Cameras for foot photography
The tools I use
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Lumix G9 Mark ii
Content Creation Beast
As of 2024, this is now my workhorse camera. It has amazing autofocus, industry leading image stabilization, and unparalleled video specs. You see this camera in action everyday on the instagram page, as well as all the youtube videos in 2024.
It’s a micro 4/3 sensor, 25.2 megapixels, and a hi-res mode up to 100 mp.
The amount of customization is incredible. Almost all the buttons on this camera can be assigned to serve different functions, so when I need to make changes, it’s ready at the tap of a button, saving wasted time going through deep menus.
The king of hi resolution photos. This is a full frame 47 megapixel sensor camera. The quality of images that come from this beast is just insane. This camera is no longer in production, so I’m lucky to have picked it up when I did.
It’s expensive, heavy, and honestly, it’s a bit overkill for most situations, but it’s worth every penny.
WHY I BOUGHT IT
I need that high resolution. Having all those megapixels enables me to take photos and crop later to the desired orientation. Majority of the sets for sale are done in full scale wide format. The thumbnails for youtube videos are wide. The stuff on IG is vertical. So I need a mix of both depending on what I’m posting to.
Having all that resolution makes it possible to crop down to social media formats without losing any image quality.
I pair this up with a Sigma Art Series 24-70mm 2.8 lens.
Standard megapixel sensor images fall apart the more you crop in, and that just sucks.
DOWNSIDES
Cost and weight. This combination of camera and lens set me back $4,500. The body is heavy and the lens is heavy. So if you want small and lightweight, there’s other options. Also, I don’t use this camera for video. (But of course you can do it)
Panasonics prior to 2023 are all contrast based autofocused. Which means that unless you were manual focusing, the system would hunt back and forth during video. For photos, the system is lightning quick
But this is the reason a lot of the earlier Panasonic/Lumix cameras get a bad rap.
Good news is that they’ve finally adopted phase detect AF.
Look out Sony! It was just a matter of time.
Lumix S1R
Impeccable Image Quality
Lumix G9 (Original)
Everything You Need
This camera was my first real upgrade back in 2021. The original G9.
This is more than enough for content. It’s a micro 4/3 sensor with 20 megapixels. Amazing stabilization. Great photo features, and 4K videos. So much of my content on the site was shot with this camera, as well as the Youtube videos during the first several years.
And it’s nostalgic for me. I still use it to this day. In fact, I could still use this as a workhorse and be completely satisfied with the results.
Only real downside is that it has that contrast only autofocus, so all the videos had to be done in manual. Still great, just a little more work.
Sony ZV-1
Yes, I have Sonys too
I can see why many people love the Sony system. They really put mirrorless cameras on the map, and they took the industry over by storm with the best autofocus in the game.
If you get a Sony, you will never have to worry about focus. Hit that red button and forget it.
Good picture quality, good videos too. My only beef with Sony is the stabilization. They’re getting better, but if you want stable footage, I would really recommend the use of gimbals.
And when I’m out and about, I want quick, and I want less things to carry.
WHY I BOUGHT THIS
The size. This camera is the smallest camera I own, and when I need something that can fit into my pocket, this is my weapon of choice.
I’ve been kicked out of places for walking around with a big professional camera and big lenses. So if you need something small and lightweight, and avoid attention, I would recommend this 1000%
This baby has a self retracting lens, and does not raise any suspicion at all. It looks like a cheap point and shoot.
Multiple Go Pros
Behind the scenes footage
There’s the main cameras, and behind the scenes cameras. This is the latter. I mount these little babies directly on top of my main cam to capture everything during a session. It’s so easy because I just press record, and I don’t have to worry about anything else. It sees what the main camera sees, and it helps me get video even when I’m doing still pictures with the main cam.