I admit it. I am an equipment junkie. I want all of the best photo equipment and lenses no matter how much they cost and I love showing my equipment off. In particular I love hearing now that’s a camera, as people walk by.
You know that you are the same, so it’s best to admit it now and get it over with! Therefore, with that spirit in mind I will discuss the gear that I currently use.
Camera:
Canon 5D Mark II - I really like this camera and have already discussed it at great length on this blog.
Lenses:
Canon 70-200 4L IS - This is my walk around lens and the lens I most commonly use for shots of my kids. I bought it over the 2.8 because it is much lighter and the IS is better.
Canon MP-E 65 - This is the lens I use for the majority of my insect shots.
Canon 180L Macro - I use this less often than my MP-E 65, but it is my main lens for larger insects and flowers.
Canon 16-35 2.8L II - This is the main lens I use for real estate and for landscape shots while traveling.
Canon 50mm 1.4 - I rarely use this lens, but it does come in handy for low light situations.
Canon 100-400 4.5-5.6L - This is my zoo and wildlife lens.
Lighting:
Canon 580EX - This is the first flash I bought and I still prefer it in some ways to the 580EX II, which sometimes has difficulties with the Pocketwizards.
Canon 580EX II - It’s nice to control the flash from the camera, but otherwise it is no big upgrade.
Canon MT-24EX - This is the flash I use for most of my macro shots.
Pocketwizard MultiMAX - I love the added versatility over the Pocketwizard Plus II, but I rarely use multiple lights in my shots these days.
Other:
Really Right Stuff L Bracket - IMHO their L brackets are the best.
Gitzo 1348 tripod - The tripod is a bit big, but is extremely sturdy. It is great for real estate and for around town, but not so great for traveling.
Markins M20 head - Great head for less price than the Really Right Stuff head.
Gitzo GM-5561 monopod - Expensive but amazingly small and strong for a monopod. I almost always have this on me.
Really Right Stuff Tilt head - Works great when tracking birds or other things.
Kirk Macro Rail - I shoot most of my macro shots handheld so I now use this mainly for panorama shots - to adjust the nodal point of the lens. It’s not a bad macro rail but I would probably buy the Really Right Stuff one if I had to do it over again.
Lumiquest 80/20 system - I almost always have this on my flash.
Wimberley macro brackets - When I am using a flash with my 180L, these are always on. I also use them for drop shots.
In my next post I will cover the gear I hope to get.
Posted 11 months, 2 weeks ago at 12:36 pm. 2 comments
I am a very biased and opinionated person on all subjects I care about - so it is especially true for photography. I really have not published a ‘beginners photography’ blog because there are so many of them out there already. However, after seeing a number that I sharply disagree with, I thought I would post my own.
I will not talk about specific camera models or Nikon vs. Canon here. This is for those who want to become photographers - not equipment collectors. Therefore, the following are my recommendations for people who want to get into photography.
What should I do first?
This is simple, do not buy anything? Huh!? Before buying any equipment, I strongly recommend you go to the bookstore/library and get one or two books on the type of photography you are interested in. I do not recommend the general photography books as those aren’t very helpful. Get books from photographers known for their work. The book I started out with is John Shaw’s Nature Photography Field Guide - though if you’re into portrait photography you’ll probably want a different book.
The point is you need to understand some things before you buy. Unless you understand what an SLR does for you and what the differences are between different lenses, you’ll be unlikely to make an informed decision.
Recently I answered a question about the best camera for a young child, and since my kids have owned the two most popular models on the market today, I thought I would give our experiences with both of them for those who are interested.
The two primary cameras for young children today are the following. Please note that by ordering through these links you are helping to support this site.
Note that these are really just two cameras. Each camera comes in either pink or blue. Both cameras have been updated recently - but the update is strictly to add more megapixels to the existing cameras. Everything else about them hasn’t changed.
We gave the Fisher Price camera to our older son when he was three years old. He used that until losing it in Jerusalem, after which we replaced it with the VTech.
The Fisher Price is a more basic camera, but we felt that it took more high quality pictures. Here is a shot that Eitan took with it while in Thailand.
The pictures are of a decent quality and generally it exposes quite well. Here’s a shot he took indoors of his brother.
The camera is really no frills. It does not have a zoom, the flash cannot be turned off, and obviously the exposure cannot be overridden. However, for a young child it is extremely easy to use. It is also practically indestructible as it did go flying on several occasions.
