Trinity: M4, X100F, X-Pro1

My Current Camera Setup: Leica M4, and Fujifilm X100F and X-Pro1

With the recent purchase of the Leica M4, I now have three cameras with me: the Leica, and the Fujifilm X100F and X-Pro1. Going forward this will be the trinity of my street photography endeavors.

You might ask: why three cameras; and why do you not just use one of them exclusively?

Of course, I can, but there are a couple of considerations why I still want to use all three.

  • I want to shoot as much as possible with film;

  • While my preferred focal length is 35mm (full-frame equivalent), I sometimes want to be able to shoot with a 50mm lens;

  • I do not want to change lenses while on the street;

  • When I travel, my maximum film ISO needs to be 400.


After the break my explanation of how this camera trinity will make this possible, and when I will use which camera.

trinity-cameras-fuji-leica.jpg

Combining these three cameras will enable me to achieve the objectives I mentioned above.

My preferred tool is the Leica M4. It has the 35mm f/2.8 Summaron mounted and since it shoots film it meets both of my primary criteria: shooting film and using a 35mm lens.

I do not want to carry films faster than 400 ISO with me when traveling. While most airport security personnel is very friendly and willing to manually check faster film, this is not always the case and I do not want to risk having to take for example ISO 3200 film through an x-ray machine.

That is where the Fujifilm X100F comes into play: with its excellent high-ISO capabilities, it is an ideal camera for low light photography. This is the tool I will use for night street photography or when I know that I will be shooting a lot inside buildings. Although not film, it still has the 35mm (equivalent) lens.

The Fujifilm X-Pro1, finally, has a 50mm (equivalent) lens mounted and will be used in those instances where this focal lens makes more sense than the wider 35mm.

I have to admit that until now this is only theory: I have not used this setup yet, it is something I intend to do during my upcoming trip to Europe.

This will mean that although I will take all three cameras with me, on a daily basis and depending on the shooting situations I anticipate to only carry two cameras on me in one of the following combinations:

  • The M4 and the X-Pro1, or

  • The X100F and the X-Pro1


When I expect that sufficient light will be available to shoot film, I will take the Leica M4 as the main camera and the Fujifilm X-Pro1 for those instances that I want to use the 50mm (equivalent) lens.

When I expect that I mostly will encounter low light situations, I will take the Fujifilm X100F as the main camera and the X-Pro1 for 50mm (equivalent) shots.

Probably there also will be days that I want to travel as light as possible and take only one camera with me. Then it will most likely be the M4 or the X100F.

I am actually quite excited to see how this will work out and if my intended setup will be practical.

I will share my experiences, and images of course, when I am back in South Africa.