I go through a lot of equipment. I’m hard on it. I bash it against stuff, I roll around in the dirt with it … and I just sell it whenever it has no more use to me. I don’t take photos of brick walls, I don’t do studio tests, but what I do is take hundreds of thousands of photos in real-world conditions, and it tells me a few things about the real character and reliability of gear. So here I will be collecting some of my old reviews through the years and updating them with my new experiences as I can. I will keep them as timely as possible, but I spend most of my time (and make about 99.99 percent of my income) from being out there, using this stuff until it turns to dust.
And I will NEVER, EVER review a piece of gear that I haven’t put through the paces on an actual shoot. Ever.
Rundown: What’s in my Bag? (and Why?) (August 2010)
Cameras:
Nikon D3s (December 2009)
Fuji X100 (May 2011)
Sony Nex-5n
New! Fuji X10 and Nikon J1 (January 2012)
Lenses:
New! Sigma 12-24mm Mark II (November 2011)
Nikon 24mm f/1.4 (April 2010)
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 (July 2009)
Nikon 35mm f/1.4 (January 2011)
Nikon 40mm f/2.8 DX Micro (September 2011)
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 (September 2008)
Nikon 50mm f/1.8G (July 2011)
Nikon 85mm f/1.4G (September 2010)
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 (March 2011)
Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro (December 2010)
Hasselblad 100mm f/2.2 on Hasselblad H2F (October 2011)
Nikon 135mm f/2 D DC (January 2009)
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 OS Macro (September 2011)
Nikon 200mm f/2 VR II (July 2011)
Tilt-shift trio, the 24mm f/3.5, 45mm f/2.8 and 85mm f/2.8, reviewed in two parts! (Part 1) (Part 2) (May 2011)
Other:
New! Nikon Sb-910 flash (January 2012)
Nikon SB-700 Flash (January 2011)
Lumiquest LTP Softbox (November 2010)
Rosco LitePad HO+ (June 2011)
PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 for Nikon (March 2011)
Spyder LensCal and LensAlign system (January 2012)
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Michael Z Rork - Wow! Thank you, that video was very informative. :-)
Two things happened when I watched that:
1. I became very jealous of your gear.
2. I realized that in order to do weddings well I’m going to need a lot more stuff than my 50mm f/1.4, my 24mm f/1.8 and my Speedlite 430 EX II.
Martins Kikulis - Your site is a real find for me! Fantastic reviews! Cheers for that!
You should check Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8 – it’s not a typical wedding lens for sure, but it’s really great. So great in fact that it’s my favourite lens of all times. Even for wedding photography!
shawn - can u guide witch one better camera canon 7d or nikon d7000
thank u
shawn
Paul Heller - Ryan,
I noticed you use a 35mm F/1.8G, although you shoot FF.
Any advice on DX shooters who want/need this lens today, but may eventually move to FF?
Ryan Brenizer - I’ve moved to the 35mm f/1.4 :)
Frank - Really nice reviews on what’s in your bag, give me a lots of idea.
currently I have 2 SB900, do you think I should get more of these?
for now I have one D700 with MB-D10 on it, I have 6 lens now, which is 14-24,24-70,70-200,35 1.4G, 50 1.4D and 200-400, do you think these equipment is enough for a wedding? I never shot a wedding before…
Thanks
Frank
Grant - Frank: I have shot hundreds of weddings with much less gear than that. Apprentice with someone before you dive in and get yourself sued when you cannot deliver due to lack of experience. Get the experience and you will then know what equipment you need to shoot how you want to shoot.
sult batis - hey ryan
how are you ?
can you plz give us a tutrial for 135mm ( defucos thing ) i had many problems with it .. :(
Abhishek Adhikari - Hey Ryan,
I wanted to buy a 24-70 f2.8. However, Nikon is way above my budget. Could you help me decide between the Sigma 24-70HSM and the Tamron 28-75 Di?
Thanks in advance,
Abhishek
Jefferson - Thanks for sharing your review site with us. Your video of what’s in my bag is very informative and nice. Thanks again and keep sharing.
Diana Mathura - I’m super excited to be taking your class tomorrow at Adorama.
Your work is beautiful.
I hope to soak in everything tomorrow.
Diana
DJH - Brilliant. That;s what’s needed. A unbiased review from someone who puts this stuff to the test…
Lee Allen - Love your reviews – however I was wondering why you didnt want to put your laptop inside your Airport international? I recently went to Sierra Leone and took my macbook inside using the lower dividers and the laptop bag Thinktank do. it works really well.
Any chance of a UK workshop?
Lee