My Gear

The kit behind the shots. People often ask what I use to photograph birds, aircraft and the small stuff up close. Here it is: the cameras, glass, field gear and software I rely on, plus the tools that keep this website running.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy or sign up through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only list gear and tools I actually use.

Camera & Lenses

Fujifilm X-H2

My main body for birds and wildlife. The 40MP sensor gives me plenty of room to crop, which makes a real difference when a bird just won’t come closer.

→ Check price at Cameranu

Warbird making a low pass at the Sanicole airshow — Shot with this camera: Trojan Pass (Sanicole 2026)

Fujifilm X-T3

My trusty second body, paired with the VG-XT3 battery grip for better handling with long lenses and extra shooting time. Those classic Fuji dials make it a joy to shoot with. Great to have a second lens ready to go in the field.

The X-T3 is no longer sold new. Its successor, the X-T5, is → Check price at Cameranu

USAF CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor in flight — Shot with this camera: CV-22 Osprey, USAF

Fujinon XF 100-400mm R LM OIS WR

The lens that does most of the work: birds, wildlife and airshows. Sharp, weather-sealed and stabilized, so I can shoot handheld for hours.

→ Check price at Cameranu

Reed bunting perched on a reed at golden hour — Shot with this lens: Golden hour reed bunting

Fujinon XF 50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR

Fast, weather-sealed and super sharp. My pick when the light drops or when the action is a little closer, like airshow taxi shots or wildlife at the edge of the woods.

→ Check price at Cameranu

Crow sitting on a mossy branch — Shot with this lens: Crow just sitting there

Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG Macro HSM + Fringer NF-FX II

My macro setup for insects, flowers and details up close. This Nikon F-mount lens comes from my Nikon D7200 days, and thanks to the Fringer adapter it lives on happily on Fujifilm.

It’s not only for bugs either: this eagle owl portrait shows how much detail it pulls out at close range.

Close-up of an eagle owl's eye showing its vibrant orange iris and detailed feathers — Shot with this lens: Kenzo the Oehoe

Laowa 65mm F2.8 2x Ultra-Macro

For when 1:1 isn’t close enough. Up to 2x magnification reveals details you can’t see with the naked eye, like the eyes of a fly or the scales on a butterfly wing.

→ Check price at Cameranu

Extreme macro close-up of a fly — Shot with this lens: Closeup of a fly

Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN

Small, light and bright. My everyday lens for family moments, parties and casual walks. Fast enough to handle indoor light without a flash.

→ Check price at Cameranu

Fujinon XF 18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS

A compact, stabilized all-rounder. Light enough to take anywhere, sharp enough to never feel like a compromise.

→ Check price at Cameranu (pre-owned)

Butterfly among flowers on a sunny day — Shot with this lens: Sunny day with flowers and a butterfly

Fujinon XF 16mm F2.8 R WR & XF 35mm F2 R WR

Two tiny, weather-sealed primes for when I want to travel light. The 16mm for wide scenes and landscapes, the 35mm for everything in between. Small enough to always fit in the bag.

→ XF 16mm at Cameranu · → XF 35mm at Cameranu

Cat drinking from a garden tap, black and white — Shot with this lens: Diego drinking at the tap (XF 16mm)

Snow-covered bench in a winter forest — Shot with this lens: A cold bench in winter (XF 35mm)

Field Gear

I like to keep it light and mobile. Most of my shots are taken handheld, so I can react quickly when a bird shows up.

Vortex Crossfire 10×42 binoculars: always with me. Spotting the bird first is half the work, and these help me find it before I raise the camera. → Cameranu
Rollei C6i tripod + gimbal head: for long waits or low light, when I bother to bring it along. Mine is the aluminium version; Cameranu stocks the carbon one → Cameranu
ZEISS Lens Cleaning Set: always in my bag. Rain, dust or a sneaky fingerprint, a quick wipe in the field and I’m good to go. → Cameranu
Spare batteries & memory cards: extra Jupio batteries and fast SanDisk Extreme Pro cards. Nothing worse than an empty battery or a full card when the bird finally shows up.
LensCoat RainCoat 2 Pro: rain cover for camera and long lens. Dutch weather, enough said. Cameranu stocks the RainCoat Standard → Cameranu
Camera bags: no single favourite. I pick whichever bag fits the gear I’m taking on that trip. For big days out, the Manfrotto Advanced Tri Backpack L; for lighter days, the Tenba DNA 11 messenger. The DNA 11 is no longer available at Cameranu, but its siblings are → DNA 9 · → DNA 16
No hide, just the right clothes: I don’t use camouflage, but I do dress in muted, natural colours so I blend in with the surroundings.

Editing Workflow

Adobe Lightroom: culling, cataloguing and the main edit.
DxO PureRAW: noise reduction and sharpening before editing. A lifesaver for high-ISO bird shots at dawn and dusk.
Nik Collection: the finishing touch for contrast and mood.

Behind This Website

Cloud86 – Hosting

Fast, reliable Dutch hosting on LiteSpeed servers with built-in security. This site runs on it, heavy photo galleries and all.

→ Check out Cloud86

ShortPixel – Image compression

Compresses every photo I upload without visible quality loss, so the galleries stay fast and sharp.

→ Check out ShortPixel

FastPixel – Speed optimization

Makes image-heavy WordPress sites load faster, with caching and image optimization in one go. Ideal for photographers.

→ Check out FastPixel

Claude – AI assistant

My go-to for writing, SEO and technical tweaks on this site. No affiliate link, just a tool I use a lot.

Questions about any of this gear? Get in touch, happy to help.