Eitan absolutely loved the camera and was heartbroken when he lost it. Rather than buying the same camera, I decided to buy the VTech due to the higher megapixel count and the fact that it has video.
The VTech isn’t as good when it comes to pictures. Although it has more megapixels than the Fisher Price, the optical quality isn’t as good and the exposure is often wrong - particularly when the flash fires.
Here’s an example shot from the VTech. In general we have noticed far fewer ‘keepers’ from this camera.
You can see that the quality isn’t nearly as good as the Fisher Price, despite the fact that it has a higher number of megapixels.
The VTech does have the advantage that it supports video and has games on it. For awhile Eitan played these games a lot. In fact, I think he has used it more for the games than for pictures or video.
For video though, it can be quite funny seeing what happens when a hyperactive kid takes it out for a spin. He took this video when we weren’t watching. (Note: if for some reason the video does not appear here you can also view it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirispupis/2993531665/)
He played around with the video for a bit, but no longer uses it.
Recently, Eitan has stopped using the camera completely because it doesn’t zoom. Currently I help him take pictures with my camera, which he loves to do. I have been eyeing buying him the Olympus SW1030, which is rugged enough for his age but is a bit high for our budget right now.
However, between the Fisher Price and the VTech kids cameras, in my opinion (and Eitan’s) the Fisher Price is the clear winner. The VTech has more features and a higher resolution, but the Fisher Price is much easier to use and takes better quality shots.
Posted 1 year, 4 months ago at 1:13 pm. 2 comments
Recently, one of my friends felt pity for my cameraless plight and let me borrow his 40D over the weekend so I could take pictures of my sons at two Halloween parties.
Coming from the 5D, the 40D is certainly a different camera. I suspect that many people right now are trying to make up their mind whether to purchase a new 50D or a used 5D, so I thought I would offer my opinions on the differences (the 50D and 40D are very similar cameras).
I don’t know how many times I have heard the following question.
I have a point and shoot right now and I want to buy an SLR. What type should I buy?
This question is usually followed by several models – such as the Canon Digital Rebel models or the Nikon D40 or D80. What most beginners do not realize is that the camera is only a small part of the equation. I have decided, as an interesting exercise, to look at my own equipment. I would not expect new photographers to buy the same equipment that I have, nor would I expect you to spend as much as I did. However, I would expect that anyone getting into photography will wind up spending the same ratios on equipment that I have.
I will not list the prices I paid, as many of these fluctuate and that drifts away from the point I am trying to make. In addition, I expect if my wife saw the numbers she might have heart failure. In general, there are six areas of expenditure for digital SLR photography. Also, I will calculate things at the original price that I paid and I will not include items I have since sold (which reduces the lenses percentage).
Cameras – most people realize this and this is where beginners put most of their thoughts
Lenses – this is perhaps the most important area as the lens typically determines what type of shots you can take, not the camera. Note that I also include filters in this category.
Accessories – all the little do dads that add up
Lighting – this includes flashes and studio lighting
Support – this includes tripods, ball heads, and miscellaneous brackets
Software/Hardware – this includes your computer and any necessary software
The following is a graph of what I wound up paying for each area as a percentage.
I will now break down the areas and list what equipment I use, for those who are interested.
Camera equipment
I currently use the Canon 5D. The main reason I went for the 5D was the relatively high megapixel count (at the time) and the fact that it is full frame.
Lenses
Lenses should be the largest expense of any photographer. I currently use the following lenses.
Canon 70-200 4.0L IS – This is currently my walk around lens. It is incredibly sharp and the IS is amazing.
Canon 16-35 2.8L II – This is still my favorite “normal” lens. It rivals the 70-200 in sharpness and was on my camera constantly in the canyons of Petra and through most of Israel and Jordan.
Canon 50mm 1.4 – I don’t use this lens very often. However it is great for taking pictures indoors without flash and when I use it there’s really nothing else I have that can do what it does.
Canon MP-E 65 – This is the main lens I use when not on vacation and is used for most of my macros.
Canon 180 3.5L – I haven’t actually bought this lens yet, but I already have the funds for it and am just waiting for the final OK from the financial controller.
B&W Circular Polarizer – Basically a required filter in my book.
Accessories
Simple diffuser – I have a simple diffuser for my 580 EX flash. I forget the name of it.
Canon remote switch – This is also a basic, required, accessory. I really wish Canon would just include it in the box with the camera.
