I shoot Canon gear only because the first film SLR I bought in 1998 was a Canon and thus, as my hobby grew, so did the Canon equipment I owned. I'm certain had I bought a Nikon instead of a Canon back then, I would be happily shooting Nikon gear today. Many photographers spend too much time obsessing over equipment and not enough time obsessing over their skills. Just as it is the runner and not the shoe who wins the race, it is the photographer and not the equipment who creates the image.
Current (Sep 2019) Tools
-Canon 7D Mark II crop sensor body used for birds, wildlife, and occasionally macro because of the extra apparent reach of the smaller sensor. I also sometimes travel with this camera instead of the 5D Mark 3 because this camera has a built-in GPS receiver making it unnecessary to carry a separate external hot shoe mounted GPS receiver. Once cameras started to include a GPS tagging feature, I began trying to GPS tag all my RAW files so I could later determine exactly where the photos were taken.
-Canon 5D Mark III full frame body used for everything else. I have an external GPS receiver I use with this camera except when I need external flash since both require the hot shoe. I find 20MP to be perfect for me since I don't print billboards. Thus, the only reason I may someday upgrade to the 5D Mark 4 with its 30MP (producing larger files that eat up hard drive space unnecessarily) is to get the built-in GPS receiver it has.
-Canon vertical/battery grips on both bodies. These make shooting verticals as easy as shooting horizontal photos. Instead of having your right hand over the top of the camera, with these, you can keep it on the right side of the camera using the controls on the vertical grip.
-Kirk L-brackets on both bodies. If you shoot landscape verticals from a tripod with a DSLR I can't imagine doing so without one of these. They allow you to quickly and easily go from horizontal to vertical format with little to no change in composition.
-Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. I bought my first Gitzo in 2003. Most other tripods I've tried feel flimsy and inferior. You can read more about my experience with Gitzo's and their maintenance at https://www.sheide.info/Blog/29-Oct-19Blog.
-Kirk BH1 ball head. I have an Arca-Swiss B1 on my old Gitzo but went with a Kirk head on the new one because the latest Arca-Swiss is glued together. I also have to give credit to Kirk. Every couple years I had to send in my Arca-Swiss for maintenance and, although the first time was covered under warranty, the second time cost half the expense of a new head. When my Kirk BH1 needed maintenance, I sent it in and Kirk only charged me $50 to fix it.
-Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L lens (bought 2014). Although this lens produces typical fisheye distortion, it is a lot of fun to shoot with, and is also small and lightweight, making it easy to carry around.
-Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L lens (bought 2019). I wish Canon had made this an f/5.6 lens because it is so large I find myself rarely carrying it. I don't need the speed of an f/4 and would carry and use this awesome lens more frequently if it were smaller and lighter.
-Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS (bought 2019 to replace the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II which replaced the 16-35mm f/2.8L I which replaced the 17-35mm f/2.8L which itself had replaced the 20mm f/2.8). I've gone through several wide angles. I found I didn't need the f/2.8 and, now that I'm older, have been trying to pare down on the weight of the equipment I'm carrying around. I think this f/4 is actually sharper than the f/2.8 and, although I only use the IS feature when shooting hand-held, this is one of my core lenses I am rarely without.
-Canon 24mm f/3.5L II TS-E lens (bought 2015 as a replacement for the original 24mm f/3.5L). Some people digitally stretch or pinch their photos to fix perspective distortion. As you'll find if you read my "About Me" page, I don't like to create digital art and instead try to do everything in the field. Because of that, this is my go-to lens for any type of architecture. I almost never use the tilt function but always use shift to keep lines parallel and avoid making buildings or trees appear to lean back.
-Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens (bought 2015 as a replacement for the 24-70mm f/2.8L I lens which replaced the 28-70mm f/2.8L when the AF died). I considered trading for the f/4L IS version, but the weight difference is negligible and that lens is reportedly optically inferior so I have kept this sharp f/2.8. The only thing I don't like about this lens is that Canon pushed it up to an 82mm filter size when they re-designed it from its predecessor. The 24-70mm f/2.8L I and it's predecessor the 28-70mm f/2.8L used 77mm filters.
-Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS lens (bought 2012). I find myself carrying this more and more when travelling in place of the 24-70mm lens. The 24-70mm is sharper but I prefer this lens' 77mm filter ring and it is still very sharp. The extra reach will also match up nicely if I ever add a 100-400mm zoom to my collection. If I want only one camera and lens for general photography, this is the lens I will take. Canon replaced this with a v2 lens which has the same zoom range and maximum aperture but weighs more, so I have no interest in upgrading.
-Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens (bought 2019 to replace the 70-200 f/4L). After exhausting myself hiking around Olympic National Park and Mount Rainier National Park in 2017 with a pack full of photo gear including the heavy f/2.8L IS II lens, I decided I needed to cut back on weight so bought the non-IS version of this lens shortly after I returned. Later, I decided having IS was worth the minimal increase in weight, so swapped it for the IS version, and now carry this lens whenever I will be hiking more than a couple miles each day. I find the f/2.8L IS II is sharper than this v1 IS lens, which is very noticeable at the edges of the frame, but the weight and size savings of the f/4 are so great I'm willing to accept the lower image quality if I plan on doing any long hikes. Worth noting is that I bought the optional tripod collar and always use it when mounting this lens to my tripod. The only other option is an unbalanced setup with the camera attached to the tripod and this lens sticking way out in front of it. A front-heavy setup like that is prone to increased vibration and decreased sharpness.
-Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens (bought 2014 as an upgrade from the 70-200mm f/2.8L non-IS lens). This lens is very sharp even coupled with a teleconverter, and the IS is great for shooting hand-held, but it is also very large and heavy. If I am not hiking any significant distance I will use this lens. Otherwise, I carry the 70-200 f/4 instead. A 70-200 zoom is one of the three main types of lenses I use, with the other two being a wide angle like the 16-35 zoom, and a normal angle like the 24-70 or 24-105 zooms.
-Canon 180mm f/3.5L lens (bought 1999 and still going strong). I use this for almost all my macro work, often accompanied by an extension tube and flash with diffuser on an off-camera shoe cord. If I’m going out with the intent to shoot a lot of macro I bring this lens. Otherwise, one of the 70-200mm lenses coupled to extension tubes serves as my macro lens.
-Canon 300mm f/4L IS lens (bought 2012). This is a fantastic telephoto lens that is easy to hand hold. I put one or two extension tubes on the back from time to time and it makes a great macro lens too.
-Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens (bought 2007 as a replacement for the 500mm f/4.5L). This thing is massive and is the only lens with which I used the Sidekick and flash bracket. If I am going out to shoot birds or wildlife I will carry this lens, a flash, extension tubes, teleconverters, and little else. Otherwise the 300mm or 70-200 likely with a teleconverter on the back serve as my long lens. The latter two can be hand held, but I always use my tripod or the ground to support the large 500mm lens.
-three Canon 580EX II flashes (replaced the 550EX I had previously which replaced the 540EZ).
-Wimberley Sidekick (bought 2006). The full Wimberley head is way too expensive. This thing costs one fourth as much and works just as well. Plus, it packs up smaller!
-Wimberley flash bracket. This gets the flash (with a better beamer of course) up away from the camera when using a super telephoto lens like the 500mm allowing you to cut down a bit on red or steel eye. You need an off camera shoe cord to use with it.
-Wimberley lens plates for 70-200mm, 180mm, 300mm, & 500mm lenses.
-Tiffen glass graduated neutral density filters (2 stop & 3 stop). I like glass filters because they are more scratch resistant. I only wish Tiffen made glass reverse grad-ND filters, although Cokin now makes that exact filter and I may end up buying one or two.
-Cokin & B+W circular polarizers
-Singh-Ray blue/gold polarizer.
-Canon 1.4x & 2x teleconverters.
-stack of Canon extension tubes (three 25mm & one 12mm).
-double bubble hot shoe levels (accurate to within +/-5 degrees). Since my DSLRs have built-in digital levels I don't use these any more and instead rely on the more-precise digital levels quickly available by press of the Info button. I do still carry them in my packs as backups, however.
-Lowepro photo packs. Although I just (October 2019) bought an f-stop bag to try out.
-A variety of other items like Cokin filter holders, step-up rings, off-camera shoe cords, flash diffusers, and 5-in-1 photo discs.
