What’s in my camera bag

A question I got asked a lot is; ‘What gear do you use’. When asked, I can easily start a monologue about how it’s not about the gear but all about skill. But that would be boring and not why you came here. So here is everything I have to say about the equipment that I currently use, I have used in the past or is on my bucket list.

When I started with photography back in 2010 I was a big fan of Canon. My dad used Canon when he was young and back then it was already one of the leading camera companies. I bought a Canon 7D, later changed that for a Canon 6D and after that a couple of Canon 5D’s with the different marks.

Time changes, so does gear. Now I use Sony. Let’s go over the list.

I’m happy to answer all your questions in the comments below.
All products are clickable and can be found easily online.

Camera bodies / Drone

My main camera, The Sony A7III
My main camera is a Sony A7III. A great versatile capable full-frame camera. Sony calls it the “basic” model. It’s more than that. Its a great mix of speed, features and a good price which makes it a perfect recommendation for all kind of photographers and all kinds of photography. I was doubting between the A7III and the A7RIII when it came out but the great reviews convinced me to go for this option.

If you’re looking for an upgrade from your APS-C camera I would say this is the go-to camera.

+ It has a lot of great features of the Sony A9. great battery life and a good price compared to the A7RIV.
- The weather sealing is not as strong as the A7RIV and for larger prints or crops you might want to get the A7RIV instead.

The partner camera, Sony A6000
I bought it for my girlfriend but i’m using it a lot myself as well. Almost all the gear shots with the Sony A7III in the image are shot with this great little camera. I would say this is a good camera if you’re just starting with photography and want all the manual features. For film it isn’t the best but for photo you can take great shots.

+ Small body with generally well placed controls, great autofocus with most lenses and a viewfinder!
- Battery life is not fantastic, no touchscreen and specifying an autofocus point can be cumbersome.

I’m actually doubting to buy an extra Sony full-frame body to replace the Sony A6000, There’s a rumour going around about a cheaper Sony full-frame body. Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks.

My drone, the DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Simply the best drone in this size on the market. It has a Hasselblad camera and to be honest, the dynamic range is pretty good for a small sensor. I’m using it in combination with the DJI Smart Controller which is perfect for sunny conditions.

+ The drone is foldable which makes it easy for travelling, almost 30 min flight time on each battery, Superb video quality.
- I’m missing the portrait mode on this drone like crazy, Going higher than iso 400 can be a noise party.

Extra drone controller, the DJI Smart Controller
Got this one last summer, and I have to say that I love it. You turn it on together with your drone and within 30 seconds you can fly. With the phone that sometimes took a couple minutes. The screen is super bright and also perfect for use in direct sunlight.

+ Bright screen, well build, feels more like proper remote.
- When travelling light it might be to chunky for you.

The Extra one, DJI Osmo Pocket
My extra video camera. When I’m shooting in the field this is nice to set up somewhere safely for time lapses, I’m mostly using it for that.
It’s well build and small which makes it easy to pack.

+ Well build, 4K video and a nice time-lapse function.
- Battery life and the dynamic range of the video isn’t that great.

Lenses

I love primes, in the beginning when I changed to Sony my plan was to buy prime lenses only. This is basically impossible when you travel a lot. They can be heavy and sometimes you need the extra range with a zoom lens. In this list you can find all my lenses I currently have in my camera bag and I’ve added a few extra which are on my bucket list.

Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD
I recently switched from the Sony FE Vario-Tessar T* 16-35mm f/4.0 ZA OSS to this Tamron 17-28mm. It’s faster, lighter, overall sharper and in my opinion a no-brainer if you’re doubting between the two. I used the Sony GM 16-35mm f/2.8 a lot and I actually can’t find a lot of difference. There are, of course, differences between the two when it comes to weight and build quality, but image-wise, both of these lenses perform admirably.
But if you compare the price between the Tamron and the Sony, think twice. This Tamron is a great lens and you won’t get anything better in this range.

Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G
The most recent purchase in my bag. I actually just sold my Sigma 24mm ART f/1.4 to replace with this 20mm. My first thoughts are that this is an excellent lens. It is quite expensive but you’ll get nothing but quality with this lens. It is well build, super sharp, the AF is perfect and you’ll get a better weather sealing compared to the Sigma 24mm. Most important reason to switch from the Sigma was the weight of this lens. The Sigma weighs 665g and this Sony weighs 373g, for a trip to Nepal that is an extra pair of shorts and an extra t-shirt.

Samyang AF 35mm f/2.8 Sony FE
The first lens I bought with my Sony A7III. The perfect little travel buddy. It is my go-to lens for a light set when going for a walk through the city. It’s a fun lens with a nice playful bokeh and you can’t actually miss this in your bag when travelling light.

Sony FE 35mm f/1.8
A second 35? Yes a second 35. With the A6000 in the bag it’s nice to have a few options on the go. I love the Sony 35mm in combination with the A6000 and use it a lot as a second set next to my A7III. Sony launched this lens not that long ago. It is super sharp, fast, light and cheaper than the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 ZA Zeiss Distagon T* lens. The autofocus of this 35 wins over the 1.4 Sony lens.

Sony FE 50mm f/1.8
The cheap Sony 50mm. I used this lens a lot for product shots of other gear until I bought the 35mm f/1.8 from Sony. I don’t love this 50mm, the autofocus is terrible and I recently tried the Samyang AF 45mm f/1.8 and want to replace the 50mm with that. The Samyang 45mm is a great playful lens with a nice bokeh, it actually reminds me of the good old Leica bokeh.

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD
The allrounder. There’s been said a lot about this lens since the launch. I’m not sure what you’ve seen, read or heard about it but this lens is a serious contender for the Sony GM 24-70mm. You’ll maybe miss the 24mm but if you’re already shooting with a wide angle lens, you have that part covered. This lens is the perfect allround lens, and if you’re looking to buy a first lens for your Sony, this might be one to choose.

Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD
The latest addition to the 3 musketeers of Tamron. I’ve waited a long time for this lens and was hyped before I even tried it. 2 years ago I never thought I would go for a zoom lens like this, but now it might be one of my favourite lenses to shoot with. Nothing but positive feedback about this lens. Sharpness is perfect, the autofocus is super fast and it is lighter than the Sony 70-200 GM. I actually don’t miss the extra 20mm of the Sony lens.
Only thing I might want to change is the zoom, it doesn't have this nice in-lens zoom like The Tamron 17-28mm.

The lens bucket list

More lenses? Yes please, can’t get enough of it. Transcontinenta, the Dutch importer of Tamron, Samyang and Zeiss lenses (also a lot of other great camera gear brands) are so kind to borrow me some lenses from time to time. That gives me the opportunity to test these lenses to the fullest. I made a list with lenses I have on my bucket list. Some of them I’m planning to buy soon, others are on the long-term plan.

Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8 Sony FE
Great extreme wide-angle for a reasonable price. Used this last winter and have to say that I liked it a lot. Perfect for that extra need of wide-angle.

Samyang AF 45mm f/1.8 FE
Like I wrote before, I want to replace my current Sony 50mm lens with this Samyang lens. The Samyang 45mm is a great playful lens with a nice bokeh, it actually reminds me of the good old Leica bokeh.

Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE or the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE
I’m still doubting between these two lenses. Both are great. The 75 seems to have a slight advantage in terms of autofocus. Both are super sharp and are priced great. Read my review about the 75mm here.

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS 
I don’t own a macro lens yet. I tried it for some product shots and it’s a great lens.

From left to right: Peak Design Camera Cube Medium, Travel Backpack 45L and the Tech Pouch.

Bags

I can write a book about bags. I have way too many of them. Before my current bag I had the Douchebags Backpack with the Camera insert pro. Great bag but not the greatest durability. I also had a couple of Lowepro’s, which are good but the looks of it are not great. Beginning 2020 I switched to Peak Design.

Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L
A great camera bag, it fit’s all my camera gear and is big enough for some extra luggage on the road. It is durable, has a lots of pockets, weatherproof and it’s made of 100% recycled material. The bag meets international carry-on size requirements, but expands to be a 45L gear-hauler and collapses to be a 35L day bag. The perfect allround travel bag for me.

Peak Design Camera Cube Medium
Designed to mount securely in any Peak Design Travel Bag. It protects my gear and I can organise it in my own way. Made of the same recycled material as the Travel Backpack.

Peak Design Tech Pouch
I love a good pouch. I’m storing multiple cables, filters, batteries and other travel essentials in this pouch. Fits easily in the Peak Design Travel Backpack.

Accessories

Peak Design Slide Lite Camera Strap
A well designed strap for my Sony bodies. Easily adjustable with the dual quick-adjusters and Peak Design’s unique anchor link system connects quickly and dual points of connection keep your camera more stable than traditional sling straps.

Peak Design Cuff Wrist Strap
Nice comfortable wrist strap. Works great with when you constantly hold your camera in your hand or in combination with the Peak Design capture camera clip.

Peak Design Capture Clip
Peak Design became famous with this little piece of well designed metal. This accessory is an absolute must-have. The capture clip keeps your camera rigidly stable while hiking, biking, or moving around the studio. Unlike a camera bag, the clip keeps your camera instantly accessible with the click of a button.

Peli Memory Card Case
My memory card case, I actually have two of them. Stores 12 SD cards and 6 Micro SD cards. Waterproof and super strong.

Memory Cards
I’m using multiple brands for my SD and Micro SD cards. For my Sony bodies I mainly use the Sony Tough cards, super durable and extremely fast. I have a couple of Sandisk Micro SD cards as well for my drone and the osmo pocket.

Nisi Ti Enhance C-PL filter 67mm
All my lenses have a filter size of 67mm or smaller, I use step-up rings for the ones who have a smaller size. The Nisi filter is a great durable filter. It works smooth with all my lenses and the images are still crisp. I’m looking to buy an variable ND filter, will add that to my bag soon.

Olight I1R EOS Rechargeable Pocket Light
Ideal for midnight missions, a little pocket light which is super bright and rechargeable.

LedGo LED light
LED Modular Dimmable Camera Top Light, I barely use it but it does what it has to do, giving a lot of light.

Xtorm XB202U Powerbank 15.000mAh
My powerbank for on the road. A durable powerbank from a Dutch manufacture.

Rollei Traveller Tripod
What can I say, it’s a tripod. It does the job. But I tested the Peak Design tripod lately and now I don’t like my current one. So I’m going to replace this with the Peak Design one.

Rode VideoMicro
My microphone for the video’s I make. Most of the time there’s music in my videos but from time to time I need a microphone for some small recordings. Perfect little microphone which can be used for my camera but also in combination with my phone.

Computers & Software

MacBook Pro 13” 2020
Recently bought this for travelling. Fast and durable. Perfect for on the road.

MacBook Pro 15” 2017
My workhorse, super fast and durable. But most of the time a bit to heavy when on the road.

Multiple Samsung SSD’s.
I’m using multiple Samsung SSD T5’s when on the road. Super small and fast for backups.

Multiple Lacie Rugged drives
For my backups at home I use Lacie rugged drives to have my photos secured. Great durable harddrives.

Adobe Creative Cloud software package
For my editing I use the Adobe software. Mostly Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.

Well, this is the list. I probably forgot some items but I think the most important stuff is in there.
It is quite an extensive list but I bought everything over the years. If you have any questions please do ask in the comments below.