My Gear

This is not a “brag” page. There are many, many people who have far better and far more expensive equipment than I do. This is just the answer to that question I get a lot, “What do you shoot with?”

Cameras

Nikon? Canon? Sony? Most people pick a brand based on the camera then stick with it because of the cost of the lenses. For most of my photography work I’m a Canon person. My list includes:

Lenses & Telescopes

Most of my work now comes from a camera and lens but my telescope days are not gone. Here’s a list of some of the things I look through.

  • Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 My go to astro lens
  • Rokinon 20mm f/1.4 My second go to lens
  • Rokinon 85mm f/1.4
  • Rokinon 135mm f/2 I use this and the 85mm for creating high resolution panoramas
  • Canon 24mm – 105mm f/4 My standard daytime lens
  • Canon 50mm f/1.8 Another great (& cheap) lens for astronomy work.
  • Sigma 120mm – 400mm f/4.6 This is my wild life lens for getting close without getting in danger
  • Orion ST80 refractor telescope
  • Orion ED80 refractor telescope
  • Apogee 120mm refractor telescope
  • Meade LX90 8″ SCT telescope

Mounts & Accessories

Aside from your camera and lens a good, study mount is the landscape photographer’s best friend. Look for bargains but don’t go cheap in this department.

  • My absolute go to tripod is a Vangard Alta 263AP. It is as sturdy and reliable as a Manfrotto at 1/2 the price. It’s been rock solid for me for over a decade.
  • I carry a TYCKA Rangers travel Tripod in my backpack on hikes. Its lighter than the Vangard and works well if you don’t extend it too much
  • My telescopes sit on an Atlas equatorial mount which is PC controlled using EQMod
  • An intervolometer connects to your camera and allows you to take pictures without touching the camera. It also lets you set up a series of photos for things like time lapses, etc.
  • Yes, I have a variety of filters, cases, tripod heads and gadgets. More than I need but hey, it’s a hobby so… I plan to talk about some of these items in my blog posts.
Software & Hardware

Over the years I’ve often time felt more like a computer scientist than an amateur astronomer. Software is another tool. Aside from the basics most of my work revolves around these programs

  • Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Not only for adjusting my images but also helps catalog them for easier finding down the road.
  • LRTimelapse is for creating beautiful time lapse movies. Works with Lightroom.
  • I use the powerful program PTGui to stitch together high resolution panoramas that are too complex for Lightroom.
Back