What’s in your kit bag, and why?
On Photocritic, I don’t generally bother talking too much about equipment, unless I’m particularly excited about something. My approach towards photography is that a good photographer can take good pictures with bad equipment. A bad photographer can only take mediocre photos with good equipment. In other words: If your technical skills and photographic insight aren’t up to scratch, you’ve already lost the game: No amount of equipment can save you.
Nevertheless, I often get comments and e-mails asking about what type of equipment I use. It’s an interesting question, but asked wrongly. My equipment list is boring. The argumentation for choosing each of these pieces of equipment is what is interesting, because it might help you pick which lens or gadget you buy next!
Throughout my photographic history, I’ve had a lot of different cameras. I started with a Canon A-1 SLR (which I still have!), and then went through a series of exciting cameras. I had a Canon RS, which used to be the fastest camera Canon ever made. I had a Canon EOS 1Nhs, which was pretty damn quick as well. Then I went digital, and had a D60, 10D, 20D, 300D, and now I’m on a 30D. Why such a quick succession? Well, I used to work as a photographer, and cameras get used a lot. They get bumped into things, they get dropped, and the shutter mechanism gets slack after taking tens of thousands of photos. Also, I’m a gadgets nut, and I love playing with a new camera. Sure, there are no massive differences between the D60, 10D, 20D and 30D, but for every upgrade, there was a little bit more speed, a few new toys, and they just got better and better.
So why do I use a 30D now, rather than, say, a 400D or a 5D? The simple answer is cost and timing. I love the fact that Canon brought out the 300/350/400 cameras, because they bring photography to the masses. I genuinely believe that every aspiring photographer should be able to afford a digital SLR, because it’s the single best purchase you can make. It doesn’t matter if it’s Canon, Nikon, or one of the other brands. It doesn’t matter if it’s the bottom of the line model. By their very nature, dSLR cameras are unlikely to be the bottleneck of your photography skills. Lenses, flash guns, studio equipment, and all that might be, but especially as you’re first starting out, it doesn’t really matter.
Personally, I’m a right clumsy git, so I decided to invest a little bit more money to get the 30D. When I was in the market for a camera again around the same time as when my book deal came through, the 30D just started to become available. I like its bigger screen than the 20D, and I like the fact that it’s sturdy, rugged, and looks like it can take a battering. Because I no longer work as a professional photographer, I take a lot fewer photos (and my stuff is no longer insured against any damage, so I take better care of it too), so in retrospect the 30D is probably a bit over-kill: I could have easily done with a 400D. My main argument for it now isn’t that it’s stronger and faster, but that it’s heavier. I’ve got huge hands and I’m not very good at holding stuff still, so a heavier camera is rather useful in that respect.
The first lens I bought for my kit was the 28-105 f/3.5 zoom from Canon. It is a decent lens, but in retrospect, I regretted buying it. I quickly replaced it with the 28-135 f/3.5 image stabilized lens. When I go travelling and have to pick a single lens, is the lens that gets to go on adventure with me. It’s wide enough to be useful for most landscape stuff, and zooms in far enough to be good for portraiture, wildlife, and all that. It’s also a macro lens, and it works surprisingly well at taking photos up close, too. It’s not a cheap lens, and it’s not all that sharp either, but it has a special place in my heart nonetheless…
The next lens I bought was a 70-200 f/2.8 EX APO lens from Sigma. It’s bloody expensive, but it’s also one of the best lenses I own. Because it stays at f/2.8 throughout its zoom range (in general, zoom lenses that have the same aperture throughout their zoom range are of better quality for reasons that are slightly beyond this write-up, I’ll do that one as a separate article some day), you get a long lens that’s perfect for concert photography. Which, incidentally, is why I bought it. (more about concert photography here and here). The lens is quite heavy, but it’s really sharp, handles well, has a fantastic bokeh, and is great for all sorts of sneaky photography.
For work, I started doing a great deal of interior photography, and needed to go wider than the 28mm afforded by my other lenses. With my recent success with the Sigma lens, I decided to go with the Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 lens. It’s a peach, what else can I say.
Other stuff in my kit bag is the Lensbaby lens, which I’ve fallen completely in love with (as explained at great length here), a 50mm f/1.8 mk1 prime (as rambled about here), my home-made macro extension tube, and a Canon 135mm f/2.8 Soft Focus lens, which I to this date haven’t quite figured out how to use. Sure, it’s a great prime lens, but the soft focus bit is an absolute mystery to me.
