Before going through the kit, I need to explain the purpose. This kit is designed to be a small, lightweight and minimal setup that I can take everywhere with me and cover 99% of all my photography needs. This kit is ideal for city breaks, street photography, travel and even landscape photography.

The final thing to say is that this is a premium kit. I do this for a living and can justify the expense however for many people this might be overkill and out of their budget. If you’re in that position, there are cheaper alternatives out there. I will suggest alternatives for each item at a fraction of the cost.

Bag

The biggest difference is the departure from Peak Design and moving over to Bellroy.

I switched to Bellroy because:

It is more comfortable and ergonomic.
It’s lighter and can compact down.
It looks much nicer.
It is not a camera bag manufacturer.
It is better quality.

The bag I am using now is the Bellroy Venture 10L Camera Edition. It is very roomy inside and I personally love how the dividers work. Although they can’t be removed, they stretch and bend to suit your needs. The shoulder strap is heavily padded and make this sling very comfortable. Also because it slides along the strap, you can easily switch shoulders.

I chose the sling over a backpack for two reasons. Firstly it is easier to swap lenses with a sling as it acts like a mini table. Secondly it is more secure. You can have it round the back when not many people around or slide it to the front when somewhere busier. Finally the strap can totally clip off thus turning the sling into a camera cube for a regular backpack.

For a more affordable alternative I suggest looking at the Uniqlo Sling.

Camera

The camera of choice is the Fujifilm XT5. There are three main reasons for picking the XT5 over the other options. The first is that it is lightweight and small. This just makes carrying it round easier. Secondly is the 40mp sensor. This gives me the ability to crop and considering I am using only primes, this gives me more options while maintaining a good resolution. This also means that I have virtually doubled the number of lenses I have. Finally it is the new articulating screen as opposed to a flip out alternative. It has a smaller footprint, it makes composition easier and it is quick to deploy. I don’t do self portraits so have no need for a flip out screen for photography.

For a more affordable alternative I suggest looking at The Fujifilm XT3.

Lenses

In total there are 3 lenses in the kit and I can already see some comments regarding choosing bigger and heavier lenses as opposed to Fujifilm’s smaller alternatives. I can also see comments that I should use a zoom instead and this one is easy to answer. I enjoy using primes more.

There are 2 reasons for using the faster glass. Firstly is the ability to shoot in low light. Secondly is that these lenses are some of the sharpest in the entire Fuji line up. Coupled with the 40mp sensor of the XT5 and it makes cropping even easier. The trade off is size and weight. However having previously owned the smaller lenses, I feel it’s worth it.

The first lens is the 18mm f1.4 which is a 28mm full frame equivalent. This is my establishing lens. It is great for setting the scene and getting everything into the frame. Cityscapes, grand landscapes, the whole street or even environmental portraits are ideal for this. However I can also crop it to a 23mm which is a 35mm full frame and still maintain plenty of resolution. Matter of fact most of the time I shoot this like a 23mm with some room to crop and straighten.

The second lens is the 33mm f1.4 which is a 50mm full frame equivalent. This is my go to street photography lens as I personally love this focal length. It is by far my most used lens here. It is perfect for subjects, portraits and scenes. However if you’re a little further away you can crop it to 50mm which around 85mm full frame.

This next lens is a new addition and one I never thought I would ever have. It is the 90mm f2 so around 135mm full frame. For the focal length, aperture value and sharpness, this lens is rather reasonably sides. This is my telephoto lens and is great for picking out unique details within a grand scene. Initially I was not sure if I would used it as much, however after 2 months in Paris and Venice, I was sold. It simply allows me to get detail photos and compression I couldn’t before.

Between these 3 lenses I am covered for everything from wide establishing shots, medium subject shots and tighter details. Be it street photography, travel photography or nature, this set up covers it all. Finally I have some Urth magnetic lens caps. Much nicer, smaller and more practical than the originals.

For a more affordable alternative I suggest looking at the Fuji 16mm f2.8, 35mm f2 and the Viltrox 85mm f1.8

Accessories

There are a few accessories that over time have proven invaluable.

Anker Battery Pack & Charger Cables for obvious reasons.

Spare XT5 battery.

Spare SD Card.

Lightning to SD card reader. This allows me to transfer photos to my phone either for backup or to cull while I’m heading home.

Joby folding iPhone tripod. This thing is tiny, folds flat and amazing. It allows me to use my phone for filming myself in a pinch, time lapses or if I want to watch something without holding the phone.

IPhone 14 Pro. Obviously it’s a phone but it’s an amazing video camera. Way better than any action cam. I do use it for photos now and then but video is its main purpose.

Apple Watch. I use this for directions, navigation and checking notifications. This allows me to keep the phone in my sling. It is more secure and reduced distractions.

Peak Design camera wrist strap for obvious reasons.

Apple AirTag just in case.

Small Pen.

Wallet.

Lens wipes.

Headphones

Extra Minimal Kit

Of course there could be a time when I don’t need or want all this stuff. Perhaps I just want to go extra light or photography is not the main purpose. In this case, I have another smaller Bellroy 2.5L sling. This sling can pretty much take all the accessories however it only has room for the XT5 and either the 18mm or the 33mm. Also the lens and camera have to be separate but it’s a small price to pay. When I travel, this sling can double up as either me essential carry such as passport, phone etc or it can double up as a tech pouch in my bag.

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My Photography Daily Carry - Perfect For Street, Landscape & Travel