Landscape photographer and travel influencer Chris Burkard uses the Sony a7R IV as his primary camera. However, he also uses several Sony models, including the a9, a7S III, a7C, and a6500.
I’m Caleb, and I have more than four years of photography experience. My main niche is sports photography, where I’ve shot multiple sports at various levels.
In this article, I’ll talk about Chris Burkard’s camera setup and some of his other equipment, like lenses and drones.
If you’re wondering about the gear behind Chris Burkard’s photos, keep reading for the full breakdown.
Contents
What Camera Does Chris Burkard Use?
Chris Burkard doesn’t use just one camera. He uses a lot of camera bodies and lenses, mainly from Sony. We’ll go over them individually and how they stack up next to each other.
Sony a7R IV
The Sony a7 series is pretty popular with content creators and pro photographers, and the full-frame Sony a7R IV is one of the higher-end models in that series.
This one doesn’t have the “low” still photo resolution of the more widespread a7S II, as its effective resolution is a massive 61 megapixels. That resolution makes the a7R IV great for taking photos that you can print in large sizes later.
The a7R IV also has a 10fps continuous shooting speed, a plus for action photographers who mainly shoot in fast bursts.
Like the other a7 cameras, the a7R IV has 5-axis stabilization internally. It’s also specifically designed for silent shooting, which is another advantage over the a7S II.
Sony a9
While the a7R IV focuses primarily on image quality, the Sony a9 is a more speed-oriented model. The a9 isn’t the replacement for the a7 series but is instead an alternative option being sold at the same time.
The a9 is more expensive than the a7R IV despite having 24.2 megapixels of resolution instead of 61. While this might seem confusing on the surface, it’s easily explained if you look deeper into the specs.
The main strength of the a9 is its shooting speed, as it can shoot in bursts of 20fps. This, combined with the advanced autofocus, makes the a9 one of the best options for action photographers who can afford it.
Sony a7S III and Sony a7C
Chris Burkard also has the Sony a7S III and the Sony a7C as alternate camera bodies.
Neither of these models will really beat the a7R IV or the a9 in a head-to-head battle, but they’re both full-frame and capable enough to be main cameras in their own right for most photographers.
Like the a7S II, the a7S III has a lower resolution than the other cameras here and isn’t as good at taking stills that you can use for large prints. Most buyers of this model are more interested in its ability to shoot video in 4K at 120fps.
What Compact Camera Does Chris Burkard Use?
When not using larger full-frame cameras, Chris Burkard uses the Sony a6500. On his website, he’s also recommended this one as his budget camera of choice.
It’s not hard to see why Burkard recommends it. The a6500 is capable despite its size, with 24.2 megapixels of resolution and 11 fps continuous shooting.
It also has a massive 425 autofocus points, the same internal stabilization as larger Sony cameras, and 4K video resolution. It’s basically a complete package, despite its smaller size.
What Lenses Does Chris Burkard Use?
Chris Burkard uses many lenses to get various shots, so we won’t go over every one of them here. However, some notable ones are worth pointing out more than others.
For example, Burkard uses the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens, which could be considered an essential for the a7 series due to its good aperture and versatile range for short to medium-distance photography.
With that being said, Burkard also has lenses for long-range photography. Those include the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS super-telephoto lens, as well as the 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS model.
For closer ranges and wider angles, Burkard’s primary lens of choice is the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens.
What Drone Does Chris Burkard Use?
Burkard uses three different drones, but all of them are from the DJI Mavic 2 family. These are the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 2 Zoom, and Mavic 2 Air.
These models share many of the same characteristics but have different focuses. You can consider the Pro the baseline model, while the Zoom has a smaller ISO range and resolution in exchange for 2x optical zoom.
On the other hand, the Air is an improved model compared to the other two. Not only does it have 4K video at 60fps, but it also has 48 megapixels of resolution for stills, compared to 20 for the Pro and 12 for the Zoom.
Despite the different specialties for each model, all of them are more or less able to handle the needs of the average content creator or drone photographer.
What Tripod Does Chris Burkard Use?
Chris Burkard uses a pretty simple tripod, the Peak Design Travel Tripod.
This one features extendable legs, allowing it to change from its travel size into a full-sized tripod. It can also mount a phone instead of a camera and accommodates hanging a camera bag under the tripod itself.
FAQs
Here are some other frequently asked questions about Chris Burkard and his setup.
What Kind Of Photographer Is Chris Burkard?
Chris Burkard is known as a landscape photographer, but he’s also delved into several other niches like lifestyle, surf, and travel photography.
What Backpack Does Chris Burkard Use?
Chris Burkard uses backpacks from his own brand, produced by Mountain Smith Camera Bags.
Conclusion
Chris Burkard uses plenty of Sony cameras to get the job done, most notably the higher-end Sony a7R IV and a9. He also uses the Sony a6500 as a more compact option and recommends that camera as the best budget option.
Have you used any of these cameras? What gear do you like to use for landscape photography? Tell us in the comments.
