Cameras, lenses, lighting gear, tripods, filters and more…

Quick Gear List

Check this section out if you just want a brief overview of the gear I use, and quick links to places that sell the stuff for more information.
View List

In-Depth Gear Guide

Check this section if you want more details on the gear I use, including examples and commentary on why I chose to use a specific piece of kit.
View Guides

Before we get started, an important disclosure

In-Depth Gear Guides

If you want to delve deeper into the gear guide, these sections provide some commentary on each item in the list. If you just want a brief list-style overview, simply scroll further down the page.
Cameras
Lenses
Camera Bags
Lighting
Filters
Video Gear
Computer & Backup
Accessories
Audio
Outdoor
Travel
Tripods & Support
Underwater Photography
Optics
WordPress Plugins

Kit Selections

In this section I’m going to pull items out of several of the main gear sections to create kits that are specific to certain situations. This is a bit of a work in progress as I’ve just finished the Gear Guide redesign, but in the future, stand by for climbing photography kits, ski photography kits, wildlife photography kits and a variety of others…
EDC Kit
Ultimate Adventure Combo
Photography From a Kayak
Coming Soon

Post Series

I plan on creating a few specific series of posts on the blog feed within the overall Gear Check category that are centred around more specific topics such as the first one “Backpacking with a Camera”.
Backpacking with a Camera

The Quick List Version

For those of you who want a quick-glance list of my gear, this is the section for you.  It’s mostly provided without commentary as a quick reference point and an easy way for people to click my links to products.  Remember that when you use my links before you buy something, I may make a very small commission from it and that goes towards the cost and time it takes me to provide you with content. For more info on that, and to find out how you can support the blog, please also check out the support page which has many other links to different stores.  Every little helps, and I truly appreciate it!

Cameras

At the moment I’ve been having something of a closet clean out.  Simplifying my gear and taking stock of what gets used the most and what gets the job done.  The 5D Mark IV is an incredible camera, a real do-it-all weapon.  It has a world-class AF system that can track sports and wildlife with ease, and a high megapixel sensor that delivers enormous images for fine art prints and commercial campaigns.   In addition to the 5D, I’ve also recently added the 7D Mark II to my arsenal.  The main reason for this is to use it for wildlife photography with my 200-400 f/4.  With it’s high FPS, and incredible AF system, this is a near perfect wildlife and sports photography camera.  The Hero 5 Black serves as my occasional “behind the scenes” camera for YouTube and social media post content.

Computer Gear

Video Gear

Lenses

Lighting

Camera Bags

The majority of my camera carry solutions come from MindShift Gear which is Think Tank Photo’s sister company, dedicated to outdoor and adventure photography but I also use several of the Think Tank products. If you use my links to reach either the MindShift Gear website, or the Think Tank website, and then spend over $50, you’ll get a free gift at the checkout! For more details on these two special offers, please see the deals page of my site. NOTE: My Ultimate Adventure Photography Combo is the MindShift Ultralight Dual 36L, paired with a MultiMount Holster 20.  This combination of bags provides an unparalleled amount of versatility in a lightweight combination that’s ideal for travel and adventure.

Non-Camera Bags

Sometimes a very specific situation calls for a pack with a laser-targeted purpose and when that happens, I usually turn to Arc’teryx’s lineup of adventure packs and convert them for camera usage by adding the previously mentioned MindShift Multi-Mount Holsters either internally or externally.

Photographer’s EDC (everyday carry)

No matter the subject, location, situation or location, these are the items that are in my pack, or in my pocket on a daily basis.  If this stuff isn’t in my pocket then it’s in a Peak Design Field Pouch (Click here to claim a discount) because it fits into the top pocket of any of my camera bags, has various carrying options and excellent internal organization with 6 small pockets.

Outdoor Clothing

Full disclosure: I get discounted, and sometimes free Arcteryx gear, but keeping warm and dry is such an important part of my work that I wouldn’t use anything that didn’t suit my needs 100%. Here’s my personal favourite pieces of outerwear.  You get what you pay for, this stuff will last years and years of intensive usage.

Travel Bag

This is my go-to bag for just about any time I leave for an extended period of time. At 130 litres, this is an absolutely gigantic bag, but the compression straps allow you to use it when it’s not full.  The key thing for me is that it’s easily long enough for me to fit my tripods in, and I can even get umbrellas and softboxes in it as well.  It has more pockets that you could ever need, and a lifetime warranty.  A lot of my travel gear simply stays packed into this bag at all times so I’m ready to go.  I use Arcteryx Index packing cubes inside it to further organise clothing.

