Fujifilm Travel Kit(s)

I booked a trip to Peru with my son for the April vacation. Over the course of nine days we will take in Lima, Cusco, The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca. Even though the trip is four months away, I have begun obsessing over what Fujifilm gear to take with me. One one hand this is a photo trip of a lifetime and I want to be prepared for all photographic situations, real or imaginary. On the other hand I am looking forward to quality time with my son, which is my focus for the trip, so I want to keep things simple.


So, here are my travel kit categories, options, and thoughts.

The Minimalist Kit:

Just me and the boy, walking, talking, and snapping pictures to document our time together.

X-T1 with 18-55. Multiple focal lengths covered + OIS for occasional video.

X-T1 with 27mm pancake. Slide it in a fleece pocket, light and simple.

X-E1 with 27mm pancake. Slide it in a fleece pocket, light and simple and discrete.

The One Body, Two Lens Kit:

Me and the boy, walking, talking, documenting our time together and the places we go and things we see...but carrying a bag, a bit more weight, and stopping and swapping lenses.

Max Range: X-T1 with 14mm and 18-55mm covering ultra-wide to medium telephoto with OIS for occasional video. Shares a common 58mm filter size and lens hood.

Primarily Prime: X-T1 with 35mm and 14mm. Travel aside, these are my two favorite and most often used lenses. Since this is what I use at home, why should travel be any different?

The Two Body, Two Lens Kit:

Me and my boy, walking, talking but Dad is in full photography mode ready for anything, any scene, capturing images of a lifetime. More weight in the bag, but no lens swapping.

Max Range: X-T1 with 14mm and 18-55mm covering ultra-wide to medium telephoto with OIS for occasional video

Primarily Prime: X-T1 with 35mm and 14mm. Travel aside, these are my two favorite and most often used lenses.

These are the options. What is not making the cut, for at least the Peru trip, are the 55-200 (too big) and the 60mm macro. With comes along in addition are: four batteries, charger, polarizing, ND, and infrared filters, a Nexus 7 tablet (for the Fuji Remote App, Snapseed, and Google Photos, email, web, maps, etc). I may take a Joby Gorillapod along (anything larger is not allowed in Machu Picchu). These will easily fit in my Domke F-803 satchel.

I have four months to obsess...and obsess I will. By the way, all the pictures in this post were taken with a Google Nexus 5x. Not bad. Perhaps I should only take my phone.