gear

I’ve been posting a weekly photo for a while now, and before that I was publishing on an ad hoc basis, and I’ve been asked if I can detail the equipment I use to make my images.  So, in true tradition here is a breakdown of the stuff I use.

Until very recently (see my post of 1st February), I was a Nikon user.  I had always used and loved their cameras and never thought I would use anything else.

But after my disasterous day out and a visit to the superb camera shop in Swansea, I was enticed away by a Fujifilm camera.  I'd been using one (an X-T20) as a second camera and for video since late last year and loved the way it worked and the images it produced.  So I went with their professional X-T2 model, an 18-55mm f2.8-f4.0 kit lens, a 10-24mm f4.0 wide angle lens and a 60mm f2.8 macro lens.

I then picked up a Samyang 12mm f2.0 manual focus lens, and adapters to enable the use of two old Canon FD lenses (a 50mm f1.8 and 135mm f3.5) which could be fun.

I'm still getting used to what the camera and lenses will do and may get another lens later this year if funds permit (probably a Fujinon 16mm f1.4).

The filters I use to control exposure or get “arty” are mainly Lee ones.  They’re the best made filters to my mind and worth the extra expense.  I use graduated filters to help balance exposures that have bright and dark bits in them, neutral density filters to reduce the light hitting my camera's sensor (this makes for those dreamy long exposures) and a polarising filter which can deepen blue skies and reduce glare off shiny objects.

To keep things steady I use a tripod.  Either a 3 Legged Thing "Brian" (yes, that's "Brian") or a really heavy duty trusty old Manfrotto which, when I bought it, the man in the camera shop said "would see me out".  Ha!  Perhaps he knew!

Late last year I expanded my photographic horizons (quite literally) by adding a DJI Mavic Pro drone to my camera kit.  It's great fun and providing images I could previously only dream of getting.

All this stuff is kept in a Tamrac bag.  I’ve used a number of bags by different manufacturers but for me Tamrac make the best ones.  They’re really rugged, have zips that feel like they’d survive a nuclear explosion and plenty of storage for all my bits and bobs.

And everything is now well insured!

Oh, and by the way, I’m not sponsored by any of the above corporations.  But if any of them are reading…..