I have been using the Mind Shift Rotation Backpack for two years now and I have to say that I am very impressed. This backpack allows me to have significantly better access to my camera without making compromises in terms of comfort and long distance hiking.
Being out with the kids very often, I can carry my gear, get to my camera quickly without dismounting the whole backpack and still have some room left for cookies and other bribery stuff you need to keep the little ones in the mood for just another shot. It has some clever solutions for tripod transportation, compartments for the small stuff and is an overall well designed piece of equipment.
In terms of usability – this one is the most used of my camera bags. It makes me make more photographs and gives quicker access to the camera, especially when you are hiking and need to carry more than just your equipment.
Tag: Equipment
What Cameras are About
I have used several cameras in the past decades. My first one was a Pentax Spotmatic, which I got passed on from my father, followed by a Yashika. I then bought the EOS 100 as first camera by my own money, got into digital with the EOS 30D, followed by the 50D and then the 5DM2. All of those cameras convinced me in particular because of their ergonomic setup. They were tools that just could be used in a very intuitive way – at least for me. I never got used to the Nikon interface. There have been several compact cameras as well, but that’s another story.
Now, it seems I have come full circle, using the Fuji X-T1, which – though it is a completely different animal – reminds me a lot of my old Spotmatic. This camera made me get away from my full frame 5D Mark II – which is a good camera, no doubt about that – but the X-T1 just feels to be the better tool for me. The results are absolutely satisfying to me.
But what matters most is that the shooting experience is wonderful. It just feels right. And maybe that is what using cameras is about: not so much the specifications, but they way they feel. From that perspective, cameras are indeed to a certain extend custom made things. The whole discussion if Sony is better than Canon or some Nikon is obsolete.
You have to find your camera. Like Harry Potter had to find his wand.
It doesn’t matter that much what the specs are, but what the camera feels like for you. And maybe that is the reason why we should support local camera stores much more. How would you check the overall camera look and feel if you cannot take it into you hand and feel what it is doing?
You could also say that the online stores are stealing something from you, that the estimated saving of money never can compensate for: The chance to choose the right tool right away.
And this is what cameras are about: being the right tool for you. Being and extension of yourself and to some way also an expression of yourself. Like a craftsman or a painter chooses his hammer or his pencil, the photographer chooses his camera. Not for what the company promises, but for what it is to her or him.
Fujinon XF16 F1.4
I have been using this lens now for approximately three weeks during our last holiday in Dorset. My primary use is landscape and seascape photography on a Fuji X-T1. It is mostly used with small apertures (f16) to achieve highest depth of field.
In a nutshell: This lens is amazing.
The lens was used in some difficult weather conditions (rain, spray from the sea) and did not suffer any damage so far. I am very confident this lens will last for a long time.
The picture quality in terms of corner to corner sharpness is very convincing. It is the best wide angle lens that I have ever used. Vignetting is not an issue, even with the Lee filter system holder attached to the lens. The minimal focal distance is very short, allowing for very creative shots and compositions. For my daily work here, this lens has become the major workhorse. And I would buy it again, definitely.
This post contains some sample pictures, see for yourself.
