View Full Version : Photogprahy gear check
St.Michael
04-22-16, 19:26
Hey guys. Put together a very nice camera set up. I'm shooting a Nikon 610 and need some ideas for all around gear. I'm looking at getting some smaller bags, tripod, light set ups, a sling of sorts(?). Just wanted to get general ideas of what you guys like rolling with. Right now I truck around a Think Tank Perception Pro which I really like, but I also wanna pick up something a bit more on the go for when I'm just out and about. Ideas, thoughts, comments, input? Thanks fellas!
Your first mistake was buying Nikon! Everyone knows Cannon rules and Nikon drools.
http://hkguns.zenfolio.com/img/s10/v107/p1804806762-5.jpg
http://hkguns.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v41/p1417352172-5.jpg
Gun forum = Gun advice
Camera forum = Camera advice
Camera Forum (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php)
I think you'll get better advice on the Camera forum. Just like guns you need to post more information. Budget, lens size, what you shoot etc.....
Canon makes nice stuff, but I've been pretty happy with my D5100. It takes better pictures than I do.
Btw, the Marine corsair is awesome. At first I thought it was a 214.
Leaveammoforme
04-22-16, 20:54
My wife is a photographer and she, in a very stern voice, told me "We don't buy Cannon" one day at Best Buy.
I instantly realized how she must feel when she points out a cheaper alternative at a LGS.
I'm no professional photographer so my advice may not be much. I run Nikon DSLR's. I still use a D50 cause I'm too cheap to upgrade. I've tinkered with a d3300 and it was nice. My dad has a Cannon Rebel variant and IMO my Nikon takes nickers pics, but then it may be cause I've become used to the way those look more than anything else. My brother has ditched his DSLR and runs a Sony A6000 or 6100. Not sure. It's compact as heck and takes pretty nice pictures. Not pro quality, but super great for a stuff in your pockets and run affair.
Whatever you end up with buy QUALITY lenses for it. IMO a body from a quakity maker will work well enough for most folks needs. What makes a HUGE difference is the lens that puts the image onto the sensor. Cheap out on that and nothing will help.
For tripods, look no further that Gitzo or Really Right stuff carbon fiber. They are expensive but, super light, strong and rock solid. For a head, a Really Right Stuff ball head is hard to beat. They come in 3 sizes to match tripod size and gear weight. For walk around I carry a Think Tank speed freakV2.0 bag, and a Think tank street walker back pack.
I use to have Nikons. I had a D700 and 2 D80s, before that I had a Cannon EOS 1V 35mm. Now I have 2 Sony A77 A mount cameras and couldn't be happier. Personally I like Canon over Nikon but I think Sony has better sensors, better lenses and a overall better quality (pass through mirror sensors). The ISO range is huge, the onboard hue mapping is exact. The A77 is a lot faster shot than Nikon and Cannon. I use a 500mm reflex lens, 18-135mm and 16-50mm. I mostly shoot architecture, landscapes and random people but not in a creepy way. I have a carbon fiber MeFoto tripod with a MEFOTO head though I don't use a tripod much. Both cameras have battery grips. I mostly shoot in manual mode if not the P mode. One thing cool about the Sony's is that the technology is universal throughout there entire product line. I can lock the auto focus where it tracks the subject (when subject is moving) and keeps it in complete focus, it is constantly in focus and I can use a zoom lens without disrupting the focus. I can adjust shutter, aperture and ISO and get real time data on my screen, I can see what the photo will look like before I take the photo. The Sony also take amazing panoramic photos, it takes up to 30 25.6MP photos and splices them together. You have to move the camera from left to right but even if you are a little shaky, the camera auto stability feature illuminates errors in the photos.
Africa
39104
Taken with Sony A77 with Zeiss 135mm
North Dallas
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Taken with Sony A77 with Meade 12" LX90 ACF on Meade X-Wedge, DSI UV filter. This is actually 10 individual photos layered into one single photo
Hawaii, Big Island
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Taken with Sony A77 with 16-50mm on macro mode with flash
St Thomas, USVI
39107
Taken with Sony A77 with 18-135mm with flash (fill flash)
My girlfriend
39108
Taken with Sony A77 with Minolta 500mm Reflex from about 400 feet away on a boat.
I want to stress the lens selections that you choose. Bigger aperture means more light. The lenses can mean all the difference is a good photo or a great shot. I've been on mission trips to Africa and South America and I've traveled to Caribbean, Bahamas and Europe and not one set up will work flawlessly at each location. Even depending on what your subject is would determine your gear.
