Camera gear; a journey

I often get asked what gear I use to produce my images. The latest list is at the bottom of this page.

We are very fortunate in Australia to have an incredible range of ecosystems, from beach to desert to rainforest, that some 850+ different species of birds call home. I really enjoy capturing a variety of interesting images of our Australian birdlife, from close-up portraits that depict a bird’s personality to wider compositions that provide a glimpse into their natural environments. Different shooting styles require different equipment.

I take a lot of pride in producing images that are of the highest quality. That requires time, patience, excellent fieldcraft and of course quality, durable photographic equipment.

EARLY DAYS

In the early 2000s, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 superzoom bridge camera was my introduction to digital photography. In 2010, I dabbled with the Olympus micro four-thirds system. The premise for the purchase was simple enough: a 2x crop factor sensor with similar reach of the large Canon and Nikon prime offerings, at a considerably lower price.

I bought an Olympus E620 and a 70-300mm f4-5.6 Zuiko ED lens initially, my first interchangeable lens camera, then some 12 months later upgraded to an Olympus E30, but I was consistently left wanting in terms of image quality. I did, however, produce a couple of nice images as I was learning to use digital cameras, including one of my very favourite Gang-gang Cockatoo portraits.

Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum)

Olympus E620 & 70-300mm f4-5.6 Zuiko ED lens

INTRODUCTION TO CANON

As my interest in bird photography increased, I knew I needed the reach of the larger prime lenses if I wanted to produce the kind of images I was interested in. Canon and Nikon dominated this segment at the time, and most of the bird photographers I admired were shooting with Canon gear, so in mid-2011 I bought a Canon EOS 7D paired with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens. It was with this combination that I learned the Canon system & started to learn how to properly use a DSLR. I was determined to save enough money to pick up a second-hand prime telephoto lens, but over the next few years photography took a bit of a back seat to “life” and those prime lenses were out of reach.

FULL FRAME & MY FIRST ‘BIG WHITE’

I picked up my first full-frame camera in 2015, a second-hand Canon EOS 5D Mark III, and I was blown away by the image quality this camera produced - it was a significant improvement over my trusty 7D. A change in my personal circumstances saw me delve back into the passion I had been sorely missing over the previous few years. In 2016 I finally bought a second-hand copy of the amazing Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, followed by a second-hand Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens and a second-hand Canon EOS 1D X camera. I was set! It was from this point that my love of bird photography really took flight!

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)

Canon EOS 1D X & Canon EF 300mm f2.8L IS USM lens

F&P, BOWRA & MANUAL MODE

By 2017 I was spending most of my free time in the pursuit of photographing birds across Victoria (my home state). And I was starting to get that itch to venture out of the state and see some of the incredibly diverse birdlife that the rest of the country had to offer. I had been a member of the once very active (sadly now defunct) Feathers&Photos forums for several years, where I had followed, admired & learned from some of Australia’s best bird photographers. This forum not only introduced me to some incredibly talented like-minded people, but also plenty of different species from around the country and lots of unique locations to find them. It was through these forums I planned my first interstate trip with my wonderful friend Chris to one of Australia’s most renowned birdlife locations - Bowra Sanctuary in south-west Queensland.

Entrance to Bowra Sanctuary

In preparation for the Bowra trip, I decided to go all out and purchase a brand new Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens. When it comes to bird photography, especially for many skittish species, reach is king, and I wanted to give myself the best opportunity to photograph some of the rarer species at Bowra. We spent 8 nights at Bowra, and although it was incredibly hot and dry, limiting bird numbers, I was thrilled to photographic some of the beautiful species I’d dreamed of photographing for several years, such as Pink Cockatoos and Bourke’s Parrot!

One benefit of travelling on bird photography trips with others is spending quality time with friends who share the same passion. Over the course of the trip, I picked up so many hints and tips from my companions, including experimenting with shooting in full manual mode. By the end of the trip, I was converted to using nothing but manual mode and I finally felt like I had control over my equipment.

THE MOVE TO MIRRORLESS

Over the next couple of years I shot with Canon’s top of the line 1D X series, upgrading to a Canon EOS 1D X II in December of 2018. I loved the durability of the 1D series bodies, they are built like a tank. The fantastic image quality, blazing fast autofocus and high shutters speeds were essential for producing quality bird images. There were a couple of drawbacks using these cameras for birds though: the megapixel counts (18.1 & 20.2 respectively) sometimes limited cropability, and the incredibly loud mechanical shutter (even on ‘silent mode’), would often scare off skittish birds, which was very frustrating. Manually controlling the autofocus point also resulted in many missed opportunities.

During the Covid outbreak of 2020, Canon released the mirrorless EOS R5. Given the lockdown restrictions we faced (particularly in Melbourne, Victoria), I focused my attention on consuming everything I could about this newer camera technology that promised so much. With a 45 megapixel full-frame sensor, Animal Eye autofocus tracking capabilities, electronic viewfinder with exposure simulation, a true silent electronic shutter and an articulating screen, the specs sounded incredible. So excited by the potential, I bought a new R5 as soon as stock was available in Australia, which was quite a challenge given the supply chain disruptions around the world at that time. This was the first time I’d bought camera gear on release, so convinced that this camera would offer new capabilities for my photography. I also upgraded to the Canon EF 600mm f4L IS III USM lens as it was significantly lighter than the Mark II version I owned, as well as the newly released Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens. Clearly I spent too much time online shopping during the repeated lockdowns!

Although by no means a perfect camera, the R5 has been by far the best camera I have owned. The Animal Eye autofocus and exposure simulation have been game changers, while the additional megapixels and articulating screen have really opened up new possibilities for my photography. The high ISO capabilities of mirrorless sensors combined with significant advancements in noise reduction software for post processing have elevated the opportunities for producing quality images. It’s an incredible time to be a photographer!

Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo (Zanda funerea)

Canon EOS R5 & Canon EF 600mm f4L IS III USM lens

CURRENT GEAR

  • ​​Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera

  • Canon EF 600mm F/4L IS III USM lens

  • Canon EF Extender 1.4x III & EF Extender 2.0x III

  • Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens

  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens

  • Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens

  • Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM lens

  • Canon 600EX II-RT flash