The Gear I Use

In case you were curious about the gear I use, here is a list of all the equipment I have used for the past 2 years of my travels.

During my travels across Europe I stumbled across a camera shop (Cine Photo Store) in Catania, Sicily. There I met and became friends with the shop owner, Ivano, after chatting with him I noticed a second hand Fuji 23mm f1.4. The lens was in perfect condition and after testing it out for the day I had to have it.

The lens itself is much bigger than the 27mm but being able to shoot as low as f1.4 and with a slightly wider field of view it didn’t bother me too much. So now my go to setup for everyday shooting is the X-E4 paired with the 23mm f1.4. This combination feels amazing to use, the camera and lens is well balanced and the images that it produces are amazing.

This is the first version of the lens with the adjustable focus collar so you can shoot in auto focus as per usual or by sliding the collar down it allows you to shoot in full manual focus. This is mode that I don’t tend to shoot in but having the option there is nice. The only downside to the lens is that it does not have weather sealing, although I don’t usually shoot out in the rain it would still be nice to have. I have thoroughly enjoyed shooting with this combo and have been more then satisfied with the results.

Next I have the Fujifilm XH2s, I purchased this back in the beginning of 2023 before I left Australia. Changing from the Canon ecosystem to Fujifilm made travelling much easier, the cameras themselves are noticeably smaller and the lenses are much lighter than my Canon gear.

This is an amazing camera and the inbuilt stabilisation makes shooting handheld at very low shutter speeds possible without blur. I mainly use this camera for shooting video, this is something I don’t do much but definitely want to venture more into. I mainly have this camera paired with the 18-55mm kit lens.

Usually most people will tell you the first upgrade you should make is switching from a “kit lens” to a prime or higher quality zoom lens and although I do agree with this in parts, this lens should not be referred to as a “kit lens”. The 18-55mm has built in image stabilisation (OIS) and when you pair that with the cameras stabilisation you get super smooth hand held footage. Obviously the lens has its limitations but for the price and compactness it is a great piece of equipment. In the future I would like to upgrade to the 16-55mm f2.8 but in the meantime this lens will do just fine.

The camera bag I use is the Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L, this bag comes in 2 sizes a 20L and 30L. I opted for the 20L as it is the perfect size for carry on luggage when flying. The bag has great organisation as it is accessible from both side zips and a top flap that has an adjustable latch. The 20L also fits a 15inch Macbook Pro and is weather proof. I have been out in some very heavy rain for an extended period of time and was pleasantly surprised when the inside of the bag was bone dry. The bag is also very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time which is ideal when travelling.

My day to day bag is the 6L Venture Sling by Bellroy, I own a few other Bellroy products and love their build quality and design. The sling bag is super comfy and is big enough to fit a small camera and my notebook along with various other small items but not too big that it becomes a nuisance to wear. I like that the bag is also weatherproof which is perfect for the climate in the UK.

Film photography is something I have recently starting to focus a lot more on, I picked up a second hand Olympus OM-1 from facebook market place whilst living in Edinburgh, Scotland. This camera is super fun to shoot with and looking through the viewfinder with built in light meter makes getting the correct exposure an ease. The small form factor makes it fit perfectly into the Bellroy Venture Sling.