Tag: camera gear

State Of The Kit

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My first experience with photography was probably the Fujifilm disposable cameras in the 80s. Then in the late in the 90s I got a Canon IXY APS camera. Then later my first SLR—a EOS888. In the early 2000s I upgraded to the EOS55. And soon after that my first digital camera a Powershot G3 and put film camera photography on hold. After that I went (in order) DSC-W55, D80, GRD3, X100, Model VI (TLR), D610, D7200, FT, D500, F5, FE, D850. iPhone began playing a role some time before the GRD3. My first photos with my wife and children were taken with the G3. A lot of photos of the kids growing up were taken on the D80.

Now my kit consists mostly of the D850-D500 pairing with four primes and two zooms. The primes cover lowlight, portraiture, macro and reach. All are professional level lenses with one from the film-digital transitional era.

I still have the X100 as my street travel photography/snap camera. And I added the SLR FE with an Ai lens to the kit to get my film fix when I stumbled across it by chance.

My kit is as complete as it has ever been. Partly, this was by accident, and partly by design.

Missing is perhaps film development and scanning capabilities. I intend to add these this year. Then kit will feel then truly complete.

The right camera strap system makes a difference

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These days, I use the Peak Design (PD) straps system which uses anchors on loop holes on cameras. As such you can change the strap to fit the body and lens combination as you need.

I have the Cuff (wrist strap), Leash (small), Slide Lite (medium), and Slide (large).

For example when I use the D500 with the 70-200mm f2.8 VR I use the Slide attached to the right and there lens tripod collar screw (without the foot) via a small plate. I sling it on my left shoulder across my body with the camera either to my right side or behind my back. It is comfortable and secure. My hands are free but still I have quick instant access to it. And also I can move freely with minimal camera swing.

It is also discreet; people are less threatened by a big camera that is not in your hand.

When handling the camera at home or storing it in the bag I can take the strap off easily because of the quick release anchors.

And when I need itto be on another camera body like on my D850 I can swap it out straight away.

All anchors are rated at 80kg maximum load. This is more than enough when my camera set up is 3kg at its heaviest. The rating overkill gives me a peace of mind.

The price for PD may seem excessive but seeing that your gear is worth thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars the cost is pennies for security and reliability.

The other straps like the Slide Lite are equally good for a smaller set uplike the D850 with 24-70mm f2.8 or with prime lenses. The Leash is good for compact cameras and light SLR/DSLR set ups. And when I need a wrist strap for quick lively action then there Cuff comes in handy.

Auto ISO

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In the days of film cameras, once you insert a roll of film (24 or 36 frames) you are stuck with it. This means you are locked in to the ISO. If you inserted ISO100 you will be good for bright day time scenes but not night and indoor shots (unless you use a flash).

But this changed with digital cameras. With digital sensors you can change your ISO setting and even have automatic ISO. In film cameras you choose an aperture and the shutter adjusts to match or choose the shutter speed and the aperture adjusts to match.

But with digital cameras you can set both the aperture and shutter speed and the ISO will adjust to make the correct exposure. This difference is a significant improvement on shooting workflow.

My photography kit

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Over the last few months I have thought about what I really needed, and more importantly what I do not need. Which is why I went on a selling spree. I sold three lenses and a camera body today. Two manual focus 35mm, and 50mm lenses, a wide focal length 16-35mm auto focus lens, and manual SLR camera body from the 1970s. The manual lenses were too cumbersome to use plus had some mold issues (so I didn’t want it anywhere near my gear. The wide angle lens just never got me any shots that I liked. And the SLR was full manual with no metering.

Essentially, I figured out what I used a lot, which were my 24mm f1.4, 24-70mm f2.8, and 70-200mm f2.8. These got me all covered all ranges I need.

The 24mm was a little too wide for street photography so I played around with setting my full frame body to crop sensor mode. This gave me a 36mm f2.1 equivalent which is, in my opinion, the best focal length for street photography. The other benefit (or downside, depending on how you look at it) was that the images were now 10MP only. For SNS like instagram and the like this is fine. To print out also it is supposed to be enough for A4 prints. Furthermore, I can work with the RAW files in my iPhone apps.

So I traded all this gear to buy an APS-C DSLR. This had meant I can get the 24MP images on my 24mm f1.4 now (my street photography setup) and get an extra 100mm of focal length on my 70-200mm zoom, all without losing image quality.

All three lenses work with both bodies so I have a 24–300mm coverage in focal lengths. And with the 2x teleconverter I have 600mm reach in bright scenes as well, all this with just two bodies and three lenses.