This is where I list all the gear and equipment I use when I’m traveling or shooting.
[Bodies / Lenses UPDATED for 2016]
Primary Camera Bodies
Canon 7d MkII with Vertical Grip | my primary action body
- Crop-frame body that’s durable and durably built to handle the elements
- High-resolution sensor with good-to-excellent color and contrast reproduction
- Offers 10fps continuous shooting with or without the attached grip (weight saver)
- Killer lowlight performance and file quality (even at high ISO)
- Grip and ergonomics that are friendly to a regular shooting position
I previously noted that I was shooting with a standard 7d. This body has since been retired.
Canon 5d Mark II | for travel, portraits and anything requiring full-frame shooting
- Full-frame body that reproduces color beautifully and offers superior image quality over the 7D
- Non-weather sealed and the menu structure is far from intuitive, even after regular use
- HD video capable, full-frame sensor offers superior depth of field for FF-compatible lenses
Other Cameras
Mamiya 645 MF
- Medium-format film format
- Comes with 80mm 2.8 lens
- Tons of film-bang-for-your-buck
Canon s110
- High-quality sensor for its size
- F2.0 lens at widest setting, full manual capabilities
- ISO 80 low setting
- Slides into the pocket of your jeans easily
Camera Lenses
Canon 24-70mm 2.8 | travel shooting and candid portrait lenses
- Pro-quality lens, excellent bokeh and build quality
- Coupled with 5D this takes care of most travel, lifestyle, and portrait needs without having to swap lenses
- Heavy
Tamron 28-75 2.8 | used for do-it-all shooting when backcountry ski touring where weight and size are major concerns
- Produces sharp images from 2.8 on up for its cost
- Compact, relatively lightweight, and in my experience, durable
- Cheap enough so you won’t feel bad if you blow it up while in travel or out in the action
Canon 70-200mm f2.8 | bread and butter action lens
- Not as sharp as the newer generation 70-200mm Canon teles but sharp enough
- Covers important focal length for action, 80% of the action shots taken with this lens
- Heavier than f4 version and debatable as to quality comparison, consider f4 if you want something smaller / lighter
Canon 70-200mm f4 IS | my new lighter bread-and-butter action lens
- At f5.6 with IS turned on, this thing is as sharp as most people will ever need
- Shorter AND lighter than the 2.8 version which means it’s easier to pack, easier to handle, and easier on your back
Canon 14-24mm f4
- Distortion and vignetting are noticeable
- Sharp enough for do-it-all wideangle lifestyle, travel, or on-the-fly shooting needs
- Lens hood takes up just as much room as lens
- Lighter than comparable 2.8
Canon 16mm 2.8 Fisheye | specialized action, some travel
- Compact, but heavy little sucker
- Coupled with 5D it covers all super-wide needs
- Distortion correction on this lens results in some fun-house-type effects
- Almost always carry this with my 50mm on a bare-bones kit
Canon 50mm 1.8 | portraiture
- Light, sharp, shallow depth of field and CHEAP
- Buy one, don’t think about it
- Couple this with a fisheye and there’s very little you won’t be able to capture in a creative way
Canon 85mm 1.8 | exclusively portraiture
- Shallow depth of field and beautiful color reproduction
- On full frame body I find it as the go-to full body or headshot portrait prime
- Buy this if the 2.8 mid-zoom or tele (24-70 or 70-200) you have just isn’t providing the DOF or the crisp, isolated aesthetic you’re looking for
Canon 100mm 1.8 Macro | exclusively macro
- Dedicated macro offers closest focusing distance
- Relatively lightweight for what it is
- Price is right
- Shoot nature and lifestyle details that a mid-zoom would struggle to reproduce
Canon 1.4x Teleconverter | exclusively action or wildlife
- More range from your tele without spending crazy $$ on a 300 2.8 or other prime / zoom-tele
- Lose moderate amount of sharpness and light, but when you need the extra length it’s worth it
Photo Software
Adobe Lightroom (90% of my workflow)
- Offers import, organization, meta, and post-processing capabilities
- A one-stop solution for 90% of the work I do
- High-end editing or post is taken to Photoshop, LR is no substitute
Photo Mechanic
