Equipment & accessories

"This section offers information for new photographers — explore our training services to take your skills even further."

Gear Talk: Choosing the Right Equipment:

Equipment is always a fascinating topic, filled with possibilities—but before getting carried away by specs and dreams, it’s best to focus on needs and practical use cases.

Match the Tool to the Task:

For portrait, studio, or wedding work, the Canon 5Ds (50.6MP) remains a competitive choice. Its optical viewfinder offers a real-time advantage, and its stable, solid build provides excellent handling. The 5D series is famously tough and reliable, often described as “bullet-proof.” These workhorses just don't fail, which makes them a safer, smarter investment than newer, less proven options and battery life is top.

For sports or wildlife, where autofocus performance is critical, the Canon R7 stands out with its advanced tracking capabilities and fast response.

The Lens Question: Worth the Upgrade?

One of the most common questions we hear: “Is this lens worth it?” or “Should I upgrade?”

For professionals, the answer is often clear-cut. For enthusiasts, it can be more nuanced. There are many lenses out there, some incredible, some overpriced and just as many pitfalls as there are advantages. Honest, practical advice can help prevent frustration and regret. Before upgrading, ask yourself:

Are you really going to use it regularly?
Is it for need or just curiosity?
Will it make your photography experience better or more complicated?

Bigger Isn’t Always Better:

High-resolution cameras (like 50MP+ full-frame bodies) are demanding. They magnify every flaw in technique and lens performance. They can also be unforgiving to handle, exposing shortcomings in workflow, steadiness, and focus precision.

For general uses, a 20–24MP sensor paired with mid-range lenses can deliver stunning results, yes, really! Mid-line glass can be excellent without overextending your budget.

Specialty Lenses – Consider the Use:

Tilt-Shift lenses are brilliant for architectural precision, but in many real-world cases, a 16–35mm wide-angle can achieve 80% of the desired “shift” effect,
(though without tilt control and with some distortion).
600mm f/4 for wildlife? Undeniably amazing, but also amazingly heavy and challenging to use, even on a high-end tripod. Add in oversized filters and accessories, and it’s easy to lose control of both your backpack and your budget.

Additional considerations:

Comfort & Usability – the gear should fit naturally in your hand, with good ergonomics and intuitive controls.
Convenience – avoid unnecessary complexity; things like camera strap connectors can make a big difference - be aware of marketing tricks and get what works.
Wrestling with accessories is only a distraction.

Main Camera Bodies

Canon R7 These have 32.5 Megapixel (APS-C) sensors. High-Speed Shooting to 30fps. Blazing Fast multi-mode Autofocus with eye tracking. 5-axis In-body Image Stabilization with auto-levelling. Very high burst speeds with excellent handling Arguably the best wildlife bodies available. Regularly voted the best aps-c bodies available.	Canon 5Ds These have 50.6 Mp Full-frame sensors. Very precise High Density Autofocus. Best ergonomics for big hands. Bright clear informative optical viewfinder. Weddings & Portraits amazing detail. Canon 5D series professional features. Bulletproof reliability and quality.

Telephoto Lenses

Canon 400mm f/5.6 L Very rugged compact telephoto lens. Very sharp with high speed, quiet internal focussing. f/5.6 is not so bright but it's relative lightweight can be carried all day. Build quality is absolutely solid! Deep space Astrophotography is also possible with this lens on a tracker.	Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 L "L" series sharpness and very fast, quiet, accurate autofocus. A very versatile zoom range with remarkable performance. Good close focussing adds to complete amazing flexibility.	Tokina 100mm f/2.8 As a Macro lens, the flat field and edge to edge sharpness is with the best in category. Macro & portrait is it's home ground. Image quality means replacement is not justifiable (yet).

