Fujifilm Wedding Photography – Best Gear to Have in your Camera Bag

Top 10 List for Fujifilm Wedding Photographers

In 2022 I added a full-fledged Fujifilm system to my wedding photography kit. The switch to Fujifilm photography reminded me of my younger years as a wedding photographer when I needed to decide on equipment that allowed me to create freely while giving me the confidence to use the gear to photograph weddings in New York City and around the world.

I am writing this article as a resource those evaluating their options when it comes to professional camera gear. You’ll find:

• The Rule of Ten – Top Ten pieces of gear I have in my camera bag
• Four Rules for Selecting the Right Camera Gear for Weddings
• My Journey with Canon
• Looking into the Mirrorless World
• Fantasy Budget Kit for Wedding Photographer – Build a Full Kit at Fraction of the Cost

The Rule of Ten – Three Camera Bodies, Five Lenses, Two Flashes. I pack most of my weddings with the following kit of ten (three bodies, five lenses, flashes) in my backpack (also check out my fantasy Canon Budget Build at the end of this article). One can shoot a wedding with just one lens – in fact I will shoot about 80-90%% of my photos using a 35mm focal length for story, and the rest on a tighter lens for close-ups. The Rule of Ten gives you options. 

Three Camera Bodies

• Fujifilm X-H2 – A versatile and powerful 40 megapixel camera
• Fujifilm X-T4 – A solid workhorse used my second camera
• Fujifilm GFX 50R – A 50 megapixel medium format camera that produces lifelike images

Pick Five Lenses

• XF 16mm f2.8 R WR Wide-Angle
• XF 23mm f1.4 R WR Wide-Angle
• XF 33mm f1.4 R WR Standard
• XF 56 f1.2 R WR  Medium Telephoto
• XF 16-55 f2.8 R LM WR Wide to Telephoto
• GF 50mm f3.5 R WR Wide-Angle
• GF 80mm f1.7 R WR Standard

Two Flashes

• Godox V1 Flash Versatile and Powerful On- and Off-Camera
• Fujifilm EF-X8 Portable Pocket-sized Flash

Pictured below – the Fujifilm GFX 50R and the Fujifilm X-H2.

Top Camera Recommendations for Wedding Photographers

For wedding work, I recommend at least 2 camera bodies, two flash bodies and a wide to medium telephoto lens range (24 – 85 mm, full frame equivalent). Have enough batteries to last you a full day and enough SD / CF Cards to last the entire day. 

Four Rules for Selecting Wedding Photography Gear

I need my professional gear to meet four standards in 2022. Fujifilm’s big launches this year checked all these boxes.

1. Mirrorless – these cameras as the future of imaging tech. 
2. Dual card slots for backup copies of photos while shooting. 
3. Interchangeable lens systems to accommodate sharp and fast prime lenses. 
4. Portable cameras and versatile flash solutions for travel and quickness.

A look into the Mirrorless world

Canon entered the mirrorless market later than Sony and Fujifilm with a long wake of adjustment for its users. The Canon mirrorless offering still is quite good. 

Canon EOS R6 – The only professional Canon body I’ve kept. A favorite in the wedding photography community. A light body with smaller and more manageable file sizes. Versatile both for photo and video. I use this body with the EF 35mm 1.4 L, the EF 50mm 1.2 L, and the EF 24-70mm 2.8 L professional lenses adapted with Canons EF to RF adapter. 

Canon Pros – Unmatched in overall color quality and performance. A larger creative community and following. Moderate pricing of entry level camera bodies with dual-cards. You can build a mid-level kit fairly easily and economically.

Canon Cons – The most recent professional series lenses are heavier, bulkier and much more expensive. Older legacy lenses need to be adapted to newer mirrorless bodies. 

Fujifilm for Wedding Photography

Fujifilm – With Fujifilm’s new flagship X-H line (and the rumored updates on the retro-styled X-T line), the crop sensor camera provides a sensible solution for those looking for high quality imagery while balancing portability, price and performance. Fuji’s dedication to its community and classic styling have created a loyal following. A more recent addition to the X-Series is the G-Series of medium format cameras that render lifelike images. 

Fujifilm Pros – Price/Performance, Portability, Continuity across cameras. Fujifilm’s color science is top quality and its film simulations promise consistency between different camera bodies. Fujifilm cameras are small, light, durable and travel easy. You can build a high-end kit for less than many other brands. A fun and somewhat eccentric community of Fujifilm fans and followers.

Fujifilm Cons – A slight dip in dynamic range compared to the top line full frame sensors. Many professionals have historically gravitated towards bigger and more popular brands such as Canon and Sony.

X-T4 – The backbone of Fujifilm’s following come as a result of the retro-focused XT series. Most Fujifilm Wedding Photographers have an X-T series camera in the their kit. This serves as my trusty back-up camera now that the X-H2 has taken the stage.

X-H2 – The Fujifilm X-H2 is now my primary camera for storytelling and wedding photography. Fujifilm’s new hybrid photo/video flagship line (along with the video focused X-H2s) touting a 40 MP sensor and speedy focusing. The X-H2 focuses and tracks just as well- if not better as Canon’s EOS R6 and renders stunning images. 

My journey with Canon Photography

Canon’s photographic history and its durable cameras have made it a long-time favorite among photographers. The brand offers a selection of crop and full frame sensors for professionals and is a standard in imaging technology. Though I am now mostly working with Fujifilm’s cameras, I still have a love for things Canon and have one last fantasy build for a camera kit.

The Fantasy Canon Budget Wedding Photography Kit I never built – I would love to see this old meets new budget build in action.

• Canon EOS R7 – $1500
• Canon EF to RF adapter with Ring – $200
• Canon EF 20mm f2.8 USM – $350
• Canon EF 28mm f1.8 USM – $375 
• Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM – $300
• Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM – $375

Dual SD cards slot in a mirrorless camera with in-body stabilization + the full range of focal lengths via prime lenses from wide-angle to telephoto for around $3000-3500. Comparatively the Canon EOS R5 retails for $3899 for just the camera body. 

Alternatively one can look to Fujifilm, as I have. 

Some final words on gear and cameras

Build a kit that will ensure you can produce work confidently. It is ok to build towards a dream kit. I did, and it took 7 years. Also know that better gear will not make you a better photographer, but rather make you more efficient at what you already do. So invest time in learning and in using the gear that you have with you, and keep practicing.

More tips here.