Photography Equipment and Gear
Photography, by its very nature is dependent on equipment. Over the past 21 years as a professional nature, wildlife and travel photographer, I've owned or used tons of products. Some of my past photo backpacks and lenses almost required a sherpa to carry them. And, I still own lots of cameras, photo lenses, filters and tripods. But several years ago I started taking less and less into the field when I go. Traveling light is liberating. Here are some of the items I use and recommend.
Canon 5D Mark IV Body - Best camera I've ever owned. Fast and accurate focus, 7 fps for wildlife, full-frame, rugged. Don't think I'll ever need more.
Canon 6D Body - My first foray into full-frame cameras, which I purchased in 2014 after using 3 generations of Canon 'cropped sensor' bodies. Don't know what took me so long to go full-frame. The difference between APS-C and full-frame is massive. Low light and cropping ability is outstanding. A nice back-up camera for me, though the 4.5fps is a bit slow for wildlife shooting.
Oben CT-2391 Tripod - Lightweight carbon fiber yet super strong. Tall enough for my 6'4" height. Has EVERY feature a pro needs and nothing more. Great tripod. Update late 2017- has been replaced with CT-2491 (4 leg sections instead of 3).
Mefoto Roadtrip Aluminum Tripod - For when I travel overseas and need something smaller than my Oben. Adequate but not overly sturdy or tall. Decent for holding smaller lenses. I take off the ballhead that this tripod comes with and put on my Really Right Stuff BH-40 (see below).
Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ballhead - The best that money can buy. Under a pound in weight yet super strong. Holds even my largest wildlife lens. I got mine with the screw-knob because I think the lever-knob could eventually become one point of weakness.
LEOFOTO LH-40 Ballhead - This is a great alternative to the RRS ballhead listed above, but at less than half the price. I've used mine on my travel tripod now for several months and can attest to the high quality, smoothness and overall excellent value that this ballhead represents.
Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens - For many years now my ONLY wildlife lens. I got the first generation when it initially came out in 2013 and now I have the G2 (second Generation) and love them both. Used for 100% of the wildlife images shown throughout this website. Sharp and quick to focus. The zoom range is priceless. Can be handheld and the vibration compensation (VC) feature is great.
Tamron 28-300mm Lens - My go-to lens for travel and general photography. The range covers 90% of my needs and I rarely change lenses from this one unless doing something specific such as wildlife, macro, or really wide-angle scenics.
Canon 17-40mm Lens - Nature and travel photographers DO NOT need f/2.8 lenses (unless you are a night photographer, in which case see the Tamron lens listed below). We stop down our apertures to f/8 or f/11, f/16 for needed depth of field anyway, so why buy and carry those heavy and expensive f/2.8 lenses? This lens has a maximum aperture of f/4 and it is more than adequate. Smaller size and lighter weight than an equivalent f/2.8 lens make this one easy to carry.
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 Lens - It's heavy and I can't attach filters but when I need something REALLY wide or for night shots, this lens fits the bill. Super-Duper sharp, though I must admit that due to its weight I do not bring this lens when flying to far-off destinations.
Canon 100mm Macro Lens - In my opinion the easiest to use and best overall size and focal length for dedicated macro work. Focuses to 1:1 lifesize. I have the older version which is still available, though Canon does now sell an upgraded version with built-in Image Stabilization (IS).
4th Generation Designs Multifunction Companion - Instead of using a full Gimball head, many people use a 'Wimberley Sidekick' for attaching their long wildlife lens to their ballhead. I use this product instead. It is cheaper, lighter and better. Also functions as a good macro slider. Please don't judge this product by the photo on the 4th GD website - I have no idea what they are trying to show there.
You need a camera plate to attach your camera or lens to your ballhead. The Arca-Swiss system is the industry standard and is the plate system I use and the only one I recommend. If you're struggling with another type of plate system, do yourself a favor and get Arca-Swiss. You won't struggle any more. When you want your camera or lens attached to your ballhead/tripod it will be smooth, solid and completely secure with this system.
No-Name Brand Universal L-Bracket - I got very tired of spending upwards of $150-$200 for another custom Arca-Swiss L-Bracket every time I purchased a new camera body. This one is universal. It is made of high-quality machined aluminum like the more expensive ones. It has the openings to the camera chord connections on the side and can be taken apart at the 'elbow' if needed. It fits all DSLR's and best of all, costs less than $20. Excellent product and highly recommended.
Canon Photo Backpack 200EG - Excellent pack which holds 2 camera bodies, 3 smaller lenses plus my 150-600mm wildlife lens. Extra pockets and spaces for ALL my accessories, batteries, filters, etc. Don't be fooled by the small size and cheap price, this is a PERFECT camera backpack. I use this backpack when flying, driving to a photo destination and when I need good protection for my gear from bumps etc. However I normally DO NOT walk around with this backpack (simply because I now travel as light as possible). When walking to a photo site I put whichever camera and lens I plan to use into my (non-photography) Osprey Daylite backpack. This is a small, lightweight pack. It doesn't offer padding so I pack my gear around a sweatshirt or hat. The Osprey Daylite is an excellent daypack and highly recommended.
Black-Rapid Type Camera Strap System - When I put on my long wildlife lens and plan to walk around with that camera/lens combo, I use this strap system. I screw the round 'tripod-mount' type eyelet into one of the tripod sockets on the tripod foot of my Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens and the strap goes over my shoulder and neck. Very comfortable to walk all day with, and easy to bring up to eye-level for shooting. I can leave the eyelet on the lens and still use my tripod when needed.
