Kit and Gear

Shooting fall colors with the RZ67 MF film.

I've nearly taken this page out a few times because really, who cares? Clients sure don't – past the idea that they want to know you're not shooting their job with a point & shoot camera. But beyond that, no one really cares what kind of camera you use. Except other photographers. So in the end, for whatever reason, this is one of my most heavily hit pages. So all you other photo geeks who've found this page, have fun.

I shoot DSLR (digital) SLR (35mm film) and Medium Format rigs. The reasons are simple: they're the perfect balance of highest-quality equipment producing the highest-quality imagery and the most transportable. View and field cameras produce astounding, top quality landscape images, but hey're tough to lug around and slow to setup and shoot. In a competition event or activity setting, these cameras are cumbersom and impossible to shoot on the go. This is where the DSLR really shines.

DSLR/SLR cameras provide precise, immediate feedback for fast, perfect composition to capture the very moment your brain tells your finger to push the shutter, in anticipation of something extraordinary happening. Battery life, accessories, transportability and quality are all exceptional. SLR/DSLR's are rugged, versatile and aesthetically engaging.

Medium Format film is the perfect blend of portability and large image potential. When you need to go large, there's still nothing that can compete with a drum scan of a 6cm x 7cm chrome or negative. Here, and in the studio, is where the MF rigs really hit their stride. In this dawn of digital, still nothing can beat it. For those of you interested in a cost vs. benefit analysis of medium format film vs. the 24.4Mp top-end digital cameras, take a look at this graphic. It'll open your eyes as to exactly what the resolution differences are between MF film and spending $8K on a top digital rig.

DSLR Bodies
My main line up consists of numerous Nikon digital & film bodies, and a couple old Canon film bodies & lenses. I rarely relinquish a piece of equipment I've purchased and used. You never get close to what you paid for them new, and one develops a certain bond with gear as eyes, hands and fingers travel it, learning how to operate and coax a bit more out of it. Once this point has been reached with the equipment, how could you part with it? And there's nothing like knowing that, no matter what, you have a few backups in case you need them. On any DSLR assignment I focus on shooting digital, but carry rolls of B/W (Ilford Delta, HP5 & FP4) and slide (Fuji Velvia, Provia and Astia) in the crate just in case.

Lenses
I have invested a substantial amount of time, energy and money in glass (lenses) reasoning that (especially digital) bodies will come and go. In today's Digital SLR (DSLR) market a "cutting edge" digital body will be released one year allowing new possibilities. 2 years later another piece of hardware will eclipse the functionality of the old body making it necessary to add this body to the line up. Whether a new sensor allows higher-quality low-light captures or higher frames per second-improvements are rapid and the difference they make can be substantial. Professional quality lenses are less like this. I think of a lens more as a paintbrush. The right lense produces a signature look and feel to an image. The right lens allows the inobtrusive presence of the photographer to capture –but not interfere with–the unfolding moment. The right lens allows the photographer to focus on precisely what you want your composition to consist of. The right lens isolates the special area of interest and throws the rest into a soft, pleasing blur allowing you to gently direct viewers towards your original vision. Lenses survive the body transitions and when well cared for, last for many years.

Vintage and Collectibles

Like a lot of photographers, I suppose I'm a bit of a collector as well. As already mentioned, I have a difficult time parting with gear. This vintage Canon gear is more for nostalgia sake than anything else, but all still works perfectly in case I need it . My thanks to my father who finally relinquished his collection as a birthday gift last year.

Filters
I use them. All kinds. Polarizers, neutral density gradations for landscape work, tobacco, sunset and a few others. I shoot the Cokin P-Series and have had very good results with them. Again, keeping them clean and in good condition is vital. I use UV or skylight filters on every lens. If it's a particulary special assignment and sharpness is the absolute mandate, I'll somtimes remove the UV filter just to eliminate that extra piece of glass. Though I find it makes no visible difference. I use only Heliopan multicoatedand B+H F-Pro filters. Both are made in Germany and are of highest quality.

