UPDATE: Scroll to the bottom of the list to see Fred Johnson’s gear list.
—
Here’s a list of Scott’s current photo gear…(minus all the little doodads and accessories that would take too much room to list)
Computers – Apple
Hard Drives – (Office) G-Drive
Hard Drives – (Portable) Sympletech
Printer – Epson 3800
Color Management – Eye1 Pro
Software – Aperture, Photoshop
CF Cards – Sandisk Extreme IIIs
GEAR
Hasselblad xPan II
Hasselblad 45mm Pano Lens
1 Canon 1DMK II-N DSLR
1 Canon 40 D DSLR
1 Canon 20 D DSLR
1 Canon G9 Digital Point And Shoot
2 Canon BG-E2 Battery Grip For DSLRs
1 Canon 600 mm f/4 IS “L” Lens
1 Canon 500 mm f/4 IS “L” Lens
1 Canon 400 mm f/5.6 “L” Lens
1 Canon 70-200 mm f/4 IS “L” Lens
1 Canon 50 mm f/1.2 “L” Lens
1 Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens
1 Tamron 14mm f/2.8 Aspherical IF Rectilinear Lens (For Sale – email me.)
1 Tamron 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro 1:1 Lens (For Sale – email me.)
1 Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 Macro Lens
1 Canon 580 EX MK-II Flash
1 Canon CP-E2 Battery Pack
1 Quantum Turbo Battery Pack (For Sale – email me.)
1 Bogen 3018 Monopod
1 Gitzo GT3530 Tripod
1 Gitzo GT3540XLS
1 Kirk BH-1 Ballhead
1 Acratech Ultimate Ballhead
1 Acratech V2 Ballhead
5 B+W Circular Polarizing Filters
1 Hasselblad Center Spot Filter
5 Kirk “L” Plates
9 Kirk Camera Plates
1 Boda Hip Bag
1 ThinkTank Photo Airport Addicted Backpack
1 Tamrac 614 Photo Bag
—
Steve Simon
Camera and lenses: Nikon D2x Camera with 17-55mm 2.8 lens- my main combo. I love this lens and use it for the majority of my work. I like to be close to my subjects, which let’s me capture more intimate moments I wouldn’t get otherwise. That’s why I picked up the Nikon D300 with 14-24. It’s amazing how such a wide zoom doesn’t distort much at all. I hope to replace the first camera with a D3 and 24-70 when my banker says I can. I love the smaller size of the D300 body. It’s important for me to have a back up lens, in case my 17-55 ever drops or goes away. I always shoot wide but on assignment I reluctantly (because of the weight) take my tack sharp 70-200 VR f2.8 zoom.
Of course extra camera batteries, the correct electric-plug converters and chargers all are in the bag.
I have learned to use flash less frequently, preferring to take advantage of the wonderful low light capture of DSLR sensors, in particular the new Nikons. But when light is low and uneven, there are times when I feel flash is the best compromise.
I have two Nikon SB 800 flashes that I use off camera connected with a SC-29 cord, which allows me to use TTL flash in a much more natural way. I bought one of the Gary Fong light diffusers for it, and though it’s a bit big and clunky, it does a very nice job of softening the light—and when it’s in the backpack I can store extra batteries inside it.
I’m a firm believer in shooting after the sun goes down, capturing mood and atmosphere in the landscape. I decided to take the “Gorilla Pod”, a small, light bendable tripod that should prove to be a good anchor for longer exposures, but haven’t tried it yet. My tripod is the Velbon El Carmagne 540 Carbon Fiber with ball head.
I vowed after turning 40, that all my shoes would be slip-ons and all my cases would have wheels, and I love the ThinkTank International Bag, which they gave me to test out and I don’t want to give back. It’s small and light and fits in all but the smallest of commercial planes and of course, has wheels. I also have a LowePro Versa 200 which I like, but it doesn’t have wheels. (from my younger days). I take a Domke J2 bag squished in my suitcase as well as an F3X, for when I’m out in the field and don’t want to take everything.
I have a Kata raincover that lets me shoot in the pouring rain while keeping the camera dry. I used to subscribe to the idea that having more smaller cards makes sense in case one get corrupted. But, knock on wood, that hasn’t happened, so I prefer to take a bunch of bigger cards, Lexar 8GB with a few 4GB cards that allows me to burn a full card on a single DVD. Bigger cards lets me shoot lots of raw images to bring into Aperture, without having to download as often.
I still have my getting old Epson P2000 Viewer for downloading in the field, when you can’t get to your computer and there’s no electricity. It’s comforting to know that if the computer is out of power or something goes wrong, there’s still a way to clear the cards safely.
I have always taken a recorder of sorts with me on long shooting trips, currently it’s the Edirol R09 Recorder for gathering field audio and two Lexar 133x 1 GB SD cards to capture it all. From all I’ve read, this one is the photographer’s choice.
I clean my camera’s sensors when needed, and I have the Visible Dust kit, to do it. I rarely have trouble with dust on the sensors, leaving my lenses fixed on the bodies most of the time.
A pocket USB Drive on a keychain can come in handy also to keep scans of my passport and vital information in case papers are lost. 32 Duracell Ultra Digital AA Batteries should be enough to power the flash and Edirol recorder. Of course my MacBook Pro with Aperture 2.0 is part of my kit, along with a Lexar Firewire reader and a cheap USB reader as back up.
