I Simplified My Gear and It's Fantastic

Too much stuff in the old camera closet?

I’m just going to go ahead and say it: I like gear. It’s true. I like camera gear, I like buying camera gear, and I like having camera gear. But admittedly, over the last few years, I accumulated too much of it.

Like many photographers, I decided to experiment a bit during the height of the pandemic. For me, that meant trying different focal lengths in the field. Since I wasn’t really traveling anywhere, I was pretty much just shooting around the city where I live (Austin). And I like shooting in cities, but had gotten a bit tired of shooting the same old things in the same old ways.

Thus, I decided some new lenses were just what the doctor ordered. Nothing like a completely different focal length to switch things up, right?

Well, perhaps I went a little overboard because I ended up getting a lot of lenses over the last few years (this actually started before the pandemic though - the pandemic just made it a bit worse). And in full disclosure mode, these were not top-of-the-line expensive lenses. These were 3rd party lenses that were very affordable, so adding quite a few over time didn’t really sting the old pocketbook.

But when it came time to go shoot, I ended up being confused about what to bring. My old favorite, which I know I will love shooting with? Something new that I bought recently and need to try out? Something that I rarely used but I have had for a little while? And how do you really get good with a lens unless you shoot with it a lot?

You see, I like the idea of having choices, but honestly having too many choices is a bad thing. It leads to confusion, and inexperience with some of the lenses, and that’s not good. And I had something like 12 lenses sitting on my shelf. It was getting ridiculous! So, I decided to simplify.

I am an avid Sony shooter, and since I have no plans to change that, I decided to sell a bunch of that other stuff and stick with Sony (I also sold a couple of barely-used Sony lenses). Their cameras are fantastic, and their lenses are amazing.

This all coincided with the recent release of their new 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II wide angle lens. I had the v1 and loved it, and used it all the time (especially for landscapes and broad cityscapes). But the new version is smaller and lighter, and since it is probably the lens I use the most, I wanted to upgrade.

But I also was interested in their new-ish 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II midrange zoom as well. I had the original f4 version of that lens years ago, and used it a lot back then, but sold it years ago and have been using a variety of lenses in its place. I went back and forth between their 20-70mm f/4 lens and also their 24-105mm f/4 lens (I had acquired both, so yeah, I guess all my lens purchases weren’t inexpensive 3rd party options). And both are great lenses, it’s just that I wasn’t using them quite enough, and they didn’t quite cover me in every situation.

Neither one of those ever felt like it was exactly what I wanted, mostly because they are both f/4. And I don’t mean that from a snobby point of view, but rather a practical one - I just like to wander and shoot handheld a lot of times (especially in cities), and often in lower light. I just need the f/2.8 for that more often than not. And the 24-70mm zoom range is nearly perfect for me, most of the time.

So I unloaded about 8 lenses, acquired the two new Sony lenses mentioned above, and haven’t looked back.

Now I am down to 6 Sony lenses and feel great about it. Here’s my current lineup:

• 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II

• 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II

• 14mm f/1.8 GM

• 20mm f/1.8 G

• 24mm f/1.4 GM

• 35mm f/1.4 GM

That’s it. Well, that may still be a lot, but I do love prime lenses and it’s a lot less than I had a few weeks ago LOL.

The only thing that may be missing is something like a 70-200mm lens. I honestly don’t have a need for much beyond 70mm most of the time (I tend to prefer a wider view, most of the time), so next time I feel like I need that I may just rent it. I rented their 100-400mm for Iceland back in August (had to capture puffins!!) and it was perfect for that. Renting would certainly be cheaper! Plus, then I don’t start accumulating more lenses that end up just collecting dust around here.

I want to actually use what I have, instead of just look at it.

And that is a key point here. I want to be really comfortable with my lenses, and know how to use them in various situations, without having to think about it. When you have 12 lenses, you just can’t really master them all. I prefer to have a few solid choices that are amazing, and use them frequently vs just have a nice collection of stuff sitting on a shelf. Sure it looks pretty, but what’s the use of them just sitting there?

