Gear List
Here are the products that I'm actually working with right now. No general recommendations or previous gear are listed. This is the real deal. Links may contain affiliate code that make me a small commission for any purchases. The cost of the item is always the same to you whether it’s an affiliate link or not. Thank you for your support!
Photo Camera
Sony a7R III – B&H | Amazon – High resolution full-frame sensor and can hold its own in autofocus speed and low light shooting. Excellent for wildlife photography.
Sony VG-C3EM Vertical Battery Grip for a7R III, a7 III, a9 – B&H | Amazon – Frankly a necessity for me with Sony a7 and a9 cameras. It changes the way I hold the camera and feels night and day more comfortable.
Video Camera
Sony FS5 – eBay – Great compact cinema camera with Super 35 sensor. Has the HFR and RAW paid upgrades enabled.
Atomos Shogun Inferno – eBay – Recorder and monitor supporting up to ProRes RAW 4K 60p and 2K 240p from FS5 (with RAW paid upgrade).
SmallRig FS5 Mounting Plate Kit 1843 – B&H | Amazon – Adds numerous mounting holes to the top of the FS5.
SmallRig Low Profile NATO BUN2468 – B&H | Amazon – Used to quickly detach external monitor from FS5 when packing away.
8Sinn 15mm Baseplate + Riser Plate I + 10" ARRI Dovetail Plate – B&H – Adds rail support and ARRI dovetail for balancing.
Action Camera
GoPro Max Lens Mod – GoPro – One of the coolest things I've used. The HERO9 can be in any orientation and what's recorded will always be perfectly level with the horizon.
GoPro Light Mod– B&H | Amazon – Far brighter than I expected from this little guy. Great for pre-dawn and post-sunset hiking. Internal rechargeable battery.
GoPro Magnetic Swivel Clip – B&H – Great for POV filming while clipped to a backpack. Can attach to anything magnetic as well.
Lenses
Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS – B&H | Amazon – The best telephoto lens Sony has ever made when factoring quality, reach, and price.
Kirk Replacement Foot for 200-600mm – B&H | Adorama – Adds Arca Swiss mounting compatibility directly to the foot rather than needing to add a separate plate.
Audio
Deity V-Mic D4 Duo – B&H | Amazon – A unique microphone that's perfect for demonstrating something from behind the camera as there are two total, front-facing and rear-facing microphone capsules.
Sennheiser MKE 200 – B&H | Amazon – Compact mic with built-in plastic windscreen means less to worry about without monitoring.
Bags, Storage, and Straps
Shimoda Action X70 Backpack – Shimoda | B&H | Amazon – This is my video backpack. The build quality and thought put into it is incredible. Very comfortable and the fit can be adjusted more than any other backpack I've seen on the market. I use the DV XL Core Unit inside.
Shimoda Rain Cover – B&H – The Shimoda backpacks are water-resistant to a point, but this adds the extra layer of protection. It has the room to store an attached tripod under it as well.
Shimoda Medium Accessory Case – Shimoda | B&H | Amazon – I use this for keeping together all my audio gear.
Shimoda 4-Panel Wrap – Shimoda | B&H | Amazon – Stores flatter accessories like lens filters and cables.
Shimoda Webbing Straps – Shimoda | B&H | Amazon – Can strap down items to the outside of the backpack.
Atlas Pack Athlete Backpack – Amazon – This is my smaller backpack. For photography, I generally don't walk around with the camera in my bag so its "origami" feature is perfect. I can haul my gear in it to a location, take it out, then collapse that space so it's more roomy for accessories or clothing. Build quality and comfort is top notch.
HEX Ranger DSLR Mini Sling – B&H | Amazon – A nice small sling for when I want to carry a couple extra items but a backpack would be overkill.
Pelican 1519 Photographer's Lid Organizer for Pelican 1510 Case – B&H | Amazon – Replaces the lid foam of Pelican 1510 case with zippered pockets. The materials feel cheap but does the job of adding more organization.
BlackRapid Breathe Sport Camera Strap – B&H | Amazon – The perfect strap for carrying around the Sony camera bodies with 200-600mm lens. Attach the anchor point to the lens foot and be sure to use the included safety loop.
