What's In My Camera Bag? You Are In for a Surprise

In this video, I will tell you what is in my camera bag. You're in for a surprise. Even though I am a professional photographer and a filmmaker, my camera equipment and gadgets you would never expect from me. Most of my equipment are not so expensive and are not latest equipment out there. As a photographer and as a filmmaker, my cameras are just tools. I don't usually upgrade nor buy a new equipment unless it is a necessary. That means the equipment should have a feature I cannot survive without I'm order to do my photography and filmmaking work. The camera brands I prefer are Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Canon and of course, Leica. I do have a gimbal which is the Zhiyun. I also have the Sekonic light meter. I also have the Zoom digital recorder which I love to use for voice over, podcasting, as an external mic for shooting video. I also use different action cameras such as Akaso, Sunpack, and other inexpensive brands. The great thing about having many of these cameras is that you can shoot a scene only at once with different camera angles. I also have the Insta360 camera which I love since I don't have to worry about covering all the angles when shooting something that can only be shot once. One thing about me as a photographer and as a filmmaker, I don't buy any new equipment or upgrade what I have unless it is really necessary. I always ask myself. "Do I really need this equipment?" "Can I survive as a photographer and as a filmmaker without this equipment?" An equipment is just a tool. What is important is my vision and what I am trying to tell with my images and videos.

To see the list of equipment I have right now in my bag, see this link:

https://kit.co/christopher_revon/my-photography-and-video-kit

I Just Started My Podcasting Channel

I just started my Podcasting Channel and here is the link to it:

My podcast is on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/7EaedqG95PMpUVj4jkMztq

My podcast url
www.anchor.fm/chrisrevon

Right now, I haven’t uploaded the first episode yet, but I will do it soon. More likely, the topics I will discuss in this podcast will be the same topics I will have both in my blogs and vlogs.

Please subscribe to my Podcast and if possible, to my other Social Media Channels too.

As a photographer, What Matters is the Eye

A lot of beginning photographers are always concerned about the equipment, and most tend to buy the latest and most expensive camera when starting out. First, practice photography with what you have. More likely a phone camera. Learn about lighting and composition and practice with these elements first before getting into learning about the technical part of photography. And if you are ready to move up to a real camera. Maybe start with a point and shoot camera first before getting into DSLR and/or mirrorless camera. As you can see on the video below, I was just using my point and shoot camera, which is about three years old. For me, the only reason I would take out my DSLR or my mirrorless camera is if the lighting condition of the subject I am trying to capture is a little tricky or if I want to do something more creative that cannot be achieved with a point and shoot camera such as selective focusing/shallow depth of field or making the movement of things in the foreground or background burry in contrast with the rest of the image. Anyway check out my YouTube video below, and please give me some support by liking/following/subscribing to one or more of my Social Media Channels. The links are right below.

Doing Photography in Singapore

Singapore is such a modern city with a mixture of different people, just like Malaysia: Malays, Chinese and South Indians with some Arabs, not to mention, Westerners who chose this city to be their home. Check out the video below on Instagram as I did some photography of the city, especially its skyline, which was quite breathtaking.

Instagram Video of Me Doing Photography in Singapore

Film Photography is Having a Resurgence

As a photographer and as a filmmaker, I started with film, and I still do have my still filmcameras (35mm and 645 medium format film), including a 16mm motion picture camera. Unfortunately I I don't have them with me here in Asia. They are back in the US. I definitely want to use them for my conceptual artistic photography and filmmaking. Maybe when I go back to the US, I'll bring them with me. But the bad thing about it is that I already have too much camera equipment, gadgets and accessories with me. Well, definitely shooting with a film is going to be a very different experience and practice since every shot I take costs money, unlike digital photography in which you can take as many pictures as you want, and it won't cost you any money other than when you print some of the best pictures. Maybe I will come up with a project which only uses film. Let's see.

My Photography and Video Equipment, Gadgets and other Accessories

As a photographer and a filmmaker, I don’t believe that camera matters. It is the person behind the camera that matters. On the other hand, the cameras are your tools, so make sure they are right for the work that you are creating. Having the latest cameras and gadgets are not necessary. My rule is: buy only the equipment if I really need it. There has to be something I need from it in order for me to buy it. For example, I just bought the Canon M50; even though, I already have one DSLR and one Mirrorless camera. So why did I buy this? Well, first of all, for vlogging, my Pentax camera is not easy to use for vlogging. It is quite heavy and bulky. Also when it focuses, it makes a lot of noise. As for my Olympus mirrorless camera, it does not have a mic input, so that cannot be used for vlogging too. And before I bought the Canon M50, I read a lot of reviews about it and see if it is really good for vlogging, and for the most part, a lot of vloggers recommended it for vlogging.

Well, anyway I list some of the cameras, photo equipment, gadgets and accessories I use for my photography and video right below. If you feel like using the same camera, gadget or accessory as I do, please click the link right next to it to buy it from Amazon. By buying from Amazon, , it will give me a little bit of commission, and this will be able to contribute to my photography and video projects and support me as an artist. even though I have a little bit of sponsorship with my projects, every additional funding will definitely help me do a lot more for the projects.

Disclosure: Some of these product links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I might receive a small commission if you decide to purchase them. Anyway this commission will help me with my projects. Though I might get sponsors once in a while, every dollar counts.

So here is a list of my stuff. Click to see its description from Amazon.

