Gear Reviews

Introduction

If you have been following this blog for some time or you are familiar with my Street Photography, you know I love using a flash when shooting. Especially during times before the COVID-19 lockdown(s), I would really enjoy walking about taking photos with a flash. The most important thing for me as a street photographer has always been manoeuvrability and portability, others might call it minimalism, and for that reason, I try to carry as few things as possible with me. My largest camera as of today is the Fujifilm X-Pro1 with the XF18mm attached to it, which lately has felt a bit too big for my needs, and my Ricoh GR, which is just perfect. Since I love working with flash, I also use similarly sized flashguns. Such as the Flash Q20 II or the all-time classic, but now discontinued Fujifilm EF-X20. What would be the point of carrying a flash that is bigger than my camera? For example, my old Yongnuo YN560II when paired with my Ricoh GR was just plain silly. It even felt silly mounted on my X-Pro1 and only looked size-appropriate on a DSLR. 

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Bertrand, the founder of Tiny Flash. I opened it up and read it, and to my surprise and excitement, I saw it was about a new pocket-sized flash that claimed it worked on any camera (analogue or digital)! I wrote back to Bertrand, expressing my excitement and desire to review his flash. After a few days, the prototype reached my door! Here are my thoughts about it.

Hyperion Camera Straps - Black with Black on X-Pro1
Photo by official Hyperion Camera Straps website - Black with Black on X-Pro1

Introduction

Every street photographer devotes time and attention to choosing the perfect camera for street photography. Choosing the right kit is an essential part of the enjoyment of street photography. If one makes the wrong choice, it will most probably ruin the overall experience for him/her. However there are other things a street photographer should invest some research time into. Such as camera accessories.

Accessories play an important part in one’s comfort. So today, I am going to review one of those accessories, the camera strap. In my opinion, the most important thing in a street photographer’s arsenal after the camera (and lens). It plays a very important role in the overall experience and especially during long street photography sessions that last well over 4-5 hours. At least that is how I feel.

The Fujifilm X100F for Street Photography

Introduction

It had been a while since our friends from Fujifilm Hellas had send us a camera for a review. But the wait has definitely been worth it as recently I received the amazing little Fujifilm X100F to try out and review. Fujifilm let me keep the camera for 3 whole weeks and I also got to take it with me to Berlin for 4 days! When in Berlin, I didn’t take any other camera with me, on purpose, in order to really get to know this little gem. To find out more about what I think of the Fujifilm X100F for Street Photography, just read on!

Before we jump into the review though, I would like to remind you of our previous camera reviews that you might find interesting. We have written reviews on the, Fujifilm X-Pro2, the Fujifilm X-Pro1, the Ricoh GR, the Fujifilm X-T10, the Fujifilm X-T1, the Fujifilm X70 and the Canon EOS 6D.

As I have mentioned before in the past, all the cameras we review here on Streethunters.net are reviewed in a particular way and under specific circumstances. They are reviewed as street photography cameras specifically. We do not care less about pixel peeping, lens distortions, chromatic aberrations or anything like that. What matters as far as we are concerned is how the camera handles in the streets!

Now that this intro is over, let us look into the Fujifilm X100F for Street Photography!

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K&F Concept Camera Backpack Review Cover

Introduction

Finding the right camera bag for street photography is a very subjective choice. Some street photographers will prefer to travel light, heading out on the streets with just one camera and one lens in hand and a spare battery or memory card, whilst others will opt to carry the proverbial kitchen sink with them when out shooting – multiple cameras, lenses, flashes – the works. Personally I’ve always shied away from using a backpack for street photography as they have traditionally appeared a little overkill – hulking great black monstrosities festooned with zips, buckles and compartments that absolutely scream “I’m a camera nerd!”. Packed and bursting to the gunwales with a bit of camera gear for any eventuality, such backpacks for me epitomise the excesses of gear acquisition syndrome, and are exactly not what the street photographer needs. Plus I’ve harboured a somewhat irrational dislike for wearing backpacks ever since reading one of those dreadful style-magazine type articles which said a grown man should never be seen wearing a backpack – something about them making the wearer look like an overgrown schoolboy together with their excessively utilitarian appearance, which has also stuck with me.

As a result, I’ve always preferred the single strapped messenger bag style (practicality and back pain be damned!). For my street photography camera bag needs over the last few years I’ve been relying on the Lowepro Event Messenger 250 (with space for laptop and several cameras or lenses if I want them), or if travelling lighter, the nifty Cosyspeed Camslinger Streetomatic. But, things are changing. Backpacks are getting trendy – or at least it appears that way judging by the sheer number of Fjällräven Kånken backpacks I see being worn by students from my local art school. So, I figured it was time I put my initial misgivings aside and try a camera backpack for street photography. Something that looked more ‘casual street’ than Terminator-style uber photo machine. Enter the K&F Concept camera backpack.

K&F Concept CY to FX Lens adapter review

Introduction

If you are like me you probably like making things a little bit more interesting every once in a while by escaping your comfort zone in street photography. You can escape your comfort zone with 2 ways. You can either change technique, for example switch from shooting narrow to shooting wide, or you can change gear. One of the most fun experiences for me when I feel I want to try out “new” gear is to shoot street with legacy glass. I have 2 C/Y (Contax/Yashica) lenses that are amazing! They produce lovely images and they are as good as new. If you log on to eBay you can find so many high quality lenses in great condition that you can purchase for very reasonable prices. Of course you need an adapter to use them with your modern mirrorless cameras.

