Why Did you Choose the Gear you Chose?

March 25, 2020/72 Comments/in Images, News, Rambles /by Kenton Krueger

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV, and I’ll never change to anything else.

But, how did I make this (huge) decision?

Having been a Nikon shooter in the past, when the time came to make a big step up, with regard to gear, I went with Canon for a very simple reason -I had a friend who offered that I could borrow a slew of his lenses while I built my own “quiver.” I thought this was as good a reason as any. Had I gone with Sony I would have had to (VERY) slowly purchase lenses. Those things aren’t cheap! I found that by going with Canon and borrowing lenses that not only was I able to speed my progression as a photographer, I was also able to try out lenses that I’d eventually purchase. Win, win, I thought.

There are many reasons that a photographer might choose one brand/system over another. There are Nikon shooters and Canon loyalists. Those who preach the gospel of Sony, and then a handful of folks who have seen the light of the Olympus. Whatever the case may be, we likely each have strong opinions, such as mine from the first sentence of this post, that we will argue to the death to defend!

This conversation happens often for groups of new friends while on Backcountry Journeys photography tours, so we wanted to stir the proverbial “pot” here and spark a friendly conversation. Perhaps, we’ll even learn something.

We would love to hear YOUR reasons for picking the equipment you’ve decided upon. Please share your own personal story or reasons behind why you shoot with the gear that you have now. For whatever reason(s). We hope that you’ll do so by leaving a comment either directly on this post, or on the Facebook post’s comments section. Remember to be nice!

Regardless of our equipment, never forget that photography should be a fun and creative activity whether you are a hobbyist, professional or anywhere in the middle.

Kenton Krueger

Kenton Krueger grew up and spent the first 33 years of his life in the corn country of Omaha, Nebraska. After studying aviation at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Aviation Institute, he “conned” his way into the newsroom at the award-winning Omaha World-Herald where for 3+ years he wrote and photographed news articles on a variety of topics such as community events, travel and even mixed martial arts for the sports department. Yet something was missing. While on backpacking trips to Grand Teton and Grand Canyon National Parks in the mid-2000’s he was quick to realize that the wildlands of the western United States stoked a fire in his heart as nothing else could. This realization led to relocation to Flagstaff, Arizona, and he hasn’t looked back. He has spent the past several years guiding backpackers, hikers and photographers into the wild places of the American West such as Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone National Parks as well as in the Grand Staircase Escalante in southern Utah. In addition to backpacking and camping, his adventures include rock climbing, exploring the slot canyons of southern Utah, mountain biking, and bagging 14ers in Colorado’s San Juan Mountain Mountain Range. Kenton is a trail runner, former pilot, newspaper photographer, and writer. Kenton looks forward to utilizing his years of guiding experience, combined with his passion and experience behind the lens to provide memorable and unforgettable experiences at the wild places we will visit together.