Reading about equipment is not for everyone, but for many we know it can be helpful or interesting - here we show our core equipment and how we approach our decision making.

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Your needs can change and upgrades will not normally follow a pre-determined plan, much more likely they will evolve, so don't think about it too clinically. Start with what you have, get yourself up and running, then see where experiences take you.

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Amongst the most frequent questions we get are, "do you think this lens is right" / "should I upgrade to this ..." For the professional the decision is a direct calculation, needing specific equipment for specific activities, but also knowing the needs and options from hands-on experience. For the keen amateur the answer is not quite as straightforward, there are so many options, often with as many pitfalls as advantages.

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Are you really going to use it? Why else are you wanting it? ..... Wait it out for a while and see if it is still the right direction. Buying top equipment doesn't immediately up your game, in fact it can be far more of a handful and just caude frustration or dissapointment. 30Mp aps-c & 50Mp ff bodies place very high demands upon the photographer's skills, handling, settings etc. they are very fussy and unforgiving; these bodies also show up every shortcoming in lenses. So only top end lenses will deliver the potential = expensive & usually heavy!

 

For lower resolutions such 20 to 24Mp ff more mid-line lenses are often just as effective, (yes really). Glass is always an investment but can definately run away, so thinking ahead about all equipment as a package is important. There are also specialist areas, tilt-shift lenses for architechtural photography are absolutely ideal, however a 16-32mm can manage the Shift effect 80% by keeping the plane vertical with a little distorsion but cannot manage Tilt at all. For wildlife 600mm f/4 is "amazing" - amazingly heavy and you must practice just to point it the right direction, even when it is on it's heavy duty tripod! 82mm filters for the other lenses also drain a lot of money from your pocket.

You're looking for a balance in performance, flexibility, portability & affordability; it must keep pace with the demands and expectations you will place on it but not lead you. Keeping focus on your needs and only a little on dreams will find a happy balance.

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If you're still reading this it's likely you're either interested in or are looking for ideas of what could work for you. To help illustrate, our core equipment is listed here with notes. This page will progressively introduce some guides of how to apply equipment to tasks with what is needed - task focussed explanations and guides.