my gear

there's a lot more to photography than the gear but the gear's important too. and its cool. so this is what i shoot with. this page is mostly for my own reference

Nikon Z5 Mirrorless Camera

this is the camera i use right now, bought used in the summer of 2025. the z5 is nikon's entry-level mirrorless camera and, while it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the newer and more expensive models, i love this camera. it really pushed me to treat photography more seriously and learn about the technical elements of the art.

along with the z5, i have two lenses: the nikon z 50mm f/1.8 and 24-70mm f/4. the 24-70 is my normal walking-around lens while i use the 50mm for indoor and low-light shooting because of its wider aperture. and its a great portrait focal length. i also have some miscellaneous accessories like a godox flash and flash trigger and some filters. i used to have the nikon 40mm f/2 and 24-200mm f/4-6.3, but traded the 40mm for the 50mm and sold the 24-200mm.

Pentax K-3 DSLR

the camera i learned photography on. while this camera has a lot of sentimental value to me, you just can't beat the lower weight, better image quality, and extra features of a modern mirrorless camera. i used the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens for the longest time but picked up a 50mm f/1.8 when i needed more low-light power. unfortunately, both of these lenses are kind of bad. i don't use this much and am looking to sell it to someone who'll get as much use out of it as i have.

Pentax SP1000 35mm film camera

in September of 2025 i picked up a film camera from austin seng, a local photographer/vintage nerd. haven't gotten to develop a roll yet but i've been enjoying the tactile feeling of a manual film camera and—i know this is a trite cliche—how it "makes me slow down." i have a 35mm f/3.5 lens. some film stocks i'm interested in trying:

• Kodak Gold 200: warmer, lower contrast. a 3-pack is $41 at Studio Argentique ($14 per roll, about $0.40 per shot).
• Portra: the go-to film for people who just started film photography and want to waste a bunch of money. warm, vibrant, lots of latitude, and i love the colour reproduction. Camera Trades in Victoria carries portra 160 for $22, portra 400 for $27, portra 800 for $28 (about $0.60, $0.75, and $0.80 per shot).
• Harman Phoenix II: reminds me of the cheap consumer films you used to see in old point-and-shoots and disposables. $18 at Studio Argentique ($0.50 per shot).
• Cinestill 800T: high speed film balanced for tungsten lights. $24 at Camera Traders ($0.70 per shot).
• Dubblefilm Bubblegum 400: self-explanatory. the photos evoke bubblegum. $28 at Studio Argentique ($0.80 per shot).
• Fujifilm Colour 200: classic film stock. sorta nostalgic. $16 at Studio Argentique ($0.45 per shot).

Instax Wide 300

an instant camera. the photos look hideous but have a certain charm to them. and its nice to have a physical object right after the shot. doesnt feel good to shoot with.

former gear

i used to own a nikon z 40mm f/2 and 24-200mm f/4-6.3, but traded the 40mm for the 50mm and sold the 24-200mm to fund the former and a tamron lens. briefly, i was in possession of a canon 50d and 18-200mm lens, but they were in bad shape (salt and sand and fungus and such) so i tore them apart to look at their insides like a psychopath dissecting a small mammal. it was interesting.

my wishlist

this is stuff id like to buy. for my own reference, unless youre loaded and want to feel like a generous person. costs are in CAD and before tax

standard lenses

• Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8 pancake ($680): super light and sharper than the 40mm wide open, and still bright and wide enough to be good for indoors
• Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 ($420): i owned this before but traded it + cash for the 50mm f/1.8. i didnt realize until after but i quite liked this lens and would like to own it again
• Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 ($1,050): great image quality and focal length for potraits, but close enough in focal length and sharpness to other lenses on this list that its low priority
• Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 ($580): great focal length for potraits. if i get the nikkor 85mm this is no longer desireable and vice-versa
• Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S ($1,500): sharper than my 24-70mm, but only makes sense if i find a good deal
• Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD ($1,600): longest zoom i can reasonably afford. fairly heavy
• Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD ($700)

ultra wide angles

• Viltrox 14mm f/4 Air (???): relatively low-distortion ultra wide
• TTArtisan 10mm f/2.8 Fisheye ($330): not a true fisheye but very high distortion, fully manual
• Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye ($1,400): fully manual, very high distortion, circular image at the wide end
• Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye ($300): fully manual, designed for APS-C sensors, circular image

macro

• Tamron 90m f/2.8 Di III VXD M1:1 ($950): a macro lens with 1:1 magnification
• Laowa 180mm f/4.5 1.5x ($730): longer reach and 50% better magnification than the Tamron, but fully manually and probably with worse image quality

misc

• second godox flash
• extra tools for light management, like reflectors, LED panels, and softboxes
• remote trigger with support for timed bulb exposures
• portrait lens for my SP1000
• some more 128gb+ sd cards
• pocket printer
• spacious camera backpack
• extension tubes for macro photography

cameras

while i love the z5, i do sometimes chafe against the extremely slow burst speed and would appreciate access to some of the features of the newer models, like improved autofocus, pixel shift, and articulating screens. if i were to get a new camera, the z5ii or z6iii are my best options. they're cheap enough that if i found one used the money from selling my z5 could cover most of the cost. i'm not worrying about it right now, though.