The most common question I field through my various social media profiles is what camera gear I use. More often than not, I do put this info in the image captions on Instagram – especially when I’ve been lucky enough to test out new gear like the Z9 and Z800mm f/6.3! But normally my gear is a lot lighter (and cheaper) than a hefty full frame mirrorless and prime lens. I realised that the last time I wrote a gear blog was just before my subantarctic trip in 2016, after which my setup changed quite dramatically (thanks, giant rogue wave). When I’m in the field I have a hard case that fits one body, three lenses and a flash, and I prefer to keep things as simple as possible. So here’s my system at the time of writing – mid-2022:

Nikon D500 

My workhorse body since 2017. Does the job, has great autofocus, is lightweight, and the files aren’t ridiculously huge from a 20 Megapixel DX (crop frame) sensor. Sadly discontinued, but if you can pick up a second-hand one, it would still be my camera of choice to purchase today for bird/wildlife photography. Although cameras are moving towards Mirrorless, there isn’t a good equivalent yet in the Nikon range that would substitute for the D500.

Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 

My other most-used piece of camera equipment. Although not as sharp as a prime lens, I trade that for the versatility and the ability to zoom back from my subjects, which is a style I often use (environmental portraits/birdscapes). If I am going out specifically to photograph birds, this is often the only lens I will take. On a DX body, the equivalent focal length is 120mm-600mm, which is perfect for wildlife and bird photography.

Nikkor 12-24mm  f/4

A light DX lens that I use for landscapes and a lot of nocturnal work. Usually the second lens in my bag, and has made some of my best images.

Nikkor 300mm f/4 PF

A 2020 addition that I love dearly, for lightweight, compact, crispy sharpness. Sometimes paired with a 1.4x teleconverter if I need more reach. 

Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6

My old workhorse! I actually don’t use this lens as often as I used to, but it was my old travel staple. Not travelling much since 2017 may have something to do with that, but it does get an outing every now and then when I have to travel extra-light for fieldwork. I should probably get it cleaned, as these extended zoom lenses are basically dust-pumps and mine is full of specks.

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG Macro

For recent forays into invertebrates and reptile photography! I’ve actually had this lens for years, I won it in a competition back in 2014. It’s only really been getting used recently though. 

Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight  

For macro and night work. This is a pretty ancient flash, long since discontinued! Still works a treat though, when I remember to charge the batteries (or bring backup). I have a home-made diffuser (thanks Dad!) that I tack on for invertebrate work. Most often I actually use it manually, hand-held, for long exposures with frozen action.

Other gear I’ve loaned and loved in the past:

• Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 – not the fastest to focus, but an excellent lens for bird photography. Both copies of the lens that I’ve borrowed have been impressively sharp.
  
• Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 – same issue with focus speed as the Nikkor 200-500mm, but also has addictive reach for bird photography. Some of the tiny bird photos (pīpipi and tītipounamu) for The Brilliance of Birds were taken with this lens while my 80-400mm got cleaned!
  
• Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 – I used this lens a lot back in the day, borrowed from Dad. Some of my favourite images were taken with it! It was a beast to carry around though, and definitely not practical for the kind of work I do now. I’d usually have it on a monopod to give my arms a break, but often shot handheld for flying birds, like this image.