I get asked a lot what camera and gear do I use for my fishing and travels so I thought why not make a post about that!
That recurring question usually pops up whenever I post some… (ahem) epic images!
If you want to check out some of them besides the ones here in the website, follow my social accounts such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok.
How I capture my images?
Simultaneously. What I mean by that is I often have two cameras recording at the same time.
Getting the “money” shot is often not simple. We often need to shoot a lot and hopefully… get that one or two that turns out interesting.
I often have all my current cameras (refer below) with me on trips. And at any one time I have two to three in use at the same time.
Most of the things I shoot and record end up unused and sit idle in my growing mountain of external storage devices.
Taking a Beating
And because I replace old and broken ones every now and then I can just come back here and update accordingly.
Just sharing a quick thought here: In the recent years I have embarked in a pursuit to simplify my work-flow and am always in the search for less is more.
If you have any ideas or suggestions to recommend, please share your thoughts in the comment section below. I will be very grateful!
Current Cameras
This is not so much a camera or gear review post but rather what I use and why I chose them in the first place. I hope you find this post enlightening and perhaps a little useful.
Insta360 GO 3S
Tiny wonder! Purchased the GO 3S in mid 2024 for the following reasons:
In certain fishing situations I was missing the actions on the Ace Pro mounted on my chest using a neck mount. Things often happen suddenly all around the boat and with the tiny GO 3S mounted on my hat, I have a much better chance of capturing the moment’s action.
It is so light and easy to operate.
In case you are wondering, those hairy things are wind muffs that I stuck onto the microphones to help with cutting down on the wind noise.
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Can’t do without the smartphone. Plus they keep getting better and better!
The most significant difference for me with the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the cinematic camera mode. Although the depth of field are mostly faked I find them good enough to get the desired shots.
At the time of writing this the iPhone 16 is out… the new features are not that significant so I’ll wait and see.
Insta360 Ace Pro
Got this in November 2023 and WOW, this thing impressed me from the get go. I mean it is sooooo much better than the GoPro that I replaced it with.
If you’re still using a GoPro you either don’t know what you’re missing or you’re just a die-hard loyal GoPro fan.
I have always been frustrated every time I used the GoPro (my last being the Hero 11) and when the Ace Pro was launched I decided to give it a try after looking at the specs.
WHY THE ACE PRO?
This thing never hangs, never shuts down halfway or accidentally not record, never overheats and the batteries last so much longer! All the issues that the GoPro always had and never seem to get fixed.
The Ace Pro turned out to be more economical as well as I hardly had to use the extra two batteries that I have. Unlike the heap of premium Enduro GoPro batteries that I had to bring around that also swells up easily.
The Insta360 app is also lightyears ahead of what GoPro has.
The Ace Pro 2 is already out. I guess I’ll wait as the one I have is still keeping me happy.
Insta360 One RS
I’ve always been intrigued by the 360 cameras but held back due to price and image qualities.
When my GoPro Hero 6 Black and Hero 9 Black broke one day after another in early 2022 (crazy!) I decided to look at the then newly launched Insta360 One RS.
What made me consider the Insta360 One RS was that it can also double as a normal 4K action camera to replace my broken GoPros and also let me experiment with 360º shots.
Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90
Am struggling a bit to remember when did I start using the Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90. Likely 2017 or 2018.
The sole reason of me getting this camera was I wanted a small point and shoot that had decent zoom and also delivers reasonable image qualities.
This camera basically takes over the duties of my Nikon 1 AW1 which is waterproof and takes nice photos but I find it too big, heavy and did not offer the zoom I needed.
The Lumix DC-TZ90 has a 24mm LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens with 30x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 24-720mm). Mostly enough for my needs.
The Oldies
These are what I used before…
GoPro Hero 11 Black
I’ve been using GoPro cameras for the longest time, since not too long after they were introduced.
It’s been a love-hate relationship with every GoPro camera I’ve had since.
They mostly serve their purpose but they also drive me mad ever so often. In fact, I thought my GoPro Hero 9 Black that broke in 2022 might be my last GoPro but alas!
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Smartphones these days take amazing images and the iPhone serves me well due to its convenience as it’s always with me and makes my work a little easier.
I started using the iPhone 11 Pro Max in October 2019 almost as soon as it was launched.
I remember that clearly as I dropped my previous phone and iPhone 7 Plus into the South China Sea during a sailfish trip and I desperately needed a quick replacement.
It was a costly affair.
