It is hard to think it is already February of 2022. It seems like Christmas and New Year were just last week. Since it is still the start of a new year, I wanted to review what gear is in my bag for 2022. My gear changes based on the subject of my work. This change can be dramatic, from a large backpack to fit my big wildlife lenses to a pelican case with underwater housing to a small shoulder messenger bag with just a few manual focus lenses. This is my gear starting in 2022.

Wildlife Photography

From photographing elephants in Africa to Snow Geese in Washington, this gear goes in my bag for capturing wildlife. Images captured with the kit below can be found here.

Sony a1 (Amazon | Adorama) - This is the body that never really leaves my bag. I have been using the a1 for the past year, and it has been the camera I reach for in every situation. For wildlife, there are three main reasons I chose the a1. The autofocus system is the best in class. The ability to shoot at 30fps in RAW. This means I never miss the opportunity for the right image. Finally, the ability to shoot in silent mode without any rolling shutter. The last one is crucial for skittish wildlife. I’m trying not to interrupt their lives; this camera helps me minimize that impact.

Sony a7RIV (Amazon | Adorama) - With the arrival of the a1, my trusty a7RIV is run as my second camera in wildlife scenarios. I often attach a wider zoom lens to this body and use it to capture landscape shots to show the wildlife in their environment. With 61 megapixels, there is room to crop, and the images it creates are excellent.

Sony 200-600 G (Amazon | Adorama) - This is my go-to lens for wildlife. It spends most of its time at 600mm, but the zoom can be very helpful. I have found it to be a great lens, especially when paired with the a1. Most of the wildlife images taken in Kenya were with this lens.

Sony 1.4x TC (Amazon | Adorama) - This is essential to my wildlife kit. While there is much to be said for improving your fieldcraft to approach wildlife and photograph them, there are some times when you simply can’t. Either you are confined to a vehicle or by a barrier. Sometimes, even at 600mm, a small bird can find it hard to fill the frame. The challenge with the TC on the Sony 200-600 is that at 840mm, the lens is at f9.

Sigma 24-70 Art (Amazon | Adorama) - This is usually what I have attached to my a7RIV to cover anything that may be very close or when I want a wildlife landscape image. I own the Sony 24-70 GM but find that this performs on par with that lens and is significantly cheaper. Anyone would be happy with this lens on their camera.

Sony 16-35 GM (Amazon | Adorama) - I always bring this lens with me, but the number of wildlife images I have taken with it can be counted on one hand. That is not a knock on the lens; I don’t want to be that close to the wildlife. I can envision images of dung beetles rolling a ball with the environment behind which I would love to use this lens, but I have yet to have the opportunity.

Sony Vertical Grip VG-C4EM (Amazon | Adorama) - This grip allows me to put two batteries in the camera and gives me a more stable “grip” when shooting in portrait orientation.

f-stop Tilopa (Amazon | Adorama) - I don’t know a photographer who does not have a closet full of camera bags. This is the case for me, too, but I think I will be with the Tilopa for quite some time. I can easily fit my gripped a1 with the 200-600 mounted with all the other gear mentioned in the Pro XL ICU. The bag is comfortable for long hours on the trail.

ProMediaGear TR344L Tripod (Amazon | Adorama) - This is a new addition to my kit for 2022, and in the short time I have had it, I have been impressed. The tripod is tall, 71 inches (180cm), and does not utilize a center column. This gives me a ton of flexibility when shooting wildlife, and I plan to do a full review on this tripod soon.

ProMediaGear BH1 Ball Head (Amazon | Adorama) - This ball head has a unique design that allows for some interesting angles and articulation when setting up a composition.

ProMediaGear GT1 Gimbal (Amazon | Adorama) - I often travel and shoot landscapes and wildlife. I currently am running the GT1, aka “The Tomahawk” gimbal. This gimbal is designed to take advantage of the panning function in your current ball head and allow a side-mount gimbal for your longer lenses. I can also use this in conjunction with a monopod. Again, look for a review upcoming in the blog.

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography may mean taking a photograph from a viewpoint on the side of the road or it may mean backpacking 15 miles into the wilderness to be on location for sunrise; in either scenario, this is the kit I am using in 2021. Images taken with the kit below can be found here.

Sony a1 (Amazon | Adorama) - As I mentioned in the wildlife section above, the Sony a1 has been my go-to camera for all of my photography. While the a7RIV has its beat in megapixels, I find the difference negligible. If I am traveling to do a landscape shoot, i.e., weight is not an issue, I will also bring my a7RIV as a backup or if I want to run two cameras for some reason.

Sony 100-400 GM (Amazon | Adorama) - This lens differs from the standard “Holy Trinity” telephoto zoom. I use this lens to capture more intimate scenes in a landscape. I also use it for some panoramas of really epic scenes.

