Micael Widell
Animal & Wildlife | Last Updated: August 31, 2023
I am mainly a macro photographer and YouTuber. I have only done photography since 2016, and I started my YouTube channel about photography a year later. I am mostly known for my YouTube videos about macro and flower photography (guide).
To me, gear is half the fun with photography. The other half is making beautiful photos.
But I love to research gear, try new and old lenses and cameras, and I am constantly on the lookout for a better lens, camera, or other components for my system.
I own 10-15 cameras and well beyond 20 lenses. I rotate my gear by selling and buying lenses and cameras all the time.
I am currently most heavily invested in Sony’s E-mount system. I like it because I can use lenses from many other systems, such as Canon EF, and I like that there is a wide and growing selection of affordable full frame lenses for Sony.
Cameras
Sony A7 III. This is my current main camera. I chose it because it is great value for money, it has class-leading autofocus, awesome dynamic range, full frame 4K video, and it is pretty compact. I like the look and dynamic range of full frame cameras.
The Sony A7 series cameras do not have great ergonomics though, so I use a Sony GP-X1EM grip extension to make for a comfortable grip.
Panasonic G85/G80. This is my main video camera. It is very good value for money and shoots beautiful 4K with great image stabilization.
Sony X3000. I use this camera to record YouTube videos out in the field. I still think it beats even the latest GoPro cameras because it has a standard tripod socket, in-body image stabilization (optical, not digital), and a very good microphone.
Lenses
Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2x Macro. This is my main macro lens. I love it because it goes from infinity to 2x magnification, is extremely sharp, small, and lightweight.
Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5x-5x Macro. This is the macro lens I use when I need extreme magnification. Flawless optics and very small and narrow lens.
Lights/Triggers
Godox TT685s. I have two of these flashes and the trigger that comes with them. Extremely good value for money. These flashes are powerful and you can adjust the angle to bounce light of surfaces.
Meike MK-300. This is a small and cheap flash made for Canon, but I use it on my Sony cameras with an adapter. I use this flash when I want something small and compact. Very cheap but does the job perfectly.
DÖRR on-camera diffuser. I love this diffuser for macro photography. I just put it over the lens and can easily fold it into something that fits in my pocket when not in use. I think the same diffuser can be found under several different names.
Bags/Straps
I love the peak design strap system, and I use it for all my cameras. Earlier, I used a Peak Design Slide, but the rubber started coming off, and, also, that one is a bit hard to adjust and made to stay at a certain length.
So nowadays, I use a Peak Design Leash, which is thinner, and a lot easier to adjust. I love it.
I have around ten different camera bags of different sizes, and I pick the bag that is the smallest possible to fit my load-out for the day.
Tripods
I have a couple of tripods, but I almost never use them. I prefer to do my photography freehand. Gorillapods are great, and I have three different sizes that I use mainly with my Sony X3000 action camera, out in the field.
Hardware & Software
My main workstation is a 15”Macbook Pro from 2018 with 1TB of SSD storage. I prefer smaller laptops, but I really need the 15” screen to use Premiere Pro, while on the go, since that application is so inefficient, in screen use.
I like having only one computer that I use both at home and on the go, so I don’t need to sync files back and forth, which creates a mess.
I like this machine because it is powerful enough to edit all my photos in Lightroom Classic CC, and 4K videos in Premiere Pro, without breaking a sweat.
Remember that you can take beautiful macro photos using any macro lens on the market and any camera. For example, the photo of the white flower above is shot with a camera I bought for $50 and a lens for $50.
Go check out my YouTube channel for more inspiration on how to do macro photography on a budget.
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