There’s a saying that “gear doesn’t matter” and to some extent, that’s true. No camera will teach you composition, light, or timing. But let’s not kid ourselves: gear does matter, just not in the smug, pixel-peeping, spec-sheet-measuring kind of way. It matters in the way a good pair of boots matters on a long hike, sure, you could do it in flip-flops, but why suffer?
Some jobs need specific tools. You can shoot a football match with a manual-focus lens, but unless you’re feeling particularly masochistic or nostalgic, it’s going to be an uphill battle. Autofocus, frame rate, low-light handling, these aren’t luxuries, they’re just the right tool for certain types of work. And on the flip side, sometimes the “wrong” tool gives you something unexpected and wonderful. That’s the fun part.
Oh, and by the way, yes, photographers use A (Aperture Priority), P (Program), and S (Shutter Priority) modes all the time. The whole “everyone’s a photographer until you switch to manual” line is pure nonsense. Use what works. The camera is a tool, not a proving ground for ego.
Cameras
Let’s begin with the Nikon triumvirate of film excellence: the F3, F4, and F6. The F3 is my no-nonsense, manual-era workhorse. Simple, solid, and not a fan of mollycoddling. The F4, on the other hand, is a design committee’s fever dream of buttons, switches, and glorious chaos. And then there’s the F6: sleek, quiet, overengineered, and probably more competent than I am.
On the digital side, I use the Nikon D850. It’s absurdly sharp, has more resolution than any reasonable person needs, and occasionally reminds me that yes, the problem is behind the viewfinder.
Rounding out the fleet is a Mamiya C330, a medium-format TLR the size and weight of a well-fed housecat. It shoots square frames and draws attention, especially when people realize it has two lenses and none of them are autofocus.
Lenses
There are a few too many 50mms in my drawer: the AF-S 50mm f/1.4G for modern quiet autofocus, the older AF-D 50mm f/1.4 for that classic 90s feel, and a fully manual AI-s 50mm f/1.8 for those times I want the photographic equivalent of parallel parking with no power steering.
For portraiture, I swear by the vintage charm of the 105mm f/2.5 AI-s, a lens that flatters without flinching. My do-it-all 28–70mm f/2.8 AF-S D is what I grab when I don’t know what I’ll need, and the 80–200mm f/2.8 AF-S D joins in when I want reach, compression, or just a light upper body workout.
The Mamiya runs a single lens: the 135mm f/3.5, which is long-ish for the format, but gives that medium-format look without the usual intimidation factor. Quietly brilliant.
Printer
Meet the Epson SureColor P-7500, a 24″ large-format beast that uses the UltraChrome Pro12 inkset. It can print breathtaking detail with smooth tonal transitions and deep blacks, assuming I’ve remembered to load the right paper, the settings are correct, and, more importantly, the paper itself is actually the right one. When the stars (and substrates) align, it’s capable of producing prints that make even my most questionable compositions look intentional. It’s professional-grade, mildly temperamental, and currently occupies the kind of space you’d expect from a 1960s living room television set. It is large, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore. Still, when it sings, it makes everything else feel worth it.
Scanner
The Epson Perfection V800 Photo is my trusty gateway from analog to digital. It handles film with grace, decency, and just enough scanning resolution to satisfy without sending me into drum-scan despair. Not glamorous, but dependable. The kind of gear that does its job and doesn’t ask questions. Like a good butler, if your butler had a tendency to hum quietly and occasionally misplace your highlights.
I run it with SilverFast, scanning software whose interface still proudly clings to its early-90s roots, imagine a Netscape Navigator menu crossed with a cockpit simulator, and you’re halfway there. It may not win any awards for elegance, but it gets the job done… eventually.
P.S.
A word of caution: GAS—Gear Acquisition Syndrome—is real. One day it’s a humble 50mm; the next, you’re justifying a medium-format lens you’ve used exactly once “in case the lighting hits just right on a foggy Tuesday.” Buy what you need, use what you love—and if you start eyeing a lens just because it smells like legacy, maybe go for a walk instead.
out of context · art 