Camera Gear
Just like hunting gear, camera gear is a personal choice on what works best for you and your budget. Buy what you can afford and then put as much time behind that camera as you can.
Sony A7rii
I think the industry is headed towards mirrorless cameras and thank God. They’re a hell of a lot lighter and smaller which is a huge deal when it comes to us backcountry hunters. This camera has also changed the game on my sophisticated selfies. It turns my phone into a shutter and I can have complete control of the settings in my camera. Now I can set the shot up on a tripod, look at the composition on my phone as well as adjust the settings and focus, snap a shot and post it to social media. There is a newer version, the A7riii, but to be honest I can’t justify the extra price for the minimal amount of improvements. Save the money and buy some nicer lenses.
Sony 16-35mm Vario-Tessar
This is a great wide angle lens. With Ziess glass it’s hard to beat. Great for landscape as well as any close up shots you might need.
Sony FE 70-300mm
A great long distance zoom lens. Between this and the wide angle I mentioned above, it covers everything I need in the backcountry. Sure some prime lenses would be great, but with weight and volume to consider this combo will get it done.
Peak Design Capture
You want to shoot more pictures? This is how you do it. I feel like I shoot double the amount of picture since I started using this thing. It allows you to clip your camera onto your backpack strap and unclip it with a simple press of the button. No more digging through your backpack to try and find your camera. With it right there and easy to access you won’t get lazy and not take that once in a lifetime photo.
Lowepro Adventura SH 160 II
I’ve gone through several cases and this one seems to work the best for the backcountry for me. It allows me to take the camera body, two lenses and either my GoPro or a flash. Add in some batteries, SD cards and filters in the side pocket and that’s about all I need. Also it slides perfectly into my Kifaru backpacks.
Slik Mini II Tripod
Light, small and versatile. I use this both for my camera and glassing with my spotter.
SanDisk Extreme 64GB
Fast enough and cheap enough. Pixels are cheap, take lots of pictures. But make sure you have a few of these to hold those pictures.