The Gear I Use
Photograpy
I use a number of different cameras depending on where I am, what I’m photographing, and how light I want to travel. I’ve discussed my thoughts on Fujfilm Vs Sony on my YouTube channel, but continue to use cameras from each manufacturer.
My main photography cameras are:
Sony A7RV:
Fujifilm X-T4:
Fujifilm X-100V:
I also use a number of old film cameras which, for obvious reasons I cannot link to, but these can be found on ebay if you are looking to pick one of these up for yourself. The main cameras I’m currently using are the Canon A-E1 with a 50mm lens, and the 35mm Olympus XA 2. I use a variety of different film stocks and generally purchase these and have them scanned at Analogue Wonderland.
Lenses
I’ll talk about my Sony lenses to start with. My most used lens BY FAR for both filmmaking and photography is the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 ART lens. I love this lens. I made a video about it a few years ago now and everything I said then still stands today. It certainly helps that most of my images are shot between 35mm and 50mm, and for versatility in video production I couldn’t ask for much more. Being able to get an establishing shot followed by a close up with a swift turn of the barrel is invaluable, and the quality of this lens is brilliant, especially considering how much cheaper than the Sony version it is.
My next most use lenses are my Primes, particularly the Sigma ART 24mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.4, and the Sony G Master 35mm f1.4. I realise this doesn’t match the Sigma primes (I also have the Sigma Art 50mm and 85mm), but I was offered this lens for a very good price and couldn’t say no, especially given it’s size benefits over the Sigma 35mm. It’s a lovely lens and hasn’t really been off my camera since I got it.
To complete the set, I have the Sony G Master 16-35mm f2.8 and the G Master 70-200mm f2.8. These lenses are the least used in my kit, and I’m not totally convinced I’ll keep hold of them. As I said, I prefer shooting at a ‘more natural’ focal length, but I know I’ll likely want to use them as soon as they were gone (this is experience talking!) so probably won’t sell them just yet.
For the X-T4, I’ve kept it pretty simple and just have the WR 16mm f2.8, the WR 23mm f2, and the WR 35mm f2. I like it this way and don’t really have any plans to add to these. In saying that, I’m tempted by the WR 27mm f2.8 as it’s tiny and a focal length that manyof photographers I enjoy following rave about.
Sigma 24-70mm:
Sigma 24mm:
Sony 35mm:
Sigma 50mm:
Sigmna 85mm:
Sony 16-35mm:
Sony 70-200mm:
Fujifilm 16mm:
Fujifilm 23mm:
Fujifilm 35mm:
Studio
I pull everything together from a video and photo persepctive in my home studio where I use an Apple M1 laptop (now 4 years old and still going strong!) and a 32” BenQ screen. I use the Adobe Creative Cloud full suite, but am trying to learn DaVinci resolve for my video editing.
For my print, I’ve been using a Canon P1000 A2 printe which is flawless (yet expesnive to run). I use photo papers from Fotospeed.
Filmmaking
I’ve recently upgraded my main filmmaking camera to the Sony FX3 which I can’t see me changing until it stops working - there is just nothing else that I need a video camera to do. My setup is as such that the A7RV and X-T4 are also more than adequate at filling in as B-Cameras if needs be.
Sony FX3:
Sound is obviously an essential part of filmmaking and I’m proud to be partnered with Rode who I use for my microphones. Depending on what I’m where I’m filming, I will either use lav mics, or a shotgun mic (either via 3.5mm jack or XLR). I’ve recently got hold of the Rode Wireless Pro which gives me fantastic sound quality and has the ability to record 32-bit float audio straight to the device as a backup, meaning there is no risk of clipped audio.
Rode Wireless Pro:
Rode VideoMic Pro:
Rode NTG 5:
Another filmmaking tool that I like to use when travelling is the DJI Pocket 3 which is not only great as a vlog style camera, but is also small enough to keep in a pocket (as the name suggests!). Everything on location in this video was shot using just this camera.
DJI Pocket 3:
I tend to ‘rig out’ my FX3 with a bunch of gear from Smallrig who I am partnered with. For more info on this, check out the video here (the description to it is full of links):
Accessories
Tripods
I’ve recently partnered with Benro and am proud to use their tripods - paricularly the Mammoth which is a great size considering it’s weight (I normally use this with a video head for my video work). The best thing about this tripod is the levelling head which to me is a gamechanger. When I want to travel a bit lighter, I use the Benro Tortoise with the standard Benro ballhead. It’s a great lightweight tripod which never lets me down.
Mammoth:
Video Head:
Tortoise:
Bags
As far as bag goes, my main bag is a Shimoda Action X50 which I’ve had for a couple of years. I love this bag but my main issue with it is the Shimoda insert/ I just couldn’t get on with the shape or it’s lack of flexibility. It also wasn’t wide enough and didn’t make full use of the width of the bag. By far the better solution is the Fstop insert which I kept from my old bag. It fits perfectly and is much better for organising my gear.
I also use a sling bag from Clever Supply which is great for a smaller camera and a lens or two. I can also fit my Pocket Go, and ipad and a journal or soemthing in there so it;s great fro a shorter photo walk or a trip into the city.
I probably need a medium sized bag but honestly, I’m so fed up over overpaying on photography bags!! For this purpose, I’m currently using a random backpack I found and a cheap camera cube insert from Amazon. I recently took this on a family holiday to Majorca (I wasn’t prepared to pay extra to take my big bag with me) and it worked great with my Fuji kit and my Canon film camera.
Shimoda Action X50:
Fstop Insert:
Clever Supply Sling:
Camera Insert:
Other random bits
This is just a list of other things I use on almost a daily basis. I won’t go into details but I couldn’t do what I do without these items.
Freewell VND + polariser:
Pergear Memory Cards:
Rope style camera straps:
Kase Magnetic Filters:
Ilano travel battery chargers (Sony):