Tell Us Your Favorite Photography Gear Of 2015

Under mirrorless under $1500: my new Olympus EM1 would have to be the best camera I have even owned. Over 40 years that includes film and digital minolta/nikons/canons (5d11)/Oly film P+S/bronica/hasselblad/others forgotten.

best lens: Hard to split the Panasonic 20mm and 12-40 Olympus lens........... the oly I guess .

Best P+S over $400: Panasonic FZ200 if that counts. I now want the FZ300. If I had to have just one camera it would be the Panasonic FZ200 or 300 because of the versatility. I have no need or desire for big cameras/big sensors/big wall photos any more:)

Best Camera Backpack: ThinkTank Streetwalker Pro - I love everything about this bag. Ok, I could do without the blue piping, but that's literally it. A friend has the Hard Drive version that he uses for a small video kit, and we agree that it's a wonderful, relatively understated, massively functional bag. The hidden tripod rigging is a big plus. The only thing I wish it had was side access to the main body for faster lens chancing on-the-go. Really dig it overall.

Best Camera Shoulder Bag: ThinkTank TurnStyle Series - I have the TurnStyle 5 that I bought to use with my older mirrorless setup (Olympus E-M5 and later E-M1). I kept it after getting a D750 and still think it's great for the camera body and one prime lens. Equally understated as the backpack, and super small. The pocket in the back that's designed for an iPad mini works well for ND filters, a notebook, or whatever else you want to pack in.

​Best DSLR Under $2500: Nikon D750 - This is my camera of choice. I've owned a D60, D90, D7000, and some Olympus mirrorless cameras, as I mentioned above, but this is by far the best camera I've ever owned. Nearly as small as the D7000, more robust, and fantastically capable in nearly ever respect. Plenty have written about it, so please go check out someone's write up that'll be more eloquent than mine. All I'll say is that this camera body will stay with me for years to come.

Best DSLR Over $2500: I've used everything from Leica's S series and Phase One's XF and iQ2 and iQ3 medium format digital cameras, on through to Canon's 1Dx, but my favorite all-rounder is the Nikon D810. It's not the fastest shooter, it's (as of the last few months) not the highest resolution sensor, and its hulking size is a perfect example of how the newest generation of Sony mirrorless cameras likely represent the future. All of that being said, the Nikon D810 is a workhorse that churns out superb images in nearly any environment. It's capable of pushing the limits of lesser lens glass, and benefits from what I consider to be Nikon's excellent ergonomics. If you're a studio shooter, wedding photographer, or a journalist, you'd be hard-pressed to find a camera more willing and capable every time you picked it up—day or night, rain or shine.

Best Mirrorless Camera Under $2500: Despite being a few years old now, the Olympus E-M1 was a wonderful companion to me, serving as both a travel and studio camera. When paired with my Voightlander 42.5mm prime or Olympus' own 12-40mm Pro zoom, I had a ton of fun taking images that really could hang with APS-C cameras. I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Panasonic's GH4. It's a much newer model than the E-M1, and has incredible video performance, even when compared to non MFT camera bodies.

Best Mirrorless Camera Over $2500: This won't come as a surprise to anyone reading this but the Sony A7R II is, without question, the most capable mirrorless camera currently available. I've only used it briefly (a friend owns one), but I've read in-depth reviews and used the A7 II for some time. Being that my full time gig is in video production, I'd probably opt for the A7S II for low light performance, but either of these second generation R and S models are wildly capable. The highlight feature for me, even above the incredible 42 megapixel BSI sensor, is the 5 axis in-body stabilization. Having moved back to a DSLR from my Olympus E-M1, which has spectacular in-body stabilization , I now have a healthy respect for that technology being built into the camera body.

Best Lenses: I'll stick to lenses I currently own, or have used very recently.

Primes:

Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 - Yeah, its a four thousand dollar lens, I know. It does deliver, undoubtedly, spectacular images that are tack sharp edge to edge even wide open. It may not warrant the extra money over Sigma's also fantastic 50mm Art lens which, outside of a lab, delivers images you may not be able to differentiate from the Zeiss, isn't as enormous, and features auto-focus (the Zeiss is manual focus only), but that's why you rent the damn thing instead of buying it!

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G - It's not the flagship model, but it's a lovely lens that delivers super sharp images, great compression, attractive bokeh, and is lighter and considerably more affordable than it's f/1.4 sibling. This is my favorite lens.

Zooms:

Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR II - The definition of a workhorse lens. It's incredibly well-made, features a very capable (and customizable) vibration reduction system, weather sealing, and super solid image quality across the zoom range. Having used Sigma and Canon's competitive models regularly, I can say that this is the best example of a medium telephoto zoom I've come across.

Best Point and Shoot Camera Over $400: Sony RX100 IV - I went on vacation to Sayulita, Mexico this summer and was excited to use the trip as an excuse to rent this little guy. I'd read reviews of the 1st-3rd generation models, and thought having the Mk IV as a super small camera to walk around with would be great. It absolutely delivered. The zoom range was very useful (24-70mm equivalent), focusing was fast, menus were decent, and the build quality was confidence-inspiring when I needed to throw it in a bag. The standout feature, however, is the image quality. That little sensor delivers fantastic images that (in the case of the Mk IV model) can be captured in a highly gradable S-log preset that made post processing a delight.