In addition to my regular photo equipment, I also use a wide range of tools and accessories, The most important ones for me as a nature photographer I will introduce below. There are a number of alternatives on the market for each product, so please take my list as an interesting recommendation rather than a fixed list of the only correct equipment. However, I am extremely satisfied with all the mentioned products and I can highly recommend them.
You can view an overview of my current photo equipment here >>
COMPUTER AND EXTERNAL MONITOR
Mac Mini M1 RAM 16GB
After four years, I replaced my main computer (Win) with a miniature Mac Mini with an M1 chip and 16 GB RAM. The shift in performance is really noticeable to me. The computer is completely quiet even during hard work and manages to work with my photo editors perfectly.
EIZO CS2730
I cannot imagine editing my photos without the EIZO CS2730 monitor. I also tried its 4K variant CS2740, and it’s simply brilliant if you appreciate the 4K resolution! The print corresponds precisely to what you see on the monitor.
PHOTO EDITORS
CAPTURE ONE 22
I fell in love with Capture One straight away. Each upgrade allows me to make more and more adjustments directly in RAW without having to switch to Photoshop. C1 works great with layers and precise local edits. Its current 22nd version brings the long-awaited HDR and Panorama.
PHOTOSHOP CC
Photoshop has been a benchmark of quality among graphic editors since the begining. Although there are many other, often excellent, software on the market today, their quality will probably be gauged agaist Photoshop forever. I have been using it for many years and it helps me not only with finishing touches, but also with creating simple graphics for my web & socials.
DXO PURE RAW
A program, or rather a plugin, that advances the usability of ISO significantly. It is applied directly to the RAW file before the start of the post-process. Any edits are made to a file after two automatic adjustments – lens correction and noise reduction with the DeepPRIME tool. Both of these adjustments were extracted from a very good RAW editor called DXO Photolab.
TOPAZ LABS
The DeNoise AI and Sharpen AI plug-ins have brought photo editing to the next level. As the names of the plugins suggest, they focus on noise reduction and blur removal. And with each upgrade it gets better and better. You can get all Topaz Labs plugins permanently with a 15% discount using a discount code “SULASULA15“. The discount can often be applied to ongoing promos.
NIK COLLECTION 4
I’ve been using the Nik Collection plugin set for many years. Although I’m increasingly able to process photos to the fullest in Capture One, I appreciate the ease with which I can add the right final colours and contrasts. I most often use the Solor Efex, Output Sharpening and Viveza modules.
MY OTHER HELPERS
Shimoda Explore 30l
Shimoda Explore 30l backpack has been my travel companion for two years now, and I cannot fault it. I can highly recommend it to everyone who wants maximum comfort and many nifty features while carrying considerable equipment. Its upgraded 2nd version is in the shops now.
Peak Design Tripod
Simply put – Love at first sight. Or something you imagine in fairy tales. I can confirm that the Peak Design tripod is a fantastic piece of equipment, and I do not regret spending a single penny. Peak Design run various promos on their products every so often.
Axagon Card Reader
With two USB-A and USB-C connectors, the reader greatly simplifies uploading photos between devices. In addition to the super-high transmission speed, I also appreciate the high-quality processing power. Both connectors have protective caps. All in all, this is a great travel companion and is suitable for any occasional backups.
ADATA SSD SE800
Two years ago, I described how I back up photos on the go, where an ADATA SSD plays a key role (updated EN version coming soon). Even after two years, I didn’t make any adjustments, and SSD is now a permanent companion on all my trips home or abroad.
ADATA SD UHS-II
When I was looking for a fast card for my Olympus camera, I finally settled for the Adata 64 GB, which ticks all the capacity, speed, and affordability boxes. I have three, and again, very happy with my purchase.
BCX-1 Charger
I use the original BCX-1 dual charger for the new OM-1 camera. I’m used to charging two batteries at once and I’m not going to give up this comfort. The charger is quite compact and can be powered by a USB-C cable.
Wimberley Plump
You may also occasionally run into the problem of having fewer hands than necessary. In addition to a few homemade holders of anything, I use two excellent and stable ones from Wimberley. They can easily hold twigs for tanagers or hummingbirds.
VFFOTO Filters
It is sometimes tricky to screw the filters back and forth. They often get stuck, and you can’t get them either on or off. The elegant solution is magnetic filters, which you simply attach to a thin adapter. Beautiful!
Peak Design Slide Strap
I consider the Peak Design Slide strap a breakthrough technology and it is my favourite item on the list. I never used the straps on cameras because their impracticality when tightening or detaching on the go annoyed me. Sometimes I used it, other times I would rather threw it away. Not Peak Design, though. I find their technology absolutely brilliant, and after a year of use I would give it 9.5 stars out of 10. The remaining half a star I’ll save for a version where a small magnet will be built into the housing to keep the unclipped strap clipped together when I have nowhere to put it.
Peak Design Capture V3
On my last trip to Ecuador, I also used the all-new camera clip called Capture V3. This updated version has much more ergonomic shapes and is lighter. I had it attached to my backpack at all times and used it for a secondary body with a smaller lens. This allowed me to walk comfortably in the jungle with both my hands free – my main camera secured on Slide, the second on Capture. I’d recommend checking its compatibility with your backpack strap. If the shoulder strap is too thick, it’s possible to use slightly longer spare screws. It fits like a glove on my Shimoda Explore 30l backpack.
IKEA LADDA 2450 BATTERIES
While browsing the Internet, I came across interesting foreign articles comparing the performance of relatively cheap IKEA LADDA 2450 batteries to the iconic Eneloop Pro batteries. I looked into it, and everything indicated that the Ikea 2450 mAh rechargeable batteries are practically identical to the Eneloop ones for twice the price. Since I primarily use AA batteries in many devices, I bought several sets of LADDA batteries leaving Eneloop for home use only. I marked each set with the same letter with a permanent marker to discern each group.
Olight S30R Baton III
A few years ago, I fell in love with night walks in the jungle and contemplated which flashlight to choose for this purpose. In the end, I decided to go for the OLIGHT S30R Baton III, which has excellent specs, features & discreet design.
Joby Gorilla Pod 3
Every so often, I wish for having more than one set of hands. Joby helps me as a tripod for ground-level shots, a flash holder, microphone support for recording, and even an LED light holder. Simply put, having it with me is always a win.
GoGen Selfie Stick
I cannot tell you how to take a selfie with it, but I know for sure that I won’t leave without it. It’s light, long and can be used with minor modifications to catch snakes. I can’t ask for more. You can see a practical example of its use on the photo below.
GoGen selfie stick in action 🙂
