gear
Cameras
Sony AI
This is my main daily driver and replaced my A7III about a year ago. Excellent hybrid video and photography camera and the external dials bring a nice balance between a physical / digital experience for a flagship mirrorless camera.
Sony A7III
The Sony A7III was an excellent “first mirror"less” camera for me and helped me transition from my old Canon 80D. Mirrorless cameras are very accessible if you are new to photography primarily based on the WYSISYG (what you see is what you get). The downside is, the cameras are SO good that it can be very easy to not understand your exposure triangle or how to handle things manually. But… that is all part of the journey!
Lenses
Sony 16-35 GM
A must have focal range for landscape and wide city shots, interiors, etc… I really like using this lens when I need to take in a full scene, or focus on an object in the foreground while bringing passive environmental detail in the background.
Would love to explore more primes within this focal range as I find a lot of images I enjoy taking are with this lens.
Sony 24-70 GM
The first “pro” lens purchased when I got my Sony A7III in 2017. This is my go-to for majority of my photography. However, that is mainly due to the convenience a 24-70 offers and less because this is a great lens within itself. While the results are sharp, I find that prime lenses within this focal range produce better results with more personality. Either way, if I am looking to take less gear with me this lens is a must.
Sony FE 85mm 1.8
One of the newest additions to the family, I picked this up for some portrait work in preparation for a quiñce I shot in October 2023. First impressions have been amazing - light, sharp, FAST… Wow! In hindsight I didn’t expect to love this focal range and now wish I just splurged for the 85mm 1.4 GM.
Sony FE 70-200 f/w.8 GM OSS II
Another new addition to the family. Before picking this one up, my collective focal range was from 16-70, then 100-600. I didn’t really see the need for a 70-200 since my 100-400 covered a lot of this range. But I have to say, this is one of the most impressive lenses I own. Light, fast, SHARP, agile… such an amazing lens to have that works great for portrait work, intimate photos from afar, or detail shots in any environment. Looking forward to exploring this one more.
Sony FE 100-400 GM f/4.5-5.6 GM
My first jump into a telephoto lens was with this lens to expand my landscape kit by focusing on more detailed shots in the field. I still don’t use it enough, and need more time to really decide if this has a place in my kit. I have found more use of it as a close range wildlife lens that is not as big and bulky as the 200-600. Great lens overall - I just don’t use it too often.
Sony FE 200-600 GM f/5.6-6.3 GM
Since picking up this lens, I have used it for wildlife exclusively. Sometimes add the 1.4x teleconverter it, the 200-600 allows me to get sharp focus on birds in flight, birds, and other wildlife. It is heavy, but somewhat affordable compared to my other options ($12k 400mm 2.8 for example). Owing this lens opened up a lot of possibilities for me and helped me explore what it takes to capture successful images of wildlife.
Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter
I figured if I am going to own a 200-600 might as well go for it and see if I can get some use from owning a teleconverter. I have used it quite a bit, but have come to realization that I am better off trying to capture as many images as possible without using a teleconverter. A sharper photo is more important than a noisy photo, and losing two stops of light really challenges the quality of some photos. If the light is great, sweet! But that is not often the case.
Bags
Shimoda Action X70 Green
I grabbed this bag for two reasons: comfort with a lot of camera gear, and something large enough to handle my wildlife kit. In general, this was my first Shimoda bag and I do not use it often. But it is an excellent bag and I am very impressed with Shimoda and their products. With the camera cube system, I can utilize this for several different applications other than hauling around big lenses, including overnight trips or more extensive hikes and recreation.
Shimoda Action X50 v2 Yellow
My newest bag fills the spot between a smaller more agile day pack and my large 70L which I don’t use too often. I haven’t taken it out yet, but overall love the new features with the V2 series. I figure this will be my core landscape outing bag for most situations including any travel where I do not need to check in gear on the plane.
Shimoda Explore 35L V2 Green
My daily driver for most photography. Transitions great between city and nature and travel. Enough organization and space for most things, I really like this bag and the overall construction. One of the core themes about Shimoda that I appreciate is the built in backpack frame. Majority of the camera bags out there do not have internal frames, so they are not comfortable and are horrible on your back.
After using a bag like this, I will never again use a bag that doesn’t offer some level of internal support - no matter how trendy or awesome the bag is.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L
I love this brand. Peak Design is an amazing company with amazing products. The 20L is a great all around camera bag. I love how practical the design is, and I can easily adjust it to meet my needs.
The bag also serves as a great all-around backpack when you are not needing to haul around camera gear.
However, I do find myself wanting to use this bag less and less, as I tend to overload it exposing the lack of comfort it can have when there is any decent weight to it. Something to be mindful if you intend to use this back and pack it to 80% capacity.
Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L
When I am not using the 20L, I will opt to use a sling bag for fast and light trips. I have not found anything better than the Everyday Sling 10L. I also own the 6L and love how easily they integrate into my daily life depending on what my camera needs are.
Sling bags are more ideal when you want to be fast and agile, don’t need a lot of equipment, or are leaning towards more personal photography without all the hassle. My only grip about the sling is that the design is quite robust so packing this down when empty for travel is not an option.
