My Gear
This is the gear I use and why I use it
I am quiet particular about the camera gear that I use, there are a few boxes that have to be ticked before I even consider buying a new piece of camera gear. The gear that I buy needs to be practical, perform well and of course fit my budget. There is no point in me buying gear that I am rarely going to use or paying top dollar for gear that is totally over kill for what I really need. Keeping my camera bag light is important to me as I do spend a lot of the time on the road, and there is simply no room for gear that doesn’t get used. Here is the gear that I use, along with affiliate links to each product if you want to purchase one for yourself. If you purchase gear from these links I make a profit so any help is massively appreciated.
Sony A7iii Camera Body
My camera body of choice, in my opinion this is the absolute best camera in its price range. A full frame mirrorless camera with incredible auto focus, lowlight performance, dynamic range and an amazing selection of lenses for under $2500. Along with exceptional video specs I really don’t see why you wouldn’t buy this camera. The 24 megapixel sensor makes this camera the perfect middle ground between the 12 megapixel A7s lowlight powerhouse and the massive resolution A7r high megapixel camera. Retaining excellent lowlight capabilities of the lower megapixels but enough resolution to be able to print decent sized images. This is the perfect all round camera.
https://amzn.to/3fzwlbX
Laowa 15mm F2 ultra wide lens
The Laowa 15mm is my go too lens when it come to shooting landscapes and adventure shots. 15mm is very wide meaning you are able to capture the whole scene in one image. Along with a massive F2 maximum aperture this lens is perfect for astro and lowlight shooting. F2 and the close focusing distance means you can also create dramatic subject separation, something that most ultra wide lenses are unable to do. This lens is a manual focus lens which is fine for shooting landscape and the like, but if you are going to want to shooting fast moving objects at 15mm this probably will not be for you. There are 2 major things that appeal to me about this lens. The fact that this lens can use screw on filters makes this lens more than just an astro centric lens, it means I am able to use my Nisi square filter set. But possibly the most appealing thing about this lens is the price, at $1300 Aud you are able to get an F2 ultra wide lens that accepts screw on filters.
https://amzn.to/30pnMvF
Sony Zeiss 55 F1.8 lens
This is my all round lens. I have shot portraits, landscape, product and just about any other type of photography that you can think of. 55mm is a happy medium between wide and telephoto focal length meaning you are able to shoot just about anything. With a large aperture of F1.8 this lens has great subject separation capabilities, perfect for shooting portraits or product images. This lens is compact, light and budget friendly. Not to mention tack sharp and super fast, I highly recommend this lens.
https://amzn.to/3k7ubUd
Tamron 70-180 F2.8 lens
The best value for money telephoto lens for the Sony E-mount system. The Tamron 70-180 F1.8 is 20 mm shorter in zoom than the comparable 70-200 lenses but is considerably more compact and lighter. The Tamron is just as sharp and the autofocus performance actually outshines the native Sony E-mount 70-200 lens. On top of that the Tamron 70-180 F2.8 is less than half the price of the Sony 70-200 F2.8, I picked mine up for $1800. I think for the Sony E-mount system this is a must have lens unless you really need that extra 20mm zoom.
https://amzn.to/3guURvV
Nisi square filter set
I have been using Nisi square filters pretty much since I started shooting. I definitely do not rely on them as much as I used to but they are still something that I keep in my bag. I often use the Nisi polarised filter particularly when shooting waterfalls or rainforest scenes, but I have definitely cut back on using Grad filters in the last year or so. I used to use Grad filters pretty much every time I got my camera out which I find nowadays completely unnecessary and quiet destructive to my images, especially when shooting compositions with things sticking out above the horizon. But if I am shooting landscapes with a flat horizon I will use Grad filters for sure. Nisi filters are the highest quality filters I have ever used and I would not use any other brand if i’m honest, when it comes to lens filters you really get what you pay for. I own the Nisi 100mm starter set to start of with. This comes with the filter holder, circular polarised filter, 3 stop soft grad filter, 6 stop Nd filter and 10 stop ND. Along with some cleaning products and a leather case.
Nisi starter Kit. https://amzn.to/2XsfyRD
Manfrotto Mk290 Ball head tripod
For a lot of my landscape/adventure shooting I use a tripod. Tripods are unexpectedly expensive. You can spend $1000s on a tripod set up, but for me I found this budget friendly option is great value for money. The Manfrotto Mk290 is very sturdy with fully adjustable legs and even has a removable centre column so you can get even lower to the ground if you are needing too. The only real sacrifice with this tripod is the weight, this tripod is quiet a lot heavier than the more expensive models. When buying a tripod you need to choose between weight or price, a cheap tripod will be heavy. And a light tripod will be expensive, you just have to decide wether a light tripod is worth the money. For me I am fit and well so an extra kg of tripod is fine and I would rather carry that around than spend $400 extra to save that weight.
https://amzn.to/30ppbSX
Vanguard +6 camera bag
A good quality camera bag is an absolute essential. If you have $1000s in camera gear you want to make sure it is safe. I brought the Vanguard bag about 3 years ago and it has been through hell with me, it has been on hikes through the jungle in the rain to hot sandy beaches in Broome. The bag is 100% modular and you can pull out the internal velcro inserts and move them to suit your needs. The bag is quiet good but the zip is starting to play up and I have actually missed opportunities while the zip has been stuck shut. The tripod holder has also warn terribly but this has only happened after years of abuse. I think I may be up for an upgrade soon.
https://amzn.to/3k9j2Cn