So I’m going to try and stick with this lens lineup for a while. They are all amazing lenses, fantastic quality and all that. And they more than cover what I shoot 99% of the time. Feel free to ask me in about 6 months and see if I am sticking to it!

p.s. I have all my gear listed on my gear page (and it’s now updated) if you want to take a look: https://jimnix.com/gear

---

This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything using these links, I make a small commission which supports this site and my free tutorials on Youtube. Your cost is the same regardless of whether you use my links or not. It's a free way to support all the training I provide. I appreciate your support.

A street scene in Montmartre

Paris is just so beautiful.  Literally, every street is photo worthy!

I love wandering in Paris.  I find all of it beautiful.  It really is an incredible city.  On our last trip there we spent one evening in Montmartre.  I was chasing a few shots, which I got, and in between them we just wandered.  It was spectacular.  The blue hour was gorgeous and the temperature was just right.  

I actually find wandering in a city to be one of my favorite pastimes.  There is always something interesting to photograph, and it helps you get a better sense of the place that you would otherwise.  I try and get out for these random walks on every trip.   I captured today's image that evening in Montmartre as we were making our way out of there.  It was hard to leave, not just because of the beauty but because I kept stopping about every 20 feet for another shot!  :-) 

View fullsize

Napoleon drank here

Ok, that may not have actually happened.  :-)

View fullsize

When we were in Paris, one of my targets was Les Deux Magots, which is a cafe that was once a hangout for the literary and intellectual elite.  Hemingway was said to be a frequent visitor, for example.  I had shot it before, but I frequently revisit spots and shoot them again. 

Anyway, after doing so I wandered a little bit, and literally about 100 yards away is this little cafe/bar known as Le Bonaparte.  I spent quite a while shooting and just observing the place (and I stopped in for a beer, too).  Something about it just caught my eye.

I have a thing for neon signs and European street scenes, so getting them into a single shot is always a good idea in my book.  And no, I really don't think that Napoleon ever stopped by this place, likely because he died in 1821 and I really doubt this cafe was around then.  :-)

Angels and demons

A pair of statues on the Bridge of Angels in Rome

I just completed and published my list of the best places to take photos in Rome, and part of that list includes shooting on the Bridge of Angels.  There are 10 statues of angels, all representing a part of the story of Jesus' crucifixion.  It's really a gorgeous spot and one well worth making a visit to while there.  (I walked over it several times, so I shot it a lot.)

I tend to photograph sculptures quite a bit for some reason.  I'm not sure why, although of course I appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into their creation.  These were made by Bernini, whose collection of work is pretty stunning, so that's attractive, too.

View fullsize

When I was editing these pics, for some reason I was led to edit one in a very tame manner, much as it appeared to me that evening on the bridge.  However as you can see in the other photo, I went for a much more dramatic edit.

Of course, they are both angels and there is no demon in sight.  This is Rome, after all!  ;-)

I just liked the sound of naming it "angels and demons", and of course that is also a none-too-subtle nod to the book Angels & Demons by Dan Brown.  It's the predecessor to The Da Vinci Code and is quite the thriller.  I actually liked it better than The Da Vinci Code.  Much of Angels & Demons takes place in Rome, so it seemed rather fitting, anyway.

Well, I am rambling now, and I doubt you came here for literary recommendations, but thanks for stopping by and if you read this far, then congrats!  ;-)

View fullsize

Montmartre at night

Paris is lovely any time of day, but it truly sparkles at night! 

View fullsize

I captured this image one evening in Paris while we were wandering in Montmartre.  I am a HUGE fan of photographing little cafes in Europe, especially in France because they are just so damn cute, and this one caught my eye.  Being right before the holidays, they have that big Santa up top and I just couldn't resist!

Alsatian sunset

I caught the most beautiful sunset in Strasbourg!

View fullsize

I love it when I get a great sunset, and doubly so when I am somewhere beautiful.  On our recent trip to France, we spent a couple of nights in Strasbourg, which is a couple of hours away from Paris via train.  We wanted to visit the town to see the Christmas markets, which are awesome by the way!  (And yes, I have a lot of photos of them, too).

