I’m a gear head. I’ll admit it. I’ve collected a lot of gear over the years. In the past I’ve had the Canon EOS M, Canon T3i, Canon M50, Olympus Tough, and a lot of film cameras. The current 35mm film camera I have the Kodak Ektar 35mm 1/2 frame, point and shoot. My husband got it for my birthday, thanks Honey, I love it!

For my main gear:

I shoot videos for YouTube with ZV1. I use it as a high quality webcam.

For photography fun:

• Canon 70D, it’s an oldy but goody.
• 35mm f/2 YONGNUO AF/MF Wide-Angle Fixed/Prime Auto Focus Lens for Canon EF Mount EOS Camera
• Meike 85mm F1.8 Full Frame Auto Focus Lens Compatible with EOS EF
• Tamron AF 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC All-in-One Zoom for Canon APS-C Digital SLR
• Canon Kit Lens 18-55
• Canon Kit Lens 70-300
• Sigma 600mm f/8 Mirror Lens
• Neeewer TT560 Speedlight
• Cuely Remote Switch

The uses:

• 35mm works well for portraits, low light and street photography.
• 85mm is also wonderful in low light, it’s my favorite portrait lens but I’ve also used it for street photography and it’s surprisingly does a great job despite the untraditional focal length.
• 18-200mm works well as a travel, all-in-one lens. I wanted the 18-400mm lens because it was more versatile but I found this lens at a bargain $40 used on KEH.com vs about $400 I’d get for the extra 200mm.
• The kit lenses are self-explanatory. It’s the lenses you get when you’re broke and a beginner which describes me well. Still, they serve their purpose and you can get fantastic results if you put in the time, effort and master the skill.
• Sigma 600mm Mirror Lens: this is the cheapest birding and wildlife lens I could find. Honestly, I love it. I got it as a bargain on KEH.com. It’s helped me get into birding.

 

All of my gear is super old and super on budget. I’m a frugal photographer and I’m happy this way. I enjoy photography but I don’t make it my idol. I’m not going to sacrifice running my credit card at Best Buy to get the latest and greatest gear. Maybe one day, I’ll splurge on a fancy new camera. But for now, I’m content. Of course, I have dream camera setups but that all fades away when I go out and use my current gear. Don’t let anyone online pressure or emotionally manipulate you into getting a fancy expensive camera. Specs are great but skill is better.

Cheers!