What’s in my Camera Bag? (2025)
What’s in my Camera Bag?
Twoish years ago, I completely sold my beginner camera kit and invested into the Sony eco-system. A tiring (and expensive) process of redefining my gear set. But, now that I’ve been shooting for half a decade, I’ve finally settled in on the consistent gear I bring with me shoot to shoot. While I think every photographer will shift their kit around year to year, I want to breakdown exactly what I bring on a typical shoot. No frills, no bullshit, this isn’t sponsored this is what I prefer to shoot with. I’ve never run into a situation where I wasn’t capable of getting the exact shot I needed. So what exactly goes into getting my shots?
My philosophy when it comes to my kit is practicality. I don’t bring a bunch of gear I don’t need. I don’t want to lug around stuff that’s just going to add weight and other pointless decisions. The shooting process should be as straight-forward and streamlined as possible. When you bring excess gear, you bog yourself down trying to decide what’s best, when you could just focus on shooting.
This bag review is designed around two different styles of shooting. The first is a typical BTS shoot. Generally grabbing shots of what’s happening around you with an additional moment to grab poster-type shots. The second is a typical portrait session including lighting. My street or comedy shoots are just variations of these camera bags, so I don’t want to spend much time on those. But that’s enough yapping. What’s in my camera kit?
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BAG
To Carry the bulk of my gear, I use the PGYTECH OneMo Backpack 25L. I’ve been using it for two or three years now and it’s a solid bag. I wouldn’t say I love it, but I definitely don’t have any serious complaints about it. I’ve taken it in the rain, the desert, the beach, and all sorts of environments and it’s handled it relatively well. It’s got nice little pockets on the inside and a dedicated space for tripods if you use them a lot (I do not). The space inside the bag is fully customizable as well. It’s a well thought out bag. There’s only minor wear and tear at this point. Nothing I’d seriously complain about or warn others about. I love that there’s not a lot of markings that it’s a camera bag. It’s a large, lowkey backpack that doesn’t draw a lot of attention. Perfect for what I’m looking for. it’s solid and does its job well, however, it’s not a must buy by any means. At some point in the future, I will likely try a different one out.
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CAMERA
Sony A7RV - This is my main workhorse camera. I love it, I have no real complaints. It can take a photo in every situation no questions asked. I’ve become very comfortable with it and have no desire to switch to a different camera. I’ve shot this beast in the rain, in pitch black, in dust storms, beaches, up in mountains. Basically everything and it’s always got the job done.
I’ll admit, I’ve been curious to try a Fujifilm camera, but that’s mostly for the film simulations and more so as a toy than a main work horse camera. The film simulations are glorified instagram filters, and I’m not confident those cameras are as flexible as Full-frame cameras for intense shooting. The beast of the A7RV is going to be a staple of mine for quite a while. If and when this camera breaks down, I will almost certainly buy another copy of this body.
What especially keeps me invested in this camera is that I know exactly what to expect. I know what my personal limitations are with this camera, exactly how the censor will process images, what picture styles to use, where all the settings are, and how each ISO level performs. I love it. Is it perfect? No, but if there was a perfect camera, we’d all be buying the same one. So I love this, and I’m happy with my investment.
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LENS
Sony GM 35mm f/1.4 - If you read my blog post discussing my disdain for the 50mm focal length, then it comes as no surprise that this lens makes my camera bag. I love it. 35mm is about as wide as I typically like to shoot. The focal length distortion is very manageable and doesn’t require any adjustments for me in the shooting process. I find it’s the perfect focal length for the typical BTS shots. For me as well, I don’t like carrying a 50mm. It’s just not worth it because the 35mm can fill that gap in for me perfectly. I will simply crop in to the APS-C mode on the A7RV and now suddenly my 35mm lens is basically a 50mm. Most of the time, this is my go to lens for typical shooting. Although it’s not my favorite. That honor goes to…
Sony GM 85mm f/1.4 Mark I - This is currently my favorite lens. I’ve loved every frame that’s come out of it. That telephoto compression is just the right amount that there’s some magic to it without it getting into that fake super-telephoto look you start getting at +200mm. This specific 85mm has a dreamy or pseudo-melty look to it. Especially when shooting wide open. That’s a look I love and getting that in-camera is great. However, when you need it to be super sharp, it also performs well. The intimate/closeups are beautiful and if I need something in that realm, I don’t hesitate to bust this lens out. I’m aware that Sony just released a Mark II version of this lens, but the performance difference in a practical sense isn’t large enough to go out of my way to upgrade.
Bonus Lens - This last lens can change from shoot to shoot. It’s more so a ‘what do I need for this shoot’. Sometimes it’s a 70-200mm, sometimes it’s a toy lens on vintage glass, other times it’s a cinema lens. If there’s anything in my kit I ever need to cut, this is the first to go. It’s a luxury, not a necessity.
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LIGHTING (OUTSIDE THE BAG)
Godox AD400 Pro (x2) - These are solid strobe photography lights. They’re not quite the highest quality flash lights out there, but they get the job done. I haven’t pushed these quite to their limit yet so I’ll rock these out until it becomes apparent they can’t do the job anymore. I’m hesitant to recommend because frankly, their the first piece of gear I would upgrade in this kit, but I have been satisfied with them thus far. Ask me again in two years and I may have a different answer for you.
