The Gear and History Behind RarNest
The cameras, tools and experiences that shaped how I document, understand and preserve life through RarNest.
The Gear and History Behind RarNest
I have always been interested in documenting life.
Long before RarNest existed, I was already keeping diaries, collecting memories, taking photographs, filming moments and thinking in terms of archives.
The tools changed over the years. The reason never really did.
Where It Started
From 2009 until the end of 2015, I used a small silver Canon DIGITAL IXUS 100 IS.
It was a compact pocket camera that could go almost anywhere with me, and it became the beginning of documenting people, places and ordinary moments I wanted to keep.
I still have it today, sitting in a drawer with some of its parts.
At the end of 2015, I moved to a Canon EOS 1100D with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens.
Moving to a DSLR gave me more control and made photography more deliberate, but the purpose stayed the same.
When I Lost Part of the Archive
Around the same period, the drive in my laptop failed.
I lost most of the digital photographs from my teenage years and much of what I had collected up to that point. What survived was mostly whatever existed elsewhere, in Google Drive or scattered across flash drives.
That changed the way I thought about preservation.
I bought an external hard drive and started treating storage as part of the archive itself.
Today, my archive is kept on external storage and on a UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Pro with two 12TB Seagate IronWolf Pro drives.
Taking the photograph is only the first part.
Keeping it is the other.
Moving Into Video
Eventually, photographs alone weren't enough.
I wanted movement, sound and longer fragments of life as well, so I sold the DSLR and moved to a simpler setup with a GoPro HERO4 and my phone.
For a long time after that, I didn't own a dedicated camera, but the documenting never stopped.
The camera disappeared for a while.
The archive didn't.
Back to a Camera
By 2025, I wanted a dedicated camera again.
I missed choosing a lens, thinking about focus and composition, and having more control over the image instead of simply taking out a phone.
That led me to the Canon EOS R50 in August 2025.
It was small, light and affordable, and it became the camera I used to properly return to photography and learn more about both stills and video.
I used it with the Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM and the RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM.
Part of returning to a dedicated camera was also wanting to understand photography more deeply.
I wanted to know how aperture, shutter speed, focus, lenses and light work together, not just how to operate the camera.
Over time, I also started to understand more clearly what I wanted from the camera itself and decided that I wanted to move to full-frame.
Moving to Full Frame
On 12 September 2026, I sold the Canon EOS R50.
I kept the Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM and an extra LP-E17 battery.
Four days later, on 16 September 2026, I bought a Canon EOS R8.
My Current Setup
The R8 is now my main camera for both photography and video.
Most of my photography happens while travelling, walking or simply noticing something along the way, so size and weight still matter to me.
The R8 keeps the compact form I liked about the R50 while giving me a full-frame sensor, better low-light performance and more flexibility for both photography and video.
I wanted something I would actually carry and use.
The RF 50mm F1.8 stayed with me when I sold the R50.
On the R8, it now gives me its natural 50mm field of view instead of the tighter perspective it had on the APS-C R50.
I use it for portraits, details, low-light photography and more deliberate compositions.
Being a fixed focal length also makes me move and find the frame instead of relying on zoom.
What I Plan to Add
The EOS R8 has no in-body stabilization, and the RF 50mm F1.8 has no optical stabilization either.
Because of that, I plan to add a Canon RF 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM in the near future.
It is compact for a full-frame f/2.8 zoom, relatively affordable, bright and stabilized, making it a practical everyday lens for both photography and handheld video.
The camera equipment will continue to change over time, just as it always has.
The archive will keep growing with it.
Balchik Bulgaria – 6 September 2026
Balchik by the sea - bright September light, harbor views, old buildings, quiet waterfront scenes and small details along the coast.
Balchik Bulgaria – 6 September 2026
Nessebar Bulgaria – 28 August 2026
Late summer in Nessebar - warm light, sea air, old streets and seagulls over the coast.
Nessebar Bulgaria – 28 August 2026
Window of Relatives
A brief encounter with some suspiciously familiar faces.
Window of Relatives
Stopped by the window. Looked around.
Same ears. Same attitude. Far too many relatives.
After a moment of quiet inspection, the cat apparently decided there was nothing worth discussing and continued on its way.
Varna Bulgaria – 21 August 2026
A warm summer day in Varna - crowded beaches, busy streets, tourists, music, seagulls, and everyday scenes around the city.
Varna Bulgaria – 21 August 2026
Athens Greece – 12 August 2026
A visual walk through Athens - architecture, street details, passing moments and the texture of the city in summer.
Athens Greece – 12 August 2026
Zgorigrad Bulgaria – 29 May 2022
A mountain escape near Zgorigrad - Camping Sineva, forest trails, waterfalls and the dramatic landscape of the Vratsa Balkan.
Zgorigrad Bulgaria – 29 May 2022
Polis Cyprus – 10 September 2021
Paradise Hill Hotel near Polis in late summer - sweeping mountain views, quiet poolside moments and the Mediterranean stretching into the distance.
Polis Cyprus – 10 September 2021
Marcelova Slovakia – 25 June 2021
Summer days around Marcelova - quiet lakes, green landscapes and views across the Slovak countryside.
Marcelova Slovakia – 25 June 2021
Paphos Cyprus – 29 November 2020
Paphos at dusk - snails crossing sunlit paths, shifting skies, palms and the Mediterranean settling into evening.
Paphos Cyprus – 29 November 2020
Cape Greco Cyprus – 26 September 2020
A day around Ayia Napa and Cape Greco - sea caves, rocky coastline and clear Mediterranean water.
Cape Greco Cyprus – 26 September 2020
Blue Lagoon Cyprus – 2 October 2019
Clear turquoise water, rocky coastline and small boats scattered across the calm bays of Cyprus' Blue Lagoon.
Blue Lagoon Cyprus – 2 October 2019
Ayia Napa Cyprus – 3 August 2019
A summer day in Ayia Napa - turquoise waters, beaches and an evening at Eleven Festival with the best company we could have wished for.
Ayia Napa Cyprus – 3 August 2019
Kosice Slovakia – 29 May 2019
A day around Košice and eastern Slovakia - Slovenský Raj, Dedinky, Mlynky and the surrounding landscapes.
Kosice Slovakia – 29 May 2019
Levice Slovakia – 8 February 2015
Winter around Levice - snow-covered roads, open fields, bare trees and quiet views under changing skies.
Levice Slovakia – 8 February 2015
Budapest Hungary – 4 February 2015
Budapest after dark - old railway architecture, wet streets and the warm glow of city lights around the station.
Budapest Hungary – 4 February 2015
What Deserves a Second Look
A collection of moments, images, observations, ideas and useful finds from everyday life.
Some are fleeting, some useful, others simply leave an impression.
Not every moment needs a story. Some speak for themselves.