Taking the Fujifilm X-M5 on Our Conservation Road Trip.

The goal was simple: use our platform to shine a light on everyday New Zealanders making a difference for conservation. We are fortunate to have a large audience, and we wanted to use that reach to showcase conservation work that many New Zealanders may not even be aware of.

One of our partners on the Conservation Road Trip was Fujifilm, who provided the Fujifilm X-H2S, X-T50, and X-M5, alongside the MKX18-55mm T2.9 and MKX50-135mm T2.9 cine lenses, the XF150-600mm, the XF56mm f/1.2, and the XF60mm Macro. They also helped support the project by contributing towards the cost of bringing Dylan Jones along. Dylan is best known for his work with Newsroom and For Good Media, and he helped shoot and produce much of the content created during the trip.

Over the course of the journey, we visited the Karioi Project near Raglan, spent time with the team at Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, documented work protecting the critically endangered Mahoenui giant wētā, explored conservation efforts in the Kaimai Ranges, and captured stories that will ultimately reach millions of people through the NZCS platform.

But there was another challenge running alongside the storytelling. For the first time, I would be documenting much of the journey using a Fujifilm X-M5. I wanted to bring along a camera that would allow me to capture the behind the scenes stories of the Conservation Road Trip, documenting not only the conservation work itself, but also the people, moments, and experiences that unfolded along the way.

Why the X - M5?

One of the things I love doing when we're planning a trip is finding ways to tell multiple stories at once. Our primary focus for this project was highlighting the incredible conservation organisations doing good work across New Zealand. But equally, I felt there was a second story worth telling: helping my friend fall in love with the outdoors.

You see, Dylan is not just a colleague or an incredible cinematographer. He's also a close mate I grew up with. I've always loved the outdoors, but Dylan's path led him towards the city, and my passion for the outdoors never really rubbed off on him when we were younger.

His fascination with conservation came through the stories. Over the years, we'd spent countless hours talking about the stories that were worth telling, and that's what first captured his interest. Dylan is a storyteller at heart, and he became excited by the accessible and meaningful conservation stories we were documenting.

But that also meant there was a second story unfolding throughout the trip: Dylan's early experiences in the outdoors. Capturing that behind the scenes journey became really important to me.

I shared that vision with Emily Smith, who had worked with us to help plan the trip with Fujifilm. Part of that vision was documenting Dylan's ongoing journey into the outdoors, along with the smaller stories and moments that inevitably emerge during a project like this. Emily suggested I bring along a Fujifilm X M5 so I could capture Dylan's story and those unexpected moments as they happened.

The X M5 is positioned as an accessible entry level camera, and as someone who would largely be shooting behind the scenes content while Dylan Jones handled much of the primary cinematography, it seemed like a great opportunity to learn a new system while contributing to the storytelling on the Conservation Road Trip.

Kickstarting the Conservation Roadtrip

We collected the camera from Fujifilm's House of Photography in Auckland. I was fortunate to have Dylan alongside me throughout the trip. Having a more experienced photographer and cinematographer there made a huge difference. He helped me understand the camera's capabilities and gave me the confidence to experiment with settings that I probably would not have explored on my own.

Like many first time users, I probably felt a little spoiled for choice. I spent a few hours getting used to the X M5 over lunch on our first day. I probably cycled through every setting possible and, with the benefit of hindsight, I should have taken Dylan's advice and settled on a few tones I really wanted to use throughout the trip. Instead, well... I shot with everything.

That was not a major problem, but it did mean I finished the trip having had an extremely hands on experience and, equally, an extremely eclectic set of visual content.

To be fair, that is not a bad thing at all. I finished the trip feeling like I had a visual scrapbook of our adventure, and I'm quite stoked with what I shot. But for the next trip we do with Fujifilm, now that I know the equipment well, I'll definitely pick one or two shooting profiles and stick with them.

An introduction to Vlogging.

One of the biggest surprises was how quickly I leaned into the camera's Vlog sections. Long term, we've really wanted to grow the NZCS YouTube video content. But I've always been limited by what I felt comfortable shooting, the equipment we had available, and the tones I wanted to tell stories through. I'm a storyteller, not a cinematographer, so I've often felt a bit overwhelmed by post production, colour grading, and the intensity of the post production process.

In contrast to Dylan, who had initially been hesitant to shoot with pre built colour profiles, I was on the other end of the spectrum. I couldn't get enough of them. I wanted a desaturated set of cinematic tones for the vlog content we shot, and Dylan helped me find one that was a perfect fit for what I was seeking.

That became especially valuable on our first day in Raglan. I was able to capture a fun, cinematic, raw, desaturated profile that felt more cinematic than I expected, especially given how new I was to the system. It actually made me really excited to test the X M5 out on future trips too. I'd love to see how it goes filming mountains or Fiordland textures with the same settings.

