Like most photographers me and Chris have a large selection of Camera Bags. Recently we got together and had a bit of a compare of our latest street gear. We both have added new bags to our kit recently. Chris went with the very well regarded Billingham Hadley Pro, which is a great camera bag. I went a slightly different path. A Leather Scaramanga Satchel. Not a dedicated camera bag, but quite capable of holding a iPad or 11″ MacBook Air and a Leica and spare lens, battery and X-Rite Colour Checker. If packing my Leica M4 instead of my M8 then I can also easily fit in a light meter and spare film.
With street shooting, fitting into the background is key. Small mirrorless cameras are ideal for this, especially ones such as the Fuji X100, Fuji X-Pro1 and the Leica M range. These cameras have optical viewfinders that show greater then 100% of the field of view. This enables you to see what is about to leave and enter the field of view, enabling you to pick the decisive moment.
Also as part of fitting in, not only the the small none threatening camera but also a camera bag that does not look like a camera bag. Our two bags in the top photograph are very good examples of this type.
The Fuji X series have received a mixed review. The image quality is certainly high but there is some controversy over the none standard Bayer filter. The biggest complaint I hear is the focusing, but with the model I tested with the V2 firmware, indoor under poor artificial light it did a great job.
If your interested in the Fuji, check out Chris Bennett’s Photo Blog.
Subject to the weather i’ll hitting the street tomorrow to shoot a roll of film with my trusty Leica M4 and leather satchel bag, hopefully that we get me my picture of the month for January.
