Work in Progress…
Bodies
| Camera | Sensor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Canon R | Full Frame | RF to EF Adapter |
| Canon 5D Mark II | Full Frame | w/ Magic Lantern |
| Olympus E-PL6 | Micro Four Thirds | Backup & street camera |
| Canon Rebel XTi / 400D | APS-C | Used from 2006-2015 |
I’ve got old stuff! Sure, new stuff may be cooler, though you can still get great quality images with old equipment. Especially from the 5D Mark II. The quality is still great and 21.1 megapixels is far more than most people need. Unless you’re printing something the size of a building. I did mannage to snag a second hand EOS R in March of 2019 for much cheaper that retail, so now I have some up to date gear.
Lenses
| Full Frame | Micro Four Thirds | APS-C |
|---|---|---|
| Canon 14-40mm f/4 L | Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 | Canon 55-250mm |
| Canon 24-70mm f/4 L | Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 | |
| Canon 70-200mm f/4 L | Panasonic 14-42 | |
| Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM | ||
| Sigma 600mm f/8 Mirror |
I’ve slowly added to my lenses over time. The first Canon L lens I got was the 12-40mm. Second I added the 70-200mm, then recently got a 24-70mm.
Why the hell do I have a 600mm mirror/reflex lens? Mostly for astrophotography, though living in Hong Kong hasn’t been the best place to give it a try. Still haven’t given it a good use yet.
I have my APS-C lens listed since I still keep it, though my sister in law currently has all my APS-C gear back in the US. I don’t want to part with it, mostly because it was a birthday present from my Dad in 2006. That’s the first camera I really started to push myself in photography.
Misc
| Filters | Adapters | Mono/Tripod | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77mm Hoya Polarizer | Kipon AF EF-M43 | Sirui Tripod | Panasonic FL360 Flash |
| 77mm Hoya No. 8 ND Filter | 67mm-77mm Step Ring | Manfroto Element | Olympus VF-4 (EVF) |
| 58mm Hoya Polarizer | 52mm-58mm Step Ring | Cheap Monopod | USB Battery Chargers |
| 46mm Polarizer | Rode Mic | ||
| Lavalier Mic |
I like to keep a small set of filters that can be used on all my lenses. So, I get adapters for each one. Since I use Canon lenses and some Panasonic lenses I have gone with 77mm and 58mm respectively.
Another way to reuse items for lower backpack loads, is using my Canon lenses on my Micro Four Thirds Olympus. For that I got the Kipon adapter, which does well except for my 17-40mm Canon lens. It just freaks out. I only use thta in manual mode. Other than that my other lenses focus well.
The Manfroto Element tripod is very sturdy, though a bit on the heavy side. But, that’s the trade-off if you want steady shots.
I picked up the electronic viewfinder for my E-PL6, and so far I’ve been pretty happy. I makes the small camera much more usable with its large display.
What I Pack
When I head out on a day trip, I try to keep things light. I usually only take 2 of my Canon lenses and my M43 kit. The black bag is all my M43 gear. The tan bag is my 5D Mark II with extra battery, Compact Flash cards, USB charger and USB cable. The grey things are my Canon lenses in thick grey socks. Yep, socks. I do this for a combination of protection and looking low-key (as possible). The little red pouch has all the audio stuff.
If I head out on a longer trip I’ll take more of my gear, though will pack inside my Pelican Storm Case im2500.
Old Gear
| Item | Why it’s Gone |
|---|---|
| Canon Rebel T2i / 550D | Backpacking: Size vs quality over XTi wasn’t enough to justify. Replaced with Olympus EPL-3 which, in my opinion, was comparable to the T2i in a smaller package. |
| Olympus E-PL3 | Upgraded to E-PL6. Camera did well as replacement for T2i/550D, though just upgraded to get a little better resolution. Some nice improvements and features on E-PL6 over E-PL3. |
| Panasonic GX8 | Great camera! I really liked the GX8 overall but for me Panasonic colors just can’t compete with Canon colors. After I got the Canon EOS R the size was comparable to the GX8 so I sold it. |
| Panasonic GX85 | Good camera but I was honestly disappointed. I feel the GX7 was a better form. Only improvement was 4K video. I installed Magic Lantern on my 5D Mark II which gave 4K abilities, although limited, so no longer needed. From reviews is looks like GX9 is an upgraded GX85/GX80 vs the GX8. |
| Panasonic 35-100 f/3.5-5.6 Compact | Very good lens. More minimalism here to limit to using my Canon lenses over M43 for better quality. |
| Olympus 15mm f/8 Body Cap | Not suprizing, though this lens is junk. Originally purchased cheap as a quick pocket lens for my Olympus EPL3. |