What Gear Does the Photography Life Team Use?

Spencer Cox

Dozens of cameras, hundreds of lenses, and thousands of photography accessories have passed through our team’s hands at Photography Life. But what gear do we personally use? We’ll be answering that question with a series of articles from some of our team members. Today, in the first of those articles, I’ll start with my own equipment.

I should mention that I’ve held off on writing this article for a while, because I think photographers tend to read way too much into one another’s choice of gear. My photos wouldn’t be meaningfully different if I shot with Canon or Sony instead of Nikon, or crop-sensor instead of full-frame. Most equipment is interchangeable with at least one or two other products out there. It’s the photographer that matters at the end of the day.

But with the volume of questions I get regarding my camera kit, it’s clear that there’s some interest in hearing what gear a professional nature photographer uses in practice. The camera accessories are probably the most important part of this article, because everyone under the sun is trying to sell you some new gadget, and I only find a handful of them to actually be useful.

Rather than filling the article below with a million affiliate links to Amazon or B&H, I’ve compiled everything into one B&H wishlist later in the article. For gear that’s no longer available new, I’ve either linked to its eBay page or added the newer version to the B&H list, where relevant. If you buy any camera gear through these links, eBay or B&H will return one to four percent of the item’s price to Photography Life. It sounds small, but it’s an easy way to thank us without any extra expense on your end.

My Digital Camera Equipment

1. Cameras

I actively use one DSLR and two mirrorless cameras, plus a GoPro Hero 8 and an iPhone 11 that I sometimes use to film our YouTube videos. I also use a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone, which has a 1-inch type sensor, for both stills and video.

My interchangeable lens cameras are the Nikon Z6, Nikon Z7, and an infrared-converted Nikon D7000. I ordered the Z7 the day it was announced and sold my DSLR at the time, the Nikon D800E. The IR-converted D7000 is a new addition to my bag; I mainly use the Z6 and Z7 day-to-day.

The Nikon Z6 is my primary camera for filming our YouTube videos and doing astrophotography. It’s also my backup camera for international trips. On the other hand, the Z7 is my preferred camera for landscape photography, at least when I’m shooting digital rather than large format film (more on that later).

As time marches on and Nikon keeps improving the Z system, the original Z6 and Z7 may be looking a bit outdated. They’re also no longer available new, and are only found on eBay: Z6 here and Z7 here. (These are eBay Partner Program links, and Photography Life can earn a small commission when you buy anything through them – not just the Z6 or Z7. Thank you for supporting our efforts to bring you high-quality content on our ad-free website!)

Considering the high marks I gave the Z9 in our review, you may be wondering if I switched to it or not. The answer is no. Upgrading to a Z9 would be nice for the astrophotography features, but my goal with my digital kit is to be lightweight for long hikes and international travel. I don’t intend to get a Z9 unless I start to do more wildlife photography. Even the Nikon Z8, which I loved, doesn’t really offer anything essential for my landscape photography that I could not already do with the Z6 and Z7.

Why Nikon rather than Canon or Sony? In part, I love the Z lenses and the potential of the massive Nikon Z mount. But mainly, it’s because of inertia. I’ve shot with Nikon since my first DSLR, the D5100, and by now I know their cameras like the back of my hand. Switching to other brands rarely gains you anything other than a lighter wallet, and Nikon seems to have a good future in front of them anyway. For now, I have no thoughts of switching.

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 16mm, ISO 64, 1/6, f/13.0

2. Lenses

For the Z6 and Z7, I just use three lenses right now: the 14-30mm f/4, 24-200mm f/4-6.3, and F-mount 105mm f/2.8 Macro. Since I usually don’t carry along the macro lens, my primary kit is just two lenses.

That’s obviously quite slim, but again, my whole point with digital these days is to go light. This kit covers all the focal lengths I need (14 to 200mm) with very good image quality, even though the lenses aren’t as sharp as many of Nikon’s Z-series primes or their f/2.8 zoom trio. I find that at landscape apertures like f/8, f/11, and f/16, the differences aren’t massive, and these two lenses are easily sharp enough for large prints.

