Whats in the bag

I have always used Nikon gear, right back to the early 1980's when I started taking pictures with an FM and FE. In the 80's and 90's I worked with the F3, F4, F5 in the film era. Into the digital age I started with the D1x in 2001 (just six megapixel). Over the years I have used the D200, D500, D700, D800 etc.

Currently I use the Nikon D810, for yachting and wildlife you usually need long lens's, I like the Nikon 200-500 f5.6 zoom lens as it gives me a range to compose a picture and I like the fore-shorting effect of the longer lens's that make the boats look big and powerful.

Also in the bag is the full range of len's, so my standard kit includes:

2 x Nikon D810 bodies

16mm fisheye

17-35 f2.8mm wide angle zoom

24-70 f2.8 mid range zoom

70-200 f2.8 telephoto zoom

200-500 f5.6 long telephoto zoom

SB800 Flash Gun

I usually carry two bodies to have different lens options on each and also for redundancy when out shooting. My compact camera of choice is the Sony RX100m3, this is a great compact camera that I would thoroughly reccomend. The later model the RX100m7 even has a 24-200 equivalent lens.

The bag I normally use is the Think Tank Airport Essentials, this is about the smallest bag that I can fit the above in plus the 15 inch MacBook Pro laptop.

Perhaps the Nikon D810 is getting a bit old now, launched in 2014, but to me a 36mb sensor gives more than enough pixels and the alternative new D850 costs twice the price. I have tested the 850 and I wasn't convinced the difference was worth the money, and I really dont need 45mp. If you are looking for a new camera I would reccomend to buy second hand on MPB or WEX where you can get an 810 with very low shutter count for less than a £1000.

Last updated 09:17 on 3 August 2021