Light Meter
An absolute must for perfect exposure. The reasons are numerous and beyond the scope of this page. In-camera metering is "good enough" for when you must shoot on the fly & fast, but for set up shots and anything you're being paid to do, a meter eliminates a lot of the guesswork. Shown here our Sekonic L-758DR.

Other Goodies-Tripod & Ball Head
After lugging around my aluminum Manfrotto for a while, last year I upgraded my tripod to the fabled Gitzo 1325, just before they discontinued it. Along with this new tripod I also upgraded my ball head to the Kirk BH-1. There can be no doubt this setup has improved my shooting. I also added a beanbag to the long lens kit, having paid closer attention to things like vibration dampning and mirror slap. The Nikon MC-30 is standard fair, as is M-UP setting on the camera. My dear wife made the beanbag.

Kirk Photo also makes an excellent line of replacement lens feet for many of my lenses. Of particular interest were 2: the Kirk NC80-400 replacement lens collar for my 80-400VR, and the Kirk LP-45 replacement foot for my Nikon 70-200VR. Of course Kirk L-brackets hang on every camera, allowing ease of mounting and repositioning.

Other viable options here are the Markins and Really Right Stuff product lines (both exceptionally high-quality products as well) and other European manufacturers. I use Markins wrist straps and LowePro neck straps on most of my cameras.

Other must-haves in the Pelican crate are various odds and ends such as a mini-mag light, Leatherman, Swiss Army Knife, various step-up rings and adapters. SB-800 flash units, SB-24 Flash unit (for the F4) and an assortment of cables, chargers, power supplies and other ods and ends that one may need while gone for several days at a time.

Bags, Crates and Packs
LowePro Bags and Packs clutter my office. Each has a different purpose and when you think about it, a $50-$300 bag shelters and protects thousands of dollars of sensitive gear. It's well worth the investment. Pelican Crates are the resting places of much gear when not in use. Padded, lockable, air, water and dust-tight when closed, they're the perfect safe haven for gear when not in use. Lenses are kept in circulated consistent temperature air to avoid fungus and moistore build up in the barrels. Batteries are stored out of the equipment that doesn't get used too often to avoid leakeage.

Computers
I'm very fortunate in this area. CraneDigital, my animation business, has many, many computers. Laptops, 1-2U servers, workstations, NAS boxes, Linux machines, 32-bit, 64-bit, you name it, we've probably got at least one of them. So fast computers and mass amounts of storage are a given. This comes in handy when it comes time to dump an 8Gb CF card and begin sorting through what you shot. I prefer the Apple solution-both hardware and software, but really today there are so many different types of tools it's no longer a critical choice. I use a PC for tethered capturing (hooking a USB cable from camera to computer and capturing the image directly onto the hard disk rather than saving it to a CF card) because the software seems to work better on my PC. Apple G5's are standard fair in post-process work flow and all video work done. At least one Apple Powerbook usually travels with me, though this year I've moved to an Epson P-5000 for backing up CF cards while shooting. This will eventually eliminate the need to lug a computer along, and is a much smaller, more svelt way to ensure duplicates of all images while shooting–without the mass of a full laptop.

On-Site
Everything travels with me in backpacks, Pelican crates and a assortment of LowePro bags. I take exceptional care of all my gear. Lenses are always stored in a dry, moving-air environment to prevent mold. After use bodies are surface-wiped, batteries re-charged and CF cards dumped, then put away clean and dry. Sensors are cleaned when necessary, but done so very gingerly. Taking good care of gear is how I was raised, and it makes sense. However, these are just tools, and when you use them the way they've been intended they get dirty and need cleaning and repair.

Favorite Camera?
I'll let you in on a little secret, now that you've read all the way to the bottom of the page. Are you ready? Lean in just a bit closer... my favorite camera I've ever owned or shot is my Nikon F6. Deep, deep love for the last of the royal line of Nikon pro film bodies. When I don't need to shoot digital for something, or enlarge an image the size of a small house from my medium format Mamiya, I reach for my Nikon F6. The secret's out: I still love shooting film.