Since I’ve been asked hundreds of times I thought that making an article about my gear could be useful
so here it is, it will be just a simple list with a quick description but I think it will answer quickly to a lot of questions:
BODY:
3 X SONY A7III [ILCE-7M3]
what can I say that has not been said about this camera?
I love it, it gives me all the autofocus performance I need for weddings and boxing events (and that’s a hard test), the iso performance are great (I deliver pictures up to 12.800 iso with no issues), it’s lightweight, it has double sd slots (that’s mandatory for me), the files and dynamic range are great.
Right now I would not want any other body for the kind of works I do.
SONY A7II [ILCE-7M2]
That’s an old camera I use for travel or as a double backup if I have some works that will keep me away for days. Not quite a great performer for autofocus and colors but I can still use all my lenses and accessories so it could be useful
FUJIFILM GFX50S
The new entry, a medium format camera that Fujifilm USA gifted me at WPPI in Los Angeles as sign of appreciation of my work, I still need to test it properly but you can find some sample here
CANON 5D MK1 (OR CANON 5D OLD)
An old, big, tough reflex camera from 2005, most of my family pictures are shot with this lovely camera,
that’s the one I enjoy the most since it’s really simple. Shutter, Aperture, ISO, just a few AF point and that’s it. Pure photography. I really love the skintones from that camera and, using AF on central point it’s not even that bad (in AFS, not AFC)
LENSES:
(SONY E-MOUNT)
SONY ZEISS 35MM F1.4 [Distagon T * FE F1.4]
I think this is my most used lens, that’s the one I could be able to shot an entire wedding with no problem, if needed. Sharp, nice color rendition, fast and reliable. I had a sigma 35 1.4 before this but, honestly, this is really a better lens. If you need fast AF in low light Sigma will struggle where this one would still focus.
ZEISS BATIS 85MM F1.8
Maybe my favourite lens to use on the Sony system, I use to shoot a lot backlit and wide open and this lens is allowing me to do that easily and with brilliant performances. Af is very fast and reliable, it has a nice 3d feel when shot wide open and I really like this lens for my portraits.
Being so sharp even wide open this was a problem when shooting some studio portraits to female models since it shows too much details on the skin, I switched to a Tamron 28-75 2.8 and to a Sony 70-200 2.8 since they are a little bit softer when you close to F8.
SONY 28MM F2 [SONY SEL28F20]
I know that lots of people hate this lens but it does the job, it’s cheap, it’s lightweight, af is fast and it’s a fast prime so it has everything I need when the I need to go wider than 35mm and I also need to have a fast aperture. I use this mostly for first dance and party shots but sometimes I use it when I can’t use a 35mm (small rooms at city halls i.e.) and honestly I can’t complain about it since it’s more than enough for me to provide a professional pictures if you know how to use it.
SONY ZEISS 55MM F1.8 [SONY FE 55MM F1.8 ZA SONNAR]
A lens that I use when I have to be lightweight or when 85mm would be too much, I like the results I get with this lens but that’s not my favourite focal lenght.
SONY 70-200MM F2.8 GM OSS [SEL70200GM]
An expensive but high quality tele lens, I do not use it at weddings since it’s quite heavy but I like it for my studio works.
Very sharp and very nice colors, great stabilization and customizable buttons on the barrel.
TAMRON 28-74 F 2.8 [TAMRON 28-75MM F/2.8 Di III RXD]
I love this lens that I use for boxing events when I work ringside, it’s fast, it’s very light, it’s cheap and it’s a 2.8 with a good sharpness even wide open. If you don’t need 24mm I think this is the best zoom on Sony about price/quality ratio. Many colleagues complain about being fully plastic but it helps me when I am shooting very long events since it keeps everything very light.
SAMYANG 14MM 2.8
A lens I use for about 10-15 pictures any wedding since I do not love extra wide lens but I use it to add something different to my works, when possibile. It’s nice to be used during party shots.
SAMYANG 35MM F2.8
A lens that I use for travel, a pancake lens you won’t regret taking with you on a trip.
CANON 50MM F 1.8
My cheapest lens, used on my old 5fmk1 but I must admit I like it even if it’s all plastic, the flare you get is something that I would have not imagined from such a cheap lens (under 100 eur)
FUJIFILM GFX 50MM F3.5 LM WR
A compact (for a medium format) lens, quite lightweight and with a great image quality.
Impressive results but you have to consider that it’s f3.5, you might need something faster,
anyway I still need to test it on a proper shooting.
LIGHTING EQUIPMENT
FLASHES:
GODOX V1, GODOX TT865 AND GODOX TT350
I really like Godox flash system so I am using just their products right now,
these are the flashes I would bring with my in case I need them (I use them rarely for weddings) and they are really great ones if you consider the price point. V1 is my main choice since I feel it has the best TTL and has great power output and battery life. Sometimes I use it also as fill or hair – rim light on studio session.
I use a Kobra Flash Modifier to shape the light in my own way.
STUDIO EQUIPMENT:
GODOX AD 600BN
a great flash, battery powered with an output of 600W and a great battery life.
Not lightweight but I used a lot for commercial and portait shootings, that’s my main light
GODOX AD 200
small, powerful and with a long battery life, I used it as my fill in studio photoshoots but I also use it as main if I am not shooting at noon outdoor. I strongly suggest it if you need to start investing in a godox system.
GODOX 300W
an old studio light that I use for rim or hair light
LED LIGHTS:
YONGNUO SL 150W
my new studio led light with bowens mount, I still have to test it since here in Italy we are all quarantined due to that damned Corona Virus but it looks promising
NEEWER 660 L
a powerful led panel that I use at weddings for the cake and dance shots, not invisible of course but at least flat and with good output
YONGNUO YN-216
A round and powerful led light that I use at weddings, very powerful, small and you can use it handheld for dance shots.
A NOT SPECIFIED CHINESE BRAND VERY SMALL AND LIGHT LED LIGHT
well.. that’s what I wrote, I use it sometimes to backlit the couple and it’s handy.
I paid it about 12 eur and it fits in your pockets easily
That’s pretty much it, I have also other cameras and lenses but I used them rarely so I won’t bother you about it!
A brief summary:
Weddings:
A7III – sony 35 1.4 – zeiss 85 1.8
Boxing events:
A7III – Tamron 28-75 2.8
Studio portraits
A7III – Tamron 28-75 2.8 – Sony 70-200 2.8
stay safe people, stay home.
