Studio Store · 04

What I
Shoot With

The exact kit I carry across Dubai rooftops and Kerala film sets — bodies, glass, light and movement. Honest notes on what earns its place in the bag.

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01

Camera Bodies

Primary · Stills + Video

Sony Alpha 7 IV

The workhorse. 33MP full-frame sensor that holds up to A1 print size for the fine art prints, with 4K/60fps video for real-estate reels. Sony's autofocus tracks subjects through fashion sets reliably enough that I rarely miss a frame.

~₹2,30,000 / AED 2,200

When I reach for it: fashion editorials, actor portfolios, any shoot where I need both print-quality stills and video in one body.
Video specialist · Low light

Sony FX3

Dedicated cinema body — full-frame, 12.1MP for video, ISO range that makes Dubai golden-hour low-light shots feel like daylight. The built-in 5-axis stabilisation means usable handheld footage without a gimbal on tighter setups.

~₹3,40,000 / AED 3,200

When I reach for it: real-estate walkthrough films, on-set BTS for Malayalam productions, any low-light event work.
02

The Glass

Zoom · Workhorse

Sony FE 24–70mm f/2.8 GM II

The lens that lives on the camera 70% of the time. Fast enough for indoor fashion sets, sharp enough for architecture, and the f/2.8 constant aperture means I'm not fumbling with exposure mid-zoom on a moving fashion set.

~₹1,95,000 / AED 1,900

The zoom I reach for when I don't know exactly what I'm going to need.
Prime · Portraits

Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM

The portrait standard. The f/1.4 rendering at this focal length is why Rukmini Vasanth and Ashika Ranganath's frames feel like they breathe — the background compression separates the subject from the world in a way a zoom can't replicate.

~₹1,50,000 / AED 1,450

Any shoot where the face is the frame. Actor portfolios, editorial fashion, featured close-ups.
Prime · Cinematic wide

Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM

The environmental portrait lens. Wide enough to show the room, tight enough to feel intimate — this is the focal length that put Rukmini in context with the garden without shrinking her. Also my preferred lens for real-estate interior walk-throughs.

~₹1,30,000 / AED 1,250

Environmental portraits, interior real-estate, any frame where the setting is part of the story.
03

Light — the real subject

Speedlight · On-camera + off

Godox V1 Pro

TTL speedlight with a round head that produces a naturally soft, circular catch-light — subtler than the rectangle you get from a standard flash. Magnetic modifier system means I can attach a small dome diffuser in seconds on a fast-moving fashion set.

~₹18,000 / AED 170

Fashion editorials, actor portfolios, any shoot where I'm filling shadows rather than sculpting the primary light.
Strobe · Location + studio

Godox AD400 Pro

400Ws battery-powered monolight that I take on location for the fashion editorials that need more power than a speedlight can deliver. HSS sync lets me overpower the harsh Dubai midday sun for outdoor fashion work. Recycles fast enough that I never wait between frames.

~₹55,000 / AED 520

Outdoor fashion campaigns in direct sunlight, any shoot requiring a large softbox on location.
Continuous · Video + BTS

Aputure AL-MX Bi-Color

Pocket-sized bi-color LED that fits in a jacket pocket but produces enough output to add a warm practitioner fill on a real-estate interior or a motivated backlight on a portrait. Invaluable for on-set BTS work where I need light without a light stand.

~₹12,000 / AED 115

On-set BTS, hotel room interiors for real-estate, any situation where a full strobe setup is impractical.
04

Movement — the gimbal

Gimbal · 3-axis stabiliser

DJI RS 3 Pro

Handles the A7 IV + 24-70 f/2.8 with room to spare. The OLED touch panel means I can adjust tilt limits and following mode without touching my phone mid-shot. LiDAR focus assist is genuinely useful on dark interiors where the camera's phase-detect struggles.

~₹55,000 / AED 520

Real-estate walk-through films, fashion reels, behind-the-scenes video — any moving shot where handheld shake would read as amateur.
Slider · Smooth pull-backs

Edelkrone SliderONE Pro

Motorised slider that fits in a backpack and sets up in under two minutes. The slow, perfectly-consistent pulls on a real-estate interior make the space feel bigger and more aspirational than static shots. Particularly effective on penthouse kitchens and living rooms with a long lens.

~₹90,000 / AED 880

Dubai property films, any shoot where movement needs to feel slow and considered rather than handheld-energetic.
05

Carry — bags & storage

Bag · Travel system

Think Tank Airport Roller Derby

The rolling studio. Fits two bodies, four lenses, flash, cables and a laptop — and meets carry-on size requirements on Emirates and IndiGo. I've wheeled this through Dubai Airport, Bangalore's T2 and Kerala's Kochi airport without checking a bag. Worth every rupee.

~₹38,000 / AED 360

Every flight. Every shoot that requires me to carry the full kit cross-city without trusting it to baggage handlers.
Cards · Fast + reliable

Sony Tough CFexpress Type A (160GB)

The A7 IV's card slot accepts CFexpress Type A — these Sony Tough cards are rated for 800MB/s read and are physically waterproof and dustproof. I carry four. Two in the camera, two in my pocket. I've never had a card failure; I'd rather not find out what that feels like mid-shoot.

~₹16,000 / AED 155 each

Primary cards for the A7 IV on every shoot. Non-negotiable for video work where buffer overflow mid-take is not an option.
Monitor · On-camera field

Atomos Ninja V+

5.2-inch HDR monitor-recorder that pulls ProRes RAW out of the FX3 via HDMI — files that grade far more generously than the internal recording. The brightness (1000 nits) makes focus-checking possible in direct Dubai sunlight when the camera's built-in screen washes out completely.

~₹65,000 / AED 620

Real-estate films and brand campaign video work where I want maximum latitude in post without the file size penalty of RAW on internal cards.