Brad Hill: Stuff I Use - Part I: Cameras
I'm constantly being asked what type of gear I use. And why. So here's a listing of stuff that I actually use for my work as a professional wildlife photographer.
For organizational purposes, I've split the stuff I use into the following categories which cover three web pages.
1. Part I: Cameras that I currently use - and have used. (THIS page - see below!)
2. Part II: Lenses and Teleconverters that I Use (or have used).
3. Part III: Everything Else (that I regularly drag into the field, including tripods, camera bags, backpacks, accessories and gadgets, and outdoor wear).
In each category you'll find a listing of gear that I am currently using and have used in the past. With the gear I am currently using I've included a brief commentary on my thoughts about each particular item plus links to key resources on this website about that particular piece of gear. So you'll find links to key past blog entries, to my reviews (if they exist) or to image galleries dedicated to that bit of gear.
Cameras - Overview
I almost exclusively use Nikon cameras and have done so since the 1980's. Over the years I have dabbled with other brands of cameras, such as mirrorless Olympus cameras (before Nikon began producing high quality mirrorless cameras). At present I only use Nikon cameras (partly because I can't figure out how to use the camera on my iPhone...). I am not sponsored by Nikon nor am I an ambassador (presently, in the past, and I'm definitely not in the "wannabe" category!). This leaves me in a position to be objective about what I use and what I say about it. If I am effusive about any piece of hardware (or software for that matter) it's because I'm truly impressed by it. If I say nothing about a camera/lens it probably means I have judged it to be unsuitable for my particular needs and have not tried it. If I sell a particular camera/lens it usually means I have found something else that fills my particular needs better.
Cameras I'm Currently Using
Post Date: 3 February 2023
At present I use two Nikon Z 9 bodies with identical setups and customization.
My Thoughts on the Nikon Z 9:
Historically I have always owned and used two or three different camera bodies simultaneously, each with complementary features. So, for example, a D6 for low-light and "high-speed" photography paired with a D850 for brighter light shooting and with a bias to more static subjects and/or animalscapes and landscapes. However the high resolution, high frame rate and autofocus speed/performance of the Z 9 (along with post-processing software improvements allowing the shooting of higher ISO's on high resolution cameras) has meant that I can use just the Z 9 to meet virtually all my photographic needs. Of course the Z 9 is not perfect, but it does meet my needs better than any single camera - or any pair of cameras - ever did before. Which is my way of saying it offers both very high performance and very high versatility.
Links to Key Z 9 Resources On This Website:
A. Some Relevant/Useful Z 9 Blog Entries:
• 30 Nov 2021: The Nikon Z 9: Earliest Impressions and Thoughts
• 2 Dec 2021: The Nikon Z 9: A Button to Turn OFF Subject Recognition?
• 3 Dec 2021: The Nikon Z 9: New Menu Items>Setup Change>Camera Use Change?
• 6 Dec 2021: The Nikon Z 9: Some New and/or Improved EVF Display Options
• 12 Dec 2021: The Nikon Z 9: Preliminary ISO Performance Findings
• 2 Jan 2022: The Nikon Z 9: Some Observations on Its Cold Weather Performance
• 20 Feb 2022: The Nikon Z 9: Tidbits & Trivia #1: Wide-area AF Mode
• 05 Mar 2022: The Nikon Z 9: Tidbits & Trivia #2: Understanding RSF
B. Z 9 Image Galleries:
Please note that the The Nikon Z 9 Collection Gallery will be expanding in the coming weeks and months. My Gallery of Latest Additions is updated regularly and for the foreseeable future it will contain primarily Z 9 images. In time it will include images from future Nikon bodies.
Cameras Used in the Past
Here's a quick listing of the Nikon cameras I have used over the last 40 or so years. This listing is in roughly "reverse chronological order" (from most recent to most distant past).
A. Mirrorless cameras: Nikon Z 6II, Z 7II, Z 7
B. DSLR Flagships: Nikon D6, D5, D4s, D4, D3s, D3, D2Xs, D2X, D2Hs, D2H, D1.
C. DSLR Non-flagships: D850, D800e, D800, D750, D600, D500, D300s, D300, D700, D200, D7100, D7000, D100.
D. Film Bodies: F6, F5, F4, F90x, F90, F801.
Note that in the VERY distant past (in the 1970's) I shot with Minolta film cameras, including the XD-11, X-700, XE-7, and XE-5. Before that...sorry...no way am I going to reveal what SLR cameras I began with or exactly how ancient I am! 😉
Jump to:
Brad Hill: Stuff I Use - Part II: Lenses and Teleconverters
Brad Hill: Stuff I Use - Part III: Everything Else