Equipment

Here are some details about the equipment that I prefer to use for landscape photography.

Camera Bodies

Sony A7R (1st Generation)

Purchased new and at a substantial discount shortly before the release of the A7R III, this body represented irresistible value for money despite its first-generation shortcomings. A 36-megapixel sensor makes it a strong performer when capturing wide-angle landscapes while the selection of native E-mount lenses has grown to encompass all of the range that I commonly use (16 - 200).

Yes, the plastic lens mount was a weak point and, yes, “shutter shock” is a real thing as far as my own tests have shown but these are small flaws that can be addressed or worked around for the most part. The first generation A7R lacks phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) and autofocus on general on this camera is not a strong point but these are also minor concerns as far as landscape photography goes.

Recommended accessories would be the Fotodiox Tough E-Mount LT and a Hoodeyes eyepiece to complement the LCD viewfinder.

Zoom Lenses

Sony/Zeiss FE 16-35, f4: The Go-Everywhere Landscape Hunter

Sony FE 70-200 G, f4: The Wildlife and Mountaintop Snapper

Prime Lenses

Samyang 20mm, f1.8

Zeiss Distagon 28mm, f2.8 (CY mount)

Minolta 50mm f1.4 (MD mount)

Tokina AT-X Macro 90mm “The Bokina”, f2.5 (MD mount)

Filters

More-or-less a comprehensive drop-in filter kit based around the Fomatt Hitech Firecrest system. I have mixed opinions about these items - some have proven optically excellent and trustworthy while others are more prone to damage or failure than I would expect in a system of this price.

• Formatt Hitech Firecrest 100mm Holder

• Formatt Hitech 82mm Polariser

• Formatt Hitech 0.9 Soft Grad Filter

• Formatt Hitech 0.6 Hard Grad Filter

• Formatt Hitech Firecrest 3.0 ND Filter

Tripods and Accessories

• Tripod Legs: Induro Stealth CLT203

• Tripod Head: Sirui K-30X Ball Head