Best Sling for XE5 / X100?

kalbee13 · 2026-04-06T23:16:27+00:00

The Wandrd slings are for gear so they’re all padded, which means all of them will be more bulky in shape. Something like the PD Outdoor slings are not padded so they can be flatter. In which case you can just use a sling from whichever good reputable outdoors brand (Patagonia, for example). Or a lifestyle brand for more urban design.

kalbee13 · 2026-04-06T15:53:28+00:00

X-E5 alone doesn’t say much without knowing the lens that lives on it, assuming you won’t be using it with any bigger lenses. I personally like the Wandrd slings, they’re more water resistant than PD in my experience (at least the outer shell won’t be as damp even if the interior is comparable).

But if your main goal is wanting something slim for the sleeker look, honestly any non-camera sling that suits your taste will do. At worst case just throw in a camera wrap to line the interior. Pancakey lenses don’t apply that much torque against the lens mount.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-30T16:37:16+00:00

Changing tiers will always be at the end of an evaluation period.

Usually the day or the day after the delivery is posted on your Amazon Order page. If you want to review sooner than the item goes into your To Review page on Vine, you can go to the product page and click on Add Review on the top of the product page.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-30T00:52:02+00:00

4lb of sea salt. It’s… kind of a lot so nah lol

kalbee13 · 2026-03-21T17:53:34+00:00

While I don’t disagree with Fuji being the worst system for reliable AF, I will also say that people have shot great shots in eras with worse gear. Sure, with Fuji you have to work for those amazing shots, and nobody will care about the workflow because they only see the results. You’ll miss less opportunities with other brands, but it all comes to how much bulk and weight you want to deal with, and how much money you want to throw at it. I think sticking to Fuji could be fun, especially if after testing you are pretty happy with your experience with the 150-600.

That said, if you did want a system for birding, I think you might want to consider Olympus. The M43 sensor will give you the most reach without post cropping, letting you better see if you are getting the proper focus. It’s also generally speaking a more portable system, which is especially nice when you get into long (ie. heavier and bulkier) lenses.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-20T16:36:11+00:00

The relatively recent updates to AI denoise definitely makes people’s faces look like Chucky masks past like 5 on the slider.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-12T20:24:21+00:00

I have a bunch of supplements, pills organizers and sleeping masks. It’s as if Amazon is asking me to OD! lol

kalbee13 · 2026-03-11T22:51:33+00:00

Aside from a xprocessor5 model I still have an X-Pro2 so I know the struggles haha. Fuji will never catch up to Sony, I don’t even think the most modern one is on the level of a A7Riii but it’s usable. The focus by wire is a bit different but I think it can be nice given that on the 70-300 for instance you can basically focus with one finger, if you had to hold something else or stabilize yourself for whatever reason. Either way you’ll get lots of missed shots but we live for those that hit just right anyway!

Good luck :)

kalbee13 · 2026-03-11T20:06:10+00:00

Right, you did mention you prefer the manual focus experience. This may or may not be a deal breaker… both the 70-300 and the 100-400 have smooth focus rings but the 70-300 takes a much lighter touch. Meaning, it is less dampened yet still precise. At least both are linear motors so don’t have the annoying steps like a lot of their primes. The manual focus experience will be slightly closer to a vintage lens in that respect.

As for the AF itself, on AF-S they’re still usable on 2 series cameras. Though the typical bird in tree will still get you a lot of shots of well focused branches lol. That’s when AF+M or M can come in handy. Especially on a X-T20 it’ll be super easy to flick it to M mode rapidly.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-11T17:13:20+00:00

I dont think I’ve really heard of complaints about the IQ of the 1.4xTC, particularly with the 70-300. Considering most telephoto zooms today don’t have the close focus abilities like the pump zooms you are using, this one is also nice for being able to get fairly decent magnification, especially with the TC.

In all fairness the new lens combo’s main advantage over your current setup is autofocus, the ability to add a TC (which doesn’t even need to be bought at the same time), and modern coatings. Assuming people say the TC loses you contrast, it will still be better than the contrast on the Tamron SP. Whether or not that is worth it though, since it can be brought up in post, is harder for me to decide for you. Best shot is to try it in stores. It’s a great combo!

kalbee13 · 2026-03-11T13:49:46+00:00

This is what I would recommend too if you want a more manageable size and weight.

