My Gear
Something people always seem to be interested in is what gear I use, and as a photographer I get it because I’m also interested in what other people are shooting with! And although gear doesn’t make the photographer, here’s what I’m using anyway.
I have included links to most of my gear, and some of them are affiliate links which means if you choose to purchase an item, I may get a small commission.
Photography Gear
A highly regarded mirrorless camera. I had been shooting with a Nikon D750 for years, but I wanted to see what the mirrorless world had to offer me… and I love it. This camera is absolutely incredible, and I’m still learning new things about it every time I shoot.
I use this lens for my landscape / seascape / waterfall photography, and I absolutely adore it. I am considering selling this and getting the Nikon Z 14-30mm f4 S lens though as it’s meant to be amazing quality, plus it’s lighter, smaller, and has more room on the short end.
I love this lens. It’s versatile and I use it for some of my landscape and seascapes, however it’s primary purpose is astrophotography. I could have bought either the Samyang 14mm or their 24mm - both regarded as some of the best astrophotography lenses around - but they’re big and bulky and would only really be used for one purpose, whereas this 20mm can be used for so many different scenarios… and it’s light too at only 355 grams! I could upgrade to the mirrorless version of this lens, but it’s heavier than this lens and the adapter combined, so didn’t see the point.
This was a tough decision to make. I could have just gone with the kit lens (the highly regarded Z 24-70mm f4 S) and that would have saved me a heap of money and a whole lot of weight. However the benefit of having a constant 2.8 aperture and a more rugged and sealed lens sold this version for me. I figure that it’s not going to have the most gentle of existences being lugged around by me, and I have (maybe misplaced) trust that this version is tougher and can handle the abuse. I do have a 24-70mm 2.8 lens at the moment (the Tampon G2), and I love it, but it’s 100 grams heavier than this 2.8 version. Add on the FTZ adapter and you’re looking at another 200 grams for the same functionality, and that’s weight I’d rather not have on the end of my camera for the full day.
Even with the adapter attached, this lens is still much lighter than the Z equivalent (185 grams + adapter vs 415 grams). Perfect for portraits, hikes, and street photography, this is a lens I don’t really use very often, but when I do it is exceptional. It’s great to use when walking the streets of town as it makes me slightly more incognito when taking photos, but also great for environmental portraits, and also astrophotography.
I was skeptical about getting this lens for a while as I also have the Nikon 80-400mm (see below), but I bought it just to try it out and now… now I think this lens is fantastic. It’s an internal zoom, which means it’s always the same size with reduced risk of dust getting inside the elements, is weather-sealed, and generally just takes amazing photos. It is also incredibly versatile. I use this lens for portraits and headshots, sports photography, pet photography, as well as landscapes. And every time I use it I love the photos I get. It is honestly one of the best purchases I’ve made.
“What on earth is this lens doing in my camera bag?” is definitely a question I can hear being all but yelled at me, especially seeing as I also have the Tamron 70-200mm lens above. And to be honest, it’s a great bloody question. But this is one of my favourite lenses of all time. It’s big and it’s chunky and it is amazing. Weighing in at over 1.5kg, it’s definitely something I feel in my back and shoulders after lugging it around for a while BUT I can’t even consider not bringing it along for the ride. Why do I love this lens so much? Because it is so incredibly versatile. It’s not the fastest of lenses, but you can still get amazing subject isolation. It also has an amazing focal range, and is super sharp too. I originally bought it for my wildlife and sport photography, but I use this lens for a fair bit of my landscape photos too, as I love the compression it brings to those images. The only time I would consider getting rid of this lens is when the Nikon Z 100-400mm S lens gets released…
Camera Accessories
I need this to use with my 20mm, 50mm, and 80-400mm lenses.
Sirui W-1204 tripod with Sirui K-20 Ball Head
I’ve been using this tripod for a few years now. It’s reasonably lightweight, waterproof, and pretty sturdy. I do think I could do with a slightly sturdier tripod, but this hasn’t steered me wrong yet - and it’s taken a few beatings too! I’ll definitely hold on to it for as long as I can.
Update: these items are no longer available from Sirui. The tripod has been replaced by the ST-124 and the ballhead is now on version 2.
This is permanently attached to my camera. This allows me to instantly rotate my camera 90º and is one of those accessories that I didn’t know I needed until I got it. Now it’s one of the first things I buy when I get a new camera!
NiSi Filters
I use these filters for pretty much any situation I can. Having a wide variety of options allows me to manage the light in the best way possible for the photo I’m envisioning. My current kit includes the following:
Spare batteries (as many as I can get my hands on!)
Need I say more? Batteries running out of juice in the middle of a shoot is so frustrating! Having multiple spares constantly charged up goes some way to stop that from happening. Which means less downtime and more funtime!
Memory cards
How many is too many? I have no idea. I don’t think there’s even an answer for that. Right now I have one CF Express card, and heaps of SD cards. The good thing about the Nikon Z6ii is that it’s a dual-card camera, so there is always room for redundancy should a card fail (which, knock on wood, hasn’t happened yet).
Apple iMac
My home editing machine, and it’s a beast. I have the Retina 5K 27-inch version so I can see and edit all my photos and videos clearly and effectively.
Apple Macbook Pro
This is my portable editing computer. It comes with me on location and trips away so I can always store and edit my photos in order to ensure I don’t fall behind.
Hard drives
So many hard drives! I have a 2TB SSD attached to my iMac, but when I head away for trips I bring it with me, along with the Macbook Pro, so I can always store and backup my photos. I also have several other 2TB HDD I use to backup on a regular basis as well - I want to make sure I have as many redundancies in places as possible because you never know when a drive might fail.
Charging cable(s)
To make sure all the devices are charged!
Power banks
To keep my gear charged when on the road. I bought two 20,000mAh power banks from Aldi as part of their special buy deals, and they’ve been amazing (but also really bloody heavy!).
Camera Bag(s)
40 Litres of absolute goodness. I love this pack. It carries all of my camera gear and tripod, plus extras such as my laptop, filter kit, back up hard drives, cables, batteries, travel essentials (passport etc.), spare clothes, and food. I could probably try make this work for the majority of the trip, but I need more space than this allows to fit in the cold and wet weather gear I’ll be bringing along. So instead this will be my go-to for the multi-day hikes we’ll be doing, as well as my everyday bag for day trips - whether it be exploring national parks or cities.