When I am in my booth at arts festivals, I often get asked “what kind of camera do you shoot with?” The question is often posed by someone looking to buy or upgrade their camera system, looking for advice. When I am selling my work, I would rather talk about the work than my camera gear, so I often give the short answer: “I’m a Canon guy.” In the interest of answering that question more thoroughly, today’s topic is “What’s in my Camera Bag?”
Hint: When you see someone’s work you like, saying “wow, you must have a really nice camera” is about the worst insult possible to a professional photographer. Imagine telling a talented painter “you must use a really great brush”, or an actor that “your costume was so pretty”.
Colin’s Bag of Camera Gear, Canon Style
Cameras:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III (full frame sensor)
- Canon EOS 7D (cropped sensor)
- Canon G15 (point and shoot)
I upgraded to a full frame Canon 5D Mark III a couple of years ago. That was a major upgrade, because I had to upgrade most of my lenses as well. At the time I owned a mostly Canon EF-S lenses that only worked with my cropped sensor EOS 7D. (and my 30D before that). I have gradually replaced those lenses with EF lenses. (18-55mm EF-S => 24-70mm EF; 75-300mm EF-S => 70-200 EF; 10-22mm EF-S => 16-35mm EF). The 5D is definitely less noisy in the shadows, meaning I can shoot at higher ISOs, and it’s great for low light and night photography ).
I still travel with the 7D, though, because it’s always important to have a backup camera body. (I learned that lesson on my first Utah National Parks trip!). It’s also useful to use the 1.6 cropped sensor to extend the range of my telephoto lenses. I rented a 150-600mm last summer, and on the 7D it was the equivalent of a 240-960mm! That made shooting bears in Glacier and Bison in Yellowstone much safer!
My G15 is a good quality point and shoot, which shoots in RAW. I call it my “beach camera”. It’s the camera I carry with me when I might want to snap a quick shot, but don’t want to be burdened with a big camera bag, or worry about my DSLR gear being stolen. In April I bought a waterproof casing for it, which allowed me to capture my first underwater images while snorkeling in Roatán.
Lenses:
- EF 24-70 f/4L IS USM
- EF 16-35 f/4L IS USM
- EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM
- Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG
The 24-70mm is my favorite landscape lens – it’s what’s usually on my camera, along with a circular polarizer. When I need a little wider angle, the 16-35mm is fantastic as well. With it I can get close to a foreground object, and create a dynamic relationship with middle ground and background subjects. The 70-200mm is a good, solid mid-range telephoto. I find it very useful in mountains or canyon for capturing wide panoramic stitched images of landscapes. When attached to my 7D, it’s the equivalent of a 100-320mm lens, which is also decent for wildlife. A 100-400mm is on my wish list, but that’s a big piece of glass with a big price tag. In the meantime, I rent super telephoto lenses for big trips when I need them.
My only prime lens is the Sigma 24mm. This super-fast lens gives me the ability to shoot as wide open as f/2 or even f 1.4, which can mean the difference between capturing just a few stars and a brilliant milky way on a clear night. You will notice that none of my other lenses are faster than f/4. I find that I almost never need to open up wider that f/8 or f 5/6 for most of my landscape shots, and with Canon lenses you typically pay double for the f/2.8 equivalents. If I shot weddings or sporting events this would be crucial, but for me the extra stop of light is not necessary. However, most of my lenses do have the ‘L’ designation, which is Canon’s shorthand for their high quality lenses, with superior optics, weatherproofing and durability.
Tripod:
Oben CC-2461 4 section carbon fiber tripod w/ Oben BE-117 Ball Head
I am 6’-4” tall, so finding a tripod that matches all my criteria is tough: A) Tall enough when fully extended that I don’t have to stoop to look through the eyepiece. B) When collapsed it will fit in my checked luggage. C) Light enough that I can hike with it. D) Sturdy enough to survive a couple of legs in a rocky stream or a dusty slot canyon. Combined the Oben tripod and ball head weigh in at just less than 4 lbs.
Key Filters:
B+W Circular Polarizer MRC (67mm & 77mm)
Tiffen 77mm 812 Warming filter
The Circular polarizer is almost always on my lens, and I count it among my most useful photographic tools. A future blog post will address this important subject. I find the warming filter is useful to combat the sometimes harsh midday light in the red rock country of Utah or Arizona.
Camera Bag:
Vanguard Up-Rise 48
My camera backpack comfortably fits one DSLR, 3 lenses, filters, batteries, extra memory cards, and space for water and snacks, plus the tripod. Along with a full 3 liter Camelbak full of water, plus snacks, my full pack weighs about 25 pounds including all of my camera gear. It has both a waist strap and chest strap to distribute the weight, and a quick access compartment on the side so that I can quickly access my DSLR and lenses with the bag on one shoulder. For long hikes, I generally only carry 2 lenses to lighten my load.
Camera Buying Advice
I am usually not much help in terms of advice to someone buying their first DSLR. I have been a Canon guy since the film days, and so I am not that versed in the various models of Nikons, Sonys or Fujis. Even Canon comes out with a new DSLR model every few months, from the basic consumer models to prosumer to pro, and there are so many to choose from. The choices really can be daunting. The most important piece of advice about camera gear is this: you can capture better quality photographs with a good piece of glass (lens) and a mediocre camera body, than with a top-of-the-line camera body with a mediocre lens. When planning to buy a new camera, make sure to budget money for at least one good lens.
If you are one of those people, I generally recommend that you visit a local camera store to get your hands on the gear, and get some advice from a professional who knows the equipment. In NYC, we are lucky to have two of the best camera stores in the world (B&H and Adorama). B&H especially is fantastic, as they have a Canon desk (and a Nikon desk, etc.), surrounded with all the options to play with, and pros to help you find your way. Even if you ultimately buy somewhere else, it pays to visit B&H to shop.
Questions?
I am always available to answer any burning questions you may have about one of my blog posts. Either leave me a comment, or see the Contact Us tab at the top of the page. Have an idea for a future Light and Photo Blog topic? I’m all ears!
