gear i use
In case you’re curious, here’s the gear I carry in my bag. I try to tailor what I carry to what I’m shooting so I stay light (physically, that’s not a bad pun). I’ve bought other stuff over the years, but this is what’s stuck.
Camera bodies:
Canon EOS 5D mark II
Canon EOS T2i (550D) (new)
Lenses:
Canon 135mm f/2 L
Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS
Canon 24mm f/1.4 L
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 35mm f/2
Lighting:
Canon 580 EXII
2 Vivitar 285s
RadioPoppers JrX
28” Westcott Apollo Softbox
Shoot-through umbrellas
Bag
Domke F2
Lowepro Compact AW
Lowepro Flipside 200
Post-Production
Macbook Pro
Aperture 3
GIMP
Other things I’ll use from time to time:
Kenko extension tubes (12, 20, and 36mm)
Shutter release cable
Manfrotto tripod with ball-head
Now, here’s why I use it…
Of Nikon and Canon, when starting out I chose Canon. No reason, it was really a coin flip. They’re both market leaders, and they both create physical tools for creative artists. A lot of people like to argue about all this, but that’s kind of silly. Nuff said, on to the specifics:
:: CAMERA BODIES ::
5D mark II. I shoot portraiture. The 5D has a full frame sensor, meaning the sensor is the size of the a 35mm film camera. Many digital sensors are small, giving a “cropped” or “zoomed in” feel. That in itself doesn’t help my pictures, but what does is the since the sensor is bigger, I can record more data in the same viewing space. This allows me to shoot at higher ISOs and still provide very clean files.
My personal style leans toward a wider angle, so having this bigger sensor gives me a wider shot than a cropped sensor.
If I did wildlife, sports or even reportage, I might find this wider view working against me and my telephoto lenses. That said, knowing what you want to do with your camera will help you pinpoint the “best camera.” Most beginners ask other people this question. But in the end that’s like asking other people what your favorite color is.
T2i. I recently bought this with a few things in mind. First, it’s a good and affordable back-up / second camera. It also does really good video, so I can use it as a reasonably good second angle to my 5D. It also has a 1.6x crop factor, so each of my lenses have a different effective focal length on this camera. For instance, this saves me from buying an 85mm since my 50mm on this camera comes in at 80mm.
:: LENSES ::
24-105 f/4 L IS. My favorite walk-around lens because it goes really wide (on the 5D) with a moderate telephoto end, a constant f/4 aperture, and IS which helps get sharp images in low light when handholding. Oh, and it’s weatherproof.
135 f/2 L. This is a new lens for me. And when I compared it 1:1 to my 70-200, I was blown away at the difference in quality. This is hands down the winner. And it’s twice as fast. Over the next year, I expect this to become one of my primary lenses.
50mm f/1.4. If I had to replace everything tomorrow, this would be the first lens I buy. Fast, small, sharp and affordable. And it’s a prime, so you zoom by moving your feet. But that’s what makes it so fast and sharp (the prime not the feet).
35mm f/2. This acts as a back-up for my 50mm, and when I’m shooting very low-light (too low for the f/4 of my 24-105) in tight spaces, like inside.