For parties, going out, and all that sort of stuff, I keep a nifty little Canon Digital Elph S500 handy, too. The battery life of it is absolutely amazing, and the lens is spot-on. Sharp and reasonably fast. The camera itself is virtually indestructable, too (I’ve dropped it more often than I care to remember, but its metal casing really holds its own), and it’s small enough to carry around everywhere.
My final gadgets are a Slik tripod, a standard Canon Speedlite 420 flash gun (my 550s kept breaking or getting stolen, it seems as if the 420 agrees with me better — knock on wood), and a LowePro Stealth Tracker photography backpack to lug it all around.
The last piece of kit worth mentioning is my Apple dual G5 2.0 Ghz with a 19″ Eizo flatscreen TFT monitor and Photoshop CS2. It’s not strictly photo gear, but I couldn’t be a photographer without it, so it obviously belongs in this list :)
So, where do I go from here? I’m currently drooling over the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens, as based on my experiences, and those of many of my friends, it’s supposedly one of the sharpest and best prime lenses out there. The fact that it’s a perfect focal length for portraiture, the fact that it’s a magnificent macro lens, and the fact that it’s not actually that expensive for what you’re getting, means that I have to fight hard to keep my credit card in my pocket. Must… save… up… money…
So, enough about me. What’s in your kit bag? Why? And what is your next purchase?
My day job, if it can be called that, is being a writer. I've got one book out there so far and it's awesome, so go ahead and buy a copy! It's available from 
In front of you, five hyperactive men with guitars, drums, and microphones. Behind you, five thousand fans. In your hands, a camera... You're going to need more than just a little bit of good luck to pull this one off. That's where this book comes in.
Take a Canon EOS 450D. Attach a Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens. Hit the streets of London. See what happens.
Insights, suggestions and comments
Inside my Lowepro Micro trekker 100 bag, I keep my Nikon D70 with the Nikon Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G DX Zoom lens it came with. I’m very happy with this lense as its reasonably quick and suitable for most occasions. My next purchase was a Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR which is too slow for most occasions unless I use a tripod. I also keep a couple of memory cards (1gig, 512mb), an extra battery, and a Holga 120 (which I adore). My next purchase is either a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8.
Here’s what I’ve got right now Haje:
Canon 350D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
Canon EF 28-105 USM f/3.5-4.5 (indefinite loan)
Battery Grip w/second battery
Velbon Sherpa tripod
A couple Photoflex LiteDiscs ranging from 15″ to 43″
I have a reasonably range of lesser used equipment (including an old Vivitar 283, some home depot light sources, and the kit lens) for someone with so little cash to spend on photography.
I edit using Photoshop CS2 on a custom built gaming PC I made about 3 or 4 years ago, still holds up quite well.
I just purchased the Starving Student Lighting Kit seen over at Strobist.com, which I’m excited about, and it’s in the mail.
My next purchases are the higher end 15″ MacBook Pro, a larger LCD (24-30″, needs to do 1600×1200 min.). After that comes some Canon L lenses and whatever the current equivalent of the 5D is at that time.
A man can dream…
In my Lowepro Computrekker bag i have Konica Minolta D5D, Sigma 28-70/2.8 2 spare batteries, remote control, CPL filter, Sunpack tripod, eclipse and other cleaning stuff. Some days ago i ordered Sony Zeiss 85mm/1.4 hope to get it in a week. My next purchase would be a flash unit and/or Sony 50mm/1.4 or even just a Sony Zeiss 135mm/1.8 …
For photo cropping i use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom on a HP Compaq nx6110. Not the fastest one, but handles the job quite well.
Nice Article :-)
I own a 50 mm/1,8 Lens and a Lensbaby on a nikon. That’s about it, and i’m doing fine with it :-)
Stephan
Inside my lowepro trekker I have:
an aging 350D with battery grip,
a Canon 70-300 telephoto (f3.5-5.6 off the top of my head),
the Canon 100mm macro you mentioned (lovely),
the 18-55mm kit lens (which I am looking to replace),
and a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC for those big landscape vistas.
