Equipment

As a wildlife and landscape photographer, Andrew works in very demanding conditions in remote locations. Andrew needs equipment that he can rely on that will not let him down. These are the tools that allow Andrew to make his images.

Andrew’s first camera was a second hand Nikon FM with a Nikon 50mm manual lens. He bought this camera and lens to document a two month trip he made to Nepal in the year after he left school. The 50mm lens (or "nifty fifty" as it is also known) is a "standard" lens for 35mm film giving a perspective equivalent to that which the human eye sees. With a fixed focal length, the only way to zoom with this lens is with your feet. Apart from an internal light meter, this camera and lens combination was completely manual. The camera and lens were also very sturdy and built to last.

With the advent of digital photography, Andrew started by using a Nikon D70 camera. The Nikon D70 was the first affordable digital slr camera, with a 6mp resolution this was a ground breaking dslr that for the first time offered images that were approaching the quality of 35mm film. As digital camera technology has evolved, Andrew has used the following Nikon dslrs: Nikon D200, Nikon D2x, Nikon D700, Nikon D3s, Nikon D3x, Nikon D4, Nikon D750, Nikon D810, Nikon D5 and Nikon D850.

The current generation of Nikon professional dslrs are phenomenal tools that far exceed the performance of the 35mm cameras and film that proceeded them. The Nikon D5 has incredible low light performance that allows images of wildlife to be made in very low light. With a state of the art autofocus system, the Nikon D5 is built like a brick and Andrew’s camera of choice for wildlife. The Nikon D850 has an astonishingly high resolution of 46mp that compares favourably with medium format digital systems. But the Nikon D850 is not just a high resolution camera for landscapes. With the same autofocus system as the Nikon D5, exceptional low light performance for such a high resolution dslr and 9 frames per second shooting with the Nikon MB-D18 Battery Grip, the Nikon D850 is a very versatile all round camera. The Nikon D850 can also be used as a 20mp cropped sensor format camera that effectively multiples the focal length of a lens by a factor of 1.5, making it very useful for wildlife when you need extra reach.

The lenses Andrew uses are in the main from Nikon's and Sigma's professional range of lenses. Professional lenses with fast apertures of f2.8 and f4 are optically the best lenses available and they work well with the autofocus systems in modern dslrs.

Whilst the cameras and lenses Andrew uses are from Nikon's and Sigma's professional ranges, this is not to say that good images can only be made by using such cameras and lenses. This is simply not true. There is no such thing as a bad camera and lens, all of the latest dslrs far exceed the performance of 35mm film. Andrew’s other camera of choice is his iPhone which offers great image quality in a small portable size, has the ability to process images in camera and is above all things fun to use! The professional cameras and lenses Andrew uses afford him the ability to make images in marginal conditions and this is the main reason why he uses them.

Andrew’s Current Camera Equipment

Nikon D5

Nikon D850 with Nikon MB-D18 Battery Grip (Wildlife)

Nikon D850 (Landscape)

Nikon D5300 (Remote/camera trap)

Nikon 600mm f4/E FL ED VR Lens

Nikon 180-400mm f4/E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens

Nikon 300 f/4E PF ED VR Lens

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens

Nikon 105mm micro f/2.8G IF-ED VR Lens

Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G ED Lens

Nikon 50mm f/1.4G Lens

Nikon 14-24mm f2.8G ED Lens

Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR Lens

Nikon AF-P DX 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Lens

Nikon PC-E Micro 85mm f/2.8D ED Lens

Nikon PC-E Micro 45mm f/2.8D ED Lens

Nikon PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED Lens

Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye Lens

Nikon SB 910, SB 900 and SB 800 speedlights

Drone

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Tripods and Heads

Gitzo 5540LS, GT3532LS and GT3320BS tripods and Gitzo GM5541 monopod

Wimberley WH-200 Gimbal Tripod Head MkII

Arca Swiss D4 GP Geared Panning Tripod Head and Arca Swiss Monoball Z

Joby GorillaPod 5K

Wimberley and Arca Swiss plates

Camera Bags

Lowepro Pro Trekker 650 AW, Toploader Pro75 AW II and DroneGuard Pro 450 bags

Mindshift FirstLight 40L, BackLight 36L and TrailScape 18L bags

Other Equipment

CamRanger, Pocket Wizard Plus III remotes

Lee Filters SW150 and 100mm filter sysytems

Trailmaster and Camtraptions infrared camera triggers

Wildlife Watching Supplies Large Dome Hide, Long and Low Dome Hide, Bag Hide, and Waterproof Camera and Lens Covers