GEAR

Stills Photography

This is the kind of camera I've always wanted - full-frame, mirrorless, high-res and built to withstand the great outdoors. Peter McKinnon calls it the 'grail camera', and for good reason. 

Forget about the video stats (impressive as they are) - this is an epic stills camera first and foremost. It's fast, extremely customisable, the eye-AF is incredible, and that viewfinder is so beautiful.

Everything falls nicely to hand, the menus make sense, and features like the inbuilt focus stacking and bulb timer make it a powerful tool for anyone keen to make beautiful landscape images.

Pay the price once, and enjoy perfection for years.

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If you want to use any of the fabulous Canon EF L glass (like the 100-400mm listed below), you'll need an EF to EOS-R adapter. 

Don't buy one of the 3rd-party brands - they often don't work as expected. With the Canon ones, you'll find everything works perfectly, including AF eye detect and image stabilisation.

There are three versions: a plain old adapter, an adapter with the control ring (pictured) and an adapter with a drop-in filter slot for a circular polarizer or variable ND filter. That's the one I should have bought!

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The very first zoom lens I ever owned was a Ricoh 70-210 for my XR-P, and as a keen dirt bike shooter, it opened up a whole new world.

This little wonder is the same, only 100 times better. It's small, light, and beautifully made. It also focuses super fast and is pin-sharp. It's also fighting my much-loved 100-400 (soon, 100-500) for the title of Favourite Lens... Buy it.

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The EF 100-400 was my favourite lens for a long time. Now it's this.

I shoot around 80% of my landscapes at the long end because it allows me to pick out multiple compositions from one viewpoint, plus I can reach subjects I otherwise couldn't (private farmland, difficult terrain, etc.). Autofocus on this is super-fast, image stabilisation is better than ever, and sharpness is SHARP. It also focuses nice and close, allowing me to pick out smaller elements of a scene like flowers, insects and textures.

Get it. It's brilliant!

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I remember lusting after the Nikon 80-400 back when I had a D750, so when a mate recommended the Canon 100-400 (and promised I'd never regret it), I took his advice.

I shoot around 80% of my landscapes with this lens because it allows me to pick out multiple compositions from one viewpoint, plus I can reach subjects I otherwise couldn't (private farmland, difficult terrain, etc.). Autofocus is super-fast, image stabilisation is epic, and sharpness is delightful. It also focuses super-close, allowing me to pick out smaller elements of a scene like flowers, insects and textures.

I'll echo my mate's advice. Get it. You'll never regret it.

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UPDATE: I've now sold this lens (much faster than expected), and went for the much lighter (but almost as brilliant RF 100-400). Scroll down for more. I then went and sold the RF 100-400 and bought the super manly RF 100-500 (above). I think I have an illness...

Canon's L Lenses are gorgeous, and I've owned a few of them (14-35, 24-105, 70-200, 100-500), but when it comes to the longer end, I need it to be as light as possible, or else I just won't bring it with me everywhere.

That's the main reason I bought this. I'm old and crusty, and I need to carry a tonne of gear with me when I shoot YouTube videos and landscape images. This lens is so light, I can fit it in my bag and carry it with me everywhere. And boy is it good!

UPDATE: I've now sold this lens and purchased the much heavier RF 100-500. Yeah, I know... I have a serious case of G.A.S.

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Every landscape photographer worth his or her salt has this lens in their kit. I had one, then sold it. Then I regretted it and bought one again.

The thing is, there are lots of choices when it comes to wide/ultra-wide lenses, but few have the build quality, weather-sealing and end-to-end sharpness of the big-brand originals. And when you're talking Canon, that means an L lens.

But the main reason I purchased this - well, there's two, actually - is that I can't (easily) fit filters to the front of my Samyang 14mm RF AF lens (now sold); and Canon hadn't yet released the RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM lens. But that, of course, is no longer true, and the lovely 14-35 has since spent quality time in my bag as the 16-35 no doubt wows its new owner.

I might favour the longer end for shooting landscapes, but when I must go wide, this (and now, the 14-35) is a winner.

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The king is dead. Long live the king!

Too dramatic? Maybe, but this compact wonder is all the wide landscape lens you'll ever need. Forget the 15-35 2.8 - this is just as sharp, but cheaper, lighter, and dare I say, more beautiful to look at.

Yes, it does have an issue with vignetting at the very wide end, but the lens profile in Lightroom takes care of that. In any case, I always crop my images (either as 4:3, 1:1 or 16:9), so it's never an issue.

I've shot wide open up close to tree branches, and the bokeh is delicious. I reckon you could buy this lens, the RF 70-200 f4 and the RF 50 f1.8, and you'll be set for 99% of your landscape photography needs.

