Learn all of the landscape photography equipment I use as a full-time photographer.
I cover my favorite gear, from 15 years of field testing, including:
- Cameras
- Lenses
- Tripod
- Video Equipment
- Electronics & Computers
- Hiking Gear
Scroll down & get started.
Page Table of Contents
Use the links below to jump to the gear section of your choice, or scroll down to read them all.
Camera for Landscape Photography
Nikon Z7 + Memory Card: Best dynamic range of any full-frame camera on the market.
I highly recommend this camera to all landscape photographers who expect their gear to perform at the top level and take a beating at the same time.
- High resolution allows you to crop half of the image out and still have a printable file.
- Tough metal body perfect for mountaineering and backpacking.
- All around better camera than the Nikon D8** Series that I shot with for a decade.
Wide Angle Lens
Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 + Circular Polarizer: Sharper & less distortion than the Nikkor 14-24mm that used to be my all-time favorite lens.
- At first, I was worried that f/4 minimum f-stop wouldn’t do well for night sky photography.
- The Z7 has no problem increasing the ISO by an extra stop to compensate.
Telephoto Lens
Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3+ Circular Polarizer : Sharp, light & very versatile.
- Shooting with large megapixel counts such as the Nikon Z7, I can crop this 200mm lens into 300mm with no loss in image quality.
- There is not a reason to carry a 300mm anymore, especially for backpacking & landscape photography.
Camera Case & Backpack
I don’t recommend photography backpacks. They are heavy and have way too many compartments that add complexity to your life.
Instead, I use a backpacking backpack and a small camera & lens case that goes inside it.
Camera / Lense Case: This case is very light and fits all of my camera equipment and batteries.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pack – Northrim 70L: My go-to pack for all trips less than 10 days.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pack – Porter 85L: My go-to pack for pack rafting and 10+ day trips.
Porter Back Pocket for Pack: Great for storing water, snacks & quick access gear.
Tripod, Ballhead & L-Bracket
If you’re not into ultra-light backpacking, I’d recommend the second tripod in this section.
It’s what I used for 10 years before upgrading to a lighter tripod and ball head.
Tripod for Backpacking (23 oz total weight)
Aziak Backcountry Tripod: This thing is very sturdy for the size out to 200mm focal lengths. It’s never going to be as sturdy as the tripod below, but for the weight savings, it’s worth it. I removed the center column.
Aziak Backcountry Ballhead: I prefer the Really Right Stuff ballhead recommended below, but for the weight savings this ballhead is worth it.
L-Bracket to go with ball-head
My Favorite Tripod I Used for a Decade (50 oz total weight)
This tripod is still very light as far as tripods go, but for backpacking it’s heavy, compared to the setup above.
Feisol Tournament CT-3342 3-Section Rapid Carbon Tripod: I’ve tested many tripods over the years. This one wins the gold. Hands down. Light, simple, and very tough.
Ball Head & L-Bracket
Video & Vlogging Equipment
4K Video & Hiking Films
Nikon Z7 + Rode VideoMic NTG + Windshield for 4K hiking videos, like this one & this one.
Youtube & Vlogging
Go Pro Hero 7 Video Camera: The quality of Go Pro is really good. I use this setup to make all my YouTube Videos.
With the following audio, below, this is my favorite setup ever.
Very compact. Easy to use and great stabilization without a Gimbal.
Audio Setup for Go Pro
The Go Pro in-camera audio is not usable. Don’t waste your time!
- Go Pro Mic Adapter. It’s bulky but worth it so you do not have to sync external audio. The sound is very good! People complain about this adapter because they don’t set it up right, as denoted below.
- Mic which plugs into Go Pro Audio Adapter
- Attach Mic Adapter to top of Go Pro 7 Case using this velcro tape with sticky sides so you can remove it as required.
- Insert this Wind Screen on Mic First, and the next on top of it. This makes for great sound with no wind noise.
- Second Wind Screen for Mic
Go Pro Handle / Stick: This must be used with the audio setup above. If you use it without external audio it’s noisy! I like this handle because it’s very small and weighs nothing allowing the full camera to fit in my hip pocket on my backpacking bag
Hiking & Backpacking Equipment
Get my Hiking Equipment Checklist & Guide, which includes a free PDF to go along with it.
This will teach you everything I know about backpacking & living in the wilderness.
Computer Equipment
2020 Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display, with:
- Processor: 3.8 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i7
- Memory: 128 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
- Graphics: MD Radeon Pro 5700 XT 16 GB
Hard Drives & Essentials:
- Card Reader
- (2) WD 6TB Hard Drives
- Hard Drive Bay
- Datacolor Spyder5 PRO Display Calibration System
- Travel Backup Drives – (2) WD 2TB Hard Drives
Batteries, Power & Charging
Vehicle Power & Charging Equipment
- Inverter Power Supply for Vehicle
- “Cigarette Lighter” USB Charger – Make sure to get the 2.4 amp ports!
- USB-C Cables
- AA & AAA Rechargeable Battery Charger
- AA Rechargeable Batteries
- AAA Rechargeable Batteries
- Breaker Strip
- Go Pro Dual Battery Charger
- Car Jump Starter Backup Battery
Backpacking & Hiking Power
- Portable Charger Anker PowerCore 20100mAh: Approximatly, 5 days of charge for Go Pro, Z7 Camera & phone, for GPS.
- Anker Powercore II 10000: 2-3 days of charge. Half of battery above.
- 3 Go Pro Batteries
- Nikon EN-EL15c: This version can charge via USB-C while inside the Z7 camera. I carry 3 total.