‘Gear is good.  Vision is better.‘ – David duChemin.

All the gear in the world won’t make a good picture or necessarily give you the most fun when making the photograph: I often have the most fun messing about with the S100 rather than the big DSLRs.  The most important thing to do is learn to use the gear you own and to make the most of it before you start drooling over hardware catalogues!

* Click the images on gear marked with an asterisk (*) to see the photographs taken with that piece of gear.

Current Cameras

	Nikon D700* This is a great FX  (Full Frame) camera produces consistently great images as well as having amazing low light capability, good dynamic range, excellant manual controls, fast through the lens focusing and excellant interchangeable lens.  The only downsides I’ve encountered are the weight and bulk of the camera and that people tend to ‘react’ much more to a DSLR getting pointed at them.
	Nikon D7000* This is my back up DSLR body, it is a very capable body with almost as good ISO performance as the D700 but in a smaller package.  The D7000 uses SD cards for storage rather than compact flash and supports the use of Eye-Fi cards too.  The biggest difference between the two cameras is that the D700 has a FX (Full Frame) sized sensor while the D7000 has a newer DX (APS-C) sized sensor.   The D7000 can still mount and use lens for an FX senor camera.
	Canon S100* This is my compact camera for the days I can’t (or don’t want to) take a DSLR with me, it is very small but still manages to offer manual controls, RAW file format and GPS tagging of images.  I have allot of fun messing about with this little camera!

Previous Cameras

Nikon D200* This was my back up DSLR body, its still a good camera in its own right but its not as good as the D700.  Both the D200 and D700 have very similar control layouts which makes swapping between them very easy.  The biggest difference between the two cameras is that the D700 has a newer FX (Full Frame) sized sensor while the D200 has a older  DX (APS-C) sized sensor.   The D200 can still mount and use lens for an FX senor camera.

Fuji Finepix X100* This is a great little camera with a fixed lens equivalent to a 35mm lens and an APS-C sensor in a very compact and retro styled package.  Its small size and light weight mean that I carry it with me frequently and people aren’t scared of this camera unlike a DSLR which is handy for street photography  Although the quirks with its auto focusing can drive you nuts..

Lens

	Nikkor AF-S 16-35 F/4G ED VR* This wide angle zoom lens is significantly larger than my 50mm prime but offers great image quality and vibration reduction which is great for hand held shooting in low light.  This is my primary landscape lens.
	Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm F/3.5-5.6 ED VR II* This lens covers an amazing focal range while still being relatively easy to carry around compared to a faster lens like a 70-200mm F/2.8.  This is my everything lens as its range is so large, which makes it great for travel.
	Nikkor AF-S 50mm F/1.8 G* This lens has a tighter field of view than the 35mm equivilent lens on the X100 but its super fast, very sharp, supports manual focus and is very light and discrete for a DSLR lens.  I use this lens allot as it is the most compact FX lens I own and keeps the D700 (relatively) compact.
	Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm F/1.8 G* Due to the DX crop factor of 1.5x this is the equivalent of a 50mm FX lens when mounted on a DX camera like a D200.  Its small, cheap, robust and very fast.  I will use this lens if I want maximum portability when using the D200 or if I think there is a chance for the camera to get damaged..

Filters

	Cokin Z-Pro My serious landscape photography filter set, I have a few solid ND filters and a few graduated ND filters.  I am still learning how to use it.  These filters all tend to require the use of a tripod in most circumstances.
	Hitech ND 10 Filter Light does actually pass through this filter despite its solid appearance, I’ve yet to use this filter but I’m looking forward to giving it a shot!  Given how long this filter will make an exposure there is no way to use it without a tripod.
	Hoya Circular Polariser Filters I have three of these for each lens filter size I own, mostly as they are relatively cheap online and produce decent results making colours much richer and reducing reflections.

Accessories

	JYC N-769/N1 GPS Unit A recent purchase but very handy for geotagging images so I can find them on a map.  It acquires  positions quickly, doesn’t seem to effect battery life much and was a sixth of the price of the official Nikon GPS unit! I have a similar unit for the D7000 too.
	Nikon MC30 Cable Release. A cable release is really hand for taking long exposures and to a limited extent self portraits.  Can’t be used withe GPS unit due to them using the same port on the camera, the GPS comes with its own remote but I tend to use the built in timer instead.
	Nikon SB400 Flash Seldom used as I mostly shoot street or landscape rather than people.  It is a really compact flash unit with more power than the flash built into the D700.  The flash head can be pointed upwards to bounce the flash off of the ceiling which is quite useful.
	Compact flash Cards I have multiple compact flash cards as its never good to run out of storage when out shooting.  Each of the 32 GB cards holds 1500 RAW images from the D700. I have a 8GB card in the D200 which is good fro 500 images.
	Eye-Fi Cards I have this card in the S100 and another 8Gb version in the D7000. These cards gives me allot of fun as they lets me transfer images from the camera to my iPhone so I can edit them and upload on the go.
	Spare batteries Running out of power is will ruin your pay just as much as running out of memory.  I carry spares for the DSLRs and especially for the S100 which runs out much much faster e.g. in hours instead of days or weeks.

Tripods

	Gitzo Traveller Series 1* This is my ‘big’ tripod which is actually the smallest in Gitzo’s range, small enough to fit into a carry on bag and it weighs virtually nothing!  However for hardcore landscape photography this tripod is too light and would get effected by the wind.
	Really Right Stuff BH-30 I have this ballhead fitted to my Gitzo Traveller to let me use an L-Plate with it.  It is currently the smallest ballhead that Really Right Stuff make that has panning control separated from the ballhead tension.
	Really Right Stuff BD700 L-Plate This is the L-Plate for my D700 (I have a normal plate for the D200).  It lets me change from landscape to portrait orientation without touching the tripod head which is very handy as that can sometimes destabilise the tripod.
	Really Right Stuff TFA1* This is my most used tripod with my DSLRs as its super portable and enables me to take long exposures or HDR.  As I mostly shoot in an urban environment there is usually something I can find to place it on. Highly recommended if you shot in cities allot.
	GorillaPod Micro* This is my most used tripod mostly because its permanently mounted to the S100 and is so convient for long exposures or HDR shots.  This tripod is so cheap and easy to use there is no reason to own one if you have a camera like the S100.

Bags

	Think Tank Digital Holster 20 V2.0 I use this compact holster when I am carrying just a DSLR body with a single lens in a rucksack or carry on bag.  Its small, some what padded and has enough room for a spare battery, memory card and a screw on filter.
	Think Tank Urban Airport Essentials I now have sufficient gear that on a big trip a dedicated photography bag is unavoidable if I want to take my gear onto the airplane with me  I chose this bag as its relatively small but still can hold all my stuff and laptop.  The rucksack form factor makes it much more comfortable to carry long distances than a shoulder bag.
	Think Tank Urban Disguise 35 V2.0 I prefer not to use dedicated photography bags as I don’t like to look like a photographer on the street but for travel it is necessary to have a decent bag to organise and protect your gear.  I chose this bag as its relatively small and its portait orientation means it doesn’t look too much like a typical camera bag.