I haven’t done one of these since 2016, but I also haven’t gotten this much new (to me) gear since then.
1. Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master
While I like all the gear that I've purchased this year, my favorite things are ones that let me take photographs in ways that I couldn't before. Naturally, the drone is the champion of this category but this large aperture wide angle lens is not far behind in terms of opening new opportunities and trumps it on things like image quality by a country mile. A lot of my favorite photographs have been night time shots and this thing is perfect for that. In fact, it may actually be my favorite lens of all time.
2. DJI Mavic Mini
I've thought about getting a drone for years, but the complicated nature of registering with the government and having follow a number of poorly explained laws to fly kept me away. DJI's sub 250 gram coupled with the pandemic were able to push me over the edge to start flying.
3. Fuji X100V
While the X100V doesn't do a lot that my other cameras can't, it does it all in an amazingly stylish way. It's a beautiful camera that feels like a work of art in the hand and actively makes you want to go use it. It also solved pretty much every issue I had about the X100F to the point where I can't imagine where they take the series of cameras in the future.
4. PanasonicLUMIX G VARIO 45-150 mm / F4. 0-5.6 ASPH. / MEGA O.I.S
I got this when I picked up the GX7 and I actually like it more than the camera itself. It's not going to win any awards for sharpness or speed but it is so freaking small for a telephoto that I don't even care. I've always stayed away from telephotos for the most part because how much space they take up in a bag and how much weight they put on my shoulders. This lens solves those problems and lets me shoot in a way I normally can't.
5. 7Artisans 25mm f/1.8
Although I mainly use the telephoto zoom with my GX7, this little 50mm equivalent is quite the lens for $70 new. It's best feature is its superb close focusing ability, which I used to shoot the majority of the photos in this list.
6. Panasonic LUIMIX GX7 + Lumix G Vario 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH
While a 2013 Micro Four Thirds camera isn't nearly as inspiring as something like a Fuji X100V, it has a lot of character and is surprisingly modern for something pushing a decade. Image quality admittedly can't hold up against modern APS-C sensors (let alone full frame), but the relatively small lenses are a nice tradeoff. The lens the camera came with is a rather ho-hum affair, but it folds into itself enough to make the camera fit in jacket pocket. I haven't quite put the camera or the kit lens through its proper paces yet due to the ongoing pandemic and the fact that it gets dark a little after 5:00pm these days, but hopefully I can really use it this summer.
7. Lightpix Labs Flash Q20II
These great little flashes were a gift from my mom and girlfriend. They have little wireless transmitters built into the base so you can detach them and use them as radio triggered wireless flashes. I haven't gotten much use out of them yet but maybe I'll get out and shoot with them more once I get vaccinated.
8. Domke F-5XB
I got this small shoulder bag as a replacement/compliment to my Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L. It holds a lot less than the Peak Design, but I think it looks nicer. It also has a grippy side which makes it less prone to shoulder slipping compared to other bags I own. Domke was also originally started by a Philly-based photographer so that's pretty cool. I also probably shouldn’t have tried to put this in the lightbox because it super doesn’t fit.
9. Hahnel Procube 2
This is a multi-battery charger that can charge two batteries at once and has a digital readout. The cool thing about it is that it has interchangeable plates so you can charge batteries from different manufactures. The Sony model I have here can charge the bigger Z batteries, those smaller batteries that the APS-C and older full frame cameras used, and the batteries for the RX100 cameras (because you know I'll probably get one of those again 😂).
I went to the Global Water Center, which is a building in Milwaukee home to a bunch of water-related companies and labs that the local universities use for water research projects.
Le coffee kit. #zazzenhaus grinder not pictured. #solostove #frenchpress #domke bag and a few cups. Because 3:00 needs either coffee or a nap. . . . #coffeetime #minnesota
DOORS OPEN MILWAUKEE. The first place I went was to The Domes (aka the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory), though I didn’t go in the domes, I went behind them--into the Milwaukee County Greenhouses. In the greenhouses, they prepare plants and backup plants for The Domes among other work for the county parks system. Today was the first time they have opened the greenhouses to the public.
Lastly I went to Forest Home Cemetery and got to see their late 19th century chapel and tour the crematorium in the basement, which was the first crematorium in the upper Midwest (and was in use until 1998!). I also visited the graves of some famous Milwaukeeans.
