Equipment

Equipment

Equipment I Use

I am frequently asked about the equipment I use.

Here is a list of what I currently own, (as at May 2012), and why I selected the various items.

I buy my own equipment (no sponsorship), so I could have chosen any make of equipment. I have made a considerable (for me at least) investment in the best available Canon cameras and lenses. To change to another brand, at this stage, would be a costly exercise . Luckily I believe this to be unnecessary, and given a second run, I would purchase Canon again.

I am now very familiar with handling Canon cameras without having to think (at least too much) about what I am doing as I traverse through the various menus and functions. To change to another brand with different handling characteristics, functions, and menus is not an attractive proposition for me; the learning curve would be manageable, but too long and too steep.

The debates on camera preferences can be as challenging as those on good wines. I say “Each to their own drop, and I enjoy whites and reds from most great vineyards”!

No camera has “an eye for an image”, (i.e. how to place into an image what your mind’s heart and soul sees through the viewfinder). Neither can a camera judge the quality of the light, compose the image artistically, or freeze the motion of a bird in flight. These creative attributes are unique to each photographer and come with knowledge, patience, experience, luck and the courage to ‘have a go’.
Cameras and lenses, irrespective of the cost or manufacturer, cannot make unforgettable images; only fine photographers do that.
Buy what you think you need to make the kind of images you like. But don’t get too hung up on the technicalities of the equipment or what makes a good photograph. Instead search for the magic in light and your images will touch the heart and stir the soul of those who view them.

Cameras & Lenses

My photography is entirely digitally based; I have never worked in a traditional darkroom.

I carry much of the following with me when leaving home, especially on long trips, even overseas:

Canon EOS 1DsMkIII for landscape, panorama, static wildlife, etc (will consider changing for the new 1DX when it arrives)
Two Canon 1DMkIVs for ‘action’ wildlife photography (the best camera currently available for wildlife photography)
Canon 60Da (infra-red component in sensor is specially modified for night sky and star trail photography; the “a” in the name signifies it is the model modified for astronomy photography)
16-35mm f/2.8 L Mk II (much better than the Mk I lens)
24-70mm f/2.8 L (pin sharp and one of my favourite lenses but it is a heavy lens. I am looking forward to its replacement later in 2012)
50mm f/1.2 L (mainly used for panorama images, and low light conditions; a superb lens)
Carl Zeiss Distagon 21mm f/2.8 ZE (I think this is the best lens on the planet for landscape work; its ability to replicate “realness” of colour and details is unrivalled)
70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Mk II(the best lens in this range)
100-400mm f/4.5/5.6 IS USM (despite its vintage technology, a good working lens for wildlife photography, especially whale photography from a small boat)
300mm f/2.8 IS USM MkII (my favourite lens for hand-held bird and other wildlife photography, because of its relative lightness and sharpness;together with the Canon 1.4 MkII converter, it is superb)
800mm f/5.6L IS USM (this lens, has the newest generation telephoto lens technology and is an awesome piece of glass, but definitely not hand-holdable. I use it mainly for bird photography)
1.4 X MKII Converter (an excellent addition to any of Canon’s latest prime lens)
15mm f/2.8 Fisheye (a fun lens)
100mm f/2.8 Macro L IS USM (a magninficent lens for macro photography)
Singray 10-stop ND filters (terrific for creating ‘moody’ images, especially with water)

Filters

All specialty filters are from Singh Ray Inc. and Lee holders for 77mm & 82mm lenses.

I still use ND Grads even though the new filter features in Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 4 are increasingly attractive alternatives.
More recently, I have been using the entire range of NIK software and find it excellent, especially Viveza 2, Colour Efex Pro and HDR Efex Pro. In the future, I anticipate I will be using NIK software more than Photoshop (except for Adobe Camera Raw).

Tripod

A carbon fibre Gitzo 3530 LSV carries the heaviest 800mm lens with ease.

Mounts, Brackets & Other Accessories

The Wimberley Head II is essential for the 800mm lens.
The Really Right Stuff (RRS) Ultimate-Pro Omni-Pivot Package gives absolute accuracy when capturing multiple rows of overlapping images for later assembly using stitching software.
The RRS BH-55 Ball-head (this is a superbly engineered piece of gear and it stays on my tripod permanently)

Computers & Software

Sony Vaio Z-Series with SSD laptop; used solely for field downloading and file management, very little processing.
Custom built Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme, 3.20 GHz, 16 Gb RAM, SSD desktop together with second Eizo 24 inch monitor
Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 4 (64 Bit)
Breezebrowser Downloader Pro and Breezebrowser Pro (for image downloading in the field and file management on desktop)
Photomatix for HDR work
PTGui for panoramic stitching.
Helicon Focus for optimizing depth of field in macro and more recently in landscape; looking forward to exploring its applications.

Bags, Vests, Beanbag, etc.

I use two bags: (i) Think Tank Airport Security model and (ii) a Kiboko 30L for local and international travel. Both comply with domestic and international carry-on requirements and has room for all of the above mentioned gear, including the 800mm lens. With the exception on the tripod I never check-in camera gear when flying.

Increasingly, aircraft carry-on weight restrictions made life difficult for photographers, especially when flying economy class. Strong vests with the maximum number of deep and generous pockets can still ‘save the day’. When the weigh-in hurdle is safely negotiated, the contents can be repacked in the legal roll-on case/bag.

When on photographic safari and photographing from the specialist vehicles a beanbag is, in my view, essential. The one I use is made by Wildlife Imaging.

When photographing from open top vehicles on safari I have found both a tripod and monopod to be essentially redundant. Both are too cumbersome to handle, even with only two persons per vehicle, the latter being a luxury with all tour companies.