Standard / Mid-range Lenses

Canon 85mm f/1.2 L II Sweet spot focal length for portraits. Exquisitely sharp and contrasty. f/1.2 = best possible perfect bokeh. Slow but very accurate autofocus. Perfect in darker conditions. This lens is specialised and designed for a purpose - but it is the best in it's class at what it does.	Canon 50mm f/1.2 L Stablemate of the 85mm f/1.2L On a Full Frame body the razor thin depth of field gives an extraordinarily smooth background with quality bokeh. On an APS-C body like the R7, this is a top end 80mm portrait lens. High quality and precision, images are amazing.	Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM This is still a good quality budget lens. It's small lightweight makes it easier to handle than the 1.2L. Can go where you may not want to risk taking the f/1.2, still delivers well. Background bokeh is still good. Some say the f/1.8 is better, it's not, this is.	Canon 40mm f/2.8 A very compact "pancake" lens. This is a full frame lens, remarkably sharp and still usefully bright. Unobtrusive and lightweight with f/2.8. With it's size - performance balance just pop this in your pocket, just in case. Often used as a body cap.

Wide Angle Lenses

Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L Tilt Shift lenses have unique properties and functions, they are very specialised. For architecture they have their own place & for some focus effects, no options. For this a tripod is always necessary.	Canon 17-40 f/4 L This versatile Ultra-wide zoom is a gem. often better on balance than the 16-35 when f/4 is sufficient, (nearly always is), as it is lighter and more compact (and cheaper). Perfect for landscapes and street scene.	Canon 16-35 f/2.8 L II Another Ultra-wide zoom lens. Perfect for landscapes and street scene, f/2.8 adds to low light performance and the sharpness is suitable for widefield astrophotography. Heavy but quality.

Tripods and Support

Benro C197-n6 (Induro CX213 in USA) A lightweight carbon fibre tripod. Very rigid, very stable, fast operation. With an articulated head column the extra flexibility is there. These are our core use tripods.	Benbo Trekker Benbo tripods are something special, the design is unique. Flexibility and speed of use is second to none, can be positioned nearly anywhere when others cannot be. These are our natural world default.	Hama 117 Traveller Very, light and compact. Only for our smaller equipment - can go where you wouldn't want a big load, (mountains). This is a low-tech name and price with good performance in it's class. Good match for our G5X's.	Sunway T1A12 Tripod Very stable and quickly adjustable, capacity is defined by the ball head as maximum is 40Kg. This model is highly recommended, don't waste money on cheaper sometimes popular options which disappoint.
Koolehaode E3 Ballhead A big Ø45mm ball comes with a very high 20Kg capacity and equal stability. Fast fine friction adjustment. These are very compact at a good price - in use these functionally out-perform many popular expensive alternatives.	Koolehaode E1 These are the smallest of our heads, yet the compact design has a Ø28mm ball with 8Kg capacity. This is coupled to the Sunway tripod for a compact strong unit. Really the best value out there.	Induro A8 Monopod Aluminium very rigid very high 20kg load capacity 62" / 1.6m. Ideal when standing with a long lens this very fast to manoeuvre whilst maintaining stability. Can go anywhere and is compact when collapsed to pack.	Koolehaode E2 Panorama These have a Ø36mm ball and are very compact with 15Kg capacity. The Panoramic addition makes this perfect for macro with fine control in multiple planes. Remarkably flexible and high quality at a must have price.

Bags and Cases

BevisGear Very well made from quality materials with unique functions. A big bag, folds out like a table in front of you for easy lens changing, cleaning etc. This design allows unprecedented easy access to your gear, along with a host of other features. Modes for one or two shoulder straps.	Manfrotto Offroad 30L A real trecking pack, taped seams etc., with adaptions specific to photography needs Suits it's purpose perfectly for climbing fully loaded to wild camping with your equipment easily at hand This is Andy's workhorse We have two of these	Vanguard Alta Rise 45 Exceptionally high build quality, top quality materials The faultless design and comfort of these bags has proven them to be arguably the best. Protection, accessibility, comfort and flexibility makes this the optimum for most applications.	Vanguard Alta Rise 43 A smaller version of the Alta Rise 45, with all the same performance and quality. A single shoulder strap - for quickly rotating while still on - first choice around town, with plenty of space for wallet, lenshoods, mobile phones etc. Note, too small for Pro DSLR's
MAX 520 Tough Cases These are a good size but remarkably light. Mechanically tough and waterproof - theyre the best protection for your equipment. We have four, each a dedicated layout internally for different activities.	Vanguard VEO Range 38 This large messenger bag has the high Vanguard build quality and reliability. Ideal when needing to change-over lenses frequently. Lots of space for Pro-bodies & Large Primes - think weddings etc. Dedicated space for flash, cards, filters, lens hoods etc. This is the only messenger bag format we've found which works!

