My Camera Gear
I spend more than 200 days per year out shooting. Most of these are in Iceland and I don’t sit inside just because it’s a rainy day. Needless to say, my camera gear is being used a lot and has to always work. There’s no time for malfunctioning gear, I constantly have a new project coming up.
On top of that camera gear is expensive. The last camera I bought was a Canon 1dx Mark II. It cost me $7000 brand new. After having it only a few months I one day went to the diamond beach in Iceland. It’s a beautiful beach where icebergs from the nearby glacier of Vatnajökull frequently wash up on the shores. Standing close to the water I tried to capture an amazing pink sunset through a hole in one of the icebergs. Fully focused on the shot I didn’t notice the wave coming in and splashed through the hole I was filming. Both myself and the camera got soaking wet. Sadly the camera never recovered so there was only one thing to do, buy another one.
That 1dx has been with me now for 2 years and worked great. Hundreds of days of shooting has definitely taken its toll on it but it still works great. However the standard of cameras has improved significantly so I felt it was time for an upgrade. The Canon R5 just looked too tempting.
This time, instead of buying a new camera myself, I turned to Wedio. This Denmark based startup offer long term rental off just about any camera equipment you can imagine. I have shot on camera gear rented from Wedio for the last 6 months and it has been so easy. Their cameras are fully insured so I never have to worry about them. In addition to that they also have an amazing stock of extra gear so whenever I need extra lighting or special lens for a shoot I turn to them for backup.
Financially Wedio is a great way to have the best camera equipment possible without having to pay the full price. I daily walk around with $20k worth of camera gear in my backpack so it’s a lot of money for a starting photographer.
On top of that Wedio also works as a marketplace for renting your gear out to local photographers around you. I have never used it because I need by gear on a daily basis. But if you have some days you know you wont need it they offer the possibility to rent it out and make cash back. The beauty of it is that the short term rentals are priced higher than your long term so you have the possibility to make all your money back and essentially have a camera for free.
When it comes to choosing a camera I have always been a Canon girl. In my opinion they make the best cameras. I especially like the colours you get with them and it fits my editing style the best.
Their flagship model used to be the 1dx, it’s a beast built to handle any condition. It’s a big piece that can feel a bit heavy, but on the other hand it’s possible to operate it in Icelandic winter wearing warm winter gloves. The large buttons has saved me from freezing my fingers off many times. Being able to operate it with gloves on is so important.
It is also the perfect sports and wildlife camera. If I go ski touring this is the one that comes with me and also every time I shoot wild life. I don’t know exactly what it is but it’s something so easy about its UX and always getting shots in focus, no matter how fast the subject moves. It’s a dream to shoot with. It also has a battery life like no other camera, it can last for days at a time without recharging!
Recently however I also got the R5 from Wedio. I had been looking at it for a while and was really intrigued by its size but also performance. Continuous shooting in RAW and 20fps is insane. It is also fantastic to film with and can do up to 8k. Since I got this one my filming has really improved and I’m getting more film projects than ever.
In terms of lenses I shoot on the following:
- Canon 16-35 f2.8
- Canon 24-70mm f2.8
- Canon 70-200 f2.8
- Canon 50mm f1.4
- Sigma 24mm f1.4
- Canon 2x extender
It’s a lot of gear but I find myself using all of it. The 2x extender is one of my favourite investments and should be a given for most photographers. It cost about $400 and turns my 200mm lens into a 400mm. That’s an extremely cheap way to get an amazing tele lens, buying a 400mm would cost at least 10x as much and takes up even more space in the camera bag. I have used it so much when shooting whales and puffins.
On top of that I can also highly recommend getting ND filters for filming. It makes the shots look way more cinematic and professional. The rule of thumb is to have shutter speed twice the frame rate. Most of the time I shoot in 50fps which means that I need a shutter of 1/100. In order to keep a low f and get a soft shot, an ND filter is essential.
For NDs there’s two ways to go, either variable or fixed. I went for the PolarPro VND by Peter McKinnon. Some say the variability lowers the quality which might be true but in my experience the useability way outweighs that. To be able to just spin the filter and get the perfect exposure is perfect for the type of on the go shooting that I do. Always out, always ready to capture.
So now you know a little about me and my gear. If you are just getting into photography, I highly recommend checking out Wedio for gear. Try out some options to find what suits you and then rent what you need.