Filters - The only filters I ever put in front of any of my lenses are a polarizer, a graduated neutral density filter, and a variable neutral density filter. I DO NOT use or recommend that you use "lens protection", UV, or haze filters. These cheap pieces of glass degrade images and are unnecessary. I use a lens cap to protect my lenses when not actually photographing. Stop giving the camera store an extra $15-$25 every time you buy a lens. Don't let them tell you that you NEED a UV filter.
Canon 6D Body - My first foray into full-frame cameras, which I purchased in 2014 after using 3 generations of Canon 'cropped sensor' bodies. Don't know what took me so long to go full-frame. The difference between APS-C and full-frame is massive. Low light and cropping ability is outstanding. A nice back-up camera for me, though the 4.5fps is a bit slow for wildlife shooting.
Oben CT-2391 Tripod - Lightweight carbon fiber yet super strong. Tall enough for my 6'4" height. Has EVERY feature a pro needs and nothing more. Great tripod. Update late 2017- has been replaced with CT-2491 (4 leg sections instead of 3).
Mefoto Roadtrip Aluminum Tripod - For when I travel overseas and need something smaller than my Oben. Adequate but not overly sturdy or tall. Decent for holding smaller lenses. I take off the ballhead that this tripod comes with and put on my Really Right Stuff BH-40 (see below).
Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ballhead - The best that money can buy. Under a pound in weight yet super strong. Holds even my largest wildlife lens. I got mine with the screw-knob because I think the lever-knob could eventually become one point of weakness.
LEOFOTO LH-40 Ballhead - This is a great alternative to the RRS ballhead listed above, but at less than half the price. I've used mine on my travel tripod now for several months and can attest to the high quality, smoothness and overall excellent value that this ballhead represents.
Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens - For many years now my ONLY wildlife lens. I got the first generation when it initially came out in 2013 and now I have the G2 (second Generation) and love them both. Used for 100% of the wildlife images shown throughout this website. Sharp and quick to focus. The zoom range is priceless. Can be handheld and the vibration compensation (VC) feature is great.
Tamron 28-300mm Lens - My go-to lens for travel and general photography. The range covers 90% of my needs and I rarely change lenses from this one unless doing something specific such as wildlife, macro, or really wide-angle scenics.
Canon 17-40mm Lens - Nature and travel photographers DO NOT need f/2.8 lenses (unless you are a night photographer, in which case see the Tamron lens listed below). We stop down our apertures to f/8 or f/11, f/16 for needed depth of field anyway, so why buy and carry those heavy and expensive f/2.8 lenses? This lens has a maximum aperture of f/4 and it is more than adequate. Smaller size and lighter weight than an equivalent f/2.8 lens make this one easy to carry.
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 Lens - It's heavy and I can't attach filters but when I need something REALLY wide or for night shots, this lens fits the bill. Super-Duper sharp, though I must admit that due to its weight I do not bring this lens when flying to far-off destinations.
Canon 100mm Macro Lens - In my opinion the easiest to use and best overall size and focal length for dedicated macro work. Focuses to 1:1 lifesize. I have the older version which is still available, though Canon does now sell an upgraded version with built-in Image Stabilization (IS).
4th Generation Designs Multifunction Companion - Instead of using a full Gimball head, many people use a 'Wimberley Sidekick' for attaching their long wildlife lens to their ballhead. I use this product instead. It is cheaper, lighter and better. Also functions as a good macro slider. Please don't judge this product by the photo on the 4th GD website - I have no idea what they are trying to show there.
You need a camera plate to attach your camera or lens to your ballhead. The Arca-Swiss system is the industry standard and is the plate system I use and the only one I recommend. If you're struggling with another type of plate system, do yourself a favor and get Arca-Swiss. You won't struggle any more. When you want your camera or lens attached to your ballhead/tripod it will be smooth, solid and completely secure with this system.
No-Name Brand Universal L-Bracket - I got very tired of spending upwards of $150-$200 for another custom Arca-Swiss L-Bracket every time I purchased a new camera body. This one is universal. It is made of high-quality machined aluminum like the more expensive ones. It has the openings to the camera chord connections on the side and can be taken apart at the 'elbow' if needed. It fits all DSLR's and best of all, costs less than $20. Excellent product and highly recommended.
Canon Photo Backpack 200EG - Excellent pack which holds 2 camera bodies, 3 smaller lenses plus my 150-600mm wildlife lens. Extra pockets and spaces for ALL my accessories, batteries, filters, etc. Don't be fooled by the small size and cheap price, this is a PERFECT camera backpack. I use this backpack when flying, driving to a photo destination and when I need good protection for my gear from bumps etc. However I normally DO NOT walk around with this backpack (simply because I now travel as light as possible). When walking to a photo site I put whichever camera and lens I plan to use into my (non-photography) Osprey Daylite backpack. This is a small, lightweight pack. It doesn't offer padding so I pack my gear around a sweatshirt or hat. The Osprey Daylite is an excellent daypack and highly recommended.
Black-Rapid Type Camera Strap System - When I put on my long wildlife lens and plan to walk around with that camera/lens combo, I use this strap system. I screw the round 'tripod-mount' type eyelet into one of the tripod sockets on the tripod foot of my Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens and the strap goes over my shoulder and neck. Very comfortable to walk all day with, and easy to bring up to eye-level for shooting. I can leave the eyelet on the lens and still use my tripod when needed.
Filters - The only filters I ever put in front of any of my lenses are a polarizer, a graduated neutral density filter, and a variable neutral density filter. I DO NOT use or recommend that you use "lens protection", UV, or haze filters. These cheap pieces of glass degrade images and are unnecessary. I use a lens cap to protect my lenses when not actually photographing. Stop giving the camera store an extra $15-$25 every time you buy a lens. Don't let them tell you that you NEED a UV filter.