I am a big fan of these type of posts as I am interested in the technology, as well as the art of photography. So this is what is currently in my bag (that should be bags, as I don’t have one large enough for all my gear).

My cameras of choice are the Olympus OM-D series, the Sony A7R and the RX100 II. The Olympus OM-D series cameras are very customisable and are full of very useful features, the Sony’s are not so customisable, but do have the larger sensor. Although I have chosen both manufacturers for different reasons, ultimately I chose them both for their image quality and portability.

Cameras

Olympus OM-D EM-1
I purchased this camera used, although the shutter count was very low. I am very happy with it and know it’s limitations, but nothing that cannot be sorted in post-processing. My favourite features of this camera have got to be the live bulb, how did I live without it before, and the focus stacking when used with the 60mm macro lens.

Olympus OM-D EM-5
I purchased this camera new about six months before buying the EM-1, I just love it’s size but also the fact that it has similar features to the EM-1 in a smaller package. I tend to use the EM-1 mostly, with maybe the EM-5 fitted with the 75-300mm lens if I am out walking in the countryside and spot wildlife.

Olympus TG-4
I purchased the TG-4 mainly as I required something that was compact rugged and waterproof. I know I have the Go Pro and the Sony AS100V but they have very wide angle fixed lenses, and the Sony RX100 ii is not waterproof. One of the things I like about this camera is the RAW capture, as I think the jpegs SOOC are a tad over sharpened.

Sony A7R
I initially purchased this camera for my landscape photography, although in hindsight I prefer the size and weight of the Olympus Cameras. Although it has over twice the resolution of my current Olympus cameras, and it’s full frame something that I do miss from my days with 35mm film, we have never really fallen in love. The downsides are the shutter shock that this camera suffers with, and the sensor seems to attract dust like flies to dog poo. Another issue with this and I suppose many CSC’s is battery life, you need a lot of spare batteries, but I have tweaked the camera settings from default to increase the battery life. I expect one day we will part as I have everything I personally need in the Olympus cameras, time will only tell.

Sony RX100 II
I purchased this camera mainly for video, as that was something at the time that Olympus didn’t really feature in their cameras, and I still think that Sony is the winner in this area.

Sony AS100V
This and the GoPro are my action video cameras, I mainly use this for my cycle ride to work.

GoPro Hero 4 Sessions
A great action camera, very small, has a good battery life and weather sealed without an extra case.

Lenses

Olympus 12mm F2.0
This lens was one of my first purchases for the OM-D cameras, it has seen a lot of use, as it is small and lightweight. It has the field of view of a 24mm full frame lens, and a great lens. It also has the manual focus clutch ring for zone or manual focusing.

Olympus 17mm F1.8
I just love this lens and often use it over the 12mm when I do not need something as wide, I also use it for street and travel photography. It has a full frame equivalence of 34mm, and it is a focal length that I tend to use a lot. It also shares the same manual focus clutch ring as the 12mm F2.0.

Olympus 25mm F1.8
I just love this lens for it’s small size and weight, I have also used it in street photography when I need a bit more reach than the 17mm. It has a full frame equivalence of 50mm and is a good inexpensive lens.

Olympus 60mm F2.8 Macro
This macro lens has a full frame equivalence of a 120mm, it is very fast to focus, unusual for a macro lens, it’s build quality is very high and it’s also fairly small and compact. I also purchased the LH-49 sliding lens hood, that is very expensive, much like many of the Olympus lens hoods.

Olympus 45mm F1.8
This is probably my least used lens as I don’t take a lot of portraits, but it is a very compact and lightweight lens. I also purchased the LH-40B lens hood, that is again fairly expensive for a moulded piece of plastic. It has the full frame equivalence of a 90mm lens.

Olympus 12-40mm F2.8 Pro
This is my latest purchase for the system replacing a four thirds fit lens the 12-60mm F2.8-4, it has the full frame equivalence of a 24-80mm lens. I am extremely happy with it, although not having the reach of the 12-60mm it is much faster to focus, and I love the manual focus capabilities that I enjoy with the 17 and 12mm primes.

Olympus 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II
I use this mainly for my nature photography I realise it doesn’t have a very bright aperture, but it’s so compact and has a full frame equivalence of a 150-600mm lens, try carrying that with you everywhere.

Samyang 7.5mm F3.5
This is a manual focus fisheye lens with a full frame equivalent focal length of 15mm, distortion is easily corrected in Lightroom CC, should you want too.

Sony FE 35mm F2.8
A Zeiss quality semi-wide-angle prime lens for the Sony A7R, maybe a bit on the slow side but still an excellent lens.

Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6
Optically not the best lens for the A7r but stopped down it does ok, I just need to save my pennies to get either the 16-35mm or the 24-70mm.

Various (not in picture)
I have a few manual focus lenses of varied focal length that I use with the Sony A7R, these are Olympus OM and Pentax K optics with inexpensive adapters purchased from either eBay or Amazon. I also have a Lensbaby Composer Pro for the Sony FE mount that I use for those occasional dreamy bokeh moments.

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