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Some of the sharpest, fastest and cheapest lenses in the Canon range are the RF and EF 50mm 1.8 twins. Both offer beautiful bokeh, (the shape of the blurred elements in an image), making them wonderful for subject isolation against a busy background.

They're light, focus fast, and look lovely and bright through the viewfinder.

Yes, the RF 50mm f1.2 is epic - and if you can afford it, you should indulge - but the 1.8 variants offer similar results for significantly less money.

Every camera bag should contain a nifty-50.

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Don't knock the all-rounder. Sometimes, you just want to grab a quick shot, and the good old 24-105 is the perfect (almost) do-it-all focal range.

This lens used to live on my camera when it was in the bag. It's was also the lens I often looked through when having my first check a scene. The wide end is usually wide enough for most of the more 'intimate' compositions, while the long end offers respectable reach for many shots, too. It's also very nice for portraits.

Plus, the constant f4 aperture is good to have, though definitely not essential for landscapes. Best of all, though, it's an L lens, so it's weather-sealed and biting sharp.

If I was going to buy my first lens, or only one lens, this would be it. That said, for the sake of simplicity and weight, I've now sold this lens and usually leave either the RF 70-200 or RF 14-35 on my camera when it's in the bag.

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Where possible, I prefer brand-matched glass. But sometimes the alternatives are so good, you're justified buying a third-party offering, and this fabulous lens is one of them.

Known for their quality manual-focus ultra-wide lenses, Samyang was the first company to make a native RF-mount lens outside of Canon.

After noticing I hardly touched my Canon EF 16-35 mm f4 lens, I sold it and bought this. It's a full stop faster, weather-sealed and very sharp, so it's perfect for astrophotography and immersive close-up images. As a bonus, it also looks and feels gorgeous, which makes holding and using it a delight. Or just staring at it.

UPDATE: I've now sold this lens thanks to the arrival of the RF 14-35, but I still miss it for its gorgeous looks and nice bright aperture. If you plan to do astro, or you don't want to spring for the RF 14-35, this lens is for you.

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Canon series-III extenders are so good it's hard to justify a super-fast telephoto unless you're a mad aviation, bird or sports photographer. 

I've used both the 1.4x and 2x extenders with my 100-400 on the R5 and the M6 MK II, and they work brilliantly, delivering highly detailed, beautifully-coloured images.

Just remember that the 1.4x extender, soaks up one-stop, and the 2x extender, two stops of light. That means that at the 400mm focal length, my zoom lens goes from being an f5.6 lens to an F8 with the 1.4, and an f11 with the 2x extender. I don't care, though. The R5 works so well at high ISO, it's fine, and the EVF means the viewfinder stays nice and bright.

Like the EF-EOS R Adapters, this is one item you should buy from Canon - not from a third-party brand.

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I didn't know what I was missing until I bought a drone! It's amazing how much you don't see when you shoot at ground level, and nothing illustrates this like the footage you get out of a drone.

Whether you're looking for scene-setting B-roll for your videos or incredible landscape images for your portfolio, all the DJI drones deliver.

In my very first outing (I'd never flown a drone before), I used all three batteries that come with the Fly More Combo (each lasting around 30 minutes!) and managed to get some excellent 4K 24 fps video and some wonderful images.

I'm now onto my fourth drone - the amazing DJI Mavic 3 Classic, and its camera is truly worthy of any landscape photographer's bag.

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Tripods are a very personal thing, and over the years, I've figured out what matters most to me in securing and positioning my camera.

Some of the things that impact your experience with a tripod are:

1. Weight
2. Maximum height
3. Packed height
4. Rigidity
5. Leg operation (twist vs lever)
6. Spreading operation
7. Levelling
8. Build quality
9. Flexibility
10. Aesthetics

For me, the iFootage Gazelle Uprise TC6S carbon fibre tripod ticks every box. It's beautiful, well-made, highly flexible, lightweight, and has an integrated bowl-head for fast levelling. The icing on the cake is that the iFootage tripods are far less expensive than the likes of GITZO and RRS. I've now moved this tripod into my studio for product shots, and use the bigger TC9 (below) for stills out in the field. The Peak Design is back in service for in the field videos since it only has to hold the tiny Sony ZV-1 or my iPhone.

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The iFootage Uprise TC6S, above, is excellent. But on sloping ground, or when you need more height, nothing beats the 'Big Bastard'.

This tripod is extremely sturdy, beautifully made, and gives me all the height I need without worrying about a centre column.

Unlike the TC6, its Fastbowl system is adjusted using an underslung twist grip, so it's taken me a little while to get used to it. But for height, strength and stability, this beast cannot be beat. I love it.

