In your bag number 197, Benjamin Moritz Schaefer
We have a lovely bag for you today, medium format and digital all in one. Benjamin is using the fantastic Fuji GF670 too. Check out his bag…

My name is Benjamin Moritz Schaefer and live in a small community near Bangor, Maine. Originally I am from Germany but I have lived in the US for 12 years.

I am a physician, working in a single specialty private practice. It is a fulfilling, though busy occupation and it leaves little time for my “other’ job a photographer. I do a few portrait shoots a year, usually children or events, including a few weddings. I have a passion for street photography, but unfortunately, little opportunity where I live. I always try to carry a camera, but there is little time in the day to stop. So whenever I get the chance, usually during trips or when visiting family, I hit the streets of New York, Berlin, or other metropolitan areas, with one or two cameras in my bag. My wife is kidn enough to let me have “my day in the city’ (with some eye rolling). I have several cameras, film and digital (yes, another doctor bag! Yes I also own a Leica, but if I had a dime for every time I hear or read a snide comment about doctors and Leicas, I’d have a M9-P with a Noctilux.) I usually mix and match, and I like to shoot film and digital, sometimes in parallel. Here is what I might carry

Bag: J.C. Crew. I know, not really a camera bag. I liked the way it looked and it is rugged and very functional and has great capacity. When at work, I usually need to carry my ‘other’ tools (stethoscope etc), and iPad, papers, so some room comes in handy. I put a little insert into (from a now decommissioned National Geographic bag) to keep my cameras and lenses safe. When in the city, I can fir a sweater, light jacket or raincoat.

Fujifilm GF670: I used to own a Mamiya 7 with 80mm lens. I loved that camera but is was bulky, with the lens sticking out. The Fuji is a folder which shoots both 6×6 and 6×7, 120 and 220 film and folds into a very small size. The rangefinder is superb, it is super quiet, having a leaf shutter in the lens and image quality is pristine. I carry a filter holder and usually a B+W 092 FIlter when I want to shoot some infrared. The lens is a ~ 50mm equivalent, which is borderline for street, but it is a good all-rounder (and not interchangeable anyway).

Nikon V1 and 10mm lens: As many, I was skeptical at first, but I took the plunge and it is a great tool. Yes, DXO gives it poor marks and it is ‘only’ 10 MP, but it is small, absolutely quiet and very inconspicuous. When converting to B&W, you can shoot ISO 1600 and still get a good look from it. I have shot it side by side with a Leica and must say that I sometimes prefer the V1. It makes a great companion when shooting the GF670 (and incidentally takes the same filters). 10mm is a 28mm full frame equivalent and ideal for street, especially if you really don’t look like a shooter using it. The V1 has some quirks (sometimes I knock the mode dial into movie mode, or worse, best shot selector) and I usually tape over the eye detector so the EVF is on all the time, because there is an annoying delay when raising the camera to your eye. I could to without the mandatory instant image review, too (hello, Nikon, firmware please!). But overall this is a gem.

Film: I am partial to TMAX400, which I shoot 90% of the time, sometimes pushed to 1600. I recently started carrying some Rollei IR film, but use it more for landscapes.

Miscellaneous: Photoclear lens cloth, waterproof case and extra memory cards, extra battery, phone

Benjamin Moritz Photography
http://benjaminmoritz.com
fb: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Benjamin-Moritz-Photography/141640965884928
flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjaminmoritz/

Thanks for sharing you bag and your thoughts on photography and gear. I like it when people give as much as possible to the bag feature.
Check out Benjamin’s links and be sure to comment.

Keep them coming folks, we need more submissions, so get your bag on Japancamerahunter.com. Send me a hi resolution image of the bag (please make sure it is horizontal) and its contents, with some details about yourself and what you shoot. Oh and don’t forget your contact details (twitter, flickr, tumbler et al). Send the bag shots here.

Cheers
Japancamerahunter