What camera do you use?

This is by far the question I get asked most. I think all photographers secretly like being asked this because it usually means the person asking it likes your work.

People treat camera brands like football teams or religions. They’ll nail their colours to the mast on day one and refuse to jump ship no matter how far ahead the competition pulls. Over the years I’ve shot on Canon, Nikon, Sony and Leica full frame systems and genuinely loved them all for different reasons. The truth is, all modern cameras are so good that it really doesn’t make much of a difference any more.

These days I shoot Sony because of their class-leading autofocus, constant firmware update support (save for the original A1) and I like that they don’t lock third parties out from providing solid lens options at more affordable prices for people.

Currently in my bag you’ll find:

  1. Camera Body - Sony A7R V

  2. Wildlife Lens - Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

  3. Landscape Lens - Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II

  4. My Favourite Lens - FE 135mm F1.8 GM

  5. Drone - DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo (DJI RC 2)

Bags:

Depending on how much gear I’m carrying I’ll cart it around in one of the following two bags:

  1. Billingham Hadley Pro Camera Bag (Small)

  2. Lowe Pro ProTactic BP 350 AW II

Tripod / Gimbal Head:

I use the Benro TMA37AL Mach3 Aluminium Tripod and I love it. It’s crazy good bang for your buck and it’s super strong. I definitely would have broken the carbon version by now.

Up top I use the K&F CNC Aluminium Alloy Heavy Duty 360° Panoramic Head. This I actually don’t rate and I plan on replacing it with something from Benro or Gitzo in the near future.

Memory:

I use Sony Tough memory cards and Samsung T7 SSD external hard drives.

Straps:

I use the Peak Design Sling strap, the Peak Design cuff and the Peak Design capture clip, all of which are top tier.

Laptop:

Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch M3 Pro (2023) Space Black

Software:

I use Adobe Lightroom Classic, Lightroom Mobile (only on my mobile) and Photoshop.

Wishlist:

The above takes care of almost everything I need, although GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) is absolutely a thing and I find myself desperately searching for an excuse to buy these divorce-inducing wishlist items:

  1. Dream Camera - Sony A1 II

  2. Dream Wildlife Lens - Sony FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS

  3. Ultimate All-Purpose Lens - Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II

  4. (Relatively) Close Encounter Wildlife Lens - FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II