Camera and lens:
Like many photographers I’ve changed equipment so many times over the years, starting with good old-fashioned film and probably finishing my career with digital – unless something else comes along soon! I’m not a technical expert so my opinions are from usage experience mostly, my equipment is just a tool to enable me to do the best job I can, Photoshop is not a substitute for me personally.
Current equipment : Sony A1 with Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art and Sony 70-200 f2.8 GM. At about a third the weight of the Nikon combination it’s much easier to carry around and makes this combination my favourite to date in the weight/ease of manipulation area. Many people complain about the Sony menu system, me personally, after initial setup, I don’t need to use it again because I find everything I need easily at my fingertips. Setting this camera up does take time but it’s worth it, I can switch the most frequently used items while shooting. The lens is light, well built and quiet, fast focussing and vey accurate. Sharper in the centre at larger apertures (F1.4 – F2.8) then balancing out progressively with smaller apertures, it’s an excellent lens to use!
Shooting people only, I find this combination ideal for myself, others will have their own personal preferences. The files are huge so I cull very heavily, which has turned out to be a bonus as it’s encouraged me to pay more attention to detail when actually shooting – I’m a firm believer in shoot it don’t photoshop it. You can crop heavily should you, for example, have a half lenth shot that the face and expression alone is too good to miss, the resulting file still being big enough for most uses. Switching from Nikon to Sony was a massive move for me as mirrorless cameras were a totally unknown quantity, but, I must admit, I’m happy with the switch!
Lighting :
Pixapro Storm III (Godox QTIII) 600’s – lot’s of them – amazing lights! Fast enough to freeze liquid motion, fire at 20 frames/ sec and shoot stroboscopic stuff too, add to that the incredibly fast re-cycling times and you have an excellent studio flash system! I and many other pro’s find these lights to be very underrated, I’ve had Profoto, Elinchrom, Bowens, most lights out there at some point – now I have Pixapro/Godox!