Of course, I do not carry everything with me and instead pack only what I believe I will need based on what I plan to photograph. Typically when I travel via airplane I carry one body and three core lenses: 16-35mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm. Those three lenses along with some extension tubes and a 2x teleconverter give me macro capability and coverage from 16-400mm. If I know I'll be shooting a lot of architecture I'll also bring along the 24mm f3.5L TS-E lens. Only when I'm driving somewhere do I carry the 180mm macro, 300mm, or 500mm lenses.
As you can see, although I don't obsess over gear, I certainly think about it as my gear is the tool which allows me to capture the photographs I want. I do keep track of new equipment and, when a better tool comes out and the price is right, I upgrade. My 500mm lens is v1 and cost half what the v2 lens does. The v2 may be ever-so-slightly sharper, but that slight sharpness isn't worth spending an additional $5,000 to me. I also try to purchase used lenses because of the cost savings and recommend others do the same. In fact, not one of the lenses I currently own was purchased new. I do ensure the used lenses are in good condition, however.
Former Camera Bodies
1998-1999: Canon EOS Rebel G film SLR
1999-2002: Canon EOS Elan II film SLR (mirror lock-up)
2002-2005: Canon EOS 3 film SLR (weather sealing, better flash sync, better exposure control)
2003-2006: Canon D60 digital SLR (6MP; first venture into digital SLRs)
2006-2008: Canon 30D digital SLR (8MP; better noise handling, more data, better/easier controls)
2008-2011: Canon 50D digital SLR (15MP; double the data, highlight tone priority, ultrasonic sensor cleaning, Live View)
2011-2015: Canon 7D digital SLR (18MP; vastly improved focus system, 100% viewfinder, electronic level, weather sealing)
2013-2017: Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR (21MP; full frame to get full use of my wide angle lens)
2015-present: Canon 7D Mark II digital SLR (20MP; amazingly clean high ISO performance, digital level, f/8 center sensor AF)
2017-present: Canon 5D Mark III digital SLR (22MP; video, digital level, good high ISO performance, f/8 center sensor AF)
Former Lenses
I've also gone through a variety of lenses to get to the current complement I use. After initially buying a few Sigma and Quantaray lenses I found I wasn't happy with their build or image quality so decided to stick with the more expensive name-brand glass. Here are the Canon lenses I've previously used along with the progression I followed:
Wide Angle: 20mm f/2.8 USM to 17-35mm f/2.8L to 16-35mm f/2.8L to 16-35mm f/2.8L II to 16-35mm f/4L IS.
Standard Angle: 28-70mm f/2.8L upgraded to the 24-70mm f/2.8L after the AF stopped being consistent, itself upgraded to the 24-70mm f/2.8L II.
Telephoto Zoom: 70-200 f/2.8L upgraded to the 70-200 f/2.8L II lens. 70-200 f/4L upgraded to the 70-200 f/4L IS lens.
Prime Normal: 50mm f/1.4 USM for low light hand-held shooting sold shortly after I switched to digital and gained adjustable ISO. I owned the 50mm f1/2L for a while but sold it because I had the 85mm f/1.2L II. I didn't like the 85mm (too big) so solid it and now would actually like another 50mm f/1.2L as a portrait lens for those rare occasions when I photograph people.
Prime Telephoto: Canon 300mm f/4L sold after I bought a 70-200mm f/2.8L because I had almost the same thing with the 70-200mm and a 1.4x teleconverter (actually a 98-280mm f/4 but close enough). Ironically, 15 years after I sold the f/4L I bought a 300mm f/4L IS . The IS version is a great lens for handheld action shooting and also complements my macro lens nicely as it focuses quite close (especially with extension tubes). I also got more action shot keepers with the 300mm than with the 70-200mm non-IS lens and teleconverter combination; likely due to faster AF.
Super Telephoto: Canon 500mm f/4.5L upgraded to the 500mm f/4L IS because it had IS and was half a stop faster which allowed me to autofocus when coupled with a 1.4x teleconverter.
Consumer Zoom: Canon 28-135mm IS but I didn't like the image quality and saw no advantage to the IS in it so never used it and sold it about a year after purchase. It's really in the longer lenses that I find IS shines. I also had a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens for a while thinking it would make a good lightweight telephoto. However, I was constantly disappointed with the images coming through that lens. They lacked color and were very soft compared with all my L series glass with which, based on price, the DO lens should be on par.