accessories

Fuji X100T Accesories by John Wineberg

I've been shooting with the Fuji X100T for close to year now.  It has become my take everywhere camera.  It's a manageable size and fits in the cargo pocket of my shorts or the pocket of most of my jackets.  I don't have to worry about extra lenses so I don't have to bring a camera bag.  There are, however, a few accessories that I have purchased that have added to the user experience and I recommend them highly.  

The first item I purchased was a wrist strap.  I didn't want to add a bulky, full length strap.  I also wanted to use this camera as a second camera when shooting events, weddings or other situations that require a second camera.   I like to have a mid range zoom as well as a fixed prime when I shoot these types of events.  I have started carrying the X100T on the wrist strap and my Nikon D7000 (soon to be a Fuji XT1) on a Black Rapid strap.  I was at the Leica Store in San Francisco and found the strap pictured below made by DSPTCH.  You can find it here.

 

Image provided by The Leica Store.

It took a little getting used to.  When you hang something that costs $1300 from a thin piece of cord it takes a little faith.  After a few days of use I have total confidence in this strap.  But like everything, time will take its' toll.  I will probably replace this once every other year just to be safe.  

The next item I purchased was the Lensmate Thumbrest.  I have shot with the Nikon FE2 since 1983.  The thumbrest reminds me of the feeling I have when I shoot with that old film camera.  It's a natural spot to place your thumb and adds to the illusion that it is a film camera.  It fits snugly in the hot shoe and has a small rubber pad where your thumb sits, to reduce slipping.  If you didn't know any better you would think it was part of the camera as the finish matches perfectly.  

Image provided by Lensmate.

The only other accessory I have for this camera are extra batteries.  I purchased the Fuji brand batteries for one reason and one reason only.  Reliability.  I have heard horror stories regarding off brand batteries.  I once bought an off brand battery for my Nikon D70 and it sucked.  What you save in price comes back to bite you in the amount of hassle that it can cause.  From then on I have stuck with name brand batteries.  I know they are expensive but I believe in this case you get what you pay for.  

There are two other accessories that I want to mention here.  Fuji makes two conversion lenses.  The first, the TCL-X100 converts the 23mm (equivalent to 35mm field of view) to a 35mm (equivalent to a 50mm field of view).  The other converter is the WCL which converts it to a 19mm (equivelant to a 28mm field of view).  I don't feel the need to purchase either of these as I have those fields of view available with my interchangeable lens camera.  I also love the 35mm field of view and have been shooting with that equivalent for over 30 years.  

One of the things I love about this camera is that there aren't a ton of accessories.  It's a back to basics camera for me.  It has reminded me of what I love about photography.