Justin Niu (@TrekRover) is a passionate travel and wildlife photographer. “The reason I travel and do photography is to create memories and spread awareness of the beauty in our world. I hope my photography can be a catalyst to help foster an appreciation and respect for different wildlife, people, and cultures in the world.” We caught up with Justin to learn more about the kit he uses as he treks and roves the world. Keep reading as he gives an inside look at his Sony Alpha kit.
Product Preview – In This Article You'll Find:
–Sony Alpha 1
–Sony Alpha 7R V
–Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master
–Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II
–Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II
–Sony 600mm f/4 G Master
–Sony 2x Teleconverter
Cameras
Sony Alpha 1: One of the reasons I fell in love with photographing wildlife was because you can see animals frozen in action and see their intricate details and textures up close. Depending on the animal, they can move quickly making it challenging to appreciate their detailed features. However, with the Sony Alpha 1’s high 50MP and fast 30 FPS, I can capture the beautiful details of amazing wildlife.
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 600mm f/4 G Master + 2x TC. 1/2500-sec., f/8, ISO 200
Sony Alpha 7R V: I recently upgraded from my Sony Alpha 7R IV to the Sony Alpha 7R V. When I travel, I often take photos of landscapes, architecture, and street photos. I find that the Sony Alpha 7R V does an excellent job in capturing the details and maintaining high resolution quality. It is the perfect camera for when I want to do large prints. When photographing wildlife, it is important to respect the space of the animals and to keep a safe distance from the wildlife and not to disturb them. As a result, photos taken will tend to be from far distance which often requires cropping-in during the post-processing of the photos. I find having a high megapixel camera like this is not only perfect for preserving the detail and sharpness, but also essential.
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 7R IV. Sony 600mm f/4 G Master + 2x TC. 1/2500-sec., f/4, ISO 250
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/4400-sec., ISO 6400
Lenses
Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master: One of the lenses I find absolutely essential when photographing architecture is the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. When I travel, I often find situations where I am physically limited by my location and I cannot get the whole structure into the same shot. These structures are often grand and enormous which makes it challenging to photograph all in one shot. This is where the ultra-wide angle capability of the 12-24mm f/2.8 shines.
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/80-sec., ISO 3200
Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II: This lens is my bread-and-butter lens. It is the lens I use the most when I travel. It is versatile and light allowing me to shoot a variety of compositions whether wide shot or zoomed in.
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/60-sec., ISO 100
Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II: The 70-200mm is my lightweight zoom lens that I use for short-medium distance wildlife, sports and portraits. It is extremely fast and has excellent speed and image quality.
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/2000-sec., f/5.6, ISO 250
Sony 600mm f/4 G Master: I love all my lenses, however if you were to ask me which one is my favorite, the 600mm f/4 is my favorite. Excellent sharp image quality, smooth bokeh at f/4 and excellent for long distance shots of wildlife. This is my go-to lens when I have a specific wildlife target that I want to capture details of.
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 600mm f/4 G Master + 2x TC. 1/2000-sec., f/5.6, ISO 400
Accessories
Sony 2x Teleconverter: For that extra reach when photographing wildlife and more.
Spare Batteries: A camera without power is dead weight so I pack a few.
Portable Hard Drive: Multiple small memory cards are easy to lose, which is why I prefer carrying an ultra-small portable, durable external SSD storage device to transfer photos from my camera.
13” ultra-thin laptop: A lightweight portable computer around 2 lbs. which allows me to edit photos on the go.
Photo by Justin Niu. Sony Alpha 7R IV. Sony 600mm f/4 G Master + 2x TC. 1/800-sec., f/5.6, ISO 100
Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod: This tripod is a mandatory staple in my kit when I shoot wildlife with my 200-600mm lens. It is durable, lightweight and compact.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack: I use this bag to carry my full gear.
Peak Design Tech Pouch, Slide/Cuff Straps, Anchors: I use this pouch to manage all my cables, spare batteries, and straps for my camera.
See more of Justin Niu’s work on Instagram @TrekRover.
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