Equipment + Photographic Process

Since leaving the field of photojournalism to pursue work related to my graduate degree in international relations, my personal photography has been primarily film-based, but I’ve begun to incorporate digital photography to experiment with adapted lenses, different editing techniques, and particular subjects where digital cameras are more conducive to capturing the moment. My most-used cameras and lenses are listed below.

35mm rangefinders:

  • Voigtlander Bessa R3A
    • Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1
    • Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 MC
    • Voigtlander Color-Skopar 21mm f/4
  • Contax G1
    • Zeiss Planar 45mm f/2 T*
    • Zeiss Sonnar 90mm f/2.8 T*

SLR (film and digital):

  • Nikon FA / F4 / F100 / D800
    • Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8 AF-D IF
    • Nikkor 28mm f/2 AIS
    • Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 AIS
    • Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AIS
    • Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 AF-D
    • Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D ED IF
    • Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 AF-D
    • Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 AI

Medium format cameras:

  • Mamiya RZ67 Pro II
    • Mamiya-Sekor Z 110mm f/2.8
    • Mamiya-Sekor Z 180mm f/4.5 W
    • Mamiya-Sekor Z 360mm f/6 W
  • Fuji GSW690 (original version)
    • Fujinon 65mm f/5.6

Mirrorless:

  • Panasonic Lumix S5
  • Fuji X100S

I’ve been using the Lumix S5 since mid-2025, and it has been very exciting to start using it for a wide variety of photography using adapted lenses. There’s a chance that I’ll try some of the dedicated L-mount lenses from Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma later on, but for now, this camera has been a delight to use with my lenses for the Leica M, Nikon F, and Contax G systems. While many people report optical issues when using modern mirrorless cameras with wide-angle lenses that were originally designed for 35mm film rangefinder cameras, these issues are not very apparent when using longer lenses, and as an enthusiast of normal focal length lenses, I can attest that my 40mm and 50mm lenses for the Leica M system and my 45mm and 90mm lenses for the Contax G system have all been stellar performers with the Lumix S5.

Above: a selection of Lumix S5 photographs using assorted lenses from the Leica M and Contax G systems