Sigma 24-70 Art (Amazon | Adorama) - This is not the first 24-70 FE lens I have owned, but I find it great. I had the Sony 24-70 GM, but I would be hard-pressed to tell the difference in image quality. I have been pleased with the images it has produced, including the image on the header of this section.

Sony 24mm GM (Amazon | Adorama) - This lens is not always in my bag. At f/1.4, it is my go-to lens for astrophotography. I purchased this lens long before Sony released the 14mm/f1.8, and since astrophotography has not been a major focus of my work, it will remain my go-to lens after sunset.

Sony 16-35 GM (Amazon | Adorama) - I find this my go-to lens around waterfalls or in the old-growth forests that dominate the landscape near where I live. The perspective distortion at 16mm helps create compositions with compelling foreground elements.

ProMediaGear TR344L Tripod (Amazon | Adorama) - This is a new addition to my kit for 2022, and in the short time I have had it, I have been impressed. The tripod is tall, 71 inches (180cm), and does not utilize a center column. This gives me a ton of flexibility when shooting landscapes, and I plan to do a full review on this tripod soon, but a killer feature for this tripod is that it has tripod spikes integrated into the feet of the tripod.

ProMediaGear BH1 Ball Head (Amazon | Adorama) - This ball head has a unique design that allows for some interesting angles and articulation when setting up a composition.

Underwater Photography

I’ve been SCUBA diving for over 20 years, and below is the equipment I use to capture images underwater. While I have links to some of these items, if you are interested in underwater housing, I encourage you to contact the team at Bluewater Photo to get set up with all the gear you need for your rig. Images taken with the kit below can be found here.

Sony a1 (Amazon | Adorama) - With great low-light performance and fast strobe sync, this camera is fantastic for underwater photography.

Sony 90mm G Macro (Amazon | Adorama) - I have written past articles about my love for nudibranchs; this is the perfect lens to photograph them.

Sony 16-35 GM (Amazon | Adorama) - This is a great underwater lens, and whenever I encounter large animals underwater, this is what I want on my camera.

Ikelite 200DL Housing - When searching for new housing for my Sony a1, this was one of the few on the market. So far, I have been pleased with the use. When combined with the dome port, the air volume makes the housing positively buoyant, so adding weight will be necessary.

Ikelite DL 8in Dome Port (Amazon | Adorama) - This is the port I use with my 16-35mm Lens. It requires a zoom gear and extension tubes.

Ikelite DL Macro Port - This is the port I use with the 90mm G Macro lens. It requires extension tubes.

Sea & Sea YS-D3 Strobe (Amazon | Adorama) - I use a pair of these strobes with my underwater housing.

Pelican Air 1605 (Amazon | Adorama) - This case is used for my housing, ports, and strobes. When I travel with my underwater housing, this gets locked into a non-descript duffel. I then check this duffel. I carry all of my lenses and cameras in my carry-on.

Travel Photography

When traveling, I often want to be light and blend in. I don’t want my big lenses and bag that screams “expensive stuff in here.” I can take incredible images and remain discreet with the minimalist kit below. You can see some of my travel images here.

Sony a1 (Amazon | Adorama) - As I’ve mentioned in every section before this, The a1 is my go-to camera. When I’m traveling, I don’t use a battery grip, and when paired with the small lenses below, it is really easy to slip in a small bag and take everywhere. I also love that I can turn on the e-shutter, which doesn’t make a sound when shooting.

Voigtlander 50mm f2 APO (Amazon | Adorama) - This is a new lens addition to my bag. It surpassed the Sony 55/f1.8 as the sharpest lens I own. It is also the lens I find the most joy in shooting. While there is nothing as thrilling as shooting wildlife, this lens is a different kind of fun. Since it is manual focus, it makes me slow down and think about the image I’m taking.

Sony 24mm GM (Amazon | Adorama) - This small lens is what I use for astrophotography. At 1.4, it is the fastest lens I own and crazy sharp, wide open. It is a lot of fun to shoot and weigh next to nothing.

Voigtlander 15mm 4.5 Super Wide Heliar E (Amazon | Adorama) This super wide-angle manual focus lens is a blast to use, and with such a small footprint, it often finds its way into my shoulder bag when I am trying to get out with the lightest gear I can.

3-Legged Thing Bucky (Amazon | Adorama) - I love the team at 3-Legged Thing. When I first started my photography, I had one of their small punks range of tripods. I still have it today. It packs down to almost nothing and is super versatile. You can unscrew the legs and make it a monopod or a tabletop tripod. If you are looking for something to travel with that is small and light, this is what you want.

Billingham Hadley One (Amazon ) - This sleek little bag is my go-to for walking around the city. It is non-descript and doesn’t scream “expensive camera gear in here.” It looks like a messenger bag you would take to the office. It also serves that function well. If I am going on a business trip or a non-photography trip, I take this with my lightweight kit.