TAKE TEN: Dieter Pey

Dieter Pey has a job a lot of us would be envious of – travelling the country shooting off-road content with his X-T30 II. Some of his biggest projects include a full-length documentary about the Bidibidi refugee camp in Uganda, various TV adverts, movies and reality TV shows, while he was also the main content creator and journalist for Cars.co.za. How did he get into automotive photography, which are his favourite lenses and what does he like most about the X-T30 II? We find out more.

What attracted you to automotive photography and why do you keep doing it?

We are a very motorsport-oriented family, with my grandparents, my uncle and my father being involved in rally, circuit and 4×4 racing events. I used to always tag along, and my active mind couldn’t sit still and just observe the racing, so I always took my little digital camera along to capture the racing. Fast forward a few more years and my skill level has significantly improved over the years of experience and experimenting. I soon upgraded to an entry-level DSLR and was an accredited MSA (Motorsport South Africa) photographer at the age of 16, making me the youngest MSA photographer at the time.

It grew from there and my passion for creating content has collided with my passion for the automotive and outdoor scene, which has in turn become my niche over the years of experimenting and learning. I can say that I have successfully turned my passion into my career!

When did you switch to Fujifilm? What do you like about the gear?

My industry niche is tough on equipment, always out in the elements dealing with sun, dust, rain, lots of travelling and being thrown around in bags in vehicles.

About three years ago I decided it was time to upgrade from my 10-year-old DSLR to mirrorless. After months of research, I concluded that the Fujifilm X-T30 II was the perfect price for the specifications on offer – the quality, specs and size are incredible at that price point.

I like the old-school look and feel, and it has most of the features which the high-end competition at double the price has. The body is light and small, perfect for when I need to travel and pack light. It is easy to store and having used this body for three years in the rough working conditions I work in, it is a pretty tough piece of equipment too.

Do you have a favourite lens?

There are three lenses which complete my lens kit for my niche of photography:

-The daily lens. This is a lens which covers a wide shooting range, and for me this is the Fujinon XF18-135mmF3.5-5.6. It is perfect to keep on the camera the whole day without having to swap, being able to capture subjects close to the camera and having a bit further reach. Yes, you have to sacrifice some depth of field in terms of f-stop, but this lens is perfect for run-and-gun style event coverage.

-A low light prime lens. This would be the Fujinon XF35mmF2 prime lens. I prefer not to shoot lower than f2.2 as the depth of field is too shallow, especially in my niche of automotive and events. You want a bit more than just the vehicle badge or one person in the crowd in focus. Even the f2.8 of the kit lens does an amazing job in low-light conditions and I am also really impressed by the low-light shooting capabilities of the X-T30 II.

-The tele-zoom lens. It is incredible to see how little reach a 70-200mm is once you need to capture subjects far out of your reach. Not only does the tele-zoom give you the reach you need, but in many cases, it also keeps you safe. You can’t sit in the middle of the rugby field, walk up to a lion in a park or sit on the edge of the racetrack to get those stellar shots. I currently use another tele-zoom while I save up to acquire a similar lens for my Fujifilm.

In general, I am super impressed with the Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 kit lens. The quality is amazingly sharp and it is a really good lens to keep you going across most photography fields.

You also do a lot of videography for your YouTube channel. Is videography a second passion?

While there is a lot of photography talk above, I mostly do video work. In the current world, video just gains more traction than images. When I started freelancing, I noticed events, especially motorsport, lacked video content and the drivers needed video content to analyse their driving, plus the audience enjoyed watching the video content more than just seeing images. This is when I began learning to produce and edit video content. Now, I have a YouTube channel covering cars, camping and off-roading across South Africa.

I am a hybrid shooter, so I needed a camera which is good with images and video content while being budget-friendly and the X-T30 II ticked all those boxes for me. You do get more video-focused Fujifilm bodies with built-in stabilisation but throw this body on a small gimbal and you are good to go as a lightweight and small travel kit. You can keep the gear in your backpack while you run up and down at an event or festival, plus you do not suffer from major back problems the next morning.

Where can people find more of your work?

You can follow my adventures and see my content on all the main social media platforms under @dieterpey. My photography portfolio is available at @jaunt_media and there will be regular updates across all these platforms. I am embarking on a four-month global tour soon, so there is going to be some amazing scenery and experience from across the world being featured on my pages in the upcoming months. There are more links and ventures over a my linktree.