What’s in my camera bag?
My photography kit journey
When I took up photography a couple of years ago, I started with a Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens and a crop sensor camera (Canon 90D). I thought it was great for a few weeks while familiarising myself with my camera, but I soon started noticing the photos weren’t as sharp as I would have liked. This was due to the lens not the camera.
Soon afterwards, I bought my ‘nifty-fifty’ lens; I found this a game changer. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens gave an increased depth of field with the wider f1.8 aperture which was just what I wanted. It was smaller, lighter and worked better in low-light situations, and the photos I got were sharper.
I was pleased with the results. The fixed focal length made me move around and think more carefully about composition.
Then I bought a second-hand Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. In hindsight, this was quite an unusual step compared to what most photographers do. Only relatively few photographers use such a long telephoto lens, let alone while they are still learning about photography. But I wanted to focus on wildlife, so it was the perfect lens for me.
It wasn’t long afterwards that I sold my 18mm-135mm lens and used a mix of the 50mm and the 100-400mm.
Nearly a year later, I added a Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens and a Canon RF 28mm f2.8 STM pancake lens to my camera bag. I got these lenses second-hand and found them very useful for wider-angle shots of vehicles and landscapes on the crop-sensor camera.
Next, I was asked to take photos for a wedding, so I invested rather a lot of money in a Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L USM lens, which I used in conjunction with a friend’s camera with a 50mm lens.
I’d wanted to jump to full-frame, so I bought a second-hand 6D Mark II at the start of this year.
I planned to keep my 90D for wildlife and use the 6D for landscapes and portraits. That worked up to a point, but I gradually preferred the results I got on the full-frame body, and my interest in wildlife photography waned. I was taking more photos of our child than anything else, which led to my next purchase. I also found that you can only use one camera at any one time (apart from maybe at a wedding) so there is little point in me owning two!
The fantastic and often overlooked Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. When paired with a full-frame camera, this lens gives incredible depth of field and sharpness for portraits.
Then, I’ve sold most of this kit over the last couple of weeks.
I’ve ordered a Canon R6 Mark II with a Mount Adapter EF-EOS R to let me use older EF glass on the new mirrorless camera body.
If the cost of the new R lenses drops in the future, or some become available second-hand at a more affordable price point, I might switch my lenses over.
Why am I moving to mirrorless?
Mainly to take advantage of the vastly improved auto-focusing system and the improved image quality compared to my current kit. The lighter weight and smaller size of the equipment is a nice bonus. Also, I want to take my photography to the next level. I get bored unless I’m learning something new, pushing new boundaries and improving my skills.
What have I learned?
Photography is an expensive hobby.
If you buy good quality kit second-hand, it holds its value well.
Good quality lenses are more important than the camera body that you use.
I prefer the compression you get in photos taken at longer focal lengths.
I prefer full-frame sensors for several reasons. Not least because I can use longer lenses and fit more in while getting more background compression to the foreground. Another reason is the shallower depth of field, giving increased separation between the subject and the background.
What is in my camera bag now?
Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless Camera Body
Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R
Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
Canon EF 85mm F/1.4L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