Selected Accessories

Qimera Strap Ends Very compact, strong and secure, quick connect without dongles hanging on the camera. No other parts needed so inexpensive and very flexible in applications and use. 100% problem solvers.	SanDisk ImageMate usb-c This card reader is solid, made from high quality materials and reassuringly heavy. All the card slots we need are supported and is very fast. Don't go cheap on readers, cheap alternatives are slow, unreliable and can actually damage CF cards.	Bayonet Adaptor EF - RF Allows our EF lenses to be used on R series bodies. Includes the smart control ring. We use the control ring for aperture setting which is logical, but it can have other assignments.
Hähnel HC-5D Grip For carrying the 5D all day at events, this is a gem. Housing two batteries - enough to run for many hours flat out, with very little weight penalty. When shooting in portrait, the advantages are huge, the camera controls are duplicated virtually eliminating fatigue with all-day use.	Canon G5X Camera Small compact, very solid quality, very good performance and very underrated. All the controls are in the same place as the main camera bodies so instinctively fast for us to use. When you need a smaller flexible camera this is it. Handling is better than the MkII so it's staying. 20Mp 1" sensor, 24-100 effective, f/1.8/-f/2.8.	K&F Concept Battery / Card box There are many options out there but this we've found to be easily the best. Flexible storage for a complete day of shooting. Reassuringly solid, compact and well designed.

Drone and Flight

DJI Mavic 2 Pro A high-end consumer drone known for it's foldable design. Up to 30 minutes flight, and a top speed of 44 mph gives a huge range. It features obstacle sensing, advanced pilot assistance systems, and an HD video transmission range up to 8 kilometres. Ideal for professional photographers and videographers.	DJI Mavic 2 Pro Hasselblad With a Hasselblad 1-inch 20Mp CMOS sensor and 4K 30fps video it's firmly at the quality end of the market. f/2.8-f/11 aperture allows excellent dynamic range and real 10bit colour without excessive false looking HDR processing. Perfect for professional aerial photography and videography.

Portable Studio & Lighting

80cm / 32" Softboxes / Reflectors Very portable and lightweight solution for real flexibility. We have adapted these a little to meet our needs with all day external batteries, (3,000 + rapid charge). Specific for speedlights adds flexibility and stability in a go anywhere solution.	Background System 4m x 2.5m Background portable frame. 4 primary colours plus several variable cloths. These are invaluable for obvious multiple applications. The portable frame adds to versitility when needed.	Canon 580 EX II Canon's own GN 58 fully integrated speedlight. The GN of 58 is sufficient 99% of the time, with internal zoom. Fast recharge times and compatibility with wireless transmitters & external power packs.	Yongnuo YN586 EX II Two of these allow flexibility in a studio not only portable environment. The GN of 58 is sufficient 99% of the time, the internal zoom included. Fast recharge times and compatibility with wireless transmitters.
Yongnuo YN585 EX II An older model more or less the same as the 586's. The GN of 58 is sufficient 99% of the time, internal zoom. Fast recharge times and compatibility with wireless transmitters & external power packs.	Yongnuo YNC622 Triggers Multi-channel wireless flash control, multiple units commanded from the camera at up to 100m. One transmitter / controller and multiple E-TTL receivers, you can focus on the composition not running between lights.