39110
This was taken with same 500mm reflex lens with monopod and Sony Steady Shot feature, I was about 400 ft. away
Abandoned sugar mill, Kauai, Hawaii
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This is the Sony panoramic feature I was talking about, 30 individual shots made into one panoramic photo 18-135mm without lens hood, no tripod. NO PHOTOSHOP!! Only used hue, sat and colorizer mapping on camera
St John, USVI
39114
Same panoramic feature but using tripod 16-50mm with lens hood. NO PHOTOSHOP!! Only used hue, sat and colorizer mapping on camera
Just looking for general walkabout gear? Price range(s) in mind?
Canon makes competent cameras. So does Nikon. Pretty hard to argue superiority of one brand over another.
As to slings, I'm a big fan of the Black Rapid slings. Easy to carry, easy to swing up to shoot, very secure. Bags? I used to use LowePros, and for travel with my big old D3, I still use a big old LowePro that will accommodate laptop as well as camera gear and still be able to carry on (never check a camera as airline luggage).
FromMyColdDeadHand
04-23-16, 09:31
First determine what you want to shoot and then buy the gear around that. To me, the biggest question is the electronic viewfinder or the DSLR (the mirror thingy goes up). After that it is if you want a full frame or crop sensor. Neither is really wrong, except if sports is your target, then a DSLR still has an advantage.
It now is a lot more than the Nikon-Canon duopoly. Sony, especially in their A7 series has really changed things up.
The biggest thing is that sensor tech has pretty much leveled off with only incremental changes in MPs and light sensitivity, so last generation cameras are pretty relevant.
I have a Canon 5DII and I'm still happy with it. I bought it new, but I bought a used Canon 1D III a few years ago for less than a 1/4 of the new price. That to me is the real interesting point- pro level cameras for slightly more than the current prosumer models. I have a 17-40/4, 50/1.4, 24-105/4, 70-200/2.8IS and a 1.4 teleconvertor. With those two cameras and those lenses I can cover pretty much everything. I've added last year a Fuji X100T fixed lens camera that I can travel with and get the pics when I don't want to lug around a full DSLR. For my kids sports, the 5DIII, 70-200+1.4x works great ripping it out at 10 pics a second.
The Nikon v Canon debate is like sitting around and wasting time on the BCM v DD (heck, insert any two major competent rifle manufacturers) debate. Both make quality gear that won't let you down. Both also have fantastically loyal customers who swear that you're an incompetent loser if you're shooting with anything else.
Invest in quality glass. Your lens purchases should outlast your camera body if you're buying the right stuff. Think of this just like any proper optic. A good one will outlast your barrel...
Straps: IMHO the BlackRapid Curve, or the Sport if you're more active, are the gold standard. That delightful piece of rubbish that comes with the camera can be an "in case of emergencies" backup.
Tripods: Spend once for lightweight and strong to be done with it. I'm a fan of the Manfrotto carbon fiber 057, but they offer the 290 for almost a third the price. I'm a fan of having a ball head vs a pan and tilt, but this one seems to be personal preference. If you have a shop nearby I recommend trying both styles out to see which you like better.
Bags: Bring your gear when trying one out to make sure it all fits, or you may end up buying two. I got one as a gift and ended up having to buy a second because it wouldn't hold what I needed it to (body compartment wasn't long enough with my primary lens attached).
Lights: I went with the SB700 as it was everything that I needed without too many extra features that I would never use. Plus, if I ever plan on adding remote lights it can run them.
The Nikon v Canon debate is like sitting around and wasting time on the BCM v DD (heck, insert any two major competent rifle manufacturers) debate. Both make quality gear that won't let you down. Both also have fantastically loyal customers who swear that you're an incompetent loser if you're shooting with anything else.
Exactly. Or Chevy/Ford, Mac/PC, Coke/Pepsi, Republican/Democrat...it's a long list. It's easy to get emotionally invested in our gear choices, jut like our politics or religion.
If you are looking for just a camera body and lens you cant go wrong with a Cannon Rebel or Nikon D5300. If your wanting to invest in different lenses, I would suggest for starters a 70-300mm telephoto, 18-55mm for general photos and a 11/16-28mm for wide angle shots. Prime lenses are nice but expensive like a 28mm f1.8 or 52mm f2.8 can cost over $900 each. Invest in a battery grip, which gives you larger grip surface and holds 2 batteries. (2 batteries are nice because I don't turn my camera on and off, I keep it on for hours) I would also recommend a good flash.
For your 610, I would recommend the following: This would be good for wildlife, architecture, museum, all around good camera.