Combined with a a velbon monopod, a cable shutter release and various lens hoods/spare batteries, it makes for a real hefty bag – suffice to say I do not always carry everything around with me!
Have upcoming photography trips to DC/NY and Canada, and debating whether to go for the 28-135 f/3.5 image stabilized lens, and cut down on the amount of lenses I carry around.
Has anyone cut down on the various lens they use in favour for one catch-all more expensive lens? I know that by using dedicated primes of different lengths would be best, but when trekking in the rockies I want to keep the weight down! further commenters thoughts appreciated!
Inside my Lowepro Topload Zoom II:
Nikon D200
Tokina 12-24/4 with Heliopan 77mm Polarizers circular and lenshood
Nikkor 35-70/2.8
If I plan serios photo session:
Lowepro Compact AW
Nikon D200
Flash Nikon SB-800
Tokina 12-24/4 with Heliopan 77mm Polarizers circular and lenshood
Nikkor 35-70/2.8
Nikkor 50/1.4
Tokina 100-300/4
and monopod Manfrotto 681 with head 234RC
I have jammed in my Orion AW waistpack (I don’t use the backpack part):
Canon 20D with Grip attached to Canon EF 70-200/2.8L IS
Canon EF-S 10-22
Canon EF 24-105/4L IS
Canon EF 50/1.8 mkII
580EX
1.4X TC
Extension Tube
I strap a Gitzo 1137 with short column to the bottom when I am going tripodding with an Angle Finder C.
Let it be noted that Haje doesn’t carry around any means of actually *cleaning* any of those expensive lenses he owns….
Anyway. In my kit bag (Lowepro Slingshot rucksack thing if I recall right) I have the following:
Canon 350D with a few dents in it, 18-55mm canon kit lens (because it bounces when you drop it), 70-300mm sigma telephoto (f/4.5-5.6 I think), 10-20mm sigma wide angle, 50mm canon f/1.8, a dodgy old video camera tripod that does the job (that’s too big to go in the bag), random filters, a Metz 44 flashgun, a lens cleaning cloth, spare batteries and memory cards, a mini tripod and a season ticket for the S.S Great Britain. I have no idea why that last item is in there.
I too have seen and coveted the 100mm f/2.8 canon prime and it will quite possibly be the next lens I succumb to if I don’t find a second hand 70-200 f/2.8 sigma. Damnit. This is a horribly expensive habit to feed.
Hi!
The 135mm soft focus lens might be a special portrait lens — On some old manual for the Zeiss Softar filters (which have the same effect), it is written that especially women and older people like this softness because it hides skin “defects” like wrinkles or pimples.
And it gives a nostalgic look to the pictures!
Thierry (who’s still doing film on a Nikon FE-2, mainly with its 50mm f/1.4 lens)
I try to keep things simple.
+ Nikon D50
+ 24mm f2.8
+ 50mm f1.8
+ Mamiya C220 with 80mm lens
And if I’m shooting BMX:
+ 3 different Sunpak flashes
+ eBay radio slaves
+ Cheap tripod, cheap lightstand.
Lets see… In my Lowepro SlingShot 100AW (by the way, it’s a great bag) I have:
- my Nikon d70 with the Nikon Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G DX Zoom lens
- a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro EX DG (a great lens!) – Would have liked the 70mm but I’m on a low budget…
- An Olympus C-5050
- Random filters
- Remote control for the Nikon d70
- Spare batteries
- Memory cards
- Paper tissues for lens cleaning
- Occasionally, I will add my old and trusted Olympus XA
Yes, no tripod. Shame on me. I have an old Slick tripod I doubt would carry the Nikon. Would like a Manfrotto tripod, but again, money is an issue…
I’m feeling poor in front of you guys!
All my shots (you can see on http://photo.webgriffe.com) are taken with a Nikon Coolpix 5400 (yes compact!). I have not other cameras… but I’m very interested in Canon 20D…
What I really love in my Coolpix is the floating LCD monitor: I can take pictures from everywere!!!
Then, me too have an amazing Eizo and a powerfull PC to work with photoshop and improve my shots.