Some Older cameras - click here

Nature Studio Scapes

"This section offers information for new photographers — explore our training services to take your skills even further."

Gear Talk: Choosing the Right Equipment:

Equipment is always a fascinating topic, filled with possibilities—but before getting carried away by specs and dreams, it’s best to focus on needs and practical use cases.

Match the Tool to the Task:

For sports or wildlife, where autofocus performance is critical, the Canon R7 stands out with its advanced tracking capabilities and fast response.

The Lens Question: Worth the Upgrade?

One of the most common questions we hear: “Is this lens worth it?” or “Should I upgrade?”

Are you really going to use it regularly?

Is it for need or just curiosity?

Will it make your photography experience better or more complicated?

Bigger Isn’t Always Better:

High-resolution cameras (like 50MP+ full-frame bodies) are demanding. They magnify every flaw in technique and lens performance. They can also be unforgiving to handle, exposing shortcomings in workflow, steadiness, and focus precision.

For general uses, a 20–24MP sensor paired with mid-range lenses can deliver stunning results, yes, really! Mid-line glass can be excellent without overextending your budget.

Specialty Lenses – Consider the Use:

Tilt-Shift lenses are brilliant for architectural precision, but in many real-world cases, a 16–35mm wide-angle can achieve 80% of the desired “shift” effect, (though without tilt control and with some distortion).

600mm f/4 for wildlife? Undeniably amazing, but also amazingly heavy and challenging to use, even on a high-end tripod. Add in oversized filters and accessories, and it’s easy to lose control of both your backpack and your budget.

Additional considerations:

Comfort & Usability – the gear should fit naturally in your hand, with good ergonomics and intuitive controls.

Convenience – avoid unnecessary complexity; things like camera strap connectors can make a big difference - be aware of marketing tricks and get what works.

Wrestling with accessories is only a distraction.

Main Camera Bodies

Canon R7

Canon 5Ds

These have 50.6 Mp Full-frame sensors. Very precise High Density Autofocus. Best ergonomics for big hands. Bright clear informative optical viewfinder. Weddings & Portraits amazing detail. Canon 5D series professional features. Bulletproof reliability and quality.

Telephoto Lenses

Canon 400mm f/5.6 L

Very rugged compact telephoto lens. Very sharp with high speed, quiet internal focussing. f/5.6 is not so bright but it's relative lightweight can be carried all day. Build quality is absolutely solid! Deep space Astrophotography is also possible with this lens on a tracker.

Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 L

"L" series sharpness and very fast, quiet, accurate autofocus. A very versatile zoom range with remarkable performance. Good close focussing adds to complete amazing flexibility.

Tokina 100mm f/2.8

As a Macro lens, the flat field and edge to edge sharpness is with the best in category. Macro & portrait is it's home ground. Image quality means replacement is not justifiable (yet).

Standard / Mid-range Lenses

Canon 85mm f/1.2 L II

Sweet spot focal length for portraits. Exquisitely sharp and contrasty. f/1.2 = best possible perfect bokeh. Slow but very accurate autofocus. Perfect in darker conditions. This lens is specialised and designed for a purpose - but it is the best in it's class at what it does.

Canon 50mm f/1.2 L

Stablemate of the 85mm f/1.2L On a Full Frame body the razor thin depth of field gives an extraordinarily smooth background with quality bokeh. On an APS-C body like the R7, this is a top end 80mm portrait lens. High quality and precision, images are amazing.

Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM

This is still a good quality budget lens. It's small lightweight makes it easier to handle than the 1.2L. Can go where you may not want to risk taking the f/1.2, still delivers well. Background bokeh is still good. Some say the f/1.8 is better, it's not, this is.

Canon 40mm f/2.8

A very compact "pancake" lens. This is a full frame lens, remarkably sharp and still usefully bright. Unobtrusive and lightweight with f/2.8. With it's size - performance balance just pop this in your pocket, just in case. Often used as a body cap.

