What’s Inside My Camera Bag? - Hello Olivia Photography

Anytime I meet another person that’s into photography, the inevitable question of gear always comes up.

It’s been ages since I talked about my current set up - back when I first started this blog six years ago, I was a Canon user… but made the switch to Sony about three years ago and have slowly made the switch to an all e-mount line up (with one BIG exception).

So, what’s in my camera bag now?

As noted, I made the switch to mirrorless right around when Amelia was born. My Canon 5DM4 was a beast, and I just didn’t love it. It didn’t feel like much of an upgrade from my beloved 5DM3 and the weight of the camera plus lenses were killing my back and shoulder. There would be times when my shoulder felt BROKEN after a few hours of carrying it after a session. Around the same time, several friends made the switch to Sony and talked about how incredibly light a Mirrorless set up was, so I took a leap of faith and bought the A73 and a Sigma MC-11 adapter.

It was literally love at first sight. The camera itself was significantly lighter and more compact than my Canon. An unexpected benefit was the autofocus. It seriously blew me away. It was leaps and bounds ahead of anything I was used to, and the image quality and sharpness were beyond my wildest dreams. When I say that my images where TACK SHARP, I am not kidding. The kicker was that every single one of my Canon lenses preformed better on the Sony with a Sigma adapter. MIND BLOWN.

Knowing that weight was a major reason for switching systems in the first place, it was counterproductive to use the Sony A73 with an adapter and the same heavy Canon lenses - so I sold them on eBay and started the slow and expensive process of replacing my glass.

After using my A73 for the last 3 years, my awesome husband gifted me the brand new A74 this Christmas and its pretty much the perfect camera as far as I’m concerned. That camera really deserves a blog post all its own, but that’s for another day.

My lens choices

The Sony 24mm 1.4 GM is an indoor staple for me. It’s wide, it’s tack sharp and weighs next to nothing. It’s perfect for documentary photography and just gets right in there, regardless of space.

Sony Zeiss 35mm 1.4 is the perfect compromise for documentary and portraits. It’s wide, but not too wide that distortion becomes an issue. The Sony has a beautiful depth of field wide open and I find that I love taking detail shots that just get right in there. I had a 35mm for my Canon back in the day and I never understood the hype of the 35mm - I finally get it now.

Lensbaby Edge 35 is my newest and only manual lens. It’s a part of their optic swap system and I am in love. Back in the day, I had the Lensbaby Edge 50 and 80 for my Canon, but it was very hard for me to find the sweet spot of focus. The Sony has a feature called focus peaking which allows me to really SEE what’s in focus and its been a game changer for me. This lens is such a mood.

Sony 50mm 1.2mm is a lens I really debated on. I don’t really NEED it, but I wanted it.

I had a 50mm 1.2 for Canon and wanted to love it, but it was so top heavy and so slow to find focus. It was almost impossible to use on moving subjects because it would hunt and peck FOREVER before finally locking focus. Talk about frustrating! This 50mm 1.2 is everything the Canon should have been and more. The color, the contrast and the BOKEH are everything.

Sigma 85mm 1.4 DGDN. I originally bought the Sony 85mm 1.4 GM and HATED IT. It’s possible that I got a soft copy, but from what research I’ve done, it’s very hit and miss. For me, it was a complete miss. The Sigma however is a beautiful lens that’s much smaller than the original Art 1.4 and a great all around lens. I almost use it exclusively for family sessions.

Sony is allegedly coming out with an 85 1.2 in 2022. If its half as good as my old Canon 85 1.2 was, it will be probably end up in my bag too :)

Canon 200mm 2.0. The one Canon lens I kept and use with an adaptor. Sony hasn’t come out with a 200 F2 yet and chances are I couldn’t afford it if they did. My trusty F2 is a masterpiece but heavy as hell and isn’t used much - but when it’s used….. it’s always worth it.

My bags

I’m pretty exclusive to Peak Design. I’ve had their 30L backpack for years and its still looks brand new. It pretty much holds everything I could ever need and then some while still keeping my gear protected and organized.

I use the 5L sling as an everyday bag. It’s the perfect size my camera, keys and phone.

The 15L tote was gifted to me recently and its the perfect in-between for my backpack and sling. It has pockets for everything is keeps me very organized.

That’s a wrap for what’s in my bag currently. It’ll be interesting to see what changes in the years to come!