Outdoor Equipment

I spend a lot of my time outside, so naturally I have amassed a fairly large amount of outdoor and adventure equipment alongside my photographic gear.  There’s far too much to list all of it, but these days, the stuff on this list is what I find myself reaching for on a regular basis.

Climbing Gear

I’ve always been inspired by great climbing photography, so I’ve recently begun to learn this new discipline to allow me new freedom in the mountains to safely reach new locations.
  • Arc’teryx FL365 Harness
  • Petzl GriGri 2
  • Black Diamond ATC Guide
  • Petzl Ascension (left hand)
  • Great Wall UAscend
  • Arc’teryx Hakku rope bag
  • Black Diamond Vector helmet
  • Giant pile of carabiners – all shapes and sizes.
  • 60m static rope (for ascending and rappelling only)
  • 60m dynamic rope (for climbing)

Underwater Equipment

My underwater photography setup currently includes an AquaTech housing for my Canon 5D Mark IV, along with lens ports that that allow me to use my Canon 8-15mm fisheye, Canon 16-35 f/4 L IS, Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L II and Canon 24-105 f/4 L IS II. The 24-70 and 24-105 use the same P-145 flat port for above water photos, whilst the fisheye and the 16-35 use the 8″ PD-85 dome port, making them ideal for underwater shots and half and half shots.

Photo Accessories

If you’d like to get a discount on all Peak Design products, we are able to offer a special deal to our readers thanks to my long time relationship with Peak Design. Just click the button to reveal it.

Filter Kit

My filter kit is an important part of my landscape and travel photography gear.  My filter case comes on every trip I do because it’s impossible to predict which filters will be needed.  In recent times I’ve switched to the Formatt-Hitech Firecrest filters which I find to be extremely neutral in colour.  I also think that they’re just a great company, with some great folks working for them and that’s also an important thing for me!  Whilst I do own the Hitech 100mm filter holder, I mostly use the Lucroit holder because it’s lighter weight and I often travel a long way with gear on my back.Save 10% on Formatt-Hitech filters using the coupon code DanCarr10 in either their International store or their US store. Note that the linked items in the list below will take you to the products on B&H Photo, to give you another option, but you’ll have to buy direct from Formatt-Hitech to make use of my exclusive discount. They’re always a pleasure to deal with directly. The Filter Hive from MindShift Gear is the thing that keeps all of this stuff organized, it’s simply brilliant. If you buy it from MindShift Gear using one of my links, you’ll get a free gift at the checkout. More details about this offer can be found here.

Tripods And Support Gear

“Hey that’s a lot of Really Right Stuff gear you’ve got there Dan!”
Well yes it is quite the collection.  Like many people I initially made the mistake of spending money on lower grade support gear.  Eventually, pretty quickly in fact, it all failed on me.  At this point I purchased my BH-40 ballhead and knew I was an RRS fan for life.  The build quality of their products is simply second to none.

Optics

Good binoculars should be in every wildlife photographer’s kit.

WordPress Plugins

These are the valuable WordPress plugins that are used on my website:

Adventure Photography Trailer

My little adventure photography trailer is a TigerMoth, built by Taxa Outdoors, and designed by an engineer from NASA who worked on the habitation pods of the International Space Station. I can sleep in the trailer, or in the roof tent when the weather is warmer. It features a full solar power setup, kitchen, tons of storage options and also functions as a mobile office when I need to work from my laptop. Aside from the photography gear that’s with me on a trip, here is a list of some of the other important stuff in my awesome trailer:Off Grid Power Kitchen General  Sleep System By the way, my trailer has its own Instagram account here: http://instagram.com/upoverland


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Latest Gear Check Posts

Gear Check is a regular section on my blog where I discuss items of gear in my kit.  They differ slightly from reviews because since I’ve already added them to my kit for regular usage, I obviously like them!  This section explains why I like them and how I use them.  Sign up for my newsletter to make sure you don’t miss the regular Gear Check posts!

Gear Check: Heat 2 Softshell Photography Glove

Gear Check: Heat 2 Softshell Photography Glove

This winter I have been testing a variety of photography gloves for a giant group test that will appear on Shutter Muse shortly, but I thought I'd introduce a few of them individual to you guys here on my blog for the ever popular Gear Check series. This glove from...

read more
Gear Check: Goal Zero 12V Lithium Yeti Charger

Gear Check: Goal Zero 12V Lithium Yeti Charger

I have written before about my Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium Power Station that keeps all my camera gear charged on long road trips. Until recently you were only able to charge the Yeti Power Stations with main AC power or with solar power, but now Goal Zero have...

