Best kit for documentary photography: the cameras and lenses for every assignment

Photojournalism is one of the most important and exciting genres of photography, but as two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, National Geographic photographer and Canon Ambassador Muhammed Muheisen explains, you need to be very sensitive towards the people you're photographing.

"Sometimes you photograph events in which you have to put yourself on the other side of the camera," he explains. "You need a camera that allows you to capture moments in time without invading the subject's privacy or their personal space."

Muhammed fell in love with photography at an early age and steadily built a successful career. "I became passionate about capturing moments in time and then I combined my passion with my education to be a good storyteller," he says. "Working hard, endlessly seeking knowledge and improving my skills helped me get noticed by agencies and big media outlets."

When you're starting your photojournalistic career, choosing the best kit while working within a tight budget can be difficult. It's a situation with which Muhammed is familiar. "When I started out, back in 2001, it was the birth of the digital era and we didn't have many camera options like today," he continues. "At that time, I used the Canon EOS 30D and, year by year, I tried various Canon cameras."

If you're looking for a futureproof setup, Canon's mirrorless EOS R System is ideal. Not only does the camera technology give you the flexibility to shoot with excellent low-light performance, superlative autofocus and fast continuous shooting rates, but all the cameras in the range also boast outstanding hybrid capabilities, making it easier than ever before to shoot video as well as stills. In addition to shooting short clips for social media and your publicity reels, you'll find that clients and employers are increasingly looking for skillsets in both stills and video, explains Mike.

"In the modern market, video is an important consideration when investing in equipment."

Like the flagship EOS R1, it also has a Pre-continuous Shooting option that starts capturing images before the shutter release is fully pressed. Set the camera to continuous shooting, press the shutter button halfway, and the EOS R5 Mark II continuously buffers images with full AE and AF tracking. Then, when you fully press the button, it doesn't just start shooting, it also saves the most recent 15 images in the buffer. If the continuous shooting speed is set to 30fps, this enables you to capture approximately half a second before the full press. When events are unfolding unpredictably at speed, Pre-continuous Shooting provides the peace of mind that you can essentially go back in time to isolate the decisive moment.

A dedicated stills/video switch enables you to rapidly toggle between stills and video shooting as the situation demands, but the EOS R5 Mark II also has a Dual Shooting mode that lets you shoot stills while you’re recording movies. With two cards in the cameras, you can save 7680 x 4320 pixel (8K) JPEGs at up to 7.5fps to one card, and simultaneously record Full HD video to the other. Like many other EOS R System cameras, the EOS R5 Mark II also enables you to grab 4K or 8K frames from movies during playback, but Dual Shooting provides still photos with higher image quality.

The EOS R5 Mark II is a true hybrid camera, designed for shooting video just as much as stills. It’s even equipped with a tally lamp. If you’re self-shooting a documentary and presenting to the camera or interviewing someone, then this light on the front of the camera will confirm when recording is underway. It can also indicate how much recording time is remaining. (If you need to work more discreetly, of course, then the tally lamp can be switched off.)

"The electronic viewfinder (EVF) also plays an important role because it means you can see what you're photographing in dark conditions. Also, the frame rate of the EVF can be set to a minimum of 30 frames per second, so you don't get a jumpy, slow or blurry image in the viewfinder in low light like with some other cameras. That's important for photojournalism when you're likely to need to follow a moving subject in low light."

The EOS R6 Mark II includes several pro-level features for more advanced photography and video requirements, including longer battery life, dual card slots and professional connectivity options such as 5GHz Wi-Fi.

The camera also has In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS), which delivers up to 8-stops of stabilisation with compatible lenses. This makes it possible to shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds and record steady video without a tripod or gimbal.

For improved flexibility and the best image quality, advanced video features include oversampled full-width 4K 60p video without recording limits, 6K ProRes RAW recording via HDMI to an external recorder, and simultaneous proxy recording to a second card.

