Photo gear

Before we begin, I must point out that photographic equipment is only a part of the equation. You would be surprised at the kinds of photographs I can get from 10-year old digital cameras. In order to obtain artistic, high quality photographs, there’s a lot of studying and practice involved, not to mention the time and effort it takes to get each photograph just right. A certain amount of talent or predisposition for this kind of pursuit also helps. I advise you to read through this post of mine and watch the video I created to go along with it, in order to get a healthy perspective on photo gear. With that in mind, here is a list of my current equipment.

My Olympus gear:

  • Cameras: 
    • Olympus PEN-F: this flagship PEN was introduced on January 27, 2016. I bought mine in 2020.
    • Olympus PEN E-P5: introduced on May 10, 2013. I bought mine in 2018. (No E-P4 was produced, apparently because the number 4 is considered unlucky in Japan.)
    • Olympus PEN E-P3: introduced on June 30, 2011.
    • Olympus PEN E-PL1: introduced on February 3, 2010.
    • Olympus PEN E-P2: introduced on November 5, 2009.
    • Olympus PEN E-P1: the first digital PEN, introduced on June 16, 2009.
    • Olympus E-5 DSLR: this flagship DSLR was introduced on September 14, 2010. I bought my E-5 in 2021, 11 years after its introduction and to me, this is an even better camera than the E-3. I love using it.
    • Olympus E-3 DSLR: this flagship DSLR was introduced on October 16, 2007 at the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, where I was in attendance. I bought my E-3 in 2020, 13 years after its introduction and to me, this is still a very good, very well-designed camera. I love using it.
    • Olympus E-330 DSLR: introduced on January 26, 2006, it was the first DSLR with full-time Live View + AF on a tilt and swivel LCD. It’s a wonderfully usable camera with an interesting shutter mechanism.
    • Olympus E-1 DSLR: this flagship DSLR was introduced on June 24, 2003. I bought my E-1 in 2021, 18 years after its introduction and to me, this is a piece of camera history that completes my collection of digital Olympus cameras.
    • Olympus Camedia C770-UZ: a lovely little camera with a powerful 10x (38-380mm f2.8-3.7) optical zoom lens that produced crisp, clear photos. Even though I don’t use it anymore, I keep it in my gear collection.
  • Lenses: 
    • Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6: a capable, sharp medium zoom lens that I’ve used for several years and it still works great; I have the “L ED”, “II R” and pancake “EZ” versions.
    • Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-45mm f3.5-5.6: a medium zoom lens that offers a range of 28-90mm (35mm equivalent); it’s made for the four-thirds mount, so it only fits my Four Thirds cameras like my E-3 and E-330 DSLRs.
    • Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f1.8: a premium, beautiful, jewel-like, solidly built prime lens with a large aperture and manual clutch focus; it can also be used for video.
    • Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8: a premium “standard prime” lens that offers a 50mm perspective (35mm equivalent), with beautiful bokeh; it can also be used for video.
    • Olympuz Zuiko Digital 35mm f3.5: a macro lens made for the four-thirds mount, so it fits cameras like the E-3 and E-330.
    • Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm f4-5.6: a capable, sharp tele zoom lens that offers a range of 80-300mm (35mm equivalent); it’s light, small and it still works great after several years of use; I have both the “ED MSC” and the “R” versions.
    • Olympus Zuiko Digital 40-150mm f3.5-4.5: a premium, capable, sharp tele zoom lens that offers a range of 80-300mm (35mm equivalent); it’s made for the four-thirds mount, so it only fits my Four Thirds cameras like the E-3, E-330 and E-510 DSLRs.
    • Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8: this premium prime lens is incredibly affordable for the sharp focus and creamy bokeh that it gives; it can also be used for video.
    • Olympus 15mm f8 body cap lens: an inexpensive daytime/pinhole lens.
    • Olympus Macro Converter MCON-PO2: a wonderful and inexpensive screw-on adapter that decreases the minimum focal distance for the 14-42mm lens, the 17mm lens, the 25mm lens and the 45mm lens. Definitely recommended, I use it all the time for flower photography.
    • Olympus Wide Angle Converter WCON-P01: a simple way to increase the range of the M43 14-42mm lens to 11 mm at the wide end. This is the inexpensive way to do it. The next step after this would be to buy the 9-18mm wide-angle zoom or the 7-14mm ultra-wide zoom, both of which are much more expensive than the adapter plus the kit lens put together.
  • Flashes: 

My Canon gear:

  • Cameras: 
    • Canon EOS 7D: introduced on September 1, 2009; a workhorse that I use for both photography and filmmaking.
    • Canon EOS 60D: introduced on August 26, 2010; same as the 7D, but it’s not weatherproof and it’s slower; on the plus side, it does have a flip-out screen.
    • Canon EOS 5D: introduced on August 22, 2005; my first full frame camera and first 12 megapixel camera; it opened up a new world for me, because it was such a capable camera and it could match my demands. I still use it and love it.
    • Canon ELPH APS: I bought this lovely little camera in 1996 and used it during my college years and afterward. At the time it was the world’s smallest autofocus zoom camera, with a 24-48mm f4.5-6.2 lens that extended when the camera was turned on. Although I don’t use it anymore, I still have it in my gear collection.
  • Lenses: 
  • Flashes: 

If you’d like to see all of the cameras I’ve had and used over time, then you’re invited to browse through this list. Also see my reviews, where I’ve talked about some of this gear in detail. If you’re in a generous mood, here’s a wishlist. I’m always looking for more gear!