Nikon Speed Light
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/flashes/sb-700-af-speedlight.html
Nikon D10 Battery Grip
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/power-packs/mb-d10-multi-power-battery-pack.html
Nikon 16-85mm f3.5-5.6 $699
Nikon 70-300mm f4.5 AF-S $499
Nikon 18-140mm f3.5 AF-S DX $499
MeFoto Carbon Globetrotter $249
http://www.mefoto.com/products/globetrotter.aspx
Filters: $19-29
Circular Polarizer- reduces glare and improves saturation- use to cut down glare from water, windows, metal etc
UV filter -clarity but mostly protection- always on your lens
Neutral Density ND4, ND6- extends exposure time by up to 2 stops for use on the brightest of days
Batteries: the hand grip holds 2, I'm assuming you already have at least 1 but might consider having a total of 6.
As far as a case goes, that's the least of your worries, just get whatever you like that offers padding an a few pockets.
full time pro and also own a post production company just for pros :)
for sure its the photographer not the gear :) a great chef is never asked what pans do you use :)
ditto others what do you shoot and what do you want to shoot more
D600 is my backup body to a D810 though and put out great stuff on even old cameras I am a fan of prime lens over zooms I love the new sigma art series
but zooms have there place for sure
ditto a circ pol filter a good one though not cheap but nice to have as said
I use it more to get color back in things and control the glare off other things and they are on my gear most the time
use a hood all the time !!!!!!
I dont use UV filters but used to when I lived in the islands on boats since the salt spray was so wicked I could tshirt wipe the lens if need be ! otherwise IMHO dont throw a UV filter on for protection just use a hood
as far as tripods IMHO buy something good aluminum is fine unless you have the coin to blow on CF (they are nice but unless you are rich or making a living you can pass) might not be needed IMHO spend more than a 100 and less than 300 including the head make sure its tall enough you can stand and not bend over and I prefer 3 leg over 4 or 5 leg as they are more stable
some love ball heads some do not ? I am in the love them camp and use acratech myself
sirui and benro make some nice tripods at decent prices and have some nice leg/head combos
bags ? OH I could be a chick I have so many camera bags ! I use pelican cases a lot when working on location and also tamrac and thinktank and lowepro depending on what I am doing
I alos just use small padded lens case and a normal nice backpack at times to
I have a couple larger pelican cases I put my soft cases into downside is the weight that can sneak up and you end up with cases you can barely lift :)
on back packs I really prefer the type that the part that is against your back opens up ! my main reason when things are dirty you lay the outside of the pack down if you use the kinda bag that the outside opens you then have to lay the part that goes against your back into the dirt ! also some you can keep the waist strap on and swing the bag around and get into it
as far as slings ? have tried a ton of things ironic one of my setups is a magpul single point sling ;) otherwise I hate straps and use spider pro setup on a thinktank belt with a single bag on the belt for a extra lens and some other stuff
I tend to pack for the job or what I am doing more than carry it all !!!
lights ? depends on your wants needs etc..
a good on camera flash is really nice to have and learning to bounce it inside etc..
off camera flash I use Cheetah which are rebadged Godox but Ed the owner has great support
google up Cheetahstand lights if you want some off camera gear ?
they are coming out with some new on camera units also (speedlights) that are updated
modifiers I use elinchrom as my favorite but have a few other companies also
use C-stands and love the bogen/manfrotto units that pack flat for location work
again what do you want to light ?
light modifiers again are such a HUGE topic
for me I prefer deep octa setups and ability to grid the thing
Hey guys. Put together a very nice camera set up. I'm shooting a Nikon 610 and need some ideas for all around gear. I'm looking at getting some smaller bags, tripod, light set ups, a sling of sorts(?). Just wanted to get general ideas of what you guys like rolling with. Right now I truck around a Think Tank Perception Pro which I really like, but I also wanna pick up something a bit more on the go for when I'm just out and about. Ideas, thoughts, comments, input? Thanks fellas!
for sure its the photographer not the gear :) a great chef is never asked what pans do you use :)
Actually, chefs are asked what utensils they use, but they will readily say that that's more about durability, consistency, and usability than the quality of their creative process. Good cookware can help them, but it would rarely ever hold them back. I think it's the same with photography, at least in the digital age. I fully understand the chemistry, electronics, lighting techniques, editing software, and equipment of photography, but I just don't have the creativity to ever be a really good photographer. The gear certainly helps me in my quest...good lighting control, fast and accurate focusing, good resolution with good dynamic range...all that stuff, but I have a SIL that can take more composed and artistically pleasing images with her iPhone than I consistently get with my D3.