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I fell in love with this thing the moment I saw it. It's just so bloody gorgeous! After that, it was only a matter of convincing myself that I actually 'needed' it.

The guys at Peak Design make some beautiful gear. It's clear they think deeply about the user experience, and their quality shines through with every single product - including their bags and straps.

As a hiking tripod, I reckon the carbon version of this is without peer. It folds up super small yet extends tall enough for a six-footer. The innovation is outstanding, and despite running 5 sections per leg, it's super rigid, supporting my R5 and any lens easily.

It's not quite as rigid as the iFootage in windy conditions, but it's not far off - which is amazing, because the other two are huge by comparison. Everything from the head design, the cam locks and the hidden phone holder are beautifully-made and a delight to use.

If I need to wander more than a mile, I can leave the bigger tripod in the car. It ain't cheap, but it's one of those products you will love every time you hold it in your hands.

I'm now using the little gem again as my video camera tripod.

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It must be the German in me, but I'm borderline fanatical about buying quality products. It needn't always be the best, but if it's attainable without selling one of the kids, I'll get it.

That was the thinking behind this purchase. After using the iFootage Gazelle with its brilliant bowl head design, it occurred to me I could live with a ball head again. Given that 99.9% of tripod mounted images are made with the camera levelled, I figured I could leave this head dead level, then make my fine adjustments with the iFootage TC6's bowl head.

By all accounts, this head should survive a nuclear winter, so I suspect, like the Manfrotto 410 Junior, I'll have this unit forever.

CURRENTLY USING

I care a lot about aesthetics and build quality, and that's why I own a bunch of gear from SmallRig. Everything they make is just so nice.

I have SmallRig L-brackets on my R5, M6 MKII, and my son's M3, plus a bunch of other items to attach, swivel and protect stuff.

An L-bracket is an essential piece of kit these days because it allows you to switch from landscape to portrait orientation in just a few seconds, without screwing up your camera's relative position on the tripod.

So, instead of tilting your camera sideways - forcing it to flop to one side away from what you've framed - you flip its orientation within the same spot. Of course, you'll need an Arca-Swiss type clamp on your tripod to do it, but once you do this, you'll never go back to the old way.

I haven't used the included Manfrotto clamps for a while because they won't work with an L-Bracket.

And as I've mentioned, once you switch to Arca-Swiss and add an L-bracket to your camera, you'll never compose images the same way again.

So, to keep your non-Arca-Swiss head but switch to an Arca-Swiss clamp, you either need an adapter kit (pricey), or you could buy one of these and simply attach it to your existing plate.

That's what I did with my Manfrotto heads, and the best thing about the SunwayPhoto DLC-60LX is it's a screw release and captive lever release system in one. Just attach it to your existing head plate in the orientation you prefer, and now you have a clamp for your beautiful SmallRig L-bracket.

Incidentally, SmallRig also makes a selection of clamps, but I found this one worked better with the holes on my Manfrotto plates.

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Like all Peak Design gear, the Standard Plate is beautifully made, carefully thought out and a delight to use. If you don't use an L-Bracket, use one of these.

I have one on my 100-400's tripod collar and the DJI Osmo Pocket 2 Extension Rod so I can attach them to any one of my tripods quickly and easily. You can also add Peak Design Anchor Links to one of the four holes for sling-style strap attachment.

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I've used Lowepro bags since 1986, and I've never suffered a breakage. Not once. My very first bag even survived an off-track excursion by the first HSV Clubsport during an editorial shoot at Calder Raceway.

The Pro Trekker 550 AW II is easily my favourite Lowepro to date. It's as tough as nails, infinitely configurable, and comfortable to carry fully loaded. I also like the way they've covered it in loops, allowing you to mount straps and accessories for pouches, bottle holders and tripod carriers.

I've now added the Pro Trekker 350 AW II to my kit for when I'm doing a full-blown video shoot and need EVERYTHING. These bags are well-made and built to last. Plus, I reckon they look pretty cool.

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In the old days, we could hold our images in our hands - either as transparencies (slides) or prints.

Printing your own images brings back the feeling of satisfaction you get when holding your art. It makes everything real.

Yes, it's usually more cost-effective to have someone else print our images; after all, high-end printers, paper and ink aren't cheap. But the thing is, we almost never get someone to print our images.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend getting one. Pair it with some high-grade papers from Canson (the Platine and Baryta papers are gorgeous), and witness the feeling of holding your art in your hands.

My current printer, the imagePROGRAF Pro-300, prints up to A3+, and is a great starting point. Later, I'll probably get the Pro-1000 so I can print A2 size.

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