Olympus Trip 35
Cameras
The first camera that I bought was an Olympus Trip 35, a small 35mm film camera with a fixed 40mm lens, which I bought in Gibraltar in 1969 while I was 'off to see the world'. I didn't get much further on that occasion. I now regret not even having a camera when I first set off the year before with two friends. It was a great little camera for traveling because it had a simple automatic exposure control and it didn't need a battery. It cost me about £20, which was almost my weekly wage working as a truck driver in Gibraltar. This camera then went everywhere with me for about 15 years until I bought my first SLR.
Canon 35mm film SLRs
Canon AE1 - Canon A1 with motor-drive - Canon F1n with power-winder
Canon F1n kit. Billingham 335 bag.
My first SLR camera was a Canon AE1 with a 50mm f1.8 lens. Cameras were generally sold with a 'standard' 50mm lens in those days. I added more prime lenses. Later I changed to a Canon A1 and then to a Canon F1n.
Then Canon introduced auto-focus cameras and abandoned their FD lens mount, meaning that none of my lenses would fit a new Canon camera. So I sold everything and changed to Nikon. Their new autofocus cameras and lenses were compatible with their older manual ones.
Nikon 35mm film SLRs
Nikon FM2n manual SLR and Nikon F80 auto-focus SLR.
I bought a used Nikon FM2n and a new autofocus Nikon F80 and some Nikkor autofocus lenses. In those days people were wary of only having cameras that wouldn't work if the battery went flat. The FM2 didn't need a battery to keep working and it could use any Nikkor lens, so it made a great back-up camera. I loved using this camera and mostly used it with a manual focus Nikkor 50mm f1.4 (which could also be used on the F80). It was a very relaxing camera to use when not in a hurry. I still have it.
Nikon D3.
Digital SLRs
When digital SLRs had became more affordable I changed the Nikon F80 35mm film body for a Nikon D70 digital body and continued to use my Nikkor AF lenses. At various times I had a Nikon D300, a D700, a D750 and my final DSLR, a D3.
Compact cameras
When not carrying an SLR or a DSLR, I always took a pocketable fixed-lens camera of some sort with me. After my original Olympus Trip 35 I used an Olympus XA2 and then an Olympus Mju II. When digital compacts became available I changed to a Nikon Coolpix 775 and then to a Nikon P300.
Compact fixed lens cameras
Olympus Xa2 - Olympus Mju II - Nikon Coolpix 775 - Nikon P300
The Nikon 775 was small and chunky with a small rear screen and a tiny viewfinder. It was also slow and had a very small sensor. The Nikon P300 was small and neat and had a larger sensor, but it had no viewfinder and I found that the rear screen was hard to see in bright light, so I changed it for a Fujifilm X20 which had an optical viewfinder with digital readouts. The X20 was a really good little camera but later I changed to a Fujifilm X100T which was even better because it had the larger APS-C sensor, a faster start-up time and a large bright optical and electronic viewfinder instantly switchable from one to the other by flicking a little lever on the front.
Compact fixed lens cameras Fujifilm X20 and Fujifilm X100V.
Mirrorless camera system
I was so impressed by the quality and ability of those Fuji fixed lens cameras that I decided to try a Fuji mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. So I bought a used X-pro2 and an 18-55mm lens. Wow! I was so impressed by what I could do with that camera that I could not do with a DSLR that I decided to stop lugging my heavy Nikon kit around and change completely to a Fuji APS-C system. I sold my Nikon DSLR gear to buy more Fujinon lenses and also a Fujifilm X-E3 for use as a second body.
My main camera is now a Fuji X-T5. I like the X-T5 because it has analogue controls and I like Fujinon lenses because most have aperture control rings. I also like being able to check, and set, the main controls without even powering the camera up, so I can always be prepared.
My other camera is now a Fuji X-E5, which is smaller and lighter than the X-T5, and fitted with a small prime lens will fit nicely into a jacket pocket. It has the same processor and sensor as the X-T5.
For several years I used a Fuji X100v fixed 23mm lens camera as my pocket camera but I changed to a Fuji X-E5 when it was introduced as it was a very similar camera but with the advantage of interchangeable lenses.
Out and about
If I want to fully cover a really wide range of focal lengths I have three Fuji zoom lenses 10-24mm, 16-80mm and 70-300mm that I can take to give me a range of focal lengths from 15mm to 450mm equivalent. These and my X-T5 all fit snugly into my Billingham Hadley Pro and weigh 3kg including the bag. If I add a Fuji 1.4x converter I can increase the upper end of the 70-300mm from 450mm to 610mm equivalent.
I if want to use prime lenses, which I often prefer to, I have Fuji 18mm, 23mm, 35mm and 56mm to choose from.
If I am traveling light with a man bag I take my X-E5 with a Fuji 16-50mm f2.8-4.8, which is a small, light, internal-zoom lens. For discrete street photography I prefer to use a small prime lens, usually the tiny Fuji 23mm f2.8 pancake lens.
My man bag is an earlier model Billingham Hadley, soft and comfortable to wear without the padded insert, which also leaves more room for other travel items.
If I am not carrying a bag I will have my X-E5 with Fuji 23mm pancake lens in my pocket. As the camera has a 40MP sensor I sometimes use the camera's 1.4x digital zoom to produce a 35mm image and still get a 20MP shot.
I use SmallRig grips on my X-E5 and X-T5 and use home made wrist straps. Details.
Contact me here if you have a question or any advice.