I still have a few DSLR lenses lying around that I’m meaning to sell, none of which have seen much use recently. My DSLR kit used to be the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G, Nikon 35mm f/1.8G, Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art, and Nikon 70-200mm f/4 (plus the same 105mm macro lens). Between the two kits, the Nikon Z lenses are lighter and cover more focal lengths, so I’m glad I switched. As a landscape photographer, I just don’t need wide apertures, even for astrophotography (where I prefer to use image stacking anyway).

I don’t shoot as much macro photography these days, but if I did, I would strongly consider switching to the Z-series 105mm f/2.8 Macro. The DSLR 105mm macro lens that I have is great, but the Z lens is one of the best I’ve ever tested, and it’s a bit lighter between the two.

NIKON Z 7 + 105mm f/2.8 @ 105mm, ISO 64, 3 seconds, f/4.8

3. Tripod and Head

I’ve used the RRS TVC-24 tripod for ages, and I expect it’s going to outlast me. This thing is built like a tank despite weighing only a bit more than the Nikon Z9! I disassemble and clean it once or twice a year, and other than that, it doesn’t ask for anything.

I use two tripod heads. The RRS BH-40 ballhead is my main head for the digital kit. It’s light and doesn’t have any appreciable sag when I lock it down. Like the tripod, I expect that it will last forever.

My other tripod head is the Arca Swiss Cube. This tripod head is no joke, as one of the biggest geared heads on the market today. It’s heavy, expensive, and a bit exposed to the elements. (Any time I use it in the desert, I need to be very careful about cleaning sand out of the gears afterwards.) I almost never use the Cube with my Nikon Z cameras, because it’s complete overkill. Instead, I use it with large format film, since it makes it a thousand times easier to do tiny compositional adjustments compared to a ballhead, especially on the massive cameras I use.

In terms of tripod accessories, there are two that are part of my kit today. The RRS TVC-24 tripod has an optional center column, which reduces the setup’s stability a bit, but is invaluable for filming tutorials on our YouTube channel. (Otherwise, the angle is just too low when filming myself teaching.) The other accessory is the Arca Swiss Quick Link Set, which I reviewed here. It lets me swap between the two tripod heads easily, and more importantly, store the Cube in a more protected pocket of my backpack when hiking in dusty conditions. I also have some claw-style tripod feet somewhere that I usually forget to carry along.

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S @ 24mm, ISO 64, 1/5, f/11.0

4. Computer Software and Hardware

I tried to quit Adobe! I really did. I tested out ON1, Capture One, Luminar, and a few other alternatives, but I kept going back to Lightroom and Photoshop. Even though I’m averse to subscription software out of principle, it helps that Adobe has held firm on their $10/month price over time, which I didn’t expect. At this point, I’m too deep in the ecosystem to quit.

The only other software I use on occasion for photo editing is Nik Silver Efex, a plugin from DxO. I haven’t really been tempted by the various other software options out there, even the AI noise reduction or sharpening algorithms that are surprisingly powerful. Maybe one day when I need to make a ten-foot wide print, I’ll change my mind.

For editing our YouTube videos, I use Final Cut Pro and couldn’t be happier. It’s a big step up from any video editors I’ve used in the past. I get music for our videos from a stock site called Artlist.

As for computer hardware, I use a 2017 iMac Pro desktop and a 2020 MacBook Air laptop. Most of my photo and video editing is done on the desktop, and I write Photography Life’s articles from either device. For storing my photos and videos, I have a QNAP with 32 TB of removable storage that backs up live to a Synology across the room. I back up my photos online to Backblaze. The QNAP connects to my iMac via a 10 Gigabit ethernet port, so I’ve been able to edit 4K videos from the external drive without a problem. It’s overkill for photographers who don’t do any filmmaking, though.

