To Travel Light as a wildlife-interested photographer is a joke. What you bring is what you´ve got. What can break, will. So I travel like a plummer – I try to bring it all…
My hazy eyes need autofocus.
My slow brain needs auto exposure and auto white balance.
My motifs often need as many frames per second as I can get.
I settled for the best equipment money can buy.
The sharpest, brightest lenses, the fastest and most accurately exposing cameras, the most modern flashes and the quickest XQD-cards.
Autofocus, autoexposure, auto white balance and motor-powered everything.
The Nikon D5, D500 and D810 are miracles.
D5 and D500 can be exposed with amazingly high ISOs without damaging the images at all.
The AF is fast and exact and the controls are easy and intuitive.
The D810 to me gives even better tonal range files and more fine detail than any other camera that I have ever seen. It gives incredibly detailed and sharp and colourful files.
The D810 is like a Hi-Res version of D5, with much bigger and more detailed files, and not as heavy to carry. Still very stabile and sturdy. But with slower Autofocus and fewer frames per second. The focusing points are also better in the D5 and D500
The D500 is an amazing piece of equipment too, especially in relation to its price! A perfect backup camera, or when I need light-weight more than anything else. And it makes the long lenses ”longer” by 1,5!
Yes, the latest Nano-coated Nikkor lenses are heavy to carry, but Oh so tack sharp, crystal clear and incredibly fast-focusing. The 14-24 and 24-70 VR and the MicroNikkor 105, the 200/2, the 300/2,8 VR and the 600/4 VR, the 800/5,6 VR, the 70-200/2,8 VR and even the 80-400/4,5 VR are the sharpest and most fine-rendering lenses I have ever tried or seen work from. No haze. And with the D5:s you can even fine-tune and calibrate each individual longer lens to each individual camera body.!
Giving a crispness in detail also with the longest lenses better than anything else I have experienced.
VR vibration reduction is a blessing in most cases.
I use a wide-angle zoom on one body, a tele-zoom on the other.
Long telephoto lens on the third, usually the 600 mm or lately rather the 800 mm. That is an incredibly useful lens! I can actually handhold it with sharp images down to 1/15 second, if just the motif stands still. Thanks to the VR system, not my shaky hands.
Original Nikon equipment only.
ISO mostly 800-8000 on D5 and a little less on D810.
Motor drive at as many frames per second as the technology allows.
Then I feel prepared for most quick situations.
Nikon Action Camera gear is a brand new addition to my gear.
Key Mission 360 and 170, both extremely useful. And so much easier to handle than the other brands available. Filming is fun!
Photography tool box:
Camera gear:
2 Nikon D5
1 Nikon D810
1 Nikon D500
Nikkor AFS 800/5,6 G ED FL VR
Nikkor AFS 600/4 G ED FL VR
Nikkor 400/2,8 G ED VR
Nikkor AFS 300/2,8 G ED FL VR
AF-Nikkor 70-200/2,8 VR
AF-Nikkor 14-24/2,8
AF-Nikkor 24-70/2,8 VR
AF-VR Micro-Nikkor IF-ED 105/2,8
AF-Nikkor Fisheye 10,5 mm/4 (for the D500)
AF-teleconverters Nikkor TC-14B III and TC-20 E III
Key Mission 360 and 170
2 Flashes Nikon SB-5000 and a Project-A-Flash tele flash fresnel-lens kit.
Field glasses Nikon High Grade 8×42 and Nikon 10×25
Telescope Nikon Fieldscope EDG 85 with FEP-30W
SONY G-Series XQD-cards 64-128 Gb
Rechargable Nikon Li-ion battery packs, kits of Lithium AA batteries for really cold weather.
Camera bags and -backpacks from Tamrac, Mr Jan Gear and Mindshift.
Waterproof boxes and bags from Pelicase, Ortlieb and Mr Jan Gear.
Tripod gear:
Carbon fibre 6X tripods from Gitzo (GK 5541 for the heavy lenses and GT 2531EX for hikes and lighter jobs), with leveling units and extra big feet for snow and sand).
Ball heads and panning heads from Kirk and new favourite Uniqball.
Arca Swiss style quick release plates and gimbal head from Wimberley.
Macaroni- and or rice or bean-bags. Organically grown of course!
Other equipment:
Apple Mac Book Pro 15” Laptop
Tent Hilleberg ”Staika”. Stands anything, can be put up anywhere.
Tent Hilleberg ”Kieron” 4-man. Stands anything, but rooms more people.
Sleeping bag North Face ”Goose Down” for ordinary trips.
Sleeping bag North Face ”Deep Sleep” for the really cold ones.
Thermarest sleeping mattresses.
Backpack Norröna ”Beito”. Brings it all.
Arcteryx jacket and pants. All round. All year.
Heavy Duty down parka ”SnowGoose Expedition” from Canada Goose. For minus 30 and below.
All underwear by Swedish ”Wool power”. Keeps butt and toes warm. Best I´ve ever tried.
”SOREL Extreme” – Canadian Army Arctic winter mukluk boots. For minus 20 and below.
Hiking boots Le Chameau (long), Gore-Tex.
Nokian felt lined rubber boots. For sleet, wet snow and slush.
Rubber boots ”Wildmark”. Summer use.
Lundhags felt-lined leather ski boots.
Inuit-kamikks of seal skin and caribou fur, for minus 25 and under.
Pocket flask, type ”Jerry Can” with french Cognac, preferably Rémy Martin or Grönstedts Extra.