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3 Reasons I Love My Aquatech Underwater Housing

3 Reasons I Love My Aquatech Underwater Housing

I've not long been home from my epic trip to dive with sea lions in British Columbia so I thought I'd share a few things about my Aquatech gear that I absolutely love. This isn't some sponsored post, I bought all my underwater gear from them at full retail price just...

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Gear Check Home Page

Where to buy the best gear ?

Once you’ve figured out what it is you’re looking to buy, a common question is “where should I order from?“.  Typically I buy my gear from either B&H Photo or Amazon and occasionally Adorama if the other two don’t have it in stock. I’ve experienced exceptional customer service from all three at some point or other and can wholeheartedly recommend them all.  Even though I live in Canada I still like to order from B&H in the USA because they allow me to pay all the applicable taxes and duties up front so there are no surprises. This is a service they offer for many countries worldwide, and they now ship to Canada for FREE on orders over $99! That’s a huge deal for me and many of you guys! If you happen to be looking for camera bags for general use or sports photography use then I would definitely recommend checking out Think Tank Photo.  You’ll see in my gear list below that I have a number of their carrying solutions in my closet for when I’m traveling or shooting at sporting events which is where their gear really excels. I’m happy to tell you that as a friend of the site and follower of my work, Think Tank Photo will offer you a FREE gift of a small bag or accessory when you purchase more then $50 worth of stuff from their store after clicking through one of my links!

Featured Gear Articles

Canon 7D Mark II + Canon 100-400mm L IS II – Perfect Match?

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How Has Camera Technology Evolved During My Career?

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Dan's Gear of the Year - 2016

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Got a gear question?

Leave it in the comments below!

13 Comments

  1. Dominique
    Dominique on October 7, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    Any advice on mics for 5D MII?

    Reply
  2. Sherpa
    Sherpa on December 1, 2010 at 9:53 am

    you gots a lot of nice s*%t dan.

    Reply
  3. Mike
    Mike on December 27, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    Noticed that under the accessories section you mentioned filters and a statement of “if you have to use a filter of any sort”. I finally switched to digital after all these years and was wondering if a UV/ Haze filter was really necessary? Assuming you don’t use them unless completely necessary after that statement. With digital processing do you just shoot non filter and correct the white balance later, and in what situations do you find a UV/ haze helpful if at all? THANKS!!!

    Reply
    • Dan Carr
      Dan Carr on December 27, 2010 at 3:00 pm

      You guessed right , I never recommend using a UV filter. People generally say use them to protect the lens but why spend all that money on expensive lenses and then put something else in front of it. The only thing that cant be re-created in photoshop is the effect of a circular polorizing filter which is why i have one of those, but its the most expensive one you can get so quality is minimally effected.

      Reply
  4. Pat MacInnes
    Pat MacInnes on March 12, 2011 at 4:33 pm

    Hi Dan,

    Really interesting site you have with some really good info on how you work. Just wondering, in your kit bag you say you have some waterproof covers for your flashes – are these specifically for flashes or are they just covers you’ve bodged from somewhere? I shoot a lot in crappy conditions (I shoot angling) so covers would be great 🙂

    Anyway, great site and great work.

    Pat

    Reply
    • Dan Carr
      Dan Carr on March 13, 2011 at 1:07 pm

      I have a mixture. A couple of remote camera covers from Think Tank Photo and then I always carry a stash of regular plasitc bags and some black electrical tape. I pull a hole in the bag and then wrap tape round it to keep it tight. A disposable setup for sure but it works fine.

      Reply
  5. Arash
    Arash on December 4, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    what about Einstein ? Do you use that ?

    Reply
    • DanCarr
      DanCarr on March 10, 2014 at 12:16 pm

      Yes I do at the moment.

      (sorry for the late reply here…)

      Reply
  6. del duncan
    del duncan on October 14, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    Always like your articles and FB posts, Fan. What an insane list of equipment! I thought of going to Fuji Mirrorless, but really can’t give up my Canon lenses. By the time you get the fast zooms, there’s really not that much difference. That 11-24 definitely looks interesting!

    Reply
    • Dan Carr
      Dan Carr on October 15, 2016 at 9:28 pm

      Thanks for following, Del! Yeah the Canon glass selection is what keeps me with them really. They are so innovative in the optics area. So many “firsts” like the 11-24, 8-15, 200-40 with the built-in extender, 100mm macro with the additional IS axis, 17mm Tilt-shift… the list goes on… Maybe rent the 11-24 one day to give it a try! It’s a lot of fun.

      Reply
  7. John Miller
    John Miller on March 29, 2017 at 8:08 am

    Very informative site, Dan. Do you use a photography blind? I have used the Rue Ultimate blind for years and love it, but time has taken its toll. I can’t find that blind any place now. Any suggestions on a replacement? Thanks.

    Reply

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