Wide Angle Lenses

Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L

Tilt Shift lenses have unique properties and functions, they are very specialised. For architecture they have their own place & for some focus effects, no options. For this a tripod is always necessary.

Canon 17-40 f/4 L

This versatile Ultra-wide zoom is a gem. often better on balance than the 16-35 when f/4 is sufficient, (nearly always is), as it is lighter and more compact (and cheaper). Perfect for landscapes and street scene.

Canon 16-35 f/2.8 L II

Another Ultra-wide zoom lens. Perfect for landscapes and street scene, f/2.8 adds to low light performance and the sharpness is suitable for widefield astrophotography. Heavy but quality.

Tripods and Support

Benro C197-n6

(Induro CX213 in USA) A lightweight carbon fibre tripod. Very rigid, very stable, fast operation. With an articulated head column the extra flexibility is there. These are our core use tripods.

Benbo Trekker

Benbo tripods are something special, the design is unique. Flexibility and speed of use is second to none, can be positioned nearly anywhere when others cannot be. These are our natural world default.

Hama 117 Traveller

Very, light and compact. Only for our smaller equipment - can go where you wouldn't want a big load, (mountains). This is a low-tech name and price with good performance in it's class. Good match for our G5X's.

Sunway T1A12 Tripod

Very stable and quickly adjustable, capacity is defined by the ball head as maximum is 40Kg. This model is highly recommended, don't waste money on cheaper sometimes popular options which disappoint.

Koolehaode E3 Ballhead

A big Ø45mm ball comes with a very high 20Kg capacity and equal stability. Fast fine friction adjustment. These are very compact at a good price - in use these functionally out-perform many popular expensive alternatives.

Koolehaode E1

These are the smallest of our heads, yet the compact design has a Ø28mm ball with 8Kg capacity. This is coupled to the Sunway tripod for a compact strong unit. Really the best value out there.

Induro A8 Monopod

Aluminium very rigid very high 20kg load capacity 62" / 1.6m. Ideal when standing with a long lens this very fast to manoeuvre whilst maintaining stability. Can go anywhere and is compact when collapsed to pack.

Koolehaode E2 Panorama

These have a Ø36mm ball and are very compact with 15Kg capacity. The Panoramic addition makes this perfect for macro with fine control in multiple planes. Remarkably flexible and high quality at a must have price.

Bags and Cases

BevisGear

Very well made from quality materials with unique functions. A big bag, folds out like a table in front of you for easy lens changing, cleaning etc. This design allows unprecedented easy access to your gear, along with a host of other features. Modes for one or two shoulder straps.

Manfrotto Offroad 30L

A real trecking pack, taped seams etc., with adaptions specific to photography needs Suits it's purpose perfectly for climbing fully loaded to wild camping with your equipment easily at hand This is Andy's workhorse We have two of these

Vanguard Alta Rise 45

Exceptionally high build quality, top quality materials The faultless design and comfort of these bags has proven them to be arguably the best. Protection, accessibility, comfort and flexibility makes this the optimum for most applications.

Vanguard Alta Rise 43

A smaller version of the Alta Rise 45, with all the same performance and quality. A single shoulder strap - for quickly rotating while still on - first choice around town, with plenty of space for wallet, lenshoods, mobile phones etc. Note, too small for Pro DSLR's

MAX 520 Tough Cases

These are a good size but remarkably light. Mechanically tough and waterproof - theyre the best protection for your equipment. We have four, each a dedicated layout internally for different activities.

Vanguard VEO Range 38

Selected Accessories

Qimera Strap Ends

Very compact, strong and secure, quick connect without dongles hanging on the camera. No other parts needed so inexpensive and very flexible in applications and use. 100% problem solvers.

Tilt-Shift lenses are brilliant for architectural precision, but in many real-world cases, a 16–35mm wide-angle can achieve 80% of the desired “shift” effect,
(though without tilt control and with some distortion).