What's in my gear bag?

My FUJIFILM gear for Music Photography - 2022

I use Fujifilm cameras exclusively for all my photography. I discovered the Fujifilm mirrorless system back in April 2011 when the original X100 came out. In May 2012 I sold all my DSLR gear and bought the newly released X-Pro1. I made a lot of music and travel work with the X-pro1 and in early 2013 I was fortunate to be contacted by Fujifilm Japan and asked to be an official ambassador for the Fujifilm X-system. I am grateful to Fujifilm for the support and very happy to be an ambassador for the Fujifilm mirrorless cameras, they are exceptionally well suited for my photography.

Through my 10 years with Fujifilm cameras and lenses I have had many different setups. I used to document a lot of dark electronic concerts where the F1.4 primes were a must. Now, in 2021-22, I primarily work for bands and document large scale concerts. With huge stages comes podiums and elaborate stage setups and I are often far from the musicians and a zoom is a must (or I would need to constantly swap between a bunch of primes and miss half the action).

I have also wanted to simplify and reduce my setup. I want it to be all about what I see, the composition, the emotion and I want to carry next to no gear at all and no shoulder bag during the show. I have actually documented some large arena shows with 1 camera (X-T3) and 1 lens (16-55) and absolutely love the freedom and simplicity. I have then had an extra camera with a super wideangle or tele-zoom at the side of the stage, ready to grab for special situations, but for now I just really love the 1 camera 1 lens, focus solely on being fast, being in position, getting the composition and emotion as for me that really beats everything else.

CAMERAS

Fujifilm X-T3 cameras. The X-T3 is still going strong, almost 4 years since it was released in 2018 and it is still my favourite FUJIFILM camera for still photography. It is extremely nice to have 2 x cameras at concerts so I rarely have to swap lenses, and to have them be 2 identical cameras is extra awesome, the same muscle memory can be applied.

I do also have an X-T4 (not pictured) that I will use for video and if I know there are lasers in the concert, the IBIS is a fantastic tool for capturing laser beams.

Simplr Camera Straps model F1 is my preferred camera strap for all my cameras. They are light, strong and no-nonsense and it is super handy at gigs to be able to shorten and lengthen the straps so easy.

I have also added a hand-grip to the X-T3s as it makes it much nicer to hold for 8-10 hours straight. It is a replica (called Patona) of the MHG-XT3 handgrip (the original is impossible to find in stock).

LENSES

The zooms are a must for the larger arena sized concerts and the XF16-55mm is now always in my bag. The primes are awesome at smaller shows, or concerts/venues I know will be really dark.

Fujinon XF16-55mm F2.8. A legendary Fujinon lens, and I reviewed a prototype of this lens way back in 2014 for the release. For all the larger festival and arena sized shows, this lens is just a must.

Fujinon XF10-24mm F4. A recent addition to my bag, this new stabilized and weather sealed version of the 10-24mm is outstanding! Read my review here of this super compact super wideangle. For most larger concerts, there is enough light so shooting wideangle at F4 is not a problem.

Fujinon XF16mm F1.4. I absolutely love this lens, read more here. My copy is really starting to show it's age though, autofocus is a bit unstable.

Fujinon XF33mm F1.4. This wonderful new 33mm F1.4 has replaced my old completely worn-down and broken (no autofocus) XF35mm F1.4. This new 33mm has incredibly fast autofocus and it is weather sealed, two outstanding upgrades for my work.

Fujinon XF50-140mm F2.8 zoom. This telephoto zoom-lens is outstanding. If I am locked in one spot or on a huge stage where the performers are a fair distance from me, this is a very handy lens. I will sometimes also just bring it to make close-ups for a series of songs, and then store it away again backstage for the rest of the concert.