I’m not a big gear head. A camera is a tool that I use to get the job done and they almost never affect the final image. Often my equipment is capable of far more than I use it for. But there isn’t an option to get rid of all fad stuff but still keep the speed, resolution, sensor quality and weather sealing I need as a travel photographer. Anyway, this is a comprehensive list of what is in a Nikon photographers camera kit on any given shoot.
Table of Contents
Bags
- Think Tank airport international – I use this to carry all my fragile equipment as a carry-on. It’s really well made, rugged and fits all my essential gear. I can also roll it which is a major bonus. Unless I am shooting a commercial job this will usually stay in the hotel.
- Lowpro Protactic BP 450 AW II is my field bag. This will generally be checked in on flights with none breakable equipment and general stuff I may need. Once on location, this will carry all the cameras, lenses, filters etc I need for the day.
Camera bodies
- 2 x Nikon D850 – I still use my Nikon D850 as my primary camera. But this could all change as I get more familiar shooting with the Z7
- Nikon Z7 mirrorless
Glass
- Nikon 17-35mm f2.8
- Nikon 16-35mm f4 VR
- Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 – This is my walk-around lens.
- Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 S
- Nikon 70-200mm f4
- Nikon 35mm f1.4
- Nikon 50mm f1.4
- Nikon 85mm f1.4
Filming
- Nikon Z7
- Sony A7iii
Drones
- DJI Mavic Pro 2 – I loved the Mavic 1 but the additional quality of the sensor and lens in the 2 make this drone far more useful in producing hi-res images
Tripods
- Manfrotto MT055CXPRO4 with ball head – I love everything about this tripod. Very sturdy but extremely lightweight.
- Joby Gorilla Pod
Filters
- Lee 100 filter holder
- Lee ND Grad filters – 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 medium and soft filters. There are not many landscape shots that don’t have one of these filters on the front of the lens.
- Lee little stopper
- Lee Big stopper
- Lee Landscape polarizer
- B+W UV filters
Editing
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Photoshop
Accessories
- Photo Pills app
- Lens cleaning cloths
- L Bracket for portrait orientation on my tripod
- Peak Design shoulder strap
- Peak Design wrist strap
- A piece of cardboard about the size of an A4 piece of paper to block sun flair
There you have it, that’s what’s in a Nikon photographers camera kit.
Jordan Banks is a successful travel photographer with almost 20 years of experience shooting assignments and campaigns for some of the world’s leading brands and companies. If you would like to learn more, why not join one of his London Photography Workshops.
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