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14mm, ISO 64, 8 seconds, f/13.0

5. Camera Bags

I have more camera bags than I can count, but the main ones I use these days are almost all dedicated hiking backpacks with inserts from F-Stop Gear or Shimoda. After testing almost every type of camera bag under the sun, I’ve found that hikers do it better, and most camera bags (even the best from F-Stop Gear) don’t hold a candle to their comfort for long hikes.

My favorite hiking backpack company is Gregory. I’ve bought three of their backpacks of different sizes, both for my film and digital kits. They have good access to camera equipment and excellent comfort, although they’re on the big side for a hiking pack. The Gregory Baltoro 65 is my main hiking pack, although I also have the 85 and 95 liter versions for my different film kits.

When I’m not going on a long hike, those bags are overkill. Any small hiking pack in the 30-40 liter range will do. I use one from REI that isn’t well-suited for long hikes but is great for travel. If I’m in a city, I use a small messenger bag from Think Tank that fits my Z7 and both of my lenses.

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14mm, ISO 64, 1/10, f/9.0

6. Other Accessories

As for the rest of my camera accessories, I don’t really have many for the Nikon Z kit. Here’s a list:

It’s rare that I bring along all of that. The star tracker, lightning trigger, and microphone in particular only go in my bag when there’s something specific I intend to photograph.

Also, I no longer use any filters for my digital kit other than a polarizer. I do have a full Lee filter system and a ton of 100×100 and 150×100 filters, which I use for film. Technically they could fit on the digital system too, but I never use them for that purpose. When I need more dynamic range or the appearance of a long exposure, I just use the technique of AHDR.

Another accessory you may be surprised to hear that I don’t use is a remote shutter release. I find that one second of exposure delay mode is all I need to eliminate camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button. There are other uses of a remote shutter release, but none of them are important for my work.

I don’t have a printer because at the moment, I don’t have room in my apartment for the size printer I’d like. I tend to print via BayPhoto, unless I’m shooting film, in which case I print by hand in my darkroom.

So, that’s it! I’ve compiled the full list of my gear here if you’re curious about pricing and availability:

Spencer’s Photography Gear (B&H)

 

My Large Format Film Equipment

If you’re an avid reader of Photography Life, you may have seen that I’ve been shooting a lot of large format film recently. I’ve even switched to shooting film for my main landscape photography kit. It may sound like an odd approach in the digital world, but I made this choice after falling in love with the process and the sheer image quality possible with a good large format kit. (More on my reasons here.)

I don’t want to bore our digital audience with a long treatise on my sprawling film equipment. I’ll put it into a list instead, but feel free to ask me in the comments if you want any details about this equipment or anything else related to large format film:

I don’t see a good way on eBay to compile all of that into a list for you, and it would be a big mess anyway if I could! But if you want to buy any of this equipment in a way that gives us a small cut, you can still use our generic eBay affiliate link here if you want to help support Photography Life.

Chamonix 12×20; Goerz Red Dot Artar 30″ @ 762mm, f/128, 83 seconds, HP5+ 400; Front rise

Conclusion

Camera gear can be highly overrated, but I still think it’s valuable to know what working pros use, if only to see how many accessories aren’t needed. I also find photographers’ choices of lenses to be an interesting look into their priorities.

For me, the camera kit I take along depends on the situation, but I try my best to always bring the biggest, highest-quality imaging device possible for any given shot. That tends to be my lightweight Nikon Z setup for long hikes and international travel, but I ramp up to 4×5 film, 8×10 film, and eventually my behemoth 12×20 camera and lenses whenever I can.

The thing is, everyone approaches photography differently. In the upcoming “what’s in my bag” articles from other members of the Photography Life team, you’ll see that no two photographers have the same approach, even if they shoot the same subjects. And that’s because there isn’t such a thing as a best camera kit, but simply the right camera kit for you. Hopefully this article helped you along in that search.

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