Rodney Campbell's Blog

The gear I take in my bag varies somewhat on what I’m planning to go out and photograph (if I happen to know this beforehand) but in general my camera bag contains the following gear…

Core Kit

Kata Bumblebee 222-UL Camera Backpack + Rain Cover
Nikon Z7 FX Mirrorless Camera + Really Right Stuff BZ7 + BZ7-L Arca-Swiss L-Bracket

other things I generally always leave in my Camera Bag:

Phottix Aion Wireless Timer and Shutter Release
Aputure Timer Remote Control 3N – backup wired remote
Circular Polariser Filter
Large Micro Fibre Cloth
Small Micro Fibre Cloth
ZebraLight H600c Mk IV Headtorch (18650)
Giottos Rocket Air Blower (Large)
and if I plan to take any older Nikon F-Mount lenses I’ll also take the Nikon FTZ Adapter

Small and Light Kit

Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR – this tiny but excellent DX pancake lens turns my Z7 into a near pocketable 20MP DX camera with a 24-75mm equivalent lens
Instead of the larger Kata camera bag I might take the Peak Design Everyday Sling 6L V2 (which caters to the camera with an attached lens plus one or two more lenses if needed) or if I need a bit more space the LowePro XXX (which caters to the camera with an attached lens plus two or three more lenses plus a tablet and space for other items like remotes and so on if needed) instead

Travel Kit

Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
MeFoto RoadTrip C1350 CF Tripod + Leofoto NB-34 Pro Ball Head with Panning Clamp
Instead of the larger Kata camera bag I’d probably take the LowePro XXX instead

Landscape/Seascape/Night Photography Additions

Leofoto Ranger LS-365C CF Tripod + Really Right Stuff BH-40 PCLR (mid-sized ballhead with lever-release panning clamp)
Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S Lens
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S Lens
NiSi V6 Filter Holder/Pouch
Lee Filter Pouch with various 100mm filters including:
Lee 0.9 (3 Stop) Neutral Density Hard Grad
Lee 0.75 (2.5 Stop) Neutral Density Medium Grad
Lee 0.6 (2 Stop) Neutral Density Hard Grad
Formatt Hitech 0.9 (3 Stop) Reverse Grad
Lee BigStopper (10 Stop ND Filter)
Lee LittleStopper (6 Stop ND Filter)

Astrophotography Additions

Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 XP – for Astrophotography this is an absolute must
ZebraLight H502pr Red Light Headtorch (AA)
Novoflex VR-System Pro-II + SunwayFoto DDY-64i Discal Clamp – if I’m planning to do any multirow or vertical panoramas
Tether Tools Case Relay + Nikon EP-5B (ENEL15) Power Supply Connector + USB Battery Bank – if I’m planning to do any really really long (>4 hrs) star trails
Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (tracker + polar scope + illuminator + ball head) (2xAA) + Sky-Watcher wedge (latitude base) – if I’m planning to do any tracked star shots or astro timelapses

Indoor/Event Photography Additions

Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S Lens
Sigma AF 35mm f1.4 DG HSM Art Lens
and if I need a bit of reach then the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 G IF-ED VR Lens

Macro Photography Additions

Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di Macro Lens
and probably the Aputure Amaran Halo LED Ring Flash
and possibly the Nikon SB-900 Flash
and probably a Tripod as well

Light Painting Additions

Colorshine 10 Color 3W RGB Torch (3xAAA)
Convoy BD04 Cree XM L2 U2 Zoomable Flashlight (18650)
EL Wire Light Painting tools (multiple colours) (4xAAA)
Steel Wool + Lighter

Specialty Additions

Sigma AF 15mm f2.8 EX DG Fisheye Lens – this one is small and light so I can drop this in the bag
Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D – for architecture this lens is amazing
Novoflex VR-System Pro-II + SunwayFoto DDY-64i Discal Clamp – if I’m planning to do any multirow or vertical panoramas

Travel/Unknown Photography – Full Bag Load

If I don’t know in advance what I’m going to shoot or I’m travelling then I’ll likely try and take the following camera gear:

Everything in the Landscape list plus the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR all purpose travel lens

If I’m travelling small and light I’d probably forgo the larger Leofoto tripod and instead take the MeFoto RoadTrip Carbon Fibre travel tripod and ball head kit