It is finally 2026 and this is second year that I am writing out my full gear list! If you want to see what I was using last year in 2025, check it out here! My new gear list will be listed below after some questions and answers. If you want to skip that section then click this link to go to the Amazon store. Alternatively, if you want to see the gear that I recommend for beginners (but don’t use) check out this Amazon store link!

What has changed this year?

Honestly, not much has changed. I upgraded some camera models (Hasselblad X2D -> Hasselblad X2D II, Sony a7C II -> Sony a7V) and I condensed my lens choices down. I think the main focus going into this year was to have less choices when deciding which gear to grab on my way out the house. Analysis paralysis was killing a little bit of my creativity.

Does that mean you won’t test new gear?

No. I think I will test the same amount of gear this year (depending on what brands release). I think it’s best for me to stay up to date on the current tech to be able to give solid recommendations, write helpful guides, and create entertaining videos. It occurred to me that although photographer is my profession, being a camera enthusiast is very much my hobby (and I imagine it’s the same for a bunch of you also). This list represents the gear that I am using to create my best work, but it does not represent the list of cameras that I will use for fun to scratch my gear acquisition syndrome (Fujifilm cameras, Sigma BF, etc.).

What’s the best thing you added to your kit this year?

I have two candidates for best upgrades to my kit this year. The first upgrade is a variable ND filter that I can attach to my iPhone. I record almost all of my short video content on my iPhone and realized quickly that recording LCD screens without a variable ND resulted in banding from the high shutter speed. Now with these filters, I can lower my shutter speed and record the LCD screens on my cameras without that annoying flickering/banding. The second upgrade to my kit was the Sony a7V. I have been waiting for this camera for awhile. Ideally, I would have liked to upgrade my FX3 to an FX3 II but upgrading my a7C II instead was fine. It is just a better hybrid camera which means I can really focus on creating with one camera instead of jumping between a dedicated photo camera and dedicated video camera. In my mind the a7V was the best thing I added, but realistically the ND filter was so essential in helping me record better videos for my clients.

What’s the best thing you cut from your kit this year?

Honestly, the best thing that I cut were zoom lenses without a ton of range. Lenses like the 16-35mm and others made me realize that I only shoot at the extremes of these lenses and rarely in the middle focal lengths. So this year I replaced my 16-35mm with a 16mm prime and a 35mm prime. I will update next year if this was the right choice but according to my Lightroom data I never used the middle focal lengths. I think the portability of these new lenses paired with a faster aperture opens up some more flexibility for me then the zoom did. I don’t think I can recommend zoom lenses without a ton of range anymore. 24-70mm and 70-200mm are still great lenses but something like the 28-45mm from Sigma was a big miss for me.

Are you planning on adding anything to your kit as the year goes on?

At this moment, no. However, I’m desperately waiting for the Fujifilm X-Pro4 and that will be my main camera if it comes out for a foreseeable time. I would also consider adding my first digital Leica if the Leica M12 or Leica Q4 (unlikely) comes out this year. But those Leica cameras would be more for me to scratch my gear itch then filling a gap in my kit. I will also upgrade my iPhone in September because it is my most used camera and having the best quality possible from it (even if minimal changes) seems necessary for me.

Final thoughts before showing us your gear list below?

I spent a ton of days going through every camera system during the end of 2025. My conclusion that I came to after all my research was that every brand has an extremely capable camera body for their system. The Sony a7V, Canon R6 III, Nikon ZR, Fujifilm GFX 100 II are all insanely powerful hybrid cameras. However, the deal breaker for me was the lenses in these systems. Canon and Nikon both don’t openly accept third party lenses. Also, Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm all seem like they still have some developing to do on their lens systems. Sony was the choice for me because they have such a large variety of lenses to choose from and they also allow third parties to create their own lenses. Having that many lenses available means it is cheaper for me to buy and sell lenses (which I love to do to test them) and find the lenses that work well for me. I recommend that anyone who is looking to invest into a camera system, to know which focal lengths they like to shoot with and find which system makes the best glass for that focal length.