Confession: I’m a gear addict. I love watching tech YouTube, I have an entire playlist dedicated to ‘What’s in My Camera Bag’ and EDC videos. All that being said, I don’t actually buy that much gear (although my girlfriend would most certainly disagree). I upgraded my main camera last year to a Nikon Z6, and ever since then, I have struggled to lock down my lens set-up. I originally bought the 16-50mm DX lens with the camera, then temporarily upgraded to the Tamron 17-35mm, to finally end up with the Nikon 14-30mm S lens, and I couldn’t be happier.

I feel like it only makes sense to have a post going into detail about my gear set-up going into the new year, so here it is:

My 2021 Photo Gear Set-Up

Bags:

• Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L*

• Lowepro Backpack (not sure of the model)

• Lowepro Photo Sport BP 300 AW II

Cameras:

• Nikon Z6*

• Nikon D600

• Olympus OM-10*

• Lumix DMC LX5*

• Olympus Superzoom 800*

• GoPro Hero 5

Lenses:

• Nikon 14-30mm f/4 S (Z-mount)*

• Nikon 28mm f/1.8 (F-mount)

• Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 (F-mount)

Others:

• Twod Tech Pouch*

• Joby GorillaPod

• Epson Perfection V500 Film Scanner*

* Picked up in the last 6 months

Street Photography

For street photography, I try to keep it simple, and my goal for 2021 is to FORCE myself to keep it even simpler. I decided to drop my Lowepro backpack for the Peak Design Everyday Sling, a minimal and cool looking bag that easily hangs around my shoulder, and can hold either my main camera + tech pouch or my main camera + a point and shoot. This minimal set up allows me to focus as much as possible on taking the photos without weighing myself down with unnecessary gear.

The contents of this sling vary depending on if I want to shoot digital or film. My standard digital carry will be the Nikon Z6 with the 28mm attached, although recently it has become difficult to ditch the 14-30 native lens which is SOOOO sharp and versatile too. Next to my camera will be my Twod tech pouch. This is the newest addition to my gear, and because I switch bags often depending on what I’m shooting it is already life-changing. I no longer have to move every single battery, SD cards, cords, card readers, etc. etc. etc. between bags every time I want to switch from say a video shoot to street photography.

If I’m shooting film I’ll have my Olympus OM-10, a couple rolls of film, and usually my LX5. I actually could probably carry a spare lens with me if I wanted, but I never really feel the need to switch away from my 28mm. The LX5 serves as a backup if I run out of film, need extra zoom length, or just feel like a photo would look better in digital. Very rarely will I choose to carry the Superzoom for street photography, as the OM-10 is way better and not much bigger.

Lastly, when I shoot street photography I always have my GoPro on me. This year I really want to up my POV Street Photo game on YouTube and that means always being prepared. Even 2 minutes of footage can become an Instagram Reel or a short video on YouTube, and I really want to be pushing that content.

Travel or Hiking

When I’m traveling or hiking, I’ll usually want to carry some extra things with me, though I still try and stay minimal. My bag of choice for travel is the Lowepro Photo Sport bag, which will usually have my Z6 with the 14-30mm attached as well as my 70-200mm in the photo pocket. When I travel, I don’t really care for the size of the OM-10, so I’ll usually bring the Olympus Superzoom and a roll or two depending on the length of the trip. For hiking or trips where I’m outside a lot, I usually have my tech pouch, my first aid kit, and a cleaning kit with me in the bag as well as snacks and a rainjacket in the main compartment. Oh yeah and a GoPro, I always keep it handy in case. I rarely ever bring a tripod out with me on hikes, but I’ll sometimes pack my GorillaPod. As you can see, my goal here is still to simplify as much as possible because the last thing you want when hiking or traveling is to be lugged down by camera gear you might need (but definitely won’t end up using). Only on very long trips (over 2 weeks) will I really consider bringing my D600 as a backup camera.

Event or Video Work

So this is the one case I generally am ok overpacking for because I never want to be on a professional shoot and not have what I need. For this I’ll use my regular Lowepro bag, complete with my Z6, 14-30mm, 70-200, FTZ adaptor, tech pouch, microphone, GoPro, my big tripod, filters, work laptop, and sometimes my D600. I like to keep all of this gear handy so I can always get whatever angle or shot I need, and I always want to get every shot I can when I’m being paid for it. It’s not easy to stand out in the photo/video world, and it’s always good to be as prepared and professional as possible when in front of a client.

My Wish List

There are a few items I would love to pick up over time, not necessarily this year but hopefully soon, those are:

• Ricoh GRII - The ultimate digital point and shoot, would love to upgrade my LX5 to the GR ASAP!

• Nikon 24-200mm Z Lens - This lens would be perfect for me to replace the 70-200 in my travel kit, as I hate how heavy that lens is (if it wasn’t so DAMN good I’d never take it anywhere). Would love to pick this up and only use the 70-200 for work

• Nikon 28mm Z Pancake Lens - Ok this doesn’t technically exist yet, but it is heavily rumored to drop in 2021 and I will most likely pick it up as soon as it drops. A pancake lens would reduce the size of my street photography kit by about 6 inches and make the Z6 much more subtle on the streets

• Olympus XA - I have definitely curbed some of my addiction to point and shoots with the OM-10, but this little guy is one of my dream cameras to put in my street photo line-up. Its size and design, coupled with its sharpness is next to none and I am strongly resisting the impulse to just buy one right now

• WNDRD PRVKE 31 - My next move bag-wise, I would love to replace my normal Lowepro bag (and possibly my Lowepro Sport bag) with this tactile and sensible roll-top from WNDRD. The #1 factor for this shift would be my ASUS laptop, which is 15.6” and doesn’t fit into most camera bags, but this bag also is big enough to make it great for travel and it’s build-quality makes it good enough for hikes, hoping to get this before the end of 2021

• DJI Mavic Mini - I would LOVE a drone to really up my video game this year, and the DJI Mini would be PERFECT. It is small enough to avoid lots of drone regulations, as well as fit in my Peak Design Sling. Will definitely be looking out for this

• Film Development Kit - I’ve been toying with the idea of developing my own film and this year might be the year I give it a shot. I’m loving shooting film more than ever, and I’m also poor and can’t keep paying for development. I already have my scanner so this would be a logical buy.

Soooo yeah, that’s pretty much how I breakdown my gear in any scenario. My goal for this year is to embrace a more minimalistic approach to photography and use limits to push myself creatively, as well as to give my back a break from lugging around camera gear! If you read all of that ^ then you are most certainly a real one.

Thanks!