Flash extension cord – If you buy a flash, this is also a very important accessory. Very often I remove the flash from the camera. I do not yet have the strobists setup.
Angle Viewfinder C – I’ll probably use this more often with the 180L. With the MP-E 65 the viewfinder is too dark and it’s too difficult to track things. I suspect I will find some interesting uses for it though.
Hot shoe leveler – This is critical if you are taking panorama pictures
Canon CP-E 4 – This extends the battery life of both of my flashes significantly and decreases the recycle time. I use it whenever I am using either the 580 EX or the MT-24EX and it is always in my bag. I can’t imagine what life was like before it with my MT-24EX, as flash recycle time is critical when photographing moving insects.
Extra battery – Always get one. When one battery runs out I replace it with the other one and charge the first one.
Giotto rocket blower – This is essential for keeping the sensor clear. It may be less necessary with the newer dust removing cameras.
Eclipse cleaning solution and swabs – Always remember to clean your sensor. The rocket blower helps for the big dust spots but at times you need a more thorough cleaning.
Eneloop rechargeable AA batteries – Necessary for the flashes
Travel hard drive card readers – I bought a simple device called the Digimate III for about $30 and put a 60GB laptop hard drive in it. When I travel, I take two of these units so I can backup my photos as well as for when my memory cards are full. I always place them in different places to reduce the risk of loss.
Memory cards – These have gotten cheaper it seems each day. I currently have an 4 GB card and an 8 GB card and do not see the need to increase them until I upgrade my camera.
Flash card reader – This is very helpful for getting pictures on the computer and is much better and faster than hooking the camera itself up to the computer.
Tamrac camera bag – I forgot the model number, but a camera bag is a basic necessity. I am currently able to fit my camera, all lenses except for the 180L, my filters, extra battery, cords, 580EX and CP-E 4 in my bag. I will likely need to look at a bigger bag soon, though I’ve never had airport issues with my current bag.
Lighting
Canon 580 EX – This is the workhorse flash when I am not taking macro shots. I have found no reason to upgrade to the newer II model. An external flash is a basic necessity for starting out, though there are cheaper models than the 580 EX. I do not yet have any studio lights or a strobist configuration as I am not very interested in taking shots of people. Perhaps someday.
Canon MT-24EX – As I mentioned before, this is a requirement when you purchase the MP-E 65. I use this flash for all of my macro photography.
Medium and small light tents – I bought a jewelry light box kit some time ago that contains two different sized light tents, two constant 5000K lights, and one “sparkle light”. I now use this setup (sans sparkle light) for my isolation shots.
Support
Gitzo 1348 tripod – A good tripod is essential and Gitzo is basically the best out there. I am quite tall (6′5″) so this tripod works well for me. I also like that it doesn’t have a center column because those tripods are less stable.
Markins M20 ball head – Expensive, but I have no complaints about it.
Lens plates – both the MP-E 65 and the 180L require lens plates. I use ones from Kirk, though Really Right Stuff I’m sure is just as good
Really Right Stuff L bracket – The L bracket lets you take both horizontal and vertical shots on the tripod. I liked Really Right Stuff’s version the best and I am very happy with it.
Kirk macro rail – To take macros on a tripod you need a macro rail. Mine also does double duty for panoramas – so I can adjust for the nodal point of the lens (though for single layer horizontal panoramas only). When used with the MP-E 65, the vast majority of macro rails out there simply aren’t precise enough. The only two good ones out there are Kirk and Really Right Stuff. The RRS macro rail is more precise, but the Kirk rail is significantly cheaper due to a smarter design. I have no complaints about the Kirk macro rail.
Software/Hardware
This one is hard to quantify, as I use my computer for many purposes other than photography. Basically, though, you will need a good size monitor for editing and a relatively fast computer. I currently use a duo core 64 bit system with 4 GB of RAM and a 24″ monitor. I expect in the near future to get hit with more expenses here as I upgrade my software, buy a monitor calibration unit, and perhaps buy a Wacom unit. As this area is rather fuzzy I will not include it in the ratios.
Posted 2 years, 1 month ago at 5:15 am. 4 comments
OK, first the obvious disclaimer that, as I do not work for or with Canon, I have absolutely no idea what they are working on. However, it is still fun to speculate. So, here’s what I suspect Canon will come out with this year.
A digital rebel replacement – This one seems rather obvious, but I really have no idea what the specs will be. I don’t really follow the rebel product lines.