St.Michael
04-24-16, 11:58
Just looking for general walkabout gear? Price range(s) in mind?
yes sir!. Thanks to guys posting pictures and their lens choices. I have all that good stuff. I really came here for the gear opinions since MOST of the people here run their gear pretty hard. Didn't wanna start a nikon vs cannon thread, but I kinda saw that coming. Yea mostly just again for bags and slings. My kits already set to go just need to get ideas on places to look and pick up the last few parts. As for price range I'm open to mostly anything. The strap the cameras come with are garbage though and other than this large bag I have to truck most of my stuff around I have nothing else so far when it comes to storage and transport.
gear within what most of us have is what I mean :)
as in they show up to your home they will beat you at making great food
sadly digital age many think they are good and they suck because they throw a lot of crap filters on crap work and call it good ? and so many think they are great that the other crap is like their work so they think that is good to :) when you see good work like tasting good food you know ;)
and one does not have to make a living at anything to be good :) I know a lot of pros that are not great photographers but are outstanding business people :)
same reason McDonalds exist crap food great business :)
Actually, chefs are asked what utensils they use, but they will readily say that that's more about durability, consistency, and usability than the quality of their creative process. Good cookware can help them, but it would rarely ever hold them back. I think it's the same with photography, at least in the digital age. I fully understand the chemistry, electronics, lighting techniques, editing software, and equipment of photography, but I just don't have the creativity to ever be a really good photographer. The gear certainly helps me in my quest...good lighting control, fast and accurate focusing, good resolution with good dynamic range...all that stuff, but I have a SIL that can take more composed and artistically pleasing images with her iPhone than I consistently get with my D3.
on the backpack thing what I wrote about the backpack gear opening to your back is IMHO something to really think about :)
check out the fstopgear backpacks also
they use a modular system that is kinda cool
I do think loading out your kit for each time is the best way :)
lot of wedding folks I know love the holdfast straps and swear by them
you ever look into the spider camera system ? another thing lots of working pros have and love and you can use that and a strap depending on what you like
my reason for not liking straps is they often get in the way and are accidents waiting to happen when working on tripods :) also when kneeling down the sling types can let your camera slide forward and slam your camera to the ground if you are not careful ?
since many working folks are shooting with two cameras that means you have to watch your second camera also
things like the hold fast dont allow it to go quite as low
the magpul setup is nice since the camera when kneeling never gets close to the ground and I can bring it up to my eye easily I tend to keep it more centered on me so also arm movement and other things are not hindered
I use straps when say working on a boat or in a area where a drop could loose my gear :)
thought on bags some of the thinktank belt bags are really nice having a small one that holds say two lens and some goodies you can slide it on a belt or use a strap or throw it into your own backpack ! so IMHO those units are really handy in many ways around home or camping or whatever and the stuff is handy I use a speed changer model but the hubba hubba hiney are nice to
so I might say look into this as a great small bag you can use in many ways
my belt system a few other smaller bags of my gear go into a pelican keeps it together and I can cable lock it to something to keep the quick walk away thief from getting it just something to get the brain working :)
you can pick them up used often for cheap and empty since you dont need foam etc..
I have 1610 1620 1650 and I think its 1510 or 1520s ? the 1500 are the taller ones I forgot the other nice thing is when at home keeps it all together ;) when on the road the bit taller pelican models can make a nice seat also to change or clean gear out on etc.. and sometimes I use them to stand on etc..
again great way to store gear and transport allowing you to lock it from the quick thief :)
tripod wise most hardcore guys don't like center columns as they are not as strong BUT some of the tripods that do have them you can slide out then use horizontally for say macro work or shooting straight down are a nice option ! so something to look into
if you live in a really cold area this is where CF tripods are nice as they wont suck the warmth out of your hands
so if price is not a huge deal go for the CF maybe
as far as heads once you feel a nice head you understand just how bad cheap heads are ! and good heads wont have creep
yes sir!. Thanks to guys posting pictures and their lens choices. I have all that good stuff. I really came here for the gear opinions since MOST of the people here run their gear pretty hard. Didn't wanna start a nikon vs cannon thread, but I kinda saw that coming. Yea mostly just again for bags and slings. My kits already set to go just need to get ideas on places to look and pick up the last few parts. As for price range I'm open to mostly anything. The strap the cameras come with are garbage though and other than this large bag I have to truck most of my stuff around I have nothing else so far when it comes to storage and transport.
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