My dream Fuji X-series travel gadget bag

Like many of you, I have been speculating on what my travel gadget bag would look like if I decided to take only a Fuji X-series with me. Makes sense to speculate as the Fuji X system continues to expand to a point where it can be as compete as many pro DSLR systems that have been around for a long time. Nice thing about the Fuji X is how small it is in comparison. By the end of this year the super-wide angle zoom should be available along with the 23mm f/1.4 and a Zeiss macro so we will have a lot of equipment options available to us.

Up until now, I have often taken a Fuji X-Pro1 along with me on trips, but only as a backup camera to a complete Nikon system. I would use the Fuji on those occasions where I wanted to walk around casually and not be encumbered with too much stuff.  A few of my friends along with many readers of this blog have mentioned looking forward to travelling with just a light weight Fuji system instead of a heavy DSLR. That is what started me thinking about what such a system would look like for me.

And here it is.

When spread out like this the system appears larger than it really is. Truth is, while out shooting, I could carry everything I need in just the photographers vest.

First thing to note is that I have two camera bodies in there, an X-Pro1 and a smaller, lighter X-E1 as an auxiliary camera.  I never travel without at least two camera bodies, just in case something happens to one of them. I am a professional photographer, and while I enjoy travel photography as much as anyone, I often say that the difference between a pro and an amateur is that a pro must come back with the shot principally because his or her livelihood depends upon it. So, yes, two bodies, sometimes even a redundant system.

The camera bag shown here is, unfortunately, no longer manufactured. I think it is the best travel bag ever made and, thankfully, I have four different sizes of the same model to accommodate whatever size system I am packing. The bag is made by Tamrac. It is a thin, messenger type with a large flap that attaches either with velcro and/or with a clip on the bottom of the bag. The flap on the larger models of the bag also have a zippered top as an alternate means of access to the equipment while the bag is hanging from your shoulder. One of my favorite features of this bag is its strap. The padded part doesn't slip and slide all over the place, and it holds onto your shoulder like glue. It is the best gadget bag strap ever made. I have no idea why Tamrac stopped making this model. Maybe they'll read this post and take the hint.

My lenses for travel will include the three zooms, the 10-24mm, 18-55mm, and 55-200mm. (Yes, I most likely will pick up a 10-24mm when it comes out.) In addition I would carry one very fast aperture lens. Shown here is the 35mm f/1.4, but I might replace that with the 23mm f/1.4 when it comes out next month.  Notice that I am not carrying a macro, even though I often take some close-ups when traveling. Instead, I am packing one +2 close-up filter. I find the +2 to be the most versatile and its small size saves me from carrying a macro lens just for the few close-ups I might take. Keep in mind that I am thinking of this as a travel kit for covering something like a city, not for photographing nature. For that I would definitely have a dedicated macro lens.

I don't know if you can see it, but I substitute all of the original Fuji front lens caps with cheaper knock-offs. Rather lose one of these than the original Fuji cap, whose clip I also find hard to grip..

Instead of the 10-24mm zoom I might prefer to pack either the Fuji 14mm or Zeiss Touit 12mm. This is one of my favorite focal lengths for this type of photography, and I would probably opt for one of the primes over a zoom if I thought I needed the better quality, or might find myself in situations where I needed an aperture that is one stop faster. Of course this is being said before I have even seen the new 10-24mm Fuji zoom. Maybe I'll change my mind after trying it out.

The background for the photo above is my favorite photography travel vest with plenty of pockets for lenses, filters, and most of the other gear I would need. In fact, I could probably just use the vest for such a small travel outfit.

I always travel with a laptop computer and external drive to download the files each day. I also need the computer to do blog posts while travelling.

For such a light weight outfit, I would use a Gitzo GT0541 tripod with a small, auxiliary head. On my larger DSLR cameras I use a tripod plate system. On my rangefinders I do not. No need to make the smaller system any heavier than it is by adding extraneous plates.

I would pack several spare batteries, a charger, several SD cards, a notebook and pen for taking caption notes, polarizing filters, my favorite Nikon AR-3 threaded cable release, and several Qpcard 101's to include in every scene so I can have a reference for color balance when I am processing the images upon my return. I would also take a sensor cleaning kit with me, along with some lens cleaning supplies.

That's it. Now all I need is a place to go and I'm off.