Photo by Nikon
stuff
I seldom make an impetuous purchase. Here are items I’ve researched, bought and used.
I’ll sometimes link to the research and sometimes write up my thoughts and experience.
There will sometimes be affiliate links to the items on Amazon or other stores and if you purchase via those links, I will earn a small affiliate commission.
Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports
The Sigma 60-600mm has an incredible focal range and great stabilisation making it ideal for wildlife photography.
Nikon D850 DSLR camera body
The D850 has been rated as arguably the best DSLR ever made. Now overtaken by mirrorless cameras like the Z9, the D850 is still an incredible camera and offers huge value if you are still committed to the Nikon F-mount lens ecosystem.
Arturia KeyLab 88 Essential 88-Key MIDI Controller
I went for the Keylab 88 to give me access to a full size keyboard with velocity sensitive keys and controls that give it the feel of a digital workstation.
Unsurpisingly, there is also a wishlist of things I am actively researching and would like to own one day. Here are some of those highlights.
Nikon Z 9 FX-Format Mirrorless Camera Body
The Nikon Z 9 has shaken things up after the demise of Nikon had been widely predicted – mainly due to its incredible performance as a 8K RAW video shooter.
Everything I read tells me that Nikon is still catching up on eye AF and focus tracking despite recent firmware updates. Watching closely.Â
NIKON NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens
The Nikkor Z primes appear to really be driving next level performance. The 85mm f/1.8 S appears to offer incredible performance at a good price. It is the top rated lens behind the ridiculous Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct and scores even higher for sharpness.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Nikon F
Still the second highest rated lens on DxOMark, the Sigma 85mm surely is a benchmark lens for portrait photography.
Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f/1.4 SL II S AI-S Lens
One of the Angry Photographer’s (Ken Wheeler) chosen top lens.
Godox AD200 Pro Flash kit
Chosen by Sean Tucker, I really like the versatility and portability of the AD200 system (also marketed under the eVOLV brand name as per the Amazon link.).
MEIKE N-AF1-A Macro Electronic Mount Auto Focus Macro Metal Extension Tube Adapter
I first used macro extension tubes on an SLR camera at school. It was like magic – adding some tubes to completely change focal length and open up the macro world.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
It is difficult to go against the ratings and reviews for this lens as the premium option for Nikon F wide angle and astro-photography in particular. It is wide and fairly fast for a wide angle.
Rhino Arc II 4 Axis Robotic Camera Assistant
There appear to be very few reliable camera tracking options available. The Rhino Arc seems to be the best of them that will also support a heavier payload.
Atomos Shogun 7, 7" HDR Pro/Cinema Monitor-Recorder-Switcher
Atomos products stand out as in-field camera-HDMI out recorders. Their typical use case is to support recording EVF output for instructional / creator style videos, however, they have additional use in large in-field display and relieving recording load on the camera.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ Android Tablet
I have 3 predominant use cases for a tablet – photo previewing and on-the-fly editing in the field, sharing of business presentations among a few people in a meeting setting (colour printing replacement), and portable working (note taking, remote access, etc). That makes large format critical and together with support for my Android app ecosystem.Â
Behringer X32 Digital Mixer
There are very very few digital mixers / control surfaces with motorized faders at anything close to an affordable price.
This outweighs any of my truly non-existent need, but certainly stands out for what it is.
Zoom F8n Professional Field Recorder/Mixer
This is up there with the Behringer as being beyond my non-existent need, but again stands out as leading the field in what is is – a portable multitrack recorder and mixer.
Zoom H4N PRO Digital Multitrack Recorder
The Zoom portable recorder stands out for functionality and usefulness as an on-the-go recorder – especially for recording sound while shooting wildlife video.