It's time you
try something new.
It feels nice when someone you trust gives you the green light to buy something exciting and new. When you love what’s in your bag and it suits your vision, it opens up the doors for you to be your best self every time you go out and shoot. The list below is categorized for your viewing pleasure. Cheers to nothing holding you back.
Prime Lenses
CAMERA
FUJI XT-3The X- T3 has amazing picture quality and is small and light to boot. Its high ISO performance and sharpness rival DSLR’s out there. Compared to full frame mirrorless cameras, Fuji gives you image quality which is equal or better but with much smaller lenses and at a much more affordable price point.
NORMAL
Fuji XF 35mm 1.4 RFast lens with great contrast and color. Sharp in the center but slightly soft toward the corners when shooting wide open (which can be a cool quality). Performs better than any 50mm from Canon or Nikon. Pretty fast focusing but not quite as fast as the 23mm.
WIDE
Fuji XF 16mm 1.4 WRA 24mm equivalent gives a great perspective be it street photography or landscapes. Its f1.4 maximum aperture and 5 inch minimum focus distance can give you amazingly soft backgrounds. It is super fast focusing and weather resistant.
MID WIDE
Fuji XF 23mm 1.4 RAn all purpose lens with no compromises. Insanely sharp (even wide open) and fast AF make it a really versatile and dependable lens. Great for street photography, environmental portraits, and general photography as well.
SUPER WIDE
Zeiss 12mm 2.8 TouitIt’s really wide and it’s really sharp. The 18mm equivalent angle of view sees the world in the most unique way. Excellent choice for landscape, architecture, or anytime you want to force perspective.
PORTRAIT
Fuji XF 56mm 1.2 RGotta have this as a portrait photographer. Its f1.2 maximum aperture renders beautifully soft backgrounds without giving up any subject sharpness. Its narrower angle of view makes this lens a little less versatile than the 23 or the 35, but when you’re in its wheelhouse there’s nothing quite like this lens.
MACRO
Fuji XF 80mm 2.8 OIS MacroTack sharp, stabilized macro lens which actually has a very effective auto focus system which is almost unheard of in the macro world. Sure it’s on the big side but its 1:1 reproduction ratio and amazing Fuji optics make it an easy choice for anyone who likes macro.
FISHEYE
Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 UMC Fisheye IIA really fun lens when you want to show the world in a whole new way. This rectilinear fisheye gives you plenty of distortion to make your images stand out. Put this manual focus gem on your Fuji, turn on the shoot without lens setting and get ready to have fun.
Zoom. Zoom.
SHORT ZOOM
FUJI XF 18-55mm 2.8-4 OISThis is the sleeper of the bunch. It’s positively tiny compared to the 16-55 and gives you super sharp optics and throws in Optical Image Stabilization(OIS). Buy it with your X-T3 and you’ll get this lens for only $399.
SHORT ZOOM
FUJI XF 16-55mm 2.8 WRA 24-70mm equivalent for those who love a fast, sharp, weather resistant zoom lenses. Not as compact as some of Fuji’s other short zooms but it’s considerably lighter and more affordable than comparable lenses from Sony, Nikon and Canon. This one should be the very first lens you buy if you need a 2.8 zoom.
LONG ZOOM
FUJI XF 50-140mm 2.8 OIS WRThis lens covers the 70-200mm equivalent and does so with ruthlessly sharp optics, fast auto focus, OIS and weather resistance. One of the bigger lenses from Fuji but it’s much smaller and lighter than the Sony/Canon/Nikon equivalents. One of the sharpest lenses Fuji makes.
LONG ZOOM
FUJI XF 55-200mm 3.5-4.8 OISAn 80-300 equivalent that won’t break your back or your bank account. Much lighter than the 50-140 and with 100mm more reach. It gives up a little sharpness compared to the razor sharp 50-140 but it’s often worth the trade for more reach and more portability.
TRAVEL ZOOM
FUJI XF 18-135mm 3.5-5.6 OIS WRThis is Fuji’s one lens solution. It covers the 27-200mm equivalent and does so without sacrificing much in terms of image quality. Add Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and weather resistance and you’ve got the perfect lens when you just want to bring one lens along.