For me, that was one of the early strengths of the X M5. It gave me a creative starting point quickly, and that helped me feel more confident shooting video in the field.

Expanding my options for content.

One of the most valuable aspects of carrying the X M5 was not necessarily the image quality, although I was very happy with the results. It was the added flexibility.

Throughout the trip, we were constantly switching between filming interviews, capturing conservation work, and creating social media content. The X M5 gave me another way to capture those moments. At several points, I found myself filming vertical content on my iPhone while simultaneously using the X M5 to capture horizontal footage that could later be used for YouTube, documentaries, or longer form storytelling. That proved incredibly useful.

Often in conservation storytelling, you only get one opportunity to capture a moment. Having multiple formats available at the same time meant we walked away with far more usable content than we otherwise would have.

Perhaps one of my favourite moments was capturing about ten minutes of Mahoenui giant wētā footage in horizontal format on the X M5. They are a critically endangered species, and we captured the first filmed interview on how they are being bred for conservation. It will not make the primary content rollout, but there is more than enough material there to turn into a standalone YouTube video in the future.

Learning Through Experience

Like any new system, there were lessons along the way. Looking back, I probably shot some of my early footage with a bit more exposure than necessary. In hindsight, I would have benefited from paying closer attention to how exposure was affecting my photos earlier in the trip. Thankfully, when it came time to edit the images, this was easily corrected in Lightroom. The photos throughout this article were all shot in that style, and as you can see, it did not impact the final result. Still, it was a good learning experience.

I also realised that, because I carry a slight tremor, I would have benefited from shooting a little wider or using a tripod more often. As a result, a few shots required additional stabilisation in post production. If I had my time again, I would probably make those adjustments earlier in the trip.

But that is also part of what made the experience enjoyable. I love a challenge, and learning how to capture quality content despite having a tremor has actually been a really rewarding experience. I had a great conversation with Jesse from Fujifilm about not letting my tremor become a barrier to content creation, and it is a topic I would love to explore further in the future.

After all, I think we should be reducing barriers to entry for creators wherever possible. Showing that even a bloke in his early thirties with a noticeable tremor can still produce quality content on an XM-5 , hopefully, a story worth telling.

The Photos That Surprised Me Most

One thing I found myself really enjoying was taking candid photographs throughout the trip. I captured some amazing, moody behind the scenes shots while working with the Karioi Project in Raglan and at Ōtorohanga Kiwi House.

By about day three, I felt like I had really started to hit my groove with the camera. I even got Dylan to model some of the gear we had brought along, and some of my favourite photos from the entire trip came from those sessions in the bush.

One thing I noticed was that the images I liked most were often nature shots and photos taken in the forest. In particular, I loved some of the photos I captured of Dylan enjoying the outdoors from about 15 to 20 metres away. The X M5 seemed particularly well suited to capturing those moments, and it left me really interested in taking the camera on a future mountaineering trip where the focus could be on people within larger landscapes.

I think that would be amazing to see and capture.

Looking Towards Future Projects

Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give the X M5 is that I immediately began thinking about future projects where I would like to use it.

Over the coming years, New Zealand Conservation Stories hopes to sit down with many of the people who helped shape New Zealand's conservation history. Former Wildlife Service staff, old bushmen, and people involved in early kākāpō recovery work all have stories worth preserving. Those stories deserve to be captured properly, but one of the limitations I face is that I cannot always afford to bring a videographer along on a trip.

What stood out to me about the X M5 was its ability to move easily between photography and video in an accessible way for someone like me who has not dedicated years to either discipline. That flexibility is incredibly attractive as we look towards several projects planned for late 2026 and early 2027.

Having an X M5 with me on those trips would allow me to create and capture content series that we might not otherwise have the budget to produce. That hybrid approach gives me the ability to shoot both short and long form content while still carrying a lightweight system, which is incredibly important given that I usually have to fly to projects and often face strict weight limits on equipment.

Final Thoughts

The Conservation Road Trip was one of the most special experiences we've been able to put together for New Zealand Conservation Stories so far. We see ourselves as a team of conservation storytellers focused on producing content that informs, inspires, and celebrates the people working to protect New Zealand's natural heritage. Being able to shine a light on everyday Kiwis doing incredible things for conservation is a genuine privilege, and this project would not have been possible without Fujifilm's support.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the trip was having the opportunity to work with camera systems that were completely new to us. We were able to learn them, grow more confident with them, and ultimately walk away with a real appreciation for what they could do.

There is also a real feel good element to this story. The content we captured will ultimately be seen by millions of New Zealanders, helping bring important conservation stories to audiences that might never otherwise encounter them. That is something we are incredibly proud of.

Working with the X-M5 was a fantastic experience, and it left me really excited to take it on future adventures and continue exploring what it can do.

If you have not already read Dylan's review of his experience shooting with Fujifilm systems for the first time, you can read it here.