My gear – The toolbox

Since some people are always interested in what kinds of gear other people use, I figured I’d throw together a little list of my main equipment and say a little bit about it. At the every least I can just consider it an updated list for insurance purposes, right? Haha… anyway, this post goes out to all the geeks out there!

If you have any questions or comments about anything is specific, please don’t hesitate to leave a message in the comments down below this post!

Camera Bodies:

Canon 7D – I have two Canon 7D camera bodies. I bought my first in Jan. 2010 when I decided to make the leap from Nikon to Canon equipment. Admittedly, I didn’t have a ton of camera gear at that point but, it seemed like a big swap at the time. I researched the Nikon D300S and the 7D extensively and read about them all over the place, all the while using my trusty Nikon D50 on a daily basis. Eventually I decided that I wanted to switch to Canon and sell off just about all of the camera equipment I owned at the time.

The main factor that convinced me to switch was the fact that (at the time, anyway) Canon’s professional-level lenses were less expensive than Nikon’s. Knowing that fast and long lenses were definitely going to be on my wish list, multiple-thousand dollar price differences on lenses like a 300mm f/2.8 were enough to sell me on Canon.

Since buying my first 7D, I have actually picked up a second (Feb. 2011) and put Canon BG-E7 battery grip on both of them. I really love this model. The 7D offers the high frame rate (8 frames per second), high ISO performance (100-12,800 available with clean images produced even as high as 3,200 or 4,000), as well as a tough, weather sealed construction that can stand up to heavy use and even abuse. This camera has really never let me down and never garnered a legitimate complaint from me. As many times as I’ve looked at the 1D MKIV as thought about how much I want one of those, the quality and feature set provided to me by the 7D for much less than half the price is just unbeatable. For my money, the 7D is the best camera on the market right now and I’m happy to own two of them.

Lenses:

Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L – I got my hands on this lens in Jan. 2011. I actually got it as a trade for my Canon 17-55 f/2.8 Is, which was the first lens I owned after switching to Canon. I wanted the 24-70 as soon as a I started looking at Canon gear, but it was more expensive than the 17-55 and was technically a less desirable zoom range on a crop-body camera, or so people say. I got my 17-55 for an absolute steal in a For Sale section of a photography forum that I frequent, so that is basically what made my chose that lens over the 24-70 right off the bat.

Since I got the 24-70, I’ve completely geeked over it. All of the complaints I had seen people make about it instantly made no sense to me. So many people always claimed that the 17-55 was just as good as the 24-70, but I was convinced otherwise almost immediately after attaching the 24-70 to my camera. I even wrote an entry a while back about how much better I like the L-series.

This lens is weather-sealed, made of metal, weighs a ton and looks professional as all get out. What more could anybody want? And I haven’t even mentioned that it’s fast at a constant 2.8 aperture, its USM focusing motor is lightening fast and silent, it’s incredibly sharp, the out of focus areas of photos from it are beautifully creamy and smooth and the overall image quality is basically as good as it gets. The 24-70 range is fantastic for general purpose shooting when you’re outdoors, but I will admit it’s not always wide enough when you’re in close quarters indoors.

70-200 f/2.8 L - This was the first “L-series” lens that I bought. For all of you non-Canon folks, the L-series represents the best Canon has to offer. Fancy glass, zooms with constant fast apertures, metal construction, weather sealing other little extra features are all part of what makes them better. The main visible difference is the red ring around the end of the lens that you might have noticed before when you see professional photographers out and about. L-series lenses are “the good stuff,” if you will, so when I got one for the first time I was pretty excited.

Being 200mm on the long end, this was also the longest I had ever owned. I got this lens just in time for baseball season, so the longer the better. This focal range is fantastic and is perfect for most telephoto duties a photojournalist runs into on a regular basis when you’re not talking about sports. I also love this lens for portraits since the 2.8 aperture at 200mm makes for some nice compression of the foreground and background.

Much of what I already said about the 24-70 is also true about this lens. I might even go so far as to say that this is my favorite lens that I own and the only think I’d trade mine for is the newer, IS version, of it.

Canon 300mm f/2.8 L (non-IS) – My big-kid lens. This thing is serious, I must say. Weighing in at more than six pounds, deciding to bring out this lens is sort of a commitment – but it’s worth every ounce.

I picked up this lens used from a guy in Cleveland and it’s been one of my most favorite possessions ever since. 300mm is just about as long as any individual photographer needs, and a lot of people would likely argue that I don’t need it. As a matter of fact, I often argue with myself that I don’t need it, but then I take it out for some shooting and have my mind changed immediately. There is no substitute for the look of the photos you take through this lens. Such a long lens with a 2.8 aperture produces beautiful background blur while the in-focus area is is incredibly sharp. I read somewhere that Canon’s 300mm lenses are some of the sharpest on the market of any brand, and I believe it.

