. I might rethink its inclusion in the camera bag, but for now the 35mm f/2 lens stays.
Lemon Tree – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Fujinon 35mm
Pergear 10mm f/8 Fisheye
The Pergear 10mm f/8 Fisheye lens is quite limited in its usefulness, but occasionally it comes in handy, such as when I visited Horseshoe Bend, which demanded an ultra-wide-angle option for the dramatic landscape. The Fujinon 18mm lens wasn’t nearly wide-enough, so the Pergear 10mm came out and did the trick. The strong barrel distortion makes it tough to use, but it’s definitely useable in a pinch.
This compact pancake lens takes up almost no space in the camera bag, so its inclusion is a no-brainer. Even if it was only used a few times, and otherwise remained in the bag unused, it’s worth having around for those rare occasions when this lens comes in handy. It’s so small, lightweight and cheap, it just makes sense to have it in the camera bag, providing a more wide-angle option than 18mm.
Green Spikes – Glen Canyon Nat. Rec. Area, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pergear 10mm
Sitting Above Horseshoe Bend – Glen Canyon Nat. Rec. Area, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pergear 10mm
Asahi Pentax-110 50mm f/2.8
The Asahi Pentax-110 50mm f/2.8 was the last lens that I added to the travel kit. Why did I include it? Because, since it’s a tiny lens, there was room for it, and I really like how it renders pictures. This lens has a fixed aperture, which makes its usefulness limited, but when I do use it I enjoy the pictures that I capture with it. This Asahi lens is the only vintage lens in this kit.
I wish that I had used this lens more, but it had competition, so I ended up using it less than I should have. Next time I will use it more. This little 75mm full-frame-equivalent lens has a special quality and takes up so little space, so its inclusion in the travel kit should have been obvious. The Asahi Pentax-110 50mm lens is going to stick around awhile.
Below are a few pictures that I captured with my Asahi Pentax-110 50mm lens on the Arizona trip.
Spring Seeding – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pentax-110 50mm
Jon (and Yoda) Ready to Play – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 & Pentax-110 50mm
7artisans 50mm f/1.8
The sixth lens in my travel kit is the 7artisans 50mm f/.8. This fully manually lens is good and all, but there are two reasons why it will be replaced: I already have a 50mm lens that I like, and focusing on distant objects is more difficult than it should be. Otherwise this a decent lens, and it has several advantages over the Asahi 50mm: closer minimum focus distance, larger maximum aperture, adjustable aperture, less vignetting—technically speaking, it’s a superior lens, but it’s missing the great character that is oozing from the vintage Asahi lens.
The reason why I selected this particular lens for this kit is because it’s the smallest 50mm X-mount lens available. I did discover that there’s actually a little more room in the bag for something slightly bigger. Ideally I’d like to replace this with a longer focal-length lens, but at the moment I’m just not sure what it will be, or when I’ll replace it. I do know that the inclusion of the 7artisans 50mm f/1.8 lens in my travel kit won’t last long.
How ultimate is my “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit? It’s not perfect, but it’s significantly better than what I was traveling with before. The bag is ideal. The two cameras are wonderful. There are some excellent lenses to choose from. No doubt about it, this is a really good kit for travel photography.
If anything, it’s the lens selection that’s not quite perfect. I like the 18mm and 27mm. The 35mm is great, too, but a little unnecessary since I have the 27mm. The X100V, with its built-in 23mm lens, is awesome. I like the Asahi Pentax 50mm lens, but it’s not especially practical for everyday photography. The 10mm Fisheye is good to have around, but not especially useful most of the time. Those two lenses take up very little space, so it’s easy to keep them in the bag just in case I want to use them, but I know that I won’t be using either of them all that often. I don’t need two 50mm lenses, so the 7artisans will be replaced.
Should I replace the Fujinon 35mm f/2? If so, with what? The 16mm f/2.8 is the same size, so it’s a logical option, although it creates the same redundancy problem, just at the wide-angle end, which actually might be slightly more practical. Maybe the Fujinon 16mm f/2.8 and the Fujinon 50mm f/2 would be good options to replace the 35mm and the 7artisans models. The 50mm f/2 is a little bigger, but I believe it would fit. The Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 might be an option instead of the 50mm, which would be preferable because it has a longer reach and is also a macro lens, but it might be a tad too big for the bag. Maybe I should consider a vintage model. Or maybe replace two primes with a zoom. There’s a lot to consider, and I think replacing one or two lenses will make this “ultimate” travel kit even better. I’ll let you know when I make that modification, and how it goes.
This trip to Arizona that I recently returned from was photographically so much more pleasant than my other travels over the last couple of years. A small camera bag filled with compact and lightweight gear—a purposeful assortment of cameras and lenses—is a night-and-day difference from the heavy backpack stuffed with everything that could fit that I used to haul around. Practical and petite is preferable when it comes to travel photography. Less is often more. This might not yet be the “ultimate” Fujifilm travel kit, but it’s pretty close, and will only get better.
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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.
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.
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.