There are many adapters to choose from, from really cheap ones to really expensive ones. Today we are going to review the K&F Concept lens adapter that is in the mid to low cost range. We will be looking at the K&F C/Y to FX lens adapter also know as the Contax Yashica Lenses to Fuji X Camera Mount Adapter.

Fujifilm X-Pro2

Introduction

About three weeks ago our friends from Fujifilm Hellas sent us the Fujifilm X-Pro2 so we could try it out. Put it through it’s paces. Give it a whirl. You know the drill. So, what did I think of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 for Street Photography? Read on and you will soon find out!

But before we jump into the good stuff, I would like to remind you of our previous camera reviews that you might find interesting. We have written reviews on the Fujifilm X-Pro1, the Ricoh GR, the Fujifilm X-T10, the Fujifilm X-T1, the Fujifilm X70 and the Canon EOS 6D. All cameras we review here on Streethunters.net are reviewed in a particular way and under specific circumstances. They are reviewed as street photography cameras specifically. As mentioned in previous posts, we do not give a rat’s bum about pixel peeping, lens distortions, chromatic aberrations or anything like that. What matters as far as we are concerned is how the camera handles in the streets!

Now that this intro is over, let us look into the Fujifilm X-Pro2 for Street Photography!

Fujifilm X70 product photo

Introduction

During September I had the luck to try out the new Fujifilm X70 compact camera. I was very excited when I received it directly from our friends at Fujifilm Hellas. This is the 3rd camera Fujifilm Hellas has sent us for a review. In July they sent us the Fujifilm X-T1 and in August the Fujifilm X-T10. Besides the cameras sent to us by Fuji we have also reviewed the compact wonder of a camera Ricoh GR, the timeless Fujifilm X-Pro1 which is at the time of this writing 4 years old and still kicking serious butt, and the big and powerful Canon EOS 6D.

All cameras we review here on Streethunters.net are reviewed in a particular way and under specific circumstances. They are reviewed while doing what they are meant to be doing, shooting in the streets! We don’t care about pixel peeping, lens distortions, chromatic aberrations or anything like that. What we care about is how well a camera handles in the streets, in other words, how good it is for street photography. So today is time to look into the Fujifilm X70 for Street Photography!

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Fujifilm X-T10

Introduction

Last week we released our much anticipated Street Hunters review of the Fujifilm X-T1 for street photography, Fuji’s flagship DSLR challenging mirrorless camera. This week we’re going to be reviewing the Fuji X-T10, the powerful little brother of the X-T1, and once more kindly lent to us by Fujifilm Hellas.

Our X-T10 camera review is joining our little cache of Street Hunters camera reviews. We’ve previously reviewed the pocket-sized powerhouse Ricoh GR for street photography, the very capable full frame Canon EOS 6D full frame DSLR, and the rangefinder styled Fuji X-Pro1.

All Street Hunters reviewed are focused on how a camera performs for street photography. We won’t be giving you a general outline of what the camera can do, rather a very focused review on exactly how well the camera performs on the streets, and whether or not is can be classed as a good street photography camera.

Fujifilm X-T1

Introduction

A few weeks ago our friends at Fujifilm Hellas sent us the Fujifilm X-T1 over for a review. I posted this on my personal facebook page and I got many reactions. The X-T1 was the Fujifilm flagship camera for nearly 3 years until the new X-Pro2 made its appearance. Now, in anticipation of the brand new XT-2 we decided that it would be a great time to review one of Fujifilm’s greatest modern success stories.

Before we dive into one of the most exciting reviews that we have presented on Streethunters.net we would like to remind you of our previous camera reviews. In February of 2015 we reviewed the amazing Ricoh GR, a wonderful pocket sized APS-C camera that every Street Photographer should use at least once in their life. Following that, in April of 2015 we reviewed a DSLR and in particular the Canon EOS 6D for Street Photography, a full frame monster with amazing capabilities. Last but not least, in May of 2015 we reviewed the legendary Fujifilm X-Pro1 a camera that is still used by many Street Photographers, even if it is a 4 year old model and lacks many bells and whistles that more recent cameras have.

All camera reviews we perform here are from a Street Photographer’s perspective only. We are not interested in pixels, in focus points or fancy specs. What we are interested in is how good a camera can be for a Street Photographer.

But enough with this long introduction. Let’s get to the interesting part of this post which is the review of the Fujifilm X-T1.

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Cover

A few weeks ago I made a big decision about my street photography. I decided to buy another camera, and one specifically for street photography. It’s the first time I’ve made a specialised camera purchase, deciding to choose a camera purely for what it can offer me as a ‘pure’ street photography camera. To cut a long story short, I’ve swapped my jack of all trades Canon 6D DSLR for a Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera. It wasn’t an easy decision, but read on for my early impressions of the switch I made, as well as a list of reasons why I swapped my DSLR for a mirrorless camera for street photography.