The EOS R1 offers many of the same features that make the EOS R5 Mark II such a dependable camera for documentary photography, including 8.5-stop IBIS, Pre-continuous Shooting, and Dual Shooting. It has a lower resolution but, as Mike points out, this is a camera that’s designed for speed. It is capable of capturing up to 40 frames per second compared to the EOS R5 Mark II’s 30fps, and it records up to 20 shots before you’ve fully pressed the shutter release when Pre-continuous shooting is enabled.

Autofocus performance is agile and reliable too, even when you’re working in locations that have little available light. The EOS R1 is the first EOS camera with Cross Type Dual Pixel Intelligent AF for greater precision. Its ability to detect both vertical and horizontal lines makes it more sensitive when shooting in low light or faced with low-contrast subjects.

With its high-resolution 24.2MP CMOS sensor, Dual Pixel CMOS AF II and continuous shooting speed of up to 40fps, the EOS R8 is a good choice for events or reportage. It's also versatile, with a powerful DIGIC X image processor and native ISO range of up to ISO 102,400, combined with Canon's intelligent autofocus technology, which can track subjects even in low-light conditions down to -6.5 EV. The EOS R8 utilises the optical image stabilisation in IS-equipped lenses when shooting stills or video, with the addition of Movie Digital IS for video.

The EOS R8 also has outstanding video capabilities, producing 4K video footage at frame rates up to 60p, oversampled from its 6K sensor for higher quality. It can also shoot at up to 180p in Full HD for great slow-motion footage. For aspiring documentary filmmakers, there are professional video features including Canon Log 3, zebras and manual focus peaking. In fact, Mike points out, "the EOS R8 offers video abilities comparable to the EOS R6 Mark II, making this a great hybrid camera ready for whichever direction your storytelling takes you."

Muhammed is a keen user of the 35mm focal length. "I use it on a daily basis and in every assignment," he says. "When I leave home my 35mm lens is attached to my camera because it's the perfect lens when you want to be part of the environment."

Muhammed often changes from a 35mm lens to a 50mm. "Whenever I want to get closer to my subject to capture portraits, focusing directly on the eyes, I swap to a 50mm lens," he explains. "It's the best focal length for capturing the soul through the eyes."

For documentary work that has a video component, consider the RF 50mm F1.4L VCM – a hybrid alternative to the RF 50mm F1.2L USM. Part of the growing Canon hybrid RF lens range made for both stills and video, it blends a bright maximum aperture and smooth, fast Nano USM and VCM focusing with a fine-adjustment Iris Ring and 11-blade aperture for cinematic quality and control.

If you need a more lightweight and discreet option, then the RF 50mm F1.8 STM provides the same natural 50mm view as its L-series stablemates, but in a much more compact form weighing just 160g. It’s equipped with a quiet STM motor that provides near-silent focusing for both stills and video, and a focusing ring that doubles as a Control Ring, with a switch to quickly change the function. Its wide f/1.8 aperture is large enough to throw distracting backdrops out of focus too, allowing you to direct a viewer’s attention towards the subject of your story.

In a few final words of advice for students setting out on a career in photojournalism, Muhammed says: "Be passionate, believe in the power of visual storytelling and aim for your photography to make a difference, while keeping in mind that it's not a 100 metre sprint, but a marathon."

Mike describes the RF 28-70mm F2L USM that Muhammed uses as "a lens that people fall in love with, because of its superb image quality and the f/2 maximum aperture – it makes a significant difference when you want to isolate your subject".

Muhammed adds, "This lens gives me a 28mm, 35mm and 50mm lens in one – it's like three prime lenses combined – while f/2 is the perfect aperture for me."

The RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM’s f/4 maximum aperture is maintained throughout the zoom range, so you can rapidly reframe your image and move from a scene-setting wide shot to a tight portrait without the exposure changing. Being an L-series lens, it’s resistant to dust and moisture and is built to withstand the daily rigours of documentary photography and life on location.

In a few final words of advice for students setting out on a career in photojournalism, Muhammed says: "Be passionate, believe in the power of visual storytelling and aim for your photography to make a difference, while keeping in mind that it's not a 100-metre sprint, but a marathon."