Do You Find Yourself Adding Extras and Additions To Your Fuji Camera?

MarcosV wrote:

bs1946 wrote:

Beyond adding one or more lenses to your new or used but new to you Fuji camera, do you feel the need to add all sorts of extras and additions to make it truly your own?

In a recent late night eBay GAS attack, I bought a Silver Fujifilm X100S. The silver top and bottom plates showed definite signs of wear, but the rest of the cameras was in excellent condition. Most importantly, the lens and all the glass was squeaky clean, everything worked, the shutter count was relatively low, and the asking price was reasonable. The X100S came in the original box, with all of the user documentation, the OEM camera strap, the OEM charger and power cord, 3 OEM NP-95 batteries, a silver Fuji filter adapter with a B+W 49mm UV filter that the seller said he put on the lens the day he got the X100S, an LCD screen protector, and a Leica Kit camera strap. The only thing missing was the silver X100 lens cap.

Of course there is always room for improvement with a couple of additions and upgrades.

• I have lots of SD cards, so I formatted in camera, two SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB Type 1 SDHC cards for the X100S.
• Then I replaced the Leica Kit strap that was on the X100S with my Barton 1972 Original Style Dark Sea Blue leather strap. That I bought for my old Leica M9.
• Next I added a silver and black JJC soft release that almost matches the design of the X100S dials.
• Then I added an Oben APG-X100 Arca-Swiss compatible baseplate with an L-bracket and external grip. I removed the L-bracket but have kept the external grip on for now. If the grip proves uncomfortable or annoying, it can also be quickly removed. The base plate matches the quick release Arca-Swiss mounts on my tripod and monopod heads.
• Last for now, I decided to replace the included paper thin, cellophane like, LCD screen protector because of dirt marks that would not clean off. I replaced it with a Giottos Aegis SP-8306 Schott Glass scree protector. The SP-8306 is the right size for the X100 or X100S and is simple to apply. The Giottos Aegis Schott Glass screen protectors are very similar to the special Blue Sapphire LCD glass that Leica used in several of its P version M cameras to protect the LCD from scratches and similar damage. My used Leica M8 and M9 both had Giottos Aegis LCD screen protectors installed by the original owners and I have used then on almost all of the Fuji bodies I have owned.

Not really anything to add except maybe that missing silver OEM lens cap and perhaps a silver WCL-X100 wide angle adapter…

A silver X100S was my first Fujifilm and served as the gateway drug into Fuji-X.

My first Fuji was a short lived X-A1, followed by an X-E1. Also have had an X-E2, X-T2, X-Pro1, and X-Pro2 plus my X100s starting with two X100Ts, an X100D, an original X100, and now the X100S.

At one time or another, I bought everything for it.

I would like to think that all of the extras I buy add value for me to use the camera or to protect my investment.

What I ended up using long term:

1. 3rd party finger grip like what you picked up. Great when handling the camera one-handed or when I want to quickly attach a small tripod

I bought the Oben grip, base and L-bracket for the Arca-Swiss compatible dovetail base. I have three tripod/monopod heads and all three have Arca-Swiss mounts. I Have not found the front grip to be that comfortable and will probably remove it. I have a similar set-up on my Panasonic GX9 from JJC. I could remove the front grip and just keep the base, but that grip just seems to fit my hand just right.

1. Hot shoe thumb grip - For extra stability; especially when I don't use the finger grip due to weight

I have never liked the thumb grips that attach to the hot shoe. Either the grip and my finger is too short and I can't comfortably reach it or the grip and my finger is too long. Plus a lot of the ones I've tried block the top deck controls. The only thumb grip that I ever liked was one made by a small vendor in England that was designed to stick on the end of my M8 and M9 it matched the body curve exactly, and stayed on with removable adhesive tape.

1. Low profile lens hood

I have never taken to using lens hoods. Can't exactly say why but I just don't like them and I've never had a problem not using them. If a hood comes with a lens I bought, I verify it fits properly and put it back in the box. Especially with the X100 series, most hoods block part of the OVF.

Without starting a whole debate, by personal choice I put a UV filter on every lens I have. Having paid the price before I started doing that, I considered the filter cheap insurance. With the X100 series, this of course requires that optional filter/hood adapter which in my opinion, Fuji should have put in the box with the camera.

1. Peak Design neck and wrist strap. I love being able to instantly swap between a neckstrap and wrist strap

When Peak Design straps were the must have strap for everyone, I let the salesman talk me into getting a PD Leash for the brand new XT-2 I was buying. The Leash was too small for the X-T2, so I made the fatal mistake of upgrading to PD Slide Light. Like any other strap I ever used, I left the Slide Light on the camera when it went into my bag. Then one day, I took out the X-T2 and my pristine LCD had a huge almost gash like scratch across most of it. The only thing that could have done that in the bag was one of those metal adjusters on the Slide Light. Later just by chance, I came across a DPReview of the PD straps and it warned of that very possibility.

Stuff that sounded good; but, didn't work out include:

1. Fujifilm EF-X20 flash --- Love the size and the dial for FC; but, it was only good for fill flash

I rarely use flash, which might be a mistake, but after buying flashes to go with different cameras over the years and never using them, I stopped. Both my X100S and GX9 have built-in flashes if I really find the need. The GX9 is a pop-up and is more versatile than the one in the X100S.

1. Shutter soft release buttons --- keep losing them. Didn't want to use o-rings to keep them in place. Found the thumb grip worked better for stability/

Not sure when I started using soft release buttons and like you, I kept loosing them because they would just not stay on. The first few were quite expensive, then I switched to cheeps but the results were the same and those little rubber o-rings didn't help. There are only two exceptions; the Leica-branded soft release that came on my used M9 and stuck like glue and the JJC one you see on my X100S. I first got that release for my Leica M8 and like the button on my M9 it sticks like glue. It seems to give me more control over the shutter release and is relatively inexpensive.

1. Converter lenses --- way too bulky to carry around

When I got my black X100T, I also bought black WCL-X100 and TCL-X100 conversion lenses. Didn't like the TCL-X100 at all; it was too large and blocked a good piece of the OVF, which at that time was the viewfinder I used the most, so I returned it. I kept the WCL-X100 and found it to be more useful for me. 19mm versus 23mm doesn't seem like much but sometimes it can make a difference.

I took this shot at one of the entrances to the Souk in Casablanca, Morocco with my X100T and WCL-X100. I was standing on the absolute edge of the sidewalk with my back to one of the busiest roads in Casablanca. Without the WCL-X100, I would have had to step back into that road to get this shot and become instant road-kill.

This is another one of my favorites shots I took with my X100T/WCL-X100 combo. I was standing on the little balcony on our cruise ship with little room to maneuver, when I took this shot of a ferry leaving the main harbor in Madeira, Portugal. Not sure how different it would have been without the WCL-X100 on my T.

I sold the WCL-X100 when I sold my X100T and have not found a compelling reason to get another one.