If I started from scratch, THIS Would Be My CAMERA & LENS Set up

Good morning everyone. As a professional photographer, if I had to sell all my gear I have today and buy only one small setup, my setup would be very very different. And in this video I want to share with you the ideal setup for me and also at the end of this video I will share with you the tool that I would not change. Everything could change but there is one thing that I want to keep. So make sure you watch until the end and if you're ready let's get started. All right, welcome to an episode. I'm on a trip to Thailand doing some travel photography. I currently have a A1 and a 24-70 GM2 in my hands and this is definitely not what I would buy again if I had to start from scratch. So if you're ready we're gonna break this down in four parts. First part what I have in my bag, second part what lenses I would buy, third what camera I would buy and fourth what is that one tool I would never change, that bonus. So if you're ready, what do I have in my bag? First of all I'm traveling right now with two backpacks. One I gave to my wife to carry and that was just for every day and my Atlas Pack Athlete that has all my camera gear in here. It fits everything, it's magical. I can fit my a7S III, I can fit all my lenses and here I have a Wunderd 20 liter everyday bag. That's the one I asked my wife to to bring because I couldn't normally carry so many and I've been using it for everyday photography. Okay so meaning I get to the hotel, leave the big bag and take the small bag and go out. So I've been shooting with a Sony A1 for years. The 24-70mm f2.8 GM2 is on it. I've been using it every day. It's a very versatile lens and I love it. Inside the bag I have also the 24-70mm f2.8 GM2, sorry the 70-100mm f2.8 GM2. It's a great lens, really allows you to go night tight and work in difficult light conditions, nighttime, daytime, portraits, whatever you want. This lens can do it all, sports too, perfect. But the problem you see is once I put this lens in here, I don't have much space for anything else. So that's for the everyday bag. And then I have a 24mm f1.4 in my hands right there, a prime lens that I love. I can still fit it in the bag, it gets a little tight and crammed up when I put the A1 with the 24-70mm and I have a 16-35mm here f2.8 that I cannot really carry unless I put it in the top pocket at the same time as everything else. So I'm getting into a space and weight issue, which is why I've been very intentional in how I chose the gear that you'll see in just a minute. For video, because I do YouTube videos, I have a Sony a7S III and I use and swap around those lenses in order to shoot. But this video is about photography, it's not about video or hybrid shooting. So I have this a7S III for years and I like to keep my gear for years. Let me know by the way if you're the same, if you want to buy something nice and just keep it for a long time or if you prefer to rotate a lot. Personally, I prefer to invest in something nice and keep it for a long time. So the question is, I don't have enough space, it's so big, it's a little heavy on my shoulders and I'm getting old, you know, like I have one kid, maybe a second one soon. I'd rather have a smaller setup. So let's get to it. What would I buy in 2025 if I had to start again from scratch? Well, the first thing I want to mention is that I would not change brand. Sony has been really good in terms of gear for me over the years since 2018 January when I first got my Sony a7 III and invested, just swapped all my gear from Nikon to Sony. I'm not planning to swap again, I think we lose a lot of money when we swap and for very little benefit. Okay, so I would stay with Sony just because I am used to the ecosystems and I think they have a great diversity of lenses, whether it's third party or native ones. The first lens I would buy for my new Sony camera, and I will reveal what that camera is in the third part, but right now, the lenses. The lenses, I would choose the 24-50mm f2.8, not 24-70mm, the 24-50mm. Why the 24-50mm? Because it is just as small as this and I'm putting the real specs on the screen, the price, you can see all that, but this is a small lens, it's mighty, it's small, maybe it's not as perfect in terms of geometry and sharpness and the corners, etc. as that 24 GM2, but 24-70mm, but honestly, I'd rather have something that small and that I can use every day in all circumstances and really sneak in my pocket or like throw in my pocket very easily than having something bigger and bulkier. So, that's the first lens I would use. Before we move on to the next one, if you don't know me, my name is Pierre T. Lambert, I'm a travel adventure photographer and the creator of the 30-day adventure to create photos, a step-by-step method for training your photographer's eyes so that you can see great photos no matter where you are, no matter what kind of gear you're using, you know how to take those photos, you can see them, you can visualize them and then you can really create them. So, if you're interested in progressing as a photographer, check the link in the description and on this channel, I'm sharing photography adventures and tutorials also for free, so please make sure you subscribe, come say hi here or on Instagram and with no further ado, let's move on to the second lens. The second lens would be actually a very wide lens for landscape, for astrophotography, for also portraits, also I find that it adds a little something that is different. So, it's a look I absolutely love. So, the second