Appropriate Light Modifiers - The appropriate modifier can change from shoot to shoot, but generally speaking I have some go to favorites.
The first is a Parabolic soft box (Generally with a honeycomb grid). For general portraits, I enjoy the look this combo gives off. Compared to regular soft boxes it’s got just a little magic to it. I’m sure there’s a tech wizard out there that can more accurately explain it. I love the look it gives subjects, so I continue to make it my go to.
My second favorite is a snoot, specifically for hair lights. Though I’d like to try other modifiers before I cal this a definitive favorite. Personally, I cannot live without a hair light in my images. I don’t know what it is, but for my personal taste, this is just as important as my key light. It just adds a nice pop to images for me.
Lastly, I’ve been toying with a Fresnel Lens. I like the look it’s given me thus far, but I’d like to shoot with this some more before giving a final verdict.
C-Stand (x2) - I definitely prefer C-stands over general light stands for a couple of reasons. The first, and most important, is that C-stands off much higher degree of control over lights and their direction. You can shape an image easier than you could with a regular light stand. The second is I think there’s more room to grow as a creative with a C-stand versus light stand. There’s just a lot more you can do with them and it will allow you the flexibility to explore that. Hell you can mount much more than just lights to these things. Bounce boards, reflectors, cloths, books, candles, you name it, you can mount and place them anywhere you need to in a scene. Regular light stands can’t compete. Lastly, and this is a bit personal, but because I’m on film productions, I rarely come into contact with regular light stands. So I have more hands-on experience with C-stands. Once you see a Gaffer and Director of Photography completely transform a scene, there’s no going back to regular light stands. Your creative mind will forever crave the movement and shaping only possible with C-stands.
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UTILITIES
iPad Pro - This is the most recent addition to my kit and I’m having fun keeping this on me at all times. It’s allowed me to speed up my workflow when necessary. However, the most important use is as a monitor. I can tether straight to the camera and double check my work and see if anything needs to change. Additionally, for the situations where time is of the essence, I can also edit straight into Lightroom for iPad. While I definitely prefer Lightroom Classic, I use this version when editing on location.
Tether Cable - This is what I use to link directly into my iPad. It’s good for fast transfers and for a hard wired connection when shooting. I love the remote shooting apps for a larger view of what I’m doing, but I would be reluctant to consistently do so on a wireless connection. So that’s where this guy comes in.
SD Cards (4x)/Case - Straight forward and nothing fancy here. Just 4 256 GB SD cards. I rarely end up filling all the cards. On the A7RV, I shoot in uncompressed RAW with dual slot recording. The only times I max the cards are when I’m just blasting the shutter. Nowadays I’m more hesitant to mindlessly shoot. So generally speaking the extra SD cards are merely a formality or a backup in case something goes wrong with the first two.
Those of you keen on technology might have noticed I don’t have the CF Express cards here. The main reason is there’s no need to upgrade. The extra speed or uncapped firing speeds just aren’t necessary. Additionally, in order for me to get a similar size to my SD cards that’s also 3-4 times the price for negligible performance improvements. I rarely, if ever, hit the memory buffer so I’ll save my dollars for more important things.
Vertical Grip - This is a small piece of gear that I believe is seriously underrated for a lot of photographers. To be clear, the vertical grip really only makes sense if you’re like me and exclusively shoot stills. I’m aware hybrid-video shooters won’t agree, and that’s fine. It’s not for you. If you have big hands, shooting with a vertical grip is a godsend. I don’t have NBA player hands, but once I attached this to my camera, I have kept it on ever since. I love this thing. While yes the vertical shooting and extended battery life is excellent and very practical for professional shooting, the comfort this grip offers is everything for me. Now that I’ve used it for the last couple years, I hate shooting without it. I would get small hand cramps after shooting all day on a 12+ hour shoot, but after installing the grip, the cramps disappeared.
I had the fujifilm x100V for about a week at the beginning of 2024 for day in the life photos, and it was the first camera I held after using the vertical grip on my A7RV for an extended period. It was night and day. I returned my x100V almost immediately after because I just didn’t enjoy holding the camera anymore. I’m too boujee for non-vertical grips now you could say. Jokes aside, if you have big hands, do yourself a favor and get your camera’s vertical grip. It’s a tool I never want to shoot without again.
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SUMMARY
So that’s it. The secrets out. You know all the gear I use to get my photos. Now if you buy everything up, you too can go out and take amazing pictures. Right? Maybe it’s not that easy, there’s still the human element to my photography. Generally, I just want to show that I don’t have any big secret to taking great photos. As long as you understand what you’re trying to do, anyone can take an amazing photo. This gear has been built up after years of trial and error. If you are seriously interested in taking great photos, the only thing you need is a camera, an intentional mind, and to get out and shoot. All the gear in the world won’t change a damn thing if you don’t know how to use it. So get out there and take some photos!