ULTRA WIDE ZOOM
FUJI XF 8-16mm 2.8 WRBig, heavy and irreplaceable! There’s nothing quite like a super wide lens if it suits your vision. Not petite by any means but it’s almost 1/2 lb lighter than the Nikon. For those that love the perspective and flexibility it gives it’s easy to justify.
Tripods
TRAVEL TRIPOD
Oben CT 3586 with BZ-226T headA great travel tripod which folds down to 16” for easy packing and carrying. Although it’s lightweight it is sturdy enough to be used in situations when you’re not living out of a suitcase. It’ll easily hold 26lbs and if you’ve got a small DSLR or mirrorless camera it could be all the tripod you’ll ever need. You can even unscrew one of the legs and convert it into a monopod.
DO IT ALL
Oben CT 2381 with BE-126 headA true workhorse tripod. This thing is tall and is barely 4lbs with the head attached. Sturdy yet light, and it can easily go from a worm’s eye view, (inches off the ground) if you remove the center column to standing height.
The BE-126 head holds 26 lbs. and uses Arca style plates, which are a must. It comes with a generic plate but you can go to Really Right Stuff and get a plate that’s custom made for your camera.
HEAVY DUTY
Robus RC-5558They Robus legs are an unbelievable bargain. f you’re looking for a heavy duty gold standard of tripods, save money on Gitzo and Really Right Stuff legs (which are twice the price) and just get this. It’ll go from 4″ to 58″ in a snap and has a 10 year warranty.
It’s are heavier than the Oben legs to be sure but is rock solid, impeccably built and will carry any load. Great for SLRs and big lenses. Perfect for a medium format digital system.
BALL HEAD
Really Right Stuff BH-55Beautifully machined, light weight and built to last. The HUGE adjustment knob makes it easy to tighten and loosen regardless of the conditions.
MOUNTING PLATES
Really Right Stuff L-bracketsThe best mounting plates are the ones that are made specifically for your camera. RRS designs them so they won’t spin once they’re on the camera and they are slim and light enough to remain attached even when you’re not using a tripod.
FOCUSING RAIL
Kirk FR2This little contraption really reduces the frustrations of fine-tuning your focus without effecting your macro compositions. A macro must…don’t shoot close up without it!
Baggage
SMALL ROLLER BAG
Think Tank Airport AdvantageThis bag fits all my gear and laptop and stows in the cabin of any aircraft…even small regional jets (under the seat). When I’m on small planes and traveling internationally and I want to be certain that I can keep my bag with me this is it.
CARRY-ON ROLLER BAG
Think Tank Roller DerbyBACKPACK
Peak Everyday BackpackSLING
Peak Everyday SlingThis tiny pack holds an X-T3, 2-3 lenses, 3 batteries and a phone. Great for those who like to keep it small and portable in urban environments.
TECH POUCH
Peak Tech PouchThe best way to keep all of your batteries, cords, portable hard drives and other accessories safe, secure and neatly organized.
CAMERA STRAP
Peak Design LeashThin, lightweight, comfortable. It’s easy to get on and off with its smooth gliding quick-adjusters and is designed to operate with just 1 finger. Great for a mirrorless set up.
Necessities
BATTERY
Watson NP-W126OEM batteries cost too much! Watson batteries are only $19.95 vs $65 for the Fuji brand. You get around the same life from the Watsons as you would get from Fuji batteries and they an absolute bargain.
DUAL CHARGER
Watson Duo LCD ChargerCABLE RELEASE
Vello RS-F1II Wired Remote SwitchREMOTE
Vello FreeWave PlusIf you’re the type to break cable releases or if you don’t like those small, fiddly connectors then this is your answer. This fits in your hot shoe and allows you to fire your camera via a hand held (cable-less) remote. This little device is much more convenient to use than cable releases.
VARIABLE ND FILTER
Tiffen Variable Neutral DensityJust what you need for long shutter speeds. This filter can block from 2 to 8 stops of light when you rotate it, giving you a lot of flexibility with your shutter speeds. It’s sharp and reasonably priced with less vignetting, and color casts than its more expensive competition.