Confessions of a Photo-Tech Geek

6/1/2018

The latest from my recent trip to New Zealand.

Okay, I'll come clean.
Not only do I love the creative aspects of capturing compelling images that move those who see them (including myself!), but I could be suffering from an addiction to the ever-evolving world of photographic technology.

If that's a crime...guilty as charged.

Just recently--after working almost exclusively with a full range of Canon gear--I've jumped in with both feet and am now firmly planted in the Sony camp.

I now shoot almost exclusively with the new Sony A7Riii, with an A9 riding sidecar. One of the great advantages for me, because I carry all my own gear and often haul it across challenging terrain, is that they share a single charger and save some precious weight.

Sony responded to considerable professional input from the field, and now they've solved all the problems the A7Rii had with a new battery system that lasts most of a day read and writes fast.

I use the A7Riii almost exclusively for landscapes and portraits, taking full advantage of its 42 megapixel capability to get insane resolutions that allow me to enlarge images without losing any quality.

The A9 is my action camera, capable of shooting 20 fps, nearly fast enough to record a movie with sound! With that, I'm using a 16mm wide angle with a converter to take it to 12mm. Mid range is 24-105 f4 lens or a 24-70. I also use a 55 1.4 portrait lens and for telephoto work it's a 100-400 f4 with a 1.4 multiplier.

With all of that weaponry, I can travel light with a vest or small backpack and can shoot from 12 to 560. And I just threw in a new RRS carbon fiber tripod of the same size and weight as my old traveler, but much more stable in wind (which seems to be everywhere on the planet!). Topping it all off is a new Arca Swiss head which is bit heavier but more precise than my old one.

If all of this makes me a "photo-geek"...well, I've been called worse things!