- The fastest way to separate the selects from the garbage after a big shoot
- Limited post-processing capability (everything goes to LR or Photoshop after selections are made)
Photoshop
- The standard in image-editing software
- Useful for post-selection color or editing work
Adobe Premiere
- Cloud-based application feature is a godsend for staying updated
- Often faster than Final Cut Pro for the majority of HD SLR workflow
- Natively imports 5dMkii and 7D files (although transcoding saves space)
Strobes & Off-Camera Flashes
Ranger RX Speed with A Head
- Ultimate lighting power, in 1 stop increments
- Clean, easy to modify light
- Professional-grade built and top-shelf quality
- Ideal for FREEZING action
SB-80DX Hotshoe Flashes
- Small, light, and cheap (now)
- Built-in optical slave
- Perfect for multi-light location setups when space/weight are a concern
Alien Bees Strobes 1600, 800, 400 Heads with Homemade Battery Packs (thanks to my roommate Erik Seo)
- 400 > 1600 increases in power
- Short duration times, ideal for freezing action
- Cheap, light(er) than some pro setups
Canon 580ex II and Orbis Ringflash Adaptor
- 580 does all the fancy wireless, optical stuff you need for weddings/off-the-cuff shooting
- Enough power for one-light lighting setups
- Ringflash gives a high-end look at a low cast, can be layered with other lights and used as fill
Camera Bags
Burton F-Stop Bags
- Heavy and burly-built bag with excellent padding on the shoulder straps (rare)
- Easily fits body with mounted 70-200, a second body, two primes, mid-zoom, a fish, and PocketWizards in the padded compartment area
Burton Zoom Pack
- Smaller, lighter than F-Stop bag so it’s easier to carry on the planes
Dakine Hand-Me-Down Bags
- Hand-me-down backpacks are great as ‘strobe packs’
- Just pile the batteries, head(s), cables, and toss a Pocketwizard inside and hand it to an assistant
- Look for heavy padding but don’t worry about weight (assistant will be carrying it)
Light Modifiers & Flash/Strobe Accessories
Photoflex Small Square Softbox
Photoflex 7′ Ocotobox
Paul C Buff Beauty Dish
Paul C Buff Collapsible 1×3′ Strip Boxes
Alien Bee Long Throw Reflectors
Photoflex to Alien Bee Speedrings
Lighting Supports & Gear
Bogen Manfrotto Tripod + Three-Way Head
Bogen Standard 9′ Lightstands
Bogen Collapsible Lightstands
Avenger Convertible Boom Stand
Other Stupidly Expensive Electronic Necessities
Pocketwizard Plus II Wireless Radio Transmitters and Receivers
Apple MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 12gb of RAM
G-Tech External Drives
Apple iPhone (4S)
Rode Shotgun Mic
NEC MultiSync 23in E-Ips Monitor
Outdoor Gear: Backcountry Ski Touring & Avalanche Safety
Arc’teryx Arrakis 40 Backpack
- indestructible, carries well, fits all avalanche safety gear plus a few extras and the Mountainsmith small cube
Mountainsmith Small Camera Cube
- fits one body w/out vertical grip + one 70-200mm and two, compact lenses
Marker Duke / Baron Bindings
- heavy-duty touring and sidecountry bindings that double as in-bounds everyday bindings
Salomon Quest 12 Ski Boots
- Use the alpine soles NOT the Tech Inserts, strong and comfortable boots for those with wide forefoot and high instep
Black Diamond Flicklock Adjustable Poles
- absolutely necessary, few others get it THIS right
Black Diamond Acension STS Skins
- secure tip and tail attachments, rock-solid reliability
K2 Coomback 181 Alpine Skis
- lively feeling underfoot, early-rise keeps you on top of the DEEPEST conditions, lightweight design makes touring easier on the legs
Voile Square Blade Guide Shovel
- strong is an understatement, square blade makes clean snowpack-test pit digging simple
Black Diamond Quickdraw 300cm Guide Probe
- long, strong and easier to engage quickly
Backcountry Access Tracker DTS 1 Beacon
- simple and easy to operate for just about anybody, easy to hand to a friend if they forget a beacon
BCA Snowcard / Snowstudy Tools
Black Diamond Snow Saw
Leatherman Juice CS4 Multi-Tool
- never go into the backcountry without it
Black Diamond Icon Headlamp
- dual-mode spot and wide angle, comfortable band won’t slide around while you’re skiing, tons of light
Black Diamond Avalung II
- short of carrying a heavy airbag pack into the backcountry, this adds peace-of-mind in case you’re caught in a slide