But first, I just had to share a photo from a gorgeous sunset I was able to shoot there.  There is a beautiful section of Strasbourg called Petite France and all the architecture is sort of German looking.  I walked ALL OVER this area, firing away like a madman.

As sunset approached, I could see this gorgeous light coming together and so I ran over to this bridge where I was able to get this view over the river with the architecture, some reflections and the gorgeous light.  All in all, a pretty nice way to spend some time!

A long look at the lights

View fullsize

My friend Mike Boening was in Austin a few weeks back, and he wanted to get some shots of our sorta famous bridge.  It's name is the Pennybacker Bridge, but everyone here calls it the Loop 360 Bridge since the road there is called Loop 360.  It's a popular spot for photographers and non-photographers alike, especially around sunset.

Most folks clamber up to the viewing area at the top of the ridge on the West side, but we opted to avoid the crowds and headed up the East side.  In fact, Mike recorded the climb up and you can see that video here.  Although I love the big tree on the West side, in many ways I prefer the view from this side, at sunset at least.  It allows you to capture the bridge with the passing lights from cars, as well as a view up the lake towards where the sun is setting.

This photo is a single exposure, shot at f/22 for 30 seconds.  It was nearly dark and of course we were shooting the light trails, which is a popular option up here.  There is a stop light a few hundred yards out of frame to the right.  All you do is wait for the light to turn green, and the accumulated traffic to start moving, and then time your shot to start right before they enter the frame.  Easy as pie, lots of fun, and you get a nice photo when you're done!

Testing the Sony A7II camera

Well, I bought a new camera.  :-)

View fullsize

I don't like to think of myself as a "gear guy", at least not in some terms.  But in other terms, I do recognize and respect the capability that some gear can provide to you.

After a lot of internal debate (and more than a little soul searching) I recently decided to give up my Olympus camera system and have in it's place purchased the Sony A7II camera.  It's a fabulous system (as was the Olympus, to be fair) and I didn't give up Olympus because of any issue in particular.  It was more of a sense of wanting to go back to full frame, but retain the benefits of mirrorless.  So here I am with Sony, and I love it.

I enjoyed the Olympus quite a bit, but decided that I wanted to return to using a full frame camera, and this particular Sony model just felt right.  I wanted the larger sensor for better low light performance and I had read so much about the amazing dynamic range of the Sony cameras.  I guess I was just too curious to wait any longer.  It really feels like Sony is doing something here, and I wanted to partake.

I will admit that I was getting a little bothered by the noise levels I was getting in some Olympus shots, especially as I raised the ISO when shooting handheld in low light (which I found myself doing a fair amount).  It was correctable in post (and I did correct it), but it was getting to me a little bit.  Having shot full frame in the past (I used to shoot with a Nikon D700 full frame), I knew the bigger sensor would just handle it better.

And for comparison purposes, the full frame sensor is nearly 4x larger than the micro 4/3 sensor of the Olympus.  That's sayin' something.

So, I got out recently in Austin to take a few test shots with the Sony (which are the two pics you see here today), because I spent last week in Europe and wanted to make sure I had a handle on how to use the Sony properly for what I wanted to do. 

Which reminds me - I had some fabulous adventures in Europe last week, and you will be hearing about that soon!  I spent a few days in Stavanger, Norway (my first visit to Norway!) and was able to get out and hike and explore a nearby fjord - twice!  From there I hopped over to Aberdeen, Scotland (my first visit to Aberdeen though I have been to other parts of Scotland many times).  It was lovely and I shot a ruined castle on the coast - yeah, it was awesome.  So that stuff is coming soon.  And I captured all the glory of both spots with my Sony full frame camera - fun!

For now, I hope you enjoy these two pics from Austin, the first being a single long exposure and the bottom photo being a 3 frame HDR photo.  Both taken with my new Sony camera.  More soon!

View fullsize