Support
Cartoni T628/2C Smart Stop ENG Tripod – eBay – Used with my video camera setup. A two-stage, carbon fiber 4-2-2 tripod with one lever to drop both stages per leg.
VariZoom VZ-Rock LANC Controller – B&H – Attaches to the fluid head panning bar for quick access to record button. That way my left hand can be ready on the lens for focus or zoom changes and my right hand can stay on the pan bar and still start and stop recording. Has a focus rocker that comes in handy for small adjustments.
Gitzo G1227 Mk2 Tripod – eBay – I’ve had this tripod for about 10 years and I bought it used. It will probably last forever. I modified it with a Markins TH-200 base (discontinued) that removed the center column for added stability.
Really Right Stuff PG-01 Pano Gimbal Head – B&H – Awesome lightweight pano head that can also serve as a gimbal for smaller telephoto lenses.
Really Right Stuff MPR-CL Rail with Integral Clamp – B&H – This nodal slide allows me to correct the parallax effect while shooting panoramas.
Software
Photo Mechanic 6 – Camera Bits – The best application for culling lots of photos and manages my images in terms of cataloging and metadata.
Capture One 21 – Capture One – I use Sessions for base adjustments to get my images on the right track before finishing in Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop – Adobe – Still the king. After Capture One I bring photos into Photoshop for finishing.
Topaz Labs DeNoise AI – Topaz Labs – Gives me another stop or so of ISO performance from my cameras because of its ability to recover noisy images.
Topaz Labs Sharpen AI – Topaz Labs – A magical application that can reconstruct out of focus images.
Topaz Labs Video Enhance AI – Topaz Labs – It runs like a sack of potatoes on my older computer, but can upscale 1080p video to 4K when I really need that.
Workspace
Apple Smart Keyboard Folio – B&H – Way better than one might expect. I've written countless articles on this and genuinely like it as a keyboard.
YouTube “Studio”
Neewer 700W Softbox Kit – B&H | Amazon – Good enough to get started. I've used them for the past couple years as my main lights with no issue yet.
Neewer NL480 LED Light Kit – B&H | Amazon – Again, good enough for starting out. I use these as my rim and accent lights.
Neewer 12x12 Gel Filters – Amazon – I've cut these to size to fit on the LED lights for color accents when needed. The heat from the lights will warp them but they still work fine.
Miscellaneous
Vortex Diamondback HD 8x42 Binoculars – B&H | Amazon – I don't have an extended history using all types of binoculars to say if these are comparably great or not, but I am happy with what they are at the price I paid for them. I do know they are considered the "standard issue" binoculars and you'll see many birders use them.
LensCoat LensHide 2 – B&H | Amazon – When I'm using a tripod or just sitting around, this is the blind I'll carry with me.
Auscamotek 300d Duck Blind Netting – Amazon – If I'm going to be laying around or know I'll be getting dirty, this is the blind I'll carry with me to toss over.
ASICS Ace Low Profile Knee Pads – Amazon – Kneeling for an extended period of time (or any amount of time on some surfaces) is no fun, but these help make it not a problem. Have used the same pair for a couple years now, but will probably try some waterproof yachting ones next time.
Sawyer Picaridin – Amazon – An absolute game changer for dealing with mosquitos. I wish I knew about this stuff sooner. Get the lotion.
Sawyer Permethrin – Amazon – Treat your outdoor clothing with this every 45 days for tick and mosquito repellant. Works wonders.
Winter Clothing
REI Stormhenge 850 Jacket – REI – My mid-winter jacket. Keeps me warm even while not moving around much with the proper layering. Unbeatable price for what you get.
Vallerret Skadi Zipper Mitt PSP – B&H – Great for video camera operation where I can get by with just a thumb for most things. I like the dual layer approach.
Columbia Fast Trek II Neck Gaiter – Amazon – Neck gaiters are underappreciated in the quest to warmth in the outdoors.
Hot Hands Hand Warmers – Amazon – Always keep a couple packs in the bag. If you have the forethought to do it, give them an hour head start before heading outside.