Bye
I used to keep a ton of stuff in it, but as I get older I want to lug less, so I’ve been lightening it up and packing for the trip, rather than bringing the kitchen sink for everything. But this is the standard load-out that I begin with:
In my Domke F1 I usually have:
my primary, right now a Canon A-1 with 50mm 1.4 attached and motor drive
backup body of some sort, right now it’s a Canon T70
Sometimes a Kodak Stereo camera, if I have room
Vivitar 28-80 Series 1
Vivitar 70-210 Series 1 (or a Canon 100-300mm)
Canon 24mm
2x teleconverter (rarely used, but it’s nice if you need it and it doesn’t take up much room)
199A flash
a folding wallet of screw-in B&W filters
a folding wallet of screw-in color filters
a handful of Cokin square filters
an old Gossen color temp meter
various rolls of film
a wide camera strap
a rubber collapsible lens shade or two
a pill case with various batteries
a microfiber cloth
a leader retriever
a 12″ cable release
a Swiss Army knife
Here goes:
Inside Tamrac 5 Adventure:
20d
350d – selling right now
Tokina 12-24 f4
Tamron 28-75 f2.8 XR DI – selling right now, getting the Canon 24-70 f2.8
Canon 50mm f1.8 – sold, getting the f1.4 version
Canon 70-200 f4 – sold, getting the f4 IS version OR the f2.8 IS version (haven’t made up my mind yet)
Canon 85mm 1.8 – on it’s way
Lensbaby 2.0
5d or replacement probably in autumn
400d+28-135 IS for GF :P
Packed in my Nikon branded shoulder bag I got with my D50 kit i have:
- Nikon D50
- 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G Nikkor kit lens
- 55-200mm f/4-5.6G Nikkor kit lens
- 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor
- Hoya UV filter
- Hoya Circular Polarizer Filter
- Nikon SB-600 flash
- Some pieces of colored lighting filters for artsy flash effects
- Remote control for the D50
- Tissues for lens/filter cleaning
- 1Gb memory card (another one in camera)
- Manuals for D50 and SB-600
Occasionally (not quite often enough) I also take my cheap, light and flimsy Slik tripod with me. Not in the bag though…
Depends on the day and what I’m shooting since I am at 8 cameras and counting now. Is there a support group I can join? :-) No, seriously.
My last couple of outings though my camera bag has had one of my latest additions to my arsenal plus an old favorite:
- Hasselblad 501CM
- 80mm CF lens
- Lindahl vignetting shade
- Hasselblad UV filter & polarizer filter
- Hasselblad extension tube
- Sekonic L-508 light meter
- Holga 120N
- filter set for the Holga
- shutter release cable
- stopwatch with backlit display for night viewing (for timing long shutter speeds)
- small flashlight (various uses plus seeing camera controls in the dark)
- various lens/filter cleaning materials
- cards to give people with my name and pointer to my site
- writing pen (need to remember to add small pad of paper)
- various rolls of film
Now ask me again on another day. :-)
I like to travel light so I prefer to keep things to the minimum, starting with the bag: a small Loewe Pro Nuova (I don’t like backpacks because I don’t feel tool comfortable hanging around with them in crowed places).
I have two setups for my kit bag, which basically consist in a camera, a fixed lens, a zoom lens and some extra stuff:
Setup 1
- Nikon FM2n
- Nikkor MF 50mm 1.4
- Nikkor AF 35-105mm 3.5-4.5
- Polarizer filter
- Some film (usually Ilford Delta 400)
- Cleaning material (tissues, etc.)
- The smallest tripod I can find
Setup 2
- Nikon D70
- Nikkor AF 50mm 1.8
- Nikkor AF 18-70mm 3.5-4.5
- Polarizer filter
- Extra memory cards
- Cleaning material (tissues, etc.)
- The same smallest tripod as above
I haven’t got an extra battery, which caused me some problems a few times in the past (specially while traveling)
I really like wide angle lenses and sometimes I may take my Sigma 10-20mm with me, although things can get a bit packed with it on my bag
20d, rebel k2, 620 (the 620 is tons of fun, one of the only eos cameras to do infrared film without wrecking it)
15mm sigma fisheye f2.8 (always fun)
22-55mm f4-5.6 (crap)
sigma 24-70mm f2.8 (not great, came with the camera kit)
50mm f 1.8 (I) (sharp prime, what’s not to love?)
85mm f1.8 (super awesome prime, also, what not to love?)