My Vlogging Kit with the Mic and Small Table Top Tripod

Description of the Canon M50 from Amazon with all the accessories you need in one package.

Description of the Rode Mic I use from Amazon. Very light and effective.

Description of the Table Top Tripod

Below is one of my old cameras which I still use. Yes, it isn’t Canon, Nikon or Sony, but I started with a Pentax film camera as a photographer, and I’ve always trusted this brand. Most of their camera bodies are tough compared to the other name brand cameras. For example, this has weather seal and dust proof since I do use my cameras a lot in a rough situation. For photography, it does its job. The video is not bad too, but unfortunately it only shoot 1080P.

My first mirrorless camera:

Just like my old Pentax Camera, it is splash proof but not as tough as the Pentax. I just wish that Olympus cameras were built like a tank just like before.

This camera I love: Pentax K-1 II because it is tough, weather resistant and has a 35mm full frame format sensor with a maximum resolution of 36.4 megapixels. Yes, some new phones have sensors with resolutions higher than that, but in the end, they still have sensors which are smaller than this one. As for its video, unfortunately it only shoots 1080p, but if you are just straight photographer, this is great. And the great thing about it is that you can use the old Pentax lenses with a K mount, which has been used since 1975. Pretty much you can buy some old used lenses for it. You never know you might like the look that comes out of those old lenses.

Well, I do have some more new cameras, gadgets and other accessories, and you will learn more about them as I do a review about them in my upcoming blogs and maybe vlogs, so please follow my Social Media Channels and make sure to bookmark this. Thanks again.

Photographing Hua Hin, Thailand with just Point and Shoot Camera

I don’t always show myself at work, doing photography and video, but here it is. In Huahin, Thailand. Enjoy.

Patreon - For Those Who Would Like to Support My Photography and Film Project About China and Other Asian Countries

I just got a profile on Patreon so if you like my project and would like to support it, please make a little contribution. For your contribution, I will let you know the progress of my long term photography and film project. I already had four exhibitions about this project, but I want to expand more on this project by shooting more pictures and videos for this project and to get this exhibited all over the world. My goal is to show the positive side of Asia, especially China, and from a different perspective (Asian American eyes). Usually most Western decumentary photographers and filmmakers tend to focus to show the negative side of this region by showing more of the negative side of this place, not its rapid progress into a very modern society. In addition, my goal is to combine documentary and experimental style of photography and film to make something more artistic and more of my own vision of this place. I use a variety of tools in order to do this with different cameras and equipment. To contribute, please go to www.patreon.com/chrisrevon Thanks so much for your support. Even a sharing this website and my Patreon page and like/subscribing to my social media accounts (Instagram and Youtube) can help me on this project.

My Equipment as a Photographer and Filmmaker

As a photographer and as a filmmaker, I think the equipment and cameras are not important. It is the vision, the style, the eye of the person and her content which are important. For the last four years, I’ve been using the same cameras and equipment. It is only the last few weeks in which I bought some new cameras and equipment/gadgets. I bought them because I had real reasons to buy them. These are the new cameras and equipment/gadgets I bought: a new mirrorless camera, a new 360 camera, a new gimbal, a new action camera, a new camera phone app. First, why did I buy a mirrorless camera, I already have one. Well, this one shoots 4K, and my old one only shoots up to HD. Also it has a mic input, which I need to do for vlogging, which is something I am getting serious about. I used to do just voice overs. Second, as for the 360 camera, there are times when I am in a crowd, and there is so many things going on at the same time, and I want to be able to capture them and not miss them, so this is when the 360 camera comes into play. Besides I am also about to do a lot of outdoor activities, and this would be great for something like that. Third, what about the gimbal? Well, obviously as an artist/filmmaker, I want to be able to be much more creative with my shots, and as a solo filmmaker with no crew, this is the only way I can do it. Fourth, I do have two other action cameras, but they do not shoot 4K and do not have camera stabilization, but this one I bought, it does have both. Though I still shoot mostly HD 1080P footage, I am giving myself an option to shoot 4K in the near future. Last but not the least, a new camera phone app. That’s because I want to be more creative with my camera phone and be able to use as if it is a regular pro camera. Actually my favorite filmmaker, Steven Soderbergh shot a feature film with it. So there you have it. I am a practical filmmaker and photographer, so I only buy a new camera or equipment only if I really need them. As you can see, I didn’t tell you the brands or models of the camera or equipment just because these don’t matter that much to me, it is how I use them that matters. On the other hand, next time I will tell you what they are.

For now, please like/follow/subscribe to my social media channels to get updated with my travel and photography and video projects and my photo and video equipment, software, apps and gadgets . Links are right below.

In Thailand, but I will leave for Vietnam soon

I am currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand and have been here for about five weeks now. I have been photographing and shooting video for my new photography and video project about Thailand, but for sure, the pictures I have taken and the videos I have shot are not enough to finish the project, so I will be back here after staying in Vietnam for maybe three months. I will be doing a photography and video project over there too. Hopefully three months is enough time to do my Vietnam photography and video project too. Anyway just like what I did with my China photography and video project, I also want to photograph Thai women wearing their traditional clothes as well as modern clothes, so for this, I am still in need of models. But since I am busy doing other things, I haven’t had the time to really find models for this. Hopefully when I come back, I will have time by then to find these models. Anyway thanks for your support and make sure to follow and like all my social media platforms, so that you get updated with the news, images and videos about my project and at the same time, learn about these countries I visit and live in. Thanks again for all your support.