My Gear

The kit I travel with has been shaped by one simple rule: if it does not earn its place in the bag, it does not come.

After twenty years and more camera systems than my father would like to know about, I have settled into a setup that I genuinely trust in the field. Here is what I use and why.

Cameras

Nikon Z8. My primary camera for both photography and video. Fast, reliable, and capable of producing extraordinary results in the challenging light conditions the Azores throws at you regularly. This is the camera that is always with me.

Nikon ZR. A recent addition, primarily for video. The RED RAW format it supports produces extraordinary colour, genuinely unlike anything I have worked with before. The file sizes are currently enormous, and I am waiting on a Nikon firmware update to make the workflow more practical day to day. But the quality is worth it.

Lenses

Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S. My most-used lens for landscape photography. Wide, sharp, and built for the volcanic coastlines and open skies of the Azores.

Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4. The lens that lives on the camera when I am not sure what the day will bring. Versatile enough to cover most situations and light enough to carry all day without thinking about it.

Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S. Not on every trip, but essential for certain islands. When I am heading to Pico, São Jorge, or Flores, this comes with me. The compression it brings to those landscapes is worth the extra weight.

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S. For video, and for the moments when I want to shoot simply and intuitively.

Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S. Primarily a video lens for me. One of the best 20mm lenses on the market, and the wide aperture handles low light beautifully.

Nikon TC-1.4x. Teleconverter for when the 70-200mm needs a little more reach.

Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro. Rarely used, but part of the kit for the situations that call for it.

What I Actually Travel With

The full list above rarely leaves Terceira together. In practice, the kit adapts to where I am going and what I am doing.

For multi-island photo tours: Z8, 14-24mm, 24-120mm, and one drone. If I am heading to Pico, São Jorge, or Flores, the 70-200mm joins the bag. Everything else stays home.

For video work: ZR as the primary body, Z8 as backup and secondary camera. Lenses are the 20mm, 50mm, and always the 24-120mm for its versatility. I shoot handheld whenever possible, the RS 4 Mini comes with me but rarely leaves the bag.

On Terceira, my home island: This is where I have the freedom to experiment with the full kit. No baggage limits, no inter-island flights, no compromises.

Drone

DJI Mavic 4 Pro Creative Combo. With the RC Pro controller. My only drone on the road, the Mavic 3 Pro stays as backup at home. Four batteries. In the Azores wind, battery management is as important as any camera setting.

DJI ND Filters. Dedicated to the Mavic 4 Pro. Essential for smooth video footage in bright Atlantic light.

Filters

NiSi 112mm CPL. Exclusively for the 14-24mm, which requires a 112mm filter due to its front element design.

Maven Magnetic Filters (77mm). Two CPLs, ND3, ND6, and ND10. The magnetic system changed how I think about filters. Fast enough to actually use in the field.

Audio

Sennheiser MKE 600. Main microphone for serious video work.

Sennheiser MKE 400. Compact option for lighter shooting days.

DJI Wireless Mic. For any situation where a cable is not practical.

Support & Storage

Sirui AM-324. My travel tripod. Carbon fiber, tall, light.

Peak Design Outdoor 45L. Main bag for multi-day tours. Excellent organization, though the C-shaped zipper and depth for larger bodies with L-brackets could be better. Great bag, not perfect.

CFexpress Type B cards. 512GB exclusively, one SanDisk and two Angelbird. The Z8 also has an SD slot for backup, but CFexpress is the only option that keeps up with RAW video demands.

Software

Adobe Lightroom Classic for photo editing and cataloguing. Photoshop for more advanced stuff, and Luminar NEO as a plugin for specific edits. DaVinci Resolve Studio for all video work, the color grading tools are exceptional for the kind of landscape footage I produce.

Want to know how I got here? The full story, every camera system, every mistake, and my father's reaction to all of it, is in the Tips section.