My Kit
Outdoor pro Markus needs kit to be hardy and reliable when shooting epic sports and landscapes. Discover the gear he uses for scaling mountains
Mountain man Markus Rohrbacher talks about his top gear for Alpine action
I need to minimize weight and take kit that’s reliable in any conditions
as an outdoor photographer, I can’t avoid long hikes and climbs to get to locations. This makes me consider which gear is really necessary and what can stay at home. I need to minimize weight and take kit that’s reliable in any conditions. My main workhorse is a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, combined with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8l II USM and EF 70-200mm f/2.8l IS USM lenses. I shoot 80% of my photos with this combination. When it comes to sport, I often take a Fisheye 10-17mm from Tokina with me as well. It’s affordable, produces a decent quality and fits on crop and full-frame cameras. I have a couple of other lenses for low-light situations, a wideangle, converters, and a backup camera, but I only add this equipment when I’ve got easy, short access to locations.
I still carry some Lee Filters with me. Obviously you can edit in graduations, but by using a real filter your Raw file becomes richer. A grey full ND filter is powerful for shooting water or moving clouds.
Last year, I also jumped onto the drone game with the DJI Phantom 4. It offers so many possibilities for new perspectives, and now there’s no need to rent a helicopter or a plane. I also use it for scouting tricky areas. In the winter, it’s hard to move around in deep snow; I can use a drone to have a look around the next mountain ridge. Beside this hi-tech gear, I still carry my old Polaroid SX-70 (it’s just fun to play around with). The F-stop backpack is just the best for any outdoor photographer.