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EMOTIONS IN GEAR
The debate is on ! Does the gear matter in modern and digital photography or not at all ? Well, if I do agree that a good image is all about the subject, the light and how my eye sees it, I also strongly believe that a qualitative gear is essential to ensure these emotions are well captured and also edited (slightly) afterwards on a computer.
Of course comes the question of the budget : New or used gear ? Entry level or professional equipment ? Crop or full frame sensors ? Which brand(s) ? There is no unique answer to this, it is driven by everyone's needs and purpose. However, I am the opinion that money should be spent on good lenses as these will last for many years, much longer than the camera bodies.
Over the passed years (I started with a Canon EOS 650 24x36 in the late 80's), I embraced digital photography for its flexibility to deploy, its easiness to operate and its "tolerance" for mistakes, all essentials to skills improvements. Today, I do almost exclusively use Canon EOS mirrorless "R" camera bodies, Canon RF lenses and other Canon gear to ensure perfect system compatibility. I appreciate the strong built, system flexibility and the image quality, of course !
(You can can also click on the gear below, it will take you to the vendor dedicated page)
Cameras
Cameras/Mirrorless/DSLR bodies :
CANON EOS 1Dx mk II :
Built like a tank, fast as a supersonic jet, this is my pic for action packed scenes. Hard to miss a shot, just so heavy to carry around.
CANON EOS R5 :
This is my daily all-rounder, my first and fast-grab body. Excellent in almost all photography domains, its 45MP sensor and Wi-Fi connectivity makes it very versatile to use.
CANON EOS R :
I use it as back-up/second camera with RF less needed lenses. My first "R", but still with me in the bag and its 30MP sensor are giving generous room to play with.
FUJIFILM X-T3 :
Smart addition. Sometimes, I ask myself why all the big Full Frames cameras as this little one offers do much ! Mirrorless, 26MP, 30fps...It is perfect to travel light-weighted and to be more discrete on the spot. Love it for street photography.
Leica M10-P :
My first and most probably last M body. German manufacturing at its best and incredible image quality with the "Leica style". Old school to use, but discrete and so perfect for street photography in all circumstances. It is something very special....
LEICA Q (Typ 116) :
Despite its limitation to prime 28mm, this one is a dream to use. Its lens masterpiece also performs great in Macro. When, I use it, I use it alone, just like that as it forces me to change my way to photography. Love the game feeling.
Tele & prime lenses :
Lenses
CANON RF-L 15-35 F2.8 :
Perfect for wide aperture at fast shutter speeds. Suitable for architecture, landscape and astro photography. This lens delivers outstanding premium image quality.
CANON RF-L 24-70 F2.8 :
Wow, this is probably my best all-rounder daily lens. At F2.8 it is fast and sharp on my R5, delivers superior image quality. Works perfect for action and studio as it can replace some dedicated prime lenses.
CANON RF-L 70-200 F2.8:
My greatest tele lens and one of the best among all Canon lenses. A great and compact combo with the R5 to get sharp images in discretion or simply best for action/sport event.
CANON EF-L 85mm F1.4
IS USM Lens
Distinguished by its fast design and IS capabilities, the EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM from Canon is a short telephoto prime well-suited to portraiture. Yes, a great portrait and studio lens.
CANON EF-L 100-400
F4.5-5.6 V2 IS USM :
On my 1DxmkII and with an extender x1.4, I get approx. 900mm @ F11-F16. A bit dark, but in full day-light, this combo gets things closer, much closer. I use it at air-shows, car races or also for moon photography.
CANON RF 800mm F11 :
Just so cool to use for moon or wildlife photography. this lends needs plenty of light, but when available the results are just stunning ! And with an 1.4x extender....
FUJI XF 16-55mm F2.8 :
What a lens. Premium optics and incredibly sharp, it delivers excellent pictures at all settings. It is however bulky and heavy for traveling overseas. The 18-55mm F4.0 would do fine in the bag
FUJI XF 50-140mm F2.8 :
This lens competes with the Canon 70-200F2.8 and is super fast/sharp and 30% lighter making it the perfect quick travel tele in combination with the Fujifilm XT-3 body.
LEICA-M Summicron 35mm F2.0 ASPH :
This lens is small, sharp, and gathers a lot of light. Its edges aren't the best at f/2, but stopped down to f/2.8 and beyond the images that the lens captures are razor sharp.
Flashes
Flashes & controller
CANON Speedlite 430EX
Version III RT :
The latest technology is a compact body, this flashgun delivers powerful light. I use it either directly on the DSLR bodies or remotely controlled for studio sessions.
CANON Speedlite
ST-E3-RT Transmitter :
I use this one to control the 430Ex speedlites during studio/indoor photo sessions. Fully configurable, it works perfectly.
Other
Other gear
SANDISK Memory Cards :
The EOS 1Dx mkII is using the new (but expensive) CFast 2.0 format able to keep up with the 14 images per seconds output this DSLR camera can generate. It can be backed-up with more common CF Cards. The EOS 7D mkII works with SD and CF cards. I use larger capacity cards as I record jpegs and raws at the same time.
NANUK 935 & 950 models :
Indestructible transport cases, dust & water proof to store and protect all my gear. Equipped with robust wheels, these cases ease getting my gear to the place where I need it. All my cases are locked with a strong TSA lock to secure it. Note the 935 model is airplane cabin approved, so no need to check it in.
MeFOTO Classic Carbon Fiber
Globetrotter Tripod :
No stable and sharp picture in low light or at slow shutter speeds without a good tripod. This one is robust and not too heavy thanks to its carbon fiber construction. Weight matters when I am on the move to my photo spot.
LEXAR Workflow Tower :
A very modular memory card reader and I configured mine with a SD, CF, CFast 2.0 and a 512GB SSD modules, but more are available for purchase. This is a great all-in-one reader/writer tool and it is fast (USB 3.0) connected to my iMac.
HAZARD4 Tactical Plan-B bag (black) :
My day-bag large enough to carry the EOS1 Dx mkII mounted with the EF-L 70-200 F2.8 and with some extra space on the top for the 24-70 F2.8 and a Speedlite 430.
Editing
Computer & Printer
APPLE MacMini 2018 & BenQ 271 monitor :
A MacMini with i7 6x cores and 64GB of RAM connected to the fantastic BenQ 271 monitor for fast and reliable post-editing workflow. I am also using Adobe Photoshop and a WD 16TB NAS server for storage purpose.
EPSON R2000 A3 printer :
Allows A4/A3 superb print-outs at a reasonable price. The black finish is fantastic thanks to a dedicated coating ink which enhances black deepness.
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