Gear
What’s in my bag?
I’m a serious tech-head. I’ve come to terms with it enough to admit it freely. I love playing with cool gadgets and thankfully I’m in a line of work that lets you use a lot of them.
Thus in the spirit of that, I’ve decided to list some of my gear here and describe why it’s cool.
I’m a Nikon user. Always have been. Canon’s great, nothing against it, I just chose Nikon. The reason? Way back when I started the photojournalism program at Loyalist College, they sent everyone who’d been accepted an equipment list. It had a bunch of Nikon and Canon cameras on it, along with their prices. The Nikon F80 was the cheapest, so I went for it, that way saving some extra cash to buy an extra lens with it.
My current kit consists of the following:
- Nikon D300: Nikon’s first consumer-level DSLR, the D100, was a bit too plasticy for my liking (actually its body was based on the F80) which is why I opted for the professional grade D1H as my first digital SLR, but ever since they updated the line with the D200, the build quality has improved to the point that it’s become a real consideration for pros. The D300 is especially well-made. It makes flawless images up to 800 ISO and even 1600 and above look pretty good, though the image tends to get a bit soft. I’ve added an MB-D10 vertical grip which lets me use the same battery as a fully-professional D3 (lasts forever) and in-turn the higher grade battery pushes my burst mode to an impressive 8 fps.
- Nikon D700: Nikon surprised everyone last year when they came out with a full-frame prosumer camera. It’s basically a D3 lite. The full-frame sensor (same size as a square of 35mm film) means the photo-receptors on it are larger than that of a typical 1/3″ (APC size) sensor. The result is stunning images. At 200 ISO it’s about the same as the D300, but as you go up in ISO stops, the D700 starts to pull away. This thing performs extremely well in low-light. Build-wise it’s very similar to the D300 and even takes the same accessories, like the grip, so pairing the two of them makes great sense.
- Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 D telephoto lens: The 80-200 is a staple of the photojournalist’s arsenal. Every self-respecting photog should own one. The versatility of 2.8 was paramount back when high ISOs didn’t look very good on DSLRs. Nowadays, with a camera like the D700, it’s even more versatile allowing you to shoot available light in almost any situation. I picked up a mid-to-late 90s push-pull zoom version for $800 and I haven’t had any problems with it in nearly 6 years of use. It’s built like a tank.
- Nikkor 50mm f1.8 prime lens: This was the first lens I bought with my F80. It’s cheap, and a bit plasticy in construction, but the optics are superb. The wider aperture of f1.8 gives you that extra little bonus in both low-light and shallow depth of field. For under $100, it’s something every photographer should have in the bag.
- Nikkor 20mm f2.8 prime: Back in school, the one thing missing from my bag was a wide, and while I would have liked to own an 18-35 f2.8 zoom, they were way out of my price range. My first venture into wides was actually a manual focus 18mm f3.5. I didn’t have a problem using manual focus, but the optics on this lens weren’t perfect. I eventually ended up breaking it (along with my D1H) on a night portrait shoot in a back alley (tripod tipped over, face first onto lens). I purchased the 20mm to replace it. While it’s not quite as wide, I appreciated the autofocus and it seems a bit sharper than the 18. On the D700, this thing is more than wide enough nowadays.
- Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 zoom: I got this as a Christmas gift from my parents while I was in school. It’s a very good little lens. A little cheaper in build that it’s Nikon 28-70 counterpart, but it’s almost $1000 cheaper. A very versatile lens, which spends most of its time on the D700.
- Nikon SB-800 Speedlight: My first flash was a Vivitar something-or-other that was okay when used TTL on my F80, but never liked the D1H very much – it wouldn’t work in TTL mode and eventually exploded (literally, the side of it blew off). I was much smarter on my next purchase and picked up Nikon’s top-of-the-line (at the time) SB-800. This thing is miles ahead of the Vivitar. Best thing of all is use it off camera and it will communicate with the D300 or D700 via their pop-up flash – very nice. I actually owned two of these at one point, but one died for some reason (it turns on, but never seems to power up). One of these days I’ll replace it.
- Nikon SB-28 Speedlight: This was Nikon’s flagship TTL flash before the digital era. You’d pair this thing with your F100 or F5 and be good to go. But since it’s balanced for film (and will thus overexpose on digital SLRs in TTL mode) a flood of these things hit the used market. I picked one up for $50 and use it solely in manual mode as a remote. It’s been a great purchase. The SB-24 is actually more useful as it has a built-in optical slave, but these are more rare and thus have a higher price tag, due in part to Strobist making them popular.
- Morris Mini Wide Slave: My teacher Frank O’Connor at Loyalist preached about the usefulness of this thing and at $50 it’s definitely worth having in the bag. It’s basically just a little flash with a round dome and a built-in optical slave. I don’t often use it, but like to have it around just in case I need to add a little extra bit of light to a shot.
- Elinchrom Skyport Radio Slaves: I pined after a set of Pocket Wizards for a long time, but could never justify the the three-digit-per-transceiver price tag. After a brief flirtation with an unreliable set of Cactus Remotes (aka ebay slaves), I picked up the Skyport. I’ve been completely happy them so far. Finally, freedom from wires!
- Tascam DR-1: The newest addition to my bag is this little recording wonder. It records stereo sound in 24-bit Wave format (CD quality is 16-bit). I’ve been using it for audio gathering for multimedia and video projects. It’s just amazing to record a scene with this and then play it back through the headphones – it feels like you’re there again. Retails for under $300. I got mine from ebay.
The stuff I still own, but don’t use:
- Nikon F80: I was using this up until two summers ago with Tri-X and Ektachrome, but since moving north where there’s no place to process film, I’ve kept it in the bag. Maybe if I get adventurous and want to start souping my own film I’ll put a few rolls of B&W through it someday.
- Nikon D1H: From December 2003 until May 2008, this was my camera. The first DSLR I ever purchased (used from Henry’s for $2,000). It’s only 3MP, enough for newsprint, but it had some good features. First of all, it’s rock solid. I put it through a lot of abuse and it kept on clicking. The only time I ever did significant damage to it was the aforementioned tripod incident. Falling face-first on the ground dislodged the mirror. A $500 repair-job later it was back to normal. The other great bonus is that its flash sync is 1/500. I used to think this thing produced great images until I started using my current pair. The tonal range of the newer cameras is much better. This thing tends to blow out highlights a bit.
scott | 
April 13, 2009 10:25 am
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