lens would be a 16mm, 14mm or 20mm. Currently, Sony has the 14-1.8, I love it but I can't put filters on it. The 20mm, I love it also and I've been using it for years. Only issue is that it feels still very close to that 24-50mm, so the gain in width is a little minimal. Now, let's throw in that new 16mm f1.8 because that lens is small, compact, fast and it comes in at a price that's actually cheaper than the 20mm. So, we're talking about around $800 for a 304 gram lens. It's weather sealed and most importantly, it also uses 67mm threads versus the 14mm that doesn't have threads for filters because of the construction of the element and honestly, that allows the whole kit to have the same thread and be able to use filters. To me, that's extremely important and it simplifies things even more. Really, in my opinion, a great lens that would allow to do astrophotography, do everything. Now, I'm going narrow. I'm going really tight. I'm going 85mm f1.8 tight with an 85mm f1.8 lens or if I want to do macro, I'm going to go for the 90mm macro lens because I can do portraits with that. Maybe a little too sharp but it's fine. You can do macro and portraits but I don't know if I would actually use it that much. So, I may stay at 85mm or if one day, Sony wants to bring out a 105mm or 135mm but small like f2 or something like that, I would probably get that. That would be really ideal if it was the same of that 85mm f1.8. I don't know if it's possible honestly but I really love that lens. It's older, it's cheaper and it doesn't break the bank and honestly, it really allows for great portraits. I've used it for years and I absolutely love to shoot with it especially in nighttime in the streets or whenever something's too busy, there's too much stuff, I'd like to go narrow and focus on that. So, we have three lenses. We have 85mm, 16mm or 20mm or 14mm and 24mm, 50mm, 2.8mm. Now, remember you can crop in any photos you take in life which is where the choice of the camera may be important. So, number three, what camera would I choose? I would choose the Sony a7CR most likely or the a7CII maybe for budget reasons. Why? Because a7CII, if I'm correct, we have 33 megapixels, plenty of megapixels, can crop in inside, it's fine, you can always enhance or like upscale your images after in Lightroom. The a7CR has 62 megapixels, 61 that really allows you to crop massively in your images and that can be a real blessing especially when you want to a tight setup when it comes to lenses, you know, when you go shoot at night and you want to take just that wide angle at f1.8, you know you can crop in up to 30-35mm and you'll get some really clean results. Those cameras also have advantages over for example a7IV that they have the built-in AI autofocus which can help detect scenes which to me is an advantage, you know, it's not necessary but it's an advantage. I definitely would not need a a1 or anything like that, maybe I would need a a1 or a9iii, one of those cameras if I were to do sports, if I were to do wildlife, yes, but for travel, for street, for portraits, for regular events, those cameras would be perfect in my opinion. The only thing I would regret is my viewfinder. Why? Because on the series of a7Cs, well, the viewfinder is tiny. Yes, there is an electronic viewfinder but it is really tiny so if I'm really gung-ho on the viewfinder, I would probably feel a bit frustrated especially if you come from a7RV that has the giant ones but honestly this is something I could live without, you know, for the benefit of the size, weight and compactness which allows you to get different photos, you know, and like be less intrusive on people, have interaction a little bit differently and carry less weight because this 24-70mm with a a1 on your shoulder, I can tell you after a while, after a few hours of walking or being in streets, it gets really heavy. Let me know what you think so far about that kit because I have that one tool now, fourth part, that one tool that I would not change. If you're ready for it, let's get right into it. That little tool is right there under my camera. Can you tell what it is? Okay, there's two actually so it's two in one. Let's go that way. This is that little clip that you're gonna clip on your shoulder. Okay, this is the plate that goes under the camera that allows me to literally put any camera and attach it on my shoulder. I absolutely love to be able to do that. It keeps the camera super handy while I'm walking around with it and honestly, this is the Falcam version. I've used the Peak Design version for years. The Falcam is a little bit cheaper. It's great. I'll drop a link in the description. Extremely helpful tool and I have two anchors from Peak Design on there, the little red things that allow me to really quickly attach my camera strap or remove it. I don't use it too much but if I just go out one evening and I just want my camera, I'll put a camera strap. No backpack, nothing and that's how I attach it. And while we're talking about tools on the field, make sure you grab my free cheat sheet that has camera settings for different situations that will help you when you're on the field. It's a great way to know what to dial in your camera when you're not sure and when you want to get specific results. And if you want to learn more about how I would set up the camera, watch this video. If you want to learn more about the autofocus, watch this one. And with that being said, I will see you in the next one. Get out there, go shoot, try something different, try something new. Sending you much love. Bye!