Sports – my main reason for owning a lens like this – are a whole new ballgame (ha, ballgame) with this kind of equipment.  I can easily get shots that I never could have with my 70-200mm and the way you can isolate your subject in the much shallower depth of field gives every shot that “pro” look that you just can’t get by cropping shots from a 200mm lens.

This thing is big and heavy, but I’m extremely happy to have it. Not to mention, when people see you roll up on an assignment with a lens like this, they know you mean business.

Flashes:

Canon 430EX II – This is a great little flash. It’s powerful, compact (but not to a flaw), recycles very fast and is completely silent. All of its little features make this a great flash for the price ($270 at B&H if you’re a student).

Stands/mounts:

Manfrotto Magic Arm & Super Clamp – This is such an useful tool, it’s hard to really break it down concisely. Basically, this thing makes it possible to mount your camera, or a flash, or a light, or really ANYTHING you want (up to about 10 pounds) in almost any spot you can imagine. Want to mount a remote camera in the rafters above a basketball court? Want to mount a speedlight off-camera but don’t have the space for a stand? Nobody around to hold a boom mic for you? All problems that can be solved with a magic arm.

Audio equiptment:

Azden SMX-10 shotgun mic – I recently picked up one of these. I haven’t had a chance to put it to use yet, but I’ll definitely update this when I get more familiar with it.

Tascam DR-07 – This little field recorder has treated me extremely well. Stereo microphone, adjustable gain control, nice size and runs on AA batteries… I’ve never been let down by this recorder.

Bags:

Kata 467 Digital Rucksack – This is an excellent bag. It’s comfortable, durable, good looking, nicely designed, very affordable and looks pretty much like a normal backpack. I carried this bag every day for a bout a year and loved it the entire time. The only reason I bought a different bag recently was because I’ve accumulated too much gear and it wouldn’t all fit in this bag anymore. I still keep it around for lighter packing days and suggest it to people all of the time.

Lowepro Pro Runner 350AW – For less than $150, I really don’t think there is a better bag on the market and believe me, I looked. As my equipment quickly began to outgrow my Kata bag, I started looking or my next one. Something with room to fit my daily kit of 2 gripped bodies, 2-3 lenses, a laptop, flash, chargers, batteries and more was not going to be cheap. most of the bags I found that could fit all of that stuff were in the $250+ range and made you look like a Ninja Turtle. I eventually came across this Lowepro and was shocked to see it was so big, but so inexpensive. Finally I ordered it and I’ve been very impressed with its quality, flexible inner configuration, and general non-camera bag appearance. Camera gear is very expensive, if you weren’t already aware, so I personally like discrete looking bags that don’t come right out and tell everyone, “Hey, check this guy out! He’s got a backpack worth more than a nice, late-model used car!”

This bag definitely does the trick for me and as of right now, I think I’ll be using it for a long time.

WISH LIST: Here’s a few things I’ve been pining over and wishing I had from time to time. Some things are a priority, definitely going to be purchased once I can afford it, while others are just something I want to have eventually. Feel free to hit the PayPal button on the sidebar if you feel compelled to make a donation, hahaha.

Canon 16-35 f/2.8 L – This is one I’ll definitely own at some point. I’m not sure exactly when, but it is a must-have. This lens along with the 24-70 and 70-200 form what a lot of Canon nerds refer to as the “Holy Trinity” of L-series zooms. Basically, if you have these three lenses, you’re just about set for shooting 90 percent of whatever it is you want to do on a regular basis.

Canon 135mm f/2.0 L – This is known as being one of the best portrait lenses on the market. Wedding photographers love this one for its length and wide aperture which create really stunning shots. I mentioned how nice the compression of the 70-200mm is at 2.8 and 200mm… well, this is even nicer. I’m not exactly sure how much I’d use this lens on a regular basis but it can be had for a relatively low price when purchased used, I know I’ll own one at some point and be very happy that I do.

Canon 100mm f/2.8 IS Macro L – I can’t exactly say why I want this lens. I don’t really shoot macro stuff very often, but then again, that might only be because I don’t have a macro lens. Macro stuff is really cool to me, and I think it would be useful for photo illustrations, so I feel like I should own this lens at some point. From what I read, this is also one of the best, sharpest macro lenses on the market from any brand, so I guess I’m in luck.

Canon 50mm and/or 85mm f/1.2 L – f/1.2, ’nuff said. Really… even if it’s just because 1.2 is cool, I want one of these lenses. Photos I’ve seen taken with these lenses at f/1.2 look unlike anything else. The depth of field these lenses produce makes from some seriously dreamy looking photos that you just can’t make with f/1.4 or 1.8. You can throw these lenses in with the 135mm for lenses I want really bad, don’t know how much I’ll use it, but definitely have to own one day.

Canon 300mm and/or 400mm f/2.8 IS L – If I ever get rid of my 300mm lens, it will likely be for one of these.

 

Well, I think that’s a pretty good list. That’s all of the stuff I use most frequently along with a list of the things I lust after most frequently. Question and comments are welcomed below!

[Photos from BHphotovideo.com]