I am often asked what gear I use for my photography and this has prompted me to write this article for internet visitors who are similarly curious.

Camera choice is really a personal thing, and what suits one photographer might not find favour with another. I have been using Nikon's for over 30 years - they feel right in my hand and there is always a consistent, simple and logical layout to the controls. I also like the fact that Nikon have kept essentially the same F mount since its introduction, - this allows me to use my old Nikkor 55mm f2.8 Macro lens (from the 1970's) on my current digital Nikon with no real problems at all.

Although I still retain two film Nikons, (an FM and an F90X), I only shoot digitally now, using mostly a D700 (full frame), and a D200, (my very first digital SLR).  I turm to the D200 for its lightness, portability, or for the extra 'reach' it gives me with telephoto lenses, (because of the cropped sensor it possesses). It's a useful back-up camera too, and uses the same sort of battery, memory cards, and cable release as the D700. With the D200 I use an 18-70 Nikkor which seems to be optically excellent.

 

Lenses

Originally I used to only use prime lenses, but I have now adopted zooms almost entirely. The normal lens on my D700 is the current 24-70 f2.8 Nikkor. For longer shots I use the latest Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII. A very recent acquisition allows me to shoot even wider shots - a 17-35mm f2.8 Nikkor.

Macro or close up work will always keep me busy so I have the luxury of two Micro Nikkors, the aforementioned manual focus 55mm f2.8, and a 105 f2.8 Nikkor.

 

The only non Nikon lens I own is an elderly Sigma 70-300 APO, which is used when I need to close in on things I can't reach with the 70-200.

Flash card memory is not something I will economise upon. I always use Sandisk products and have found them to be utterly reliable and dependable. I never use cards bigger than 4GB though, simply because I don't want to risk losing loads of valuable shots should the card fail, or I lose it.

"The sharpest lens you'll ever own is called a tripod"

An essential tool for much of my photography is a tripod, and I regularly use a Giottos MTL8361B (carbon fibre). When I'm working on a beach however I generally use a Benbo Mk.1, simply because it's so robust, and can be used in sand or salt water without ingressing grit and salt into the legs.

 

A good head!

I have found that very little thought seems to be given to the head that photographers fit on their tripods. It is important for a head to be sturdy, quick, and easy to use. For more years than I care to remember I have always employed a Manfrotto 222 grip head. There is just one control, a grip that you squeeze which, when released, locks the head solidly.  It has a quick release shoe on top which means the camera can be fitted easily onto the tripod, but allows for a spontaneous hand held shot too.  I use this head on both of my tripods. Highly recommended. 

Note - Manfrotto have introduced several different versions of this head design over the years, and all are good. I still use the original.

 

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