70-210mm macro (has its charms, pretty slow, but good for non moving objects like toys)
380ex flash (makes the darkness bright)
fong lightsphere diffuser
tons of filters, mostly hoya (macros, colrs, sand, nd, star, cs, polarizers, tons of fun)
crappy cheapo tripod (holds the camera up, but doesn’t look beautiful doing it)
i do a lot of b&w (film), some shots of the kids, vintage toys, train bridges, boats, and junkyard cars
Here it goes, inside my LowePro Minitrekker AW you’ll find:
- EOS10D with grip attached
- Canon EF 70-200 2.8 IS
- Canon EF 24-70 2.8
- Canon x1.4 extender
- Canon EF25II extension tube
- TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller
- Two quickrelease plates for the tripod
- 77mm Circular Polarizer filter
- 77mm UV filter
- small flashlight
- small knife/tool
- Some lens cleanin paper and cloth
- Manfrotto 055 magfiber tripod attached outside the bag with a 3 way head
and sometime in the future (whenever I have some money and in no particular order):
- a Canon 17-40 lens
- a flash (not sure which one yet)
- All (a lot) of the old cokin filters my father has once I buy the 77mm ring.
- a prime or two (not sure which ones yet)
- and maybe a new camera body.
Inside a cheap Tamrac bag:
Canon 400D (Rebel XTi)
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8
Canon EOS5 (A2)
50mm 1.8
67mm Polarizer
Lens cleaning stuff
Cheap LowePro bag:
Nikon D50 w/ 2gb SD card
50 1.8 Nikkor
28 2.8 Nikkor
Sigma 70-210 4-5.6
Coffee filters (for using the dreaded built-in flash, yikes)
52mm UV filter
Inside the camera bag (Crumpler backpack, love it!)
Canon Digital Rebel
17-40L + pola
50 1.8mkII + extreme closeup made of old canon 70-300usm
Tamron 70-300
Speedlight EX 550
40GB Phototank
And outside my camera bag:
18-55 kitlens
Other lenses, converters, stuff
Cokin filters and other stuff
500 mm manual lens
Tripod
Gear! I love my gear! Here is my arsenal (I had to compose this offline :)
Pentax ME Super (purchased in 1991; has taken lots of pictures, and it’s still going!)
- 28-80mm @ f3.5
- 80-200mm @ f4.5
- 135mm @ f2.8
- 600mm @ f8
Canon EOS Rebel
- 50mm @ 1.8
- 80-200 @ 4.5
Mamiya C220
- 80mm lens set @ 1.8
filters/lenses:
- both 35’s have polarizers (linear and circular)
- except for the 600mm, all lens have UV filters
- the 600mm comes with Red, Yellow, Orange and +4 ND filter
- all lenses have hoods
tripods:
- Manfrotto professional series w/ 055 legs & 486 ballhead
- small tabletop metal tripod w/ ballhead; if I don’t bring the Manfrotto, I will always have this one, and it works just excellent in a pinch
film:
- a variety of film: at least 4 rolls of medium format (Iford ISO 400); at least 8 rolls of print (combination of colour and b&w, 24 exp) for the Pentax (either 400, 800 or even 3200, because I need the speed for the 600mm lens!); at least 6 rolls of slide for the Canon (Fuji Sensia 100 or 200, 36 exp). I recently used some 800 in the Canon because I was doing some night shots in the rain (I was doing some multiple exposure stuff), I was shooting anywhere from a 90th-250th @ 1.8! One day I’m going to experiment with some night shots shooting 3200, hmm, wonder what sort of speed I’ll get at 1.8? (I may have to manually adjust the ISO setting down a notch)
flashes/lighting:
- Vivitar 483, includes external power source for indoor work
- small 2 battery flash; good for back light
- 6ft umbrella with 40W head
- I’ve been known to improvise with a couple of spot lights :)
meters:
- Sekonic Studio Deluxe manual light meter; I always bring – camera meters can be fooled
- Sekonic L-308S electronic flash meter; when I’m doing indoor work
accessories:
- electronic cable release for the Canon
- manual cable for the Pentax (note about cable releases: use the cloth ones, the vinyl ones get really stiff in sub-zero temperatures!)
- homemade 15′ PC cord for the flash, for when I want to put the flash way-off camera!
- collapsible reflector (12″); silver/white
- external hot shoes
- off camera flash bracket when I’m using the Vivitar on the Pentax or Mamiya
- 2X lens doubler for the Pentax (ever shot at 1200mm!!)
