In your bag No: 594, Rommel Mendoza
Rommel shares his gear from the Philippines with us today. But not a bag in sight, naughty boy. Still come and check out this fantastic setup and see what he shoots.

First off, I just want to say I am a big fan of the site. There is so much information I can get out of your and everyone’s posts. I absolutely love looking through other people’s bags and sites as well. I tend to think that your site is a gateway to see other people’s work and how everyone perceives the world differently.

I’m Rommel from Manila. I work as an IT Consultant and photography has been my stress reliever for quite some time now. I have always been a technical person and from time to time, an artist (If I can call myself one but I normally draw and paint from time to time). Photography, being a combination of both, was a natural fit for me.

Here is a list of my gear:

01. Fuji X-Pro1 – amazing little camera; you just need to work a bit on the raw files to extract the maximum information. Its usability and ergonomics are just wonderful. Even though the AF is a bit slow, it really doesn’t bother me.

02. Fujinon XF35 f/1.4 R – my first XF Lens. A good lens but not exceedingly so (based on experience with other 50 equivalents).

03. Fujinon XF14 f/2.8 R – I use it sparingly as I am still getting used to composing wide angles.

04. Fujinon XF18-55 f/2.8-4 R OIS LM – a great walk around lens and is now basically welded to my X-Pro1. It is absolutely great during the day but when the sun sets or the light drops dramatically, the 35 comes on.

05. Contax G1 with CZ Planar 2/45 T* – this is my walk around film camera. The Zeiss 2/45 lens is such a sharp beast even wide open. This has been my benchmark for other fast normal focal length lenses.

06. Hasselblad 500C/M with CZ Planar 2,8/80 C T* (and a cable release) – recently got this from Hong Kong. Shooting with this camera has been a zen like experience and has definitely slowed me down for the better.

07. Phottix Mitros flash

08. Nikon SB-910 flash (not included here as I used it to light the frame)

09. Yongnuo RF-603C remote triggers – for strobist experimentation

10. 120 and 135 Films – I usually shoot C-41 films (Portra, Ektar, Pro 400H and BW400CN). I am now experimenting with the wonderful Fujichromes and Neopan Acros 100.

As you can probably tell, I own a lot of 50 or 50-equivalent lenses. There is just something in the FOV of the fifty that speaks to me aesthetically.

To pack everything up, I use a CaseLogic SLR back pack but when I go out and shoot, I normally use a beat down no-brand messenger bag. You have to keep low profile in Manila to be in the safe side (that’s why when I shoot the streets of Manila, I go out with only film cameras). I normally take the G1 (and previously a Contax RX) but for now, I’ll be practicing more with the all manual 500C/M.

I love shooting the streets. For me, nothing compares to taking a random moment in time, interpreting it and conveying it to an audience. The fact that there is so much randomness in the world and to compose it to fit your perceptions and interpretation is more challenging than creating one from scratch. Creating images is something that I will probably end up doing until I bite the dust.

Here is my blog: http://ramendoza.tumblr.com
My flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/raxmendoza/

Thanks and more power to you!
Rommel

Thanks for sharing your gear with us Rommel. That is a lot to be carrying around in Manila, I was sweating buckets with just an MP. Happy shooting.
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Cheers
Japancamerahunter