Equipment is changing fast. I have both film and digital cameras and use them both to their own advantage. Equipment does not necessarily make a person a better photographer. We were born with the best camera, which is situated between  our ears. Yes it is our eyes in conjunction with our brain. The camera is just a tool to make images with, irrespective of make or brand. The two main contestants in the 35mm photography market place are, Nikon and Canon, both are very good systems. At present I earn 95% of my income with the Hasselblad Xpan II - this camera exactly fits my needs and photographic vision.

   Cameras

	Hasselblad Xpan II
	Nikon D200

   Lenses

	Hasselblad Xpan 45mm f4 & ND filter- With the center filter on the results are the best I have ever seen!
	Hasselblad Xpan 90mm  - f4 Sharper than the 45mm!
	Tamron 90mm f2.8 DI Macro - Sharp!

	Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AFD  Although not the quality of the manual 28 mm lens it still performs admirably.
	Nikkor 50mm f1.8 AF & AIS - Excellent value for money!
	Nikkor 18~35mm f3.5~4.5 AFD - Very good lens - flare can be a problem.
	Nikkor 24 ~ 85mm f3.5~4.5 AFSD - Very crisp and saturated colours.
	Nikkor 75~300mm f4.5~5.6 AF  - Excellent lens except for AF speed!
	Nikkor 80 ~ 200mm f2.8 AFD - Quality in all respects, period!

   Tripods & Camera Bags

	Manfrotto 191 Nature tripod with the Manfrotto 488 RCO ball head. I have also started to use the Manfrotto Elbow bracket
	for easier movement between vertical and horizontal positions.
	Lowepro Nova 1 AW for Xpan and VORTEX 300 for all my camera gear.

Framing

I have equipped myself to manufacture my own natural wood frames using indigenous Australian timber such as Red Gum, Jarrah and Blackwood. I use miter saws with 100 teeth tungsten carbide blades and follow this up with a guillotine to cut exact 45 degree miters. Joints are made using biscuits as they have been proven to be stronger than V nail joints. Where I cannot use biscuit joints I still use V nails and glue to make proper frame joints. All images are stuck to acid free foam core. The mats are chosen to match all images and the natural timber frames artistically . Images can be framed using either normal 2 mm glass or non reflective glass.

Scanning Printing and Film

For scanning I use an Nikon Coolscan 5000-ED scanner (cant praise it enough!!). 

I use an Epson 1290 & 2100 printer that produces professional panoramic and normal prints using pigment inks with the longest stated lifespan of any printers available. Paper used includes Archival Matt and Semi Gloss both from Epson.

I only shoot with slide film and use Fuji Velvia 50  followed by Fuji Provia RDP 100F and Kodak E100VS.

Hiking and Camera Bags

As for hiking equipment I have settled on using Macpac  which is a top quality product that is manufactured in New Zealand. Both the rucksack and tents that I own are made of the best materials and suite my needs in all respects. I use a Fairydown Everest sleeping bag which is also made to top standards. For my camera and lenses I use the Lowepro top load camera holders and Lowepro zoom holders. This combination keeps my camera safe from dust, moisture and bumps. I have added an  Pelican case for the safe transportation of my camera gear. See my links page for links to all my favourite photographic and hiking sites.