When I started out as a professional photographer back in 2013, I didn’t even own a camera!
I had to spend thousands of pounds building up my current collection of camera bodies, lenses and accessories.
I started off with a bridge camera called the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V for my first trip to Kenya, but when I saw the Nikon DSLR belonging to one of the other guests, I immediately developed camera envy!
Back home in England, I went to the London Camera Exchange on The Strand and bought myself a used Nikon D800 camera body together with a Nikon AFS 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR G, a good, all-purpose lens.
Over the years, I’ve upgraded both cameras and lenses, experimenting with cheaper Tamron SP AF150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD and Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM telephotos before finally settling on Nikon for everything.
I now have two main camera bodies, the Nikon D810 and D850, and I usually pair them with my Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S and my AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR, but I also have a few other lenses covering most of the usual range of focal lengths.
That’s an awful lot of equipment, and insuring it all is not cheap, but I got a good deal from the Alan Stevenson Partnership.
Here’s a quick summary of my kit.
If you’d like to support my photography career, you can buy any of the linked products on Amazon, and I’ll receive a 3% commission. Thanks!
Camera bodies
Nikon D850 with Nikon MB-D18 Battery Pack, EXpro EN-EL18 and Nikon EN-EL15a batteries and Sony XQD 128GB and Samsung microSD 64GB memory cards
Nikon D810 with EN-EL15 battery and Lexar Professional CompactFlash 256GB and Samsung microSD 64GB memory cards
Nikon 1 AW1 [waterproof] with battery and one of my SD memory cards
GoPro HERO4 SILVER with one of my SD memory cards
Lenses
AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR with 1.25x Teleconverter
1 NIKKOR AW 11–27.5mm f/3.5–5.6 [waterproof]
Filters
Hoya 82mm CIR-PL HD3 Filter
Cokin 77mm filter system with graduated ND and polarising filters
Computer
Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop
Camera bags
Tom Bihn Brain Bag with Absolute Shoulder Strap
Other accessories
Spare memory cards (KomputerBay CompactFlash 128GB, Samsung microSDHC 32GB, SanDisk SD 32GB)
Spare batteries (2 x Nikon EN-EL15)
Nikon MH-25a Battery Charger [for EN-EL15 and EN-EL15a batteries]
MH-26 Battery Charger [for EN-EL16 batteries]
Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod
Hähnel remote shutter release
Manfrotto MMXPROC4 Prime Carbon Fiber XPRO Monopod with 4 Section
Joby GorillaPod Focus Tripod for Professional SLRs and Camcorders with Ballhead X
Elinchrom D-Lite One Kit [two-flash lighting system with stands, soft box and umbrella]
Polaroid Universal Studio Octagon Soft Box Flash Diffuser (18 cm x 18 cm Screen)
Opticron DBA VHD+ 10 x 42 binoculars
SLR Camera Bean Bag
Op/Tech 9001252 Mega Rainsleeve for Camera (Pack of 2) - Clear
Storm Jacket SLR PRO Large - Black
Storm Jacket SLR PRO Small - Black
Lens blower
Various lens cloths
If you’d like to order a framed print of one of my wildlife photographs, please visit the Prints page.
If you’d like to book a lesson or order an online photography course, please visit my Lessons and Courses pages.