Camera Gear
I shoot with the full-frame Sony α7R IV.
Sony α7R IV
About 15 years ago I became interested in larger DSLR cameras from Nikon and Canon, most recently shooting with a Canon 5DMk3. They did the job well but were so large and bulky that it was hard to resist the migration to mirrorless cameras as they became more capable. I had become familiar with old Sony point and shoot digital cameras in the early 2000s, then moved to an APS-C Sony NEX-5 camera in 2010 and began to like mirrorless. Eventually I went back to Sony with the full-frame RX1R, Sony α7S, Sony α7R II, Sony α7R III and now the Sony α7R IV.
The Sony α7 formula is simple: use a high-quality sensor with extremely high dynamic range and built-in sensor stabilization then pack it with features rivaling or besting larger DSLRs. It's a fantastic travel camera system. I love the size, build quality, image quality, insanely high resolution (42MP 61MP!) as well as the Wi-Fi connectivity to Sony mobile apps for sharing photo previews on the go.
I last upgraded from the α7R II to the α7R III. While the upgrades seem incremental, for me this latest revision is a game changer for two reasons: it uses a much larger battery and it has two SD card slots. The previous generation used a small battery that was so insufficient I used to travel with handful of batteries. On my most active day of shooting while on a safari game drive in Tanzania with the α7R III, I barely got close to using 2 batteries. As for the double SD card slot situation: while on a trip I can set them up to mirror the cards for redundancy if I'm not traveling with a laptop or larger hard drive to backup the shots.
I rarely shoot with a flash (and never travel with one) but ended up getting Sony's largest flash for the occasional nighttime indoor events, team outings and such that I attend and want to shoot.
Fuji X-T30
I recently also had a small Fuji X-T30 that I originally got to have something more portable. It was great but I just found myself not shooting enough to have a use for two cameras, so I sold it and kept my Sony. Keeping my previous thoughts below:
While my Sony a7R IV is a phenomenal powerhouse that can take on just about any challenge, it does fall short in one category: size. Paired with full-frame lenses, the Sony rig can get a bit heavy and bulky. I find this a bit funny as I came from even larger Canon DSLRs and thought the full-frame Sony cameras were a breath of fresh air.
It wasn't until I moved to New York that I found myself wanting something smaller, even at the expense of performance and image quality. A camera I could casually have in my bag that wouldn't weigh me down, just in case I see interesting things throughout the city.
Enter the Fuji X-T30. It's one of the smallest interchangeable lens cameras Fuji makes and I'm loving it. It's the perfect size to always have in my backpack and not worry about. It's doesn't have the horsepower of its big brother, the larger X-T3, which has a higher quality EVF, faster continuous shooting speed and the ability to record 60fps 4K video. But the goal for me was a compact and light camera and at under a pound, the X-T30 was just the ticket!
I purchased it with the relatively small-for-a-zoom XC15-45 kit lens but quickly learned I did not like its sluggish electric zoom, so I strongly advise not getting that lens as part of a kit. I quickly added on the 23mm f/2.0 and 35mm f/2.0 lenses. I purposefully did not go for the higher end f/1.4 versions of the 23mm and 35mm that Fuji sells for a reason: they're larger and heavier.
The 23mm and 35mm f/2.0 feel exceptionally well-built and sturdy. And I absolutely love the aperture control ring. The only lens I am considering for the future is the XF 18mm f/2.0 R pancake lens for something even smaller. However, that lens has been out for a long time now and there have been rumors that a new model may be around the corner, so I'll wait and see what happens.