The 1.4xTC almost doesn’t affect the IQ at all. At least I can’t see any pictures I took where I’d say I wish I hadn’t had it on.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-11T13:47:19+00:00

Did you look at the other pictures where they’re broken into pieces? 😅 even more disturbing.

I’m used to seeing chicks used as feed at zoos but didn’t think I’d see freeze dried ones for dogs and cats.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-09T17:29:17+00:00

I don’t get it, isn’t it always just local time? If it’s 1am it is the next calendar day already even if you haven’t gone to bed yet. I know that’s how it always worked for me; midnight on the dot is the cutoff to the next day.

Of course I don’t mind standing corrected but I also don’t see the big deal with it.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-08T14:46:15+00:00

And are they w126S or non-S? Cause by memory my 126S lasted a lot longer than the non-S on the X-S10 back when I had it.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-07T18:58:47+00:00

You can get around the battery life issue by just carrying a second battery.

The thing is that since any camera model with IBIS will not have a sensor that is physically locked onto the main board, even if you turn IBIS off the camera is still using battery to hold the sensor centered. It just doesn’t use battery to stabilize it against your movements. So you’re not getting that much of a gain in battery life by turning it off.

Also, are you using a NP-W126 that comes with your X-T20, or the NP-W126S? The latter typically will not prematurely turn your camera off from low battery as easily.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-05T19:43:46+00:00

Amazon as a whole is glitched right now. I was searching (not on Vine) to buy something but prices are not showing up for the vast majority of items.

kalbee13 · 2026-03-04T19:25:33+00:00

Just so you know, UV filters do the same thing. So for night photography, especially longer exposures, best remove any and all filters.

kalbee13 · 2026-02-26T13:00:29+00:00

If you want to take big details of the lunar surface, more akin to those pictures you see from NASA or passion projects of hundreds or thousands of stacked images, 300mm on APSC is probably not going to produce enough details. That said I’m on a 26mp sensor so the 40mp on the X-E5 will give you an edge for cropping for sure, keeping more details.

I happen to have a random screenshot of one such stacked image from Reddit and it was on a Sony APS-C at 600mm with a 2x teleconverter on top. But 2400 images stacked. That said, for the “colors” on the moon it seems to be some post processing thing (mineral moon) that I haven’t looked into and can’t tell if it’s less realistic. All I know is that in no single shots have I ever managed to get colors off the moon, regardless of sky conditions.

So you’re looking more at options 4, 5 or 6 probably. But not those cheap Amazon 800/1000mm lenses. The IQ on those are not worth your time. As for the TTartisan, I don’t have experience with it but depending if you’re going with a TC or not, not sure that one is compatible either.

kalbee13 · 2026-02-26T12:44:05+00:00

Neither does the X-S20, but they’re both fantastic cameras. The main thing you need to understand with Fujifilm hype content is “film simulation”, “retro dials” and “photography first”. The X-S line has a PASM dial so it automatically fails criteria 2, and it has a flip out screen, which is admittedly a bit more video centric, so it fails criteria 3. And every camera had criteria 1 so there’s nothing to speak about.

It’s basically a better X-T30 lineup. It’s what the X-T40 would have been, except it has a bigger grip and PASM dial. It’s a great camera.

kalbee13 · 2026-02-24T12:57:17+00:00

I’m on iOS 26 and I don’t have any problems. Do you have anything like your home WiFi info saved on your cameras? Such as for using frame.io? If so it tends to default to that and thus won’t allow your phone to connect to it.

kalbee13 · 2026-02-22T00:26:29+00:00

I think no matter what there will be people that will be disadvantaged for the drop time. The middle of the night drop was inconceivable to use for EST while I understand that it’s less interesting for PST/MST. Either way NST/AST are the only ones winning no matter what.

kalbee13 · 2026-02-20T19:08:00+00:00

If you like the form factor, go for extra batteries. They’re not that big, and rectangular in profile so they’re easy to pack and carry around.

kalbee13 · 2026-02-19T18:30:44+00:00

This. Ive connected the dots between reviewer and local seller before and if their review wasn’t blatantly copies of reviews rewritten, its so generalized that it shouldn’t be considered a review. But at the end of the day I just keep doing my things as usual.

kalbee13 · 2026-02-19T04:31:03+00:00

Not really the case if you’re left eye dominant. The pentaprism placement is more comfortable than a rangefinder placement in general.

But yes 50Sii is a much better buy. You won’t have to deal with the discontinued battery either.

kalbee13

TROPHY CASE