The Canon 5d Mark II – Several pieces of software have released with a mysterious camera called the “Canon 5d Mark II”. This makes sense, as all of the other cameras in the Canon SLR line have already been upgraded. So, what do I think it will have? Well, let’s first state the obvious.
Dust removal
3.0 inch LCD
14 bit A/D converter
Digic III image processor
ISO sensitivity in viewfinder
Improved user interface similar to 1D series
Improved shutter lifetime
These are all obvious because the recently introduced cameras all have them. Now for the speculation part…
I think there’s a fair chance that Canon may increase the resolution from 12.8 megapixels to around 16 megapixels. However, I’m not sure they need to from a marketing standpoint. The 5d still has a higher resolution than any other Canon camera, with the exception of the 1Ds series, and is higher than the competing Nikon cameras.
Improved frame rate. The 5d currently has a rather poor 3fps, compared to the 6.5fps of the 40D. I think there’s a very good chance this will increase. My best guess is the 5d Mark II will be at 5fps.
Weather proofing. This has always been the domain of the 1D series cameras and I seriously doubt Canon will add this to the 5D. Still, the 5D may have improved durability, but will not be entirely weather proof as the 1D series is.
Improved ISO handling. The 5D is already very good in this area, but I have noticed new SLRs putting this at a higher premium. One need to look only at the Nikon D3X – where high ISO quality was chosen over high megapixels. The fact is more and more professionals prefer to be able to take low noise pictures at ISO 3200 than have more megapixels. I would not be surprised if the 5D Mark III improves here – though if the new model is 16 megapixels the ISO quality will probably be the same.
Mirror lock button. Oh… one can dream. I suspect there’s some VP at Canon that is very obstinate about this, as everyone has been asking for this for years only to see camera after camera come out without it. It can take the place of the direct print button – which is ridiculous for a professional camera.
OK, now onto the lenses. First, I suspect that a number of EF-S lenses will come out this year. Obviously since they are not supported on my camera I pay little attention to them so I will cover only the EF lenses.
Canon 70-200mm 2.8L IS Mark II – A lot of photographers swear by this lens but the fact is the newer 70-200mm 4.0L IS has better image stabilization and is sharper. I suspect they will update their flagship lens with the newer image stabilization technology while making it sharper. Recent drops in prices in this lens seem to suggest this will happen.
Canon 200mm 2.0 and 800mm 5.6 – Untypical of Canon, these have already been announced.
A new canon wide angle lens – I read some time ago that Canon was spending a good deal of research on wide angle lenses. Shortly after that, the 16-35mm 2.8L II came out. After that I correctly predicted they would release a 14mm 2.8L II, which they did. I suspect these were the two most important wide angles, but I also suspect they are not done yet. Most likely it is a new wide EF-S lens but they may also release a new fisheye.
A bigger zoom telephoto than the 100-400L – Personally I really would like to see Canon come out with something here. Sigma has the 120-300 2.8, the 300-800 5.6, and the “Sherpa not included” 200-500 2.8. Nikon has the 200-400 4.0. Canon doesn’t like to play catch up but it really needs to here. I severely doubt Canon will tackle a 200-500 2.8, nor will it release a 300-800 5.6. It is most likely to release a 200-400 4.0 and a bit less likely to release a 120-300 2.8. We may also see a Mark II version of the 100-400L, but I doubt that Canon would replace two flagship lenses in one year. Despite all of my hopes, I expect that Canon will not release a new zoom telephoto this year.
Canon 24-70 2.8L IS – I suspect someday Canon will release this lens. Perhaps it will be this year but I don’t think the odds are very high.
In terms of lenses I would like to see, but severely doubt Canon will release.
Canon TS-E 105mm Macro – OK, you have to admit that a 1:1 tilt shift lens at about 100mm would be the coolest thing. I put the lens at 105 because Canon would be unlikely to release it at 100mm because it would confuse people looking at the 100mm 2.8. Macro photography is really growing and Canon could profit very well from coming out with interesting lenses like this. Then again, they already have an interesting one in the MP-E 65.
Canon MP-E 150mm Macro 1x-3x – The MP-E 65 is very lonely as the only MP-E lens. After all, there are three TS-E lenses. Increasing the focal length would improve the diffraction issues. Because the focal length is much longer, this new lens would only go to 3x, thus making it slightly lighter (or at least I assume so – I don’t know very much about optics).
Posted 2 years, 2 months ago at 6:30 am. Add a comment
- though if you’re into portrait photography you’ll probably want a different book.
