Equipment

It is much more important for us to spend time in the nature or work on our films than to study details about every new camera which comes to the shops. So if you need advice for choosing a suitable camera or lens for you, we are not the right ones to ask. Despite of that we will show you what equipment we use and it can be an inspiration for you.

Photography

Since 2016 we use equipment from Nikon. Zuzana was using cameras and lenses from Canon for a long time, Matej had Nikon. It was necessary to have only compatible equipment and we ended up with using only Nikon. It was rather a consequence of few things happening together than a direct decision. Zuzana had a negative experience with a new Canon 70D, which had a bug making it unable to focus properly. It was repaired, but it took some time to realize that it is not a mistake of lenses or even the photographer. So Zuzana was frustrated during her trip to Svalbard and our trip to India and she lost her trust in Canon. Before our expedition to Cameroon we had a chance to borrow Nikon D750 and we bought some Nikon lenses. After the return we sold out all equipment from Canon and moved completely to Nikon. We buy mostly equipment which has already had an owner before (sometimes we are the third ones) and in this way we try to reduce the costs.

So what we currently use?
Nikon D750
Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR (older version) + TC 14E II a TC 20E II
Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 AF-S G ED
Sigma 105mm f/2,8 DG MACRO HSM OS
Sigma 15mm f/2,8 FISHEYE
We often use the remote trigger, external flash, lights Aputure Amaran, tripod and other things.

Filming

During filming of venomous snakes we need to be as flexible as possible. Constant changing of lenses will not be practical. That is why we mostly film with a video camera. From 2015 until 2018 we used Canon Legria G30.

What do we use today?
Canon GX 10
GoPro Hero 6
Drone Mavic Air
Tripod Gitzo GT2532 and Manfrotto fluid head

We use light Aputure Amaran a lot, many small things which we created on our own and for a short time we have a small slider.

Herpetological equipment

When working with venomous snakes we use specialized tools (snake tongs, snake hooks, bags, tweezers) from Snake Professional and herpetologa Milana Oselského.

Other equipment

In the field we use many practical things. Almost always we have with us binoculars from Swarovski. During the night walks we use torch Fénix UC 30 and headlamps from Led Lenser and Black Diamond. During search for venomous snakes we always wear shoes Hanwag Alaska. From clothes we can recommend trousers Corsar from Czech brand Warmpeace. Zuzana has them since 2011 and they are still usable! We are also happy with tents from another Czech brand – Jurek. Then we like sleeping pads from Thermarest.

We edit video using Da Vinci Resolve 15 and ocassionally with Adobe Premiere Elements 14. We use Zoner Photo Studio 18 and Photoshop CS6 for editing our photographs.