- and a bunch of other odds and ends
- always extra batteries! of course, the bonus to the Pentax is that I can always shoot manual :)
- manuals; always bring your manuals! :)
What I bring depends on where I’m going and what I’m shooting.
If I’m out for the day just doing casual stuff, then I may bring either one of the 35’s, each has their own shoulder bag.
Sometimes I force myself to use just my Pentax so I have do things manually, lest I forget :)
I have a shoulder bag in which I fit both 35mm systems, their lenses, and basic accessories. That’s my “grab-and-go” bag. If I go overnight somewhere then I bring that because I have the basic essentials in it (even a shaving kit :)
If I’m away for an extended trip then I bring everything! And I mean everything! (well, maybe not the umbrella, unless I anticipate using it) In which case, I have a Lowepro Nature Trekker AW pack, with the additional day pack. When that baby is loaded it weighs well over 40 lbs! Due to the fine construction of that pack, however, I carry it with ease :)
cory photographique
http://www.coryjohnson.net
Canon EOS 20D + 24-105 f/4 L IS USM
Canon 85mm f/1.8
(Soon arriving, Canon 135mm f/2 L)
Metz 54-MZ-3
Manfrotto 190X PROB legs + 484RC2 head
Lightroom 1.0, Photoshop CS2, Noise Ninja, Fluid Mask, & Raw Shooter Premium
A bunch of rechargeables, free Roscoe gels, and Ultra 2 CF cards
All managed by Lowepro -
Digital kit:
Nikon D200
Travel lens: 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 AF-S VR DX
+ various MF Nikkors that I also use with my F3/T
Rangefinder 35mm
Konica Auto S3 and/or Olympus Pen D
Medium format:
Iskra 1
Mamiya C330 80mm
Ensign Selfix 820
Minolta Autocord
I actually like to mix film with digital. My last trip to NYC I alternated: one day I shot the D200 w/ the 18-200, the next day I shot the Autocord with Tri-X. Got very different pics depending on the kit.
Inside my Canon backpack is:
Setup 1:
Canon Digital Rebel XTi (400D) with 18-55mm kit lens
2 Gig Sandisk Extreme III memory card
Setup 2:
Canon Digital Rebel XTi (400D) with L series lens 100-400 IS
2 Gig Sandisk Extreme III memory card
Canon Monopod 100, 2 extra batteries, cleaning cloth, spare 18-55mm kit lens, misc cables
Some people hate the kit lens but it is not bad (for somethings).
Check out the pictures I get from the kit lens and the L lens at http://www.stevetatephotos.com
I’m a teenager and jobless, so i’m limited by a Kodak easyshare DX6490… a home made macro lens, a tripod, a camera manual, and a lens microfiber cloth, most of which i inherited from my parents. If you’re thinking, “oh, this kids not actually serious about photography; his pictures are probably just of friends and crap”, why don’t you check out my flicker account… gatkinson92
Over the years, I have accumulated quite an assortment of photographic bric-a-brac. Including various lenses, filters, light meter plus accessories, flash unit with extra sync leads, slave flash, a couple of tripods, etc., etc. And I always like to have all my gear with me, so I can use any piece of it at a moment’s notice when out on a shoot.
I customized a small suitcase, one with a pop-up carry handle and wheels, by making soft lined partitions inside it to carry most of my gear. When I go out on a shoot, I put the thing into the boot (trunk) of the car along with an empty back pack, so that when I get to where I’m going, I can take out of the case what I need, place it in the back pack and head off. But the rest of the gear is still with me if I have to return to the car for something.
I have found too that the simplest of things in my kit can come in very handy.
When I use my 28-200mm zoom, pointed downwards, it has a tendency to drop down, to stop this annoying occurrence, I stop it with a piece of “Blue Tack”.
If I am out shooting flowers, I will always have with me a small pair of scissors, which I can use to trim off any dead or unwanted matter that might spoil the shot.
Another thing is a fold-up car dash reflector for bouncing light into shaded areas. They come in gold as well as silver.
A plastic ground sheet for when I get down and dirty.
There are many things that you don’t realize you need till you get out there, so it’s best to cover all shots, so to speak.
Canonet QL17 or an Olympus Trip 35.
… That’s it.
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