—
Alex Lindsay
Lowell Pro backpack
Canon 20D
50mm 1.8
18-55 Kit
Charger (international)
Sony Card reader (CF, SD, MMS)
Extra Battery
3 2-gig CF cards
Canon G9
Charger
1 extra 2 gig SD Card
Panasonic HDC-SD1
Charger
1 extra 4 gig HCSD Card
2 USB Cables
Lens Blower, 2 Lens Cloths
Gorillapod Flexible Tripod
MacBook Pro
3 extra batteries
Wacom Bamboo Tablet (for editing)
3 160 gig Firelite drives
—
Ron Brinkmann
The basic kit-list is:
Just upgraded from a Canon 20D to a 40D so I’ve got both bodies but
the 20D’s going on Ebay once I get around to it.
Canon EF-S 10-22mm
Canon EF-S 17-85mm
Canon 50mm f1.4
Canon 70-300mm DO IS (and at some point I can rant about pros and
cons of this thing)
Kenko extender rings
Canon TC80N3 Timer Remote
Kata Sensitivity V backpack/camerabag (I’ve got a couple of others of
course, but this is the one I use constantly)
Manfrotto 785B (small) tripod with a hacked-together different ball-
head.
Bogen-Manfrotto 3021BPRO tripod with Acratech “Ultimate Ball Head”
Fred Johnson’s Gear
Nikon D3 (oh baby)
Nikon 14-24mm
Nikon 24-70mm
Nikon 70-200mm
2.0 tele converter
Speedotron studio lights, augmented with assorted AlienBees gear
_______________
This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store
Wow, some good gear there. Interesting to see what you have. I can never sell my old photo gear so I have quite a collection of old stuff.
Do you think the day will ever come where one camera can do everything you have in your bags; filters, lenses, tripod?? Hmm, not sure about the tripod!
I thought Scott had a !Ds model (can’t remember if it is a 2 or a 3). Has that gone now?
Adam I ordered the 1DS MK III – but due to the autofocus problems Canon had with the 1DMK III – and the fact that they use the same engine – I decided to hold off until they get that fixed.
Scott,
Lovely collection of lenses! I notice you don’t seem to have many wide angle, fast primes. I realize these aren’t as necessary for bird photography, but you never know when you will want to “people shots” in low light. I can recommend the canon 35L and 24L without reservation. I own both and they are absolutely wonderful lenses. As a side note, I see you have the 50L, I’m thinking of adding that lens to my bag. I see a lot of mixed reviews of this lens, how do you like it? I had the 1.8 version (Mk I with metal mount), but I was never really satisfied with the photos. I sold it soon after acquiring it.
James Taylor
James back when I did the kind of photography I owned several fast primes. I just don’t see the need for them now – given what I shoot.
As for the 50 1.2 – I’ve never seen a bad review of it and if I did I’d be thrilled – because then I’d be in a position to know that the reviewer was full of bunk and I could discount all future reviews by that person.
It’s an amazing lens and if I could only have one lens – that would be it. Crazy expensive but worth it to me.
I went on a lens shopping bonanza last October. Nothing as serious as Scott here but I did make a little overview of each one on my blog http://www.russellheimlich.com/blog/bitten-by-the-lens-bug/
I must say I really love my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. Sharp as a tack.
Thats some gear you got Scott!
Im a little suprised over that Alex still use the kitlens, i thought that he would at least have a better lens then the kitlens.
Congrats to Fred for his D3!
I don’t have one, but I suggest Alex upgrade to the new kit lens with IS. It is supposed to be much better and it is only a couple of hundred bucks.
Way too much equipment. Just ask my wife or Scott Bourne. I’ve got 30 of collecting and using Canon gear, ranging from one EOS1 HV body, F-1′s (four), F1N’s (two), T-90′s (two), 15mm, 17mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm 50 macro, 85mm, 135mm, 200mm and 300mm. Most of theses lenses are FD f2.8′s. four vivitar 283 flashes. And that’s my SLR film cameras. For digital I use three Canon EOS 1d’s, 1.4 extender, canon 2X, 14mm, 16-35mm, 24-70mm, 80-200mm and the biggie, a 400mmf2.8. All the lenses are 2.8′s. nine canon NP-E3 batteries, three battery chargers, Four Canon 550 Ex flashes, one 580 flash and the Speed light transmitter ST-E2, two Gitzo monopods, one Gitzo tripod, two Pelican cases, and about six Domke bags of various sizes. lowepro fanny pack, lowepro backpack, Northface fanny pack, and the big daddy Domke backpack. 15-Lexar 2gig cards, 10 Lexar gig cards, 2 lexar card readers. I use Speedatrons 812 systen with four heads. Yup…….way too much gear.
Computers-a G-5 home tower unit w/ 20 inch screen, Macibook, and two Macbook pros running CS3, and Aperture 2.0, plus Microsoft office software for Mac, two 750 gig hardrives, Canon i9900 printer, Canon S9000 printer, Epson 3000 photostyus printer, two 250 portable HD’s, , Canonscan FS 4000 neg/slide scanner, Epson flatbed scanner, Sony DVD burner/totast8 software, Iomega CD burner w/discribe OSX software. Laptops are equipped with Verizon broadband to transmit photos via USB720. Other software: Dreamweaver MX, flash, fireworks, photo Mechanics, Photobyte, Image rescue Wizard and Adobe Lightroom. Told ya way too much stuff. I probably forgot some odds and ends, but this is all I can think of at the moment. Cheers!!