An Almost Complete Photography and Editing Gear List
My Favorite Bags
MindShift Gear BackLight 26L or the 36L depending on the trip
The MindShift Gear Backlight 26L bag is my go-to travel bag - it’s durable, looks good, and maximizes the amount of gear you can carry for the size. The 36L provides additional room when I need to carry more gear and is much more flexible in how I carry that gear. It’s only a little larger on the outside and can still be placed under many airplane seats. I have been tempted by bags that offer some neat features or look a little more stylish but I just keep coming back to the MindShift bags because of how well they use the space.
Watch my full review – Shop B&H Photo
What's in Toby's Bag?
Sony a1
I travel the world and sometimes need to capture the fastest action e.g. Puffins in flight, penguins porpoising! The autofocus system of the a1 is astounding and helps me capture these fleeting moments. 50mp with excellent dynamic range is sweet for landscape photography, Add in 8k video for additional flexibility in cropping in post all packaged in one very travel-friendly body and Sony has a winner.
Buy the Sony a1 from B&H Photo
Sony a7R VI
My new second body, and it’s always with me on Tours. It replaced my trusty a7R III. The flippy screen swings out and tilts, so low-to-the-ground shots and verticals on a tripod are easy. Pre-capture saves up to a second of frames before I fully press the shutter, which is a game changer for birds and wildlife. The dynamic range is massive, so I can pull clean detail out of deep shadows in a sunrise scene. And 66.8MP gives me tons of room to crop.
Get the a7R VI at B&H
Sony FE 24-105 f/4 and Tamron 28-200
The 24-105 f/4 is my workhorse lens. It covers wide landscapes down to tighter details, and I don’t miss f/2.8 for the way I shoot. Buy the Sony 24-105 f/4
When I want to travel light with one lens, I grab the Tamron 28-200. It’s not as sharp at the long end, but going from wide to telephoto without a lens change is hard to beat on a travel day.
Sony FE 100-400 f/4.5-5.6
This lens is on my camera 80% of the time. It’s absolutely fantastic and incredibly versatile. Portraits, landscapes, wildlife -it does it all and does it well. The only negative is the price and 400mm never feels close enough for serious wildlife.
WATCH: My Review of Sigma 150-600 and a comparison of ALL sony telephoto lenses.
Sony FE 20mm f/1.8
I agonized about a new astrophotography lens for way to long - the 14mm f/1.8, the 20mm f/1.8 and the 24mm f/1.4 were all in the running. Ultimately I decided on the 20mm f/1.8 - it’s a very affordable lens that is a great astro focal length while remaining very travel friendly (notice a theme with my gear- size and weight are often important to me?)
Buy the Sony 20mm f/1.8 from B&H Photo
Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens
Travel-friendly and budget-friendly! I love this lens for portraits and street shooting. It's a great lens for getting sharp portraits with a soft background.
FLM CP30-L4 II 10X Carbon Fiber Series II Tripod
I have used tons of different tripods over the years and if you include tripods guests bring on workshops I have had my hands on just about every brand and model there is so when I put first used the FLM CP30-L4 II and found myself ooohing and ahhing, I knew this was something special. So I started to research and compare and at this price point, you won’t find anything else that offers this height, weight, and stability. I opted for the CP-30L4 for the extra height, sometimes it’s nice to be able to shoot above the guests’ heads saving the front-row seats for them. If you don’t need that height the CP30-S4 is a little more portable.
Find the CP-30 L4 at B&H Photo | CP-30 S4
Benro MSD36C SupaDupa Carbon Fiber Monopod (64.9")
When I am photographing with longer lenses and especially if I am shooting some video a monopod is a great way to get stable and create useable footage. This Benro is just barely over a pound and offers a nice feature set.
Find the Benro MSD36C at B&H Photo
Maven Magnetic Filters
These are the best-designed and easiest-to-use magnetic filters on the market. The color-coded filters make it super easy to grab the correct filter without squinting at tiny text. The quality of the glass is excellent and I see no color cast issues. The whole package is extremely compact. Highly recommended. Order your set here.
Additional Gear
Apple 14.2" MacBook Pro with M5 Pro Chip - 48GB RAM, 1TB SSD - B&H Photo
-Stuck on the back is this little hard drive pocket which makes life and travel so much better
-inside that pocket is a 2TB SanDisk SSD - I store all my photos & LR Catalog on this drive
USB C Charger, Baseus 65W 3 Port USB C - Amazon (I use this smaller 3 port charger to power my MacBook when I travel)
DJI Air 3S Drone - the 1-inch main camera is a big step up for low light and dawn flights
iPhone 17 Pro
Rocky Talkies walkie-talkies
Garmin Inreach Mini - I own the original, but if you’re buying today, get the new inReach Mini 3
Fenix Headlamp - USB-C - Amazon
Staying Organized
Think Tank Photo Secure Pixel Pocket Rocket - Holds all my memory cards - SD and CF Express.
Tenba Tools-Series Duo 4 Cable Pouch - Holds charging cables, camera remote release, and other useful bits
MindShift Gear Filter Nest Storage Case - Protects and keeps organized my circular filter system
Cocoon GRID-IT! Organizer Small 7" x 5" - I keep a short version of each cable type I and anyone I am traveling with might need on this organizer and it lives in my camera bag.
What’s on Toby’s Desk?
My Desk is an Uplift Desk that I bought it 2014 and is still going strong - I love being able to go from sitting to standing with just a quick push of the button. And the desk survived a cross-country trip and remains in excellent shape.
On top of the desk, I have the extra Large Wool Desk Pad from Grovemade. I love this soft surface and it looks absolutely stunning. Use the code PHOTORECTV and you can save 10% off your first order. I also have their small desk shelf to raise my monitor. It looks beautiful and helps keep the space clutter-free with the little under-shelf drawer.
I use an older BenQ monitor connected to my 14” Macbook. Currently, I am recommending this 32” 4k BenQ for photographers
