My Best Gear of 2019
In many ways 2019 has been a great year of growth and development for me. The right tools can help shape your visions and so I’m sharing my best 2019 gear that has helped me evolve as an artist. I hope they help you out on your journey.
Tweet or dm me with any questions, happy to answer!
@mylesbelland
Note: I have links to where you can buy these products. None of these are affiliate links, they’re just there to help you shop. Maybe in the future ;)
Pop on some tunes and have a read through :)
Photo / Video
Canon EOS R
Let me start by saying that this is a fantastic camera. You could be confused by the many reviews online which nitpick the details and features with camera, but I can honestly say it’s been nothing but a treat to use.
Turn on Touch & Drag AF and use your thumb to move the focus box while you shoot. It’s brilliant! When I pick up my 5dmkiii I start touching the screen in the same way, it shows me how intuitive this method is.
Yes there are quirks. The 1.7x crop for 4k is a bit extreme but there are advantages to the crop. With stills it’s basically a built in teleconverter that’s handy for sniping photos. And with video, I’ve used it the same way: while on a gimbal I throw it into 4k mode to get a quick zoomed in shot, and then back to 1080p to continue gimbaling.
I love the Full Frame sensor and the high resolution images that come out of this camera, and the beautiful Canon colours. It’s a treat to work with, and it’s become my go to camera.
Sample EOS R Images
*Gimbal shot is of the camera in use
Peak Design Leash Camera Strap
A good camera strap goes a long way. This one is light, but sturdy. I’ve never been on the Peak Design bandwagon until this year but now I get the hype. You can easily attach and remove the strap as needed, which is ultra convenient if you shoot in different configurations as I do (film to photo to glidecam). It’s also nice and low profile for when you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. There are other colours and a thicker version available if that’s your jam.
Peak Design Clip
I made it almost the whole year without picking one up, but this is a game changer. You can attach this clip to a backpack strap, and holster your camera on the front of your bag. This means that you don’t re-pack your camera into your backpack every time you change locations or need your hands. It sounds silly like it’s avoiding laziness, but this little gizmo removes barriers from your creative mind and the cumbersomeness of gear. It’s great. Get one. Or two!
Peak Design Clutch
This little guy is one of my favorite buys of the year. My cinema camera, the C100mkii, has a nice soft handstrap on the outside of the grip, and it’s awesome. It’s really nice not to have to hold the camera with a tight grip all the time as the handstrap helps keep the camera solid on your hand. Shooting handheld it makes the camera an integral part of your arm.
The Peak Design Clutch brings the same comfort to your dslr or mirrorless camera. It’s very easy to attach and you can customize the tightness of the handstrap with the pull tab. Better yet, you can still attach your camera strap while it is on, AND, the baseplate fits the Peak Design Clip. The baseplate can also be used on an Arca-compatable tripod.
(I really hopped on the Peak Design bandwagon this year, lol!)
Canon 16-35mm /2.8
It’s big and beautiful, and you images will be too!
Originally I bought the f/4 version thinking it was the smarter buy. The f/4 is AS sharp as the f/2.8, it has image stabilization, and it’s lighter, smaller, and cheaper. BUT, after using the f/4 I found that I was still struggling to get the level of quality and consistency I desired. It was hard to use in low light and the image stabilization didn’t make that much of a difference (especially on a wide angle lens) and so I sold it to a very nice gentleman in September.
(Side Note: I considered the 15-35mm f/2.8 RF lens for the EOS R but turned it down for three reasons. One, the price is ridiculous right now. It’s hard to justify any lens that’s over $3000. Two, I would only be able to use it on the EOS R, and not my 5Dmkiii and C100mkii. Three, the image stabilization didn’t seem that impressive to me.)
The f2.8 version is everything I dreamed of and more. It’s a more flexible lens for me, that allows me to shoot in low light, and create shallower depth of field images. Also, on the EOS R, you can use the crop mode to double the focal length and enhance your range even further! This lens on the EOS R is fantastic.
There is a reason why this lens is a classic with professional photographers and filmmakers, and it’s legacy is still going strong. This lens is worth the money. Save up, and be happy when you earn it. It will treat you well!
