171 ☼ Upgrading My Camera Set Up
changing my main client work camera
Dear friends,
This week, I’m sharing why it’s time for an upgrade to my main camera kit for editorial and commercial work—and how this change fits into my approach to client work.
Since it's Thanksgiving week for many of you, thank YOU for showing up each week. This newsletter takes effort, but knowing it inspires and encourages you makes it all worthwhile.
Special thanks to everyone who’s helped spread the word about NOTICE Journal, Volume One—including Matt Day for having me on his channel to talk bookmaking, and Bill for featuring NJV1 in the Art + Math Photography Gift Guide. I also joined Radio 1 hosts Lara and Oifik to chat about my process—I’ll share when it’s online.
Why I’m Upgrading My Gear For 2025
As the year winds down, I’ve been thinking about the gear that has served me well over the past decade. My Canon 5D Mark IV, along with the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L EF II USM Lens, has been my go-to setup for client shoots for many years now.
Although I own other cameras and additional lenses for this Canon kit, this body and lens combination is probably responsible for 90% of my commercial work and 75% of my editorial client work. It’s been reliable, precise, and fast—everything you’d want for a professional client shoot.
When a shoot is under tight time constraints or speed is required due to movement, the 5D Mark IV has been a workhorse and a powerhouse for me. And before that, its predecessor was just as solid. I shot the entirety of my One of Many project, more than 600 portrait shoots, on the Mark III with just one lens, and it led to me having a career as a professional photographer.
After all these years with the Mark IV, I decided to upgrade my setup going into the new year. Unlike many photographers online, I am not a specs guy nor someone eager to upgrade when a new generation camera comes out. I am technologically change-averse. Since my camera feels like an extension of how I work and what I create to change it up is not something I take lightly.
For me, upgrading my gear isn’t just about getting a new camera—it’s about how I want to approach photography in the new year. The gear is only part of it. I’m also excited about choosing a second-hand camera and being more considerate about the impact of how I spend my money.
After some thorough testing, I decided to trade in my Canon 5D Mark IV with MPB and put the money toward a Canon R5. I’ve been a paying MPB customer for years, even before they started supporting Process, so I was already familiar with buying used lenses from their website. However, I hadn’t gone through a trade-in before.
When I mentioned I was thinking about upgrading my camera, they were incredibly supportive and helped make it happen with an additional sponsorship for this issue. That said, all opinions here are entirely my own as always, with no input from MPB.
I describe the actual process step-by-step below at the end of this letter.
Now, the obvious question might be: why not just buy the freshly released and even newer Canon R5 Mark II? Three reasons.
First, the upgrade from the Mark IV to the R5 is bigger than the upgrade from the R5 to the R5 Mark II and it’s enough of an upgrade for me.
Secondly, buying a model right after a newer version comes out means getting it at a discount, and I can put the money saved towards making more books, buying film, and other things I value more.
Thirdly, I like that buying second-hand supports the idea of a circular and more sustainable economy. It’s the same reason that I usually sell cameras I don’t use much. I’d rather they’re out there being used by someone else than have them sitting on my shelf collecting dust.
I first tested the R5 earlier this year and shared my experience in Process issue 095, including some of the first client images I shot with it. That first-hand experience of what the mirrorless system could do, especially when it comes to autofocus tracking, convinced me that this upgrade would help me step up the level of my client work. The improvements in focus and tracking are key when I’m shooting in a fast-paced environment. And while I’ve managed just fine with the Mark IV, those small upgrades make a big difference when time and precision matter.
At the same time, I still stand by the Mark IV and the workhorse lens that has helped me bring countless projects to life. Every picture in this issue was taken with this camera. If you’re in the market for a DSLR that gets the job done under pressure, I’d still recommend it wholeheartedly.
It’s an excellent camera, and it served me well for a long time. And now that it’s a few generations old, you can pick one up secondhand for a very friendly price over at MBP. The same goes for the Canon 5D Mark III, which is even cheaper. I just checked and its listed for between €269 - €614. This is the camera I used for years, including work for National Geographic, and work which still gets licensed in 2024.
So, as 2025 is near, I’m excited to start the year with this upgraded setup. The R5 gives me some features that can help me do an excellent job for my clients, and the decision to trade in and buy used feels like a conscious step to save money and be part of a more sustainable way to deal with gear. I’m excited to share new client work I’ve recently shot on the R5 in an upcoming issue of Process, including an editorial shoot on university rowing culture for a Dutch magazine.
Thank you for reading. Process is the result of collaborative creativity. It’s written by me and supported by you—whether you read, share, comment, buy my books, hire me for portraits or mentoring, or become a paid subscriber and member of the Process Photo Club:
NEXT WEEK: The launch of Process Workbook, Volume Two! Another book, my word what am I doing?!
Keep shooting and take good care of yourselves and others. <3
Wesley
PS If you’d like to support what I do here, consider ordering the brand new Process Work Book (free for members, €8.99 for non-members) and my photo book "NOTICE" (€39 for members with use of their Process Photo Club coupon, €69 for non-members).
Gear & Tools Used
Camera: Canon 5D Mark IV + Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L EF II USM Lens.
Lab: All my analog work is developed and scanned by my friends at Carmencita Film Lab. They’re my favorite lab in the world. Use code “PROCESS” to get a free upgrade.
The Selling and Trade-In Process
While I had bought things before from MPB, this was my first time going through the trade-in process, which included getting an estimate for the gear I was selling and then picking out the gear I’d like to buy. It couldn’t have been more intuitive and simple. I created a few slides to illustrate each step of the process below.
Step 1 — Selecting Gear to Sell, including selecting the condition.
There’s even a little pop-up menu that helped me determine the condition:
Step 2 — Selecting Gear to Buy, including preferred condition.
First the camera body (above) and then the lens (below)
Step 3 — Check Out and Pay the Difference
And that’s the entire process. Super easy and smooth.
The trade-in not only saved me money but also kept my old camera from just sitting on a shelf. Now, it’ll go to a new photographer who can put it to good use!
If you’d like to explore sell your gear, trade it in for something else, or just to buy something new, head over to MPB.com, my go-to place for all this stuff.
MPB caters to over 625,000 visual storytellers and provides a 6-month warranty.
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Relationships with objects, instruments and tools is not unidirectional. I goes both ways. We adapt our practice under the object materials, shape, etc. as we use them to create and build, we shape them, they shape us. We usually forget that and consumption lead us to shallow interactions with our tools. Great that you put some insights on this regarding upgrading gear. Enjoy your new tool.
I think you’ll have a fun time editing the files from the R5 too. There’s a lot more dynamic range than the 5D mk iv. I’m a wedding photographer who doesn’t shoot Canon but all my second shooters do. Half of them shoot on the R5 and half shoot on 5Dmkiv and I always struggle recovering the 5D images that are shot in less than ideal lighting situations.