WhatsInMyCameraBag - Eugen Kamenew

When X-Photographer Eugen Kamanew takes photos, he is usually facing the sky. The favorite motives of the internationally renowned photographer are found in the infinite universe. In order to capture the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle or total solar eclipses, he not only has to travel all over the world, but he also needs the right equipment.
In our article #WhatsInMyCameraBag Eugen shows us, which cameras and lenses never let him down even at temperatures well below zero, at darkness, during long time exposures and operating hours.
Did Eugen spark your interest? Take a look at his workshop program at our FUJIFILMSchool: Eugens’ Workshops

FUJIFILM north of the Polar Circle

As an official FUJIFILM X-Photographer I portray the beauty and the aesthetics of the cosmos. I have been using system cameras of the FUJIFILM X system for several years now. In my robust photography case I always carry at least seven cameras. Currently I prefer to work with FUJIFILM X-T3, FUJIFILM X-Pro3, FUJIFILM X-E3, FUJIFILM X-T30, FUJIFILM X-H1 and FUJIFILM X100F. But also the previous models such as FUJIFILM X-T2 and two FUJIFILM X-T1 are also used frequently.
The large number of cameras does not serve as backup in case if one camera would fail. I rather want to be on the safe side and record rare astronomical events with several cameras at the same time. Using only one camera would be too risky for me personally.
Especially when I am photographing shooting stars, the probability to catch one or even more meteors increases with the number of cameras used.

Which lenses to choose when shooting the universe

Every year in March I offer popular trips to the Northern Lights. Since the northern lights can be seen in all directions, I can cover the complete night sky with my seven cameras. When shooting the Northern Lights I use all FUJINON wide angle lenses that are currently on the market: The FUJINON XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR, the FUJINON XF10-24mmF4.0 R OIS, the FUJINON XF16mmF1.4 R WR, the FUJINON XF18mmF2 R, the FUJINON XF14mmF2.8 R, the FUJINON XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR and the FUJINON XF18-55mmF2.8-4.0 R LM OIS.

Electrical heating bands against icing

To prevent my lenses from freezing in the arctic minus temperatures, I put electric heating bands in my photography case. Some FUJIFILM cameras, for instance the FUJIFILM X-T3 or the FUJIFILM X-Pro3, are weatherproof and operate even at temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius. Other cameras, such as the FUJIFILM X-T30, are not weatherproof, but still operate down to 0 degrees Celsius. In all the years that I have been offering these trips to the Aurora Borealis, I have never seen a FUJIFLM camera fail. Moreover even non-weatherproof FUJIFILM cameras have sometimes worked through the entire arctic night at temperatures as low as -33.8 degrees Celsius. This fact proves the extreme durability and exceptional reliability of the FUJIFILM X series.

Battery handles, memory cards and Co.

There is hardly anything worse than empty batteries and full memory cards. Therefore an additional battery handle for all my FUJIFILM X-T models, lots of charged batteries and large memory cards should never be missing in my photo case. In my workshops on astrophotography, for example, we use the interval mode to take photos throughout the whole night without a break. Practically all cameras of the FUJIFILM X series have the interval shooting function already integrated. In post-production, the hundreds of individual photos are converted into time-lapse videos and star trail images. In this way, it is possible for my participants to let the Milky Way rise and set during the night.

On my global expeditions to total solar eclipses, I prefer the telephoto lenses FUJINON XF100-400mmF4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR and FUJINON XF200mmF2.0 R LM OIS WR. The FUJINON XF200mmF2.0 R LM OIS WR is a perfect astrograph and I like to use it for deep sky astrophotography. This involves the photography of celestial objects beyond our solar system. The FUJINON XF200mmF2.0 R LM OIS WR, with its extreme light sensitive aperture F2.0, even collects photons from galaxies light years away when put on an equatorial mount. To do this, a camera is mounted on an equatorial mount, which ensures that the camera moves with the stars. Without such a tracking system, you would otherwise get the typical star trails at a very long exposure time.

Headlamp and tripods

Red headlamps and tripods are essential for astrophotography. The red light keeps the eye pupil wide open even in the dark. Thus it helps to observe the Milky Way and the night sky in all its nuances. Another advantage of a headlamp is that the hands are free to operate the camera. Since we also work with long time exposure, it is hard to imagine astrophotography without a tripod. Of course, there are always exceptions where you need to lay the camera on the ground, mount it on an automatic tracking device for astrophotography or on a telescope.

FUJIFILM as the ultimate system camera in astrophotography

The universe is infinite and just as infinite and diverse are its motives. As with any kind of photography, the right equipment is needed to capture them optimally. For astrophotography I have found the perfect conditions in the FUJIFILM X system. The extremely good noise behavior in the high ISO range alone is reason enough for me to work with FUJIFILM. The reason is that in astrophotography I am shooting usually with high ISO settings. Another reason why I love the FUJIFILM X system is the legendary film simulations. These are analog color profiles that bring the characteristics of nostalgic FUJIFILM slide film to life in FUJIFILM X system digital cameras. I hope that the great performance of FUJIFILM X system cameras is reflected in my astrophotograhy and speaks for itself.

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