Sample images:
GoPro Hero 7 Black
I’ve never been a big GoPro fan. I want to like them, and i’ve seen the amazing videos created by GoPro and their ambassadors (looking at you Abe Kislevitz :) ) but have never been able to replicate that kind of amazing look.
The Hero 7 Black makes a lot of strides to create an easier to use camera with a great image. Coming from the Hero 3+ Black, the Hero 7 Black fixes a lot of what I disliked about the older GoPro’s. Here’s the rundown:
Excellent in camera Stabilization
Better battery life
No housings
Touch Screen back
4k 60fps
Better microphones for audio
Nice timelapses and stills
Note: If you use the 4k60fps, it can run for about 20 mins until it overheats. This caused me some headache as I thought it was broken at first, but then realized “yes of course a camera the size of a box of matches can’t shoot 4k60fps continuously. It’s a heat dissipation issue.
Daily Essentials
Papelote - Pen Holder A5
I’ve been looking for one of these for a while. I like the the Papelote one because it has multiple pen holsters and can stretch to fit a variety of books. Most of the books I read are Personal Development, Entrepreneurship, Film, Finance, etc. and it’s very handy to take notes in book. A highlighter, pencil, and page flags are a must!
Drumroaster Coffee - Guatemala Santa Clara
The lifeblood of creativity. This bold roast is a delicious pick me up in the morning. If you like dark rich coffee you will enjoy this blend.
Education & Learning
Chase Jarvis - Creative Calling
*My Book of the Year*
Creative Calling answers a lot of the questions that i’ve been faced with during my career. From listening to your inner instincts on pursuing creativity to breaking down the recipe towards success and creating a community you can share your art with, it’s all in here.
This book gets me so well. As you can see I’ve made a lot of page flags to come back to breakthrough advice, and hot takes. I will read it a 2nd and 3rd time likely. If there’s one book you consider this year, let this be it.
Bonus:
I write in almost all of my books (^^ remember the Papelote pen holder?)
If it’s your book, I encourage you to go for it. Make it your book and have an adventure with it. Highlight sentences that speak to you, write reminders or breakthrough, star paragraphs, use page flags to set quick reminders, and make it really easy for you to come back and find the breakthrough advice.
Have fun with it!! :)
Alex Strohl - The Adventure Workshop
Alex is a talented photographer who creates beautiful adventure and outdoor photography. I believe this came out in 2017 so its a bit older but the advice is still killer. It’s a very honest and humble look at photography and the elements that are required to make and sell great photos. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his mentorship with this workshop and it’s led me to evolving as a photographer, developing better processes and creating stronger imagery.
The Freelancer’s workshop - Seth Godin
If you don’t know who Seth Godin is, then your first task is to stop reading this, and go learn. He’s written many landmark best seller books and has a wicked insight into the workings of humanity, especially when it comes to marketing, business, and creativity.
The Freelancer’s Workshop is aimed and helping freelancers like myself find better clients and level up our practice. It’s intense but in a good way, challenging you to look at the perceptions we have about ourselves and our work, and how to change them so that we can better signal to and attract the right kind of clients. This has been the hardest workshop of the year for me to keep up with and digest, but it’s given me a whole host of new insight, confidence, and direction to shape my business and career.
As Seth would say: Go make a ruckus!
The Outdoor Photography Experience - Chris Burkard
Another talented photographer, Chris Burkard’s images are a beautiful encapsulation of the natural world and its human inhabitants who explore the far reaches of our planet.
I haven’t finished this one yet, but at half way through I can already tell that it’s valuable, especially if you are just starting out. Chris lays out many of the important fundamentals to great photography beyond camera settings. Colour balance, time of day, setting up a scene, editing, and more. As a surf photographer, Chris covers a lot about how to capture great water content, so that’s a bonus if that’s of interest. Creative Live courses are often on sale, so keep an eye out for when this one is.
That’s it for this year! If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read through and consider my advice. I would love to hear from you! Share what you enjoyed, and what your best gear items were in 2019.
Wishing you an awesome start to the new decade!
Let’s do our best together :)
- Myles