Sometimes as creators we need a photography kit that we can easily grab and go, and Sony Artisan Miguel Quiles has perfected his over the years. Compact, lightweight and ready for any lighting situation, his grab-and-go kit is one that can go with him pretty much anywhere. Watch the video below and keep reading for the breakdown as he shares the contents of his go-to bag for occasions and events where he wants to keep a light footprint. Subscribe to the Alpha Universe YouTube Channel for more videos like this one.

Watch the video below and keep reading as he shares the contents of his go-to Sony kit for occasions and events where he wants to keep a light footprint. 

Camera

Sony RX1R II: This is the camera I take with me any time I go out to family events, sporting events, going out for the weekend. This is the camera that goes with me literally pretty much everywhere I go, and there are a bunch of reasons for it. Obviously the compact size is something that is super helpful, it’s really nice, but also there are some accessories on this camera that also kind of extend the use for me.

Now if you don’t already know this, the RX1R II, a really popular camera these days for several reasons. One of which is that it’s small but still has a full frame sensor, you have amazing Zeiss optics on this. It’s a 35mm lens that you have on this so it’s great for just general purpose photography while keeping everything really nice and small.

Accessories

Everyday Messenger Bag: A really nice, compact bag. Fits more than what I would actually need. I can put all of my camera stuff. And if I’m going out, let’s say I want to put my wallets, my keys, my phone, whatever the case might be – there’s actually still room in this bag to put those things as well which is really nice.

Shutter Release Button: The first accessory that I have on this thing, I’ve got a shutter release button here and as you can see it’s raised above all the rest of the buttons so it just makes it a little bit easier to reach any time I’m going to go and take a photograph.

Sony TGA1 Thumb Grip: This thing basically is just a thumb grip so it’s just a little spot for your thumb to rest on. It just adds to the ergonomics of this camera. Also keeps you from accidentally pushing any kind of buttons or dials on the back of the camera. You also have the cold shoe on the top as well so if you want to attach a microphone or some other accessory that you want to take with you, you’ve got a spot for that.

Fotodiox Grip: It just attaches here to the bottom of the camera. Still gives you access for your battery so you can still get in there and change your battery if you need to. Your SD cards as well. But what’s great about this is it just adds this little bit of a grip here to the camera. Makes it a little easier for you to hold for those long sessions.

Lens Hood: Helps with flaring and to make sure you don’t accidentally touch your glass.

Lens Cap Attachment: Really nice accessory because it basically just wraps around your camera lens and makes it to where your lens cap dangles and is right there. It’s definitely not something that you want to lose so having this little attachment will be really, really helpful.

Sony HVL-F28RM Flash: This is something that I would recommend every photographer, especially if you have an APS-C camera, if you have any smaller bodies like the Alpha 7C or the RX1R II, this is a must-have I think for a variety of reasons. This is the HVLF28RM Flash and this is a nice compact flash. As you can see, there’s not a lot of anything on this flash. It’s really just to provide you a really nice, clean pop of light in those low light situations. So if you go to a restaurant, you’re at some event and there’s not a lot of light but you need to take pictures of people, this is what you're going to want.

I think what a lot of people end up doing, is they’ll go into scenarios where they use the camera. And these cameras do great in low light, but if your lighting isn’t good, then your photos probably aren’t going to come out as good as they could. And so one easy way to be able to remedy that is to have something like this flash in your camera bag. And it’s small as you can see.

Batteries: The RX1R II, being a full frame camera, it needs a lot of power. So I carry three different batteries here with me. These are the NPBX1 batteries. So I carry three of those with me any time I go out and shoot. Usually this will get me through multiple outings, like at least three or four outings. But I keep them in there just in case if I forget to charge one or whatever the case might be, it’s there.

Moment Cinebloom 10% Filter: I use this quite a bit for my photography. This is a filter made by a company called Moment. And it’s called the Cinebloom filter. It’s a 10 percent, I think they come in a 10 or a 20 percent. And this filter is really useful. Essentially what it does is it takes an image, like a really sharp digital image coming from a camera like the RX1R II, and it basically just softens it a little bit so that it doesn’t have so much of a sharp kind of digital look to it.

SD Cards: SD cards are kind of a must-have.

A-Clamps: They’re little miniature A-clamps that I use for any kind of portrait sessions where somebody might have clothing that maybe is just not form fitting. Or maybe I might need to just cinch up the clothing just a little bit so that it fits better and looks better in photos. These come in super clutch. I usually have four or five of them in every bag.

BongoTies: These little BongoTies, they’re so versatile. There are so many different things you can use them for. I’ve used them at times to secure items to my bag. I’ve used them to attach my bag to rails and things like that if I’m out shooting on location and I don’t want to carry or hold my bag with me, I’ll just go to a rail and I’ll just attach this to the strap of the bag and it just keeps it there handy. In the event that I turn my back I know that it would take more than a few seconds for someone to rip the bag off from where it is. But these are really helpful, definitely a good accessory for you to keep inside of your camera kit.

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