What's In My Bag?

 "Hi, my name is Andy, and I am a recovering gear-aholic"

AN ADMITTED "gearhead," I thought it would be fun to list my photographic equipment, like some of the pro websites do, so all of you who are aspiring to be more like me 😇 will know what I carry and shoot. Anyone (anyone?) who has been this blog site more than once will perhaps note that my equipment - particularly lenses - changes from time to time.

I DO not always carry the camera-brand lenses. These days, at their "pro" level, all of the well-known primary and after-market lenses are very good; some of them excellent. Years back, purchasing an "after-market" brand meant you were probably sacrificing both build and optical quality.

SO-CALLED "consumer" lenses (both camera-brands and after market) are mostly not as rugged as "pro" lenses. That has never been a serious issue for me. They are lighter and have more plastic. That is o.k. I like lighter. I have always "babied" my equipment and am pretty careful in the field (even though thinking I have mostly beat the odds, I do carry insurance - at least on the expensive stuff). Optically, I have noticed differences, which has driven the occasional decision to "upgrade" most of my lenses to a more "pro" level model. Over the years, I have owned good copies of third party lenses made by Sigma, Tokina and Tamron. Tamron continues to get favorable reviews, and with my insurance reimbursement for the broken Sony lens, I went a different direction, as can be seen below. It is very often just a tradeoff.

Sony A7CR "Full Frame "(35mm equivalent) mirrorless

• Tamron 28-75mm f.2.8 Di III VXD G2 Zoom Lens
• Tamron 17-28m f2.8 Di III RXD zoom lens
• Sony G Master 100 - 400 f4.5 - 5.6
• Sony FE 2x Teleconverter
• Tamron 70-300 f4.5 - 6.3

Other Gear

• Gitzo G1325 Carbon Fiber Tripod
• Leofoto 3-way Geared Tripod Head
• SLIK "I" - bracket
• Sirui Ultralight, packable carbon fiber tripod with "Arca-Swiss" type Ball Head (T-025)
• Remote shutter release devices (it seems contra to me to use a tripod and then trip the shutter by hand in most cases)
• Flashes, and remote triggering device

I ALSO carry some assorted "other" items - such as CPL filters, bubble level, and an assortment of ND filters (1, 2, 4, and 6 stop).

My equipment list has been "winnowed" down over the past couple years.  "Less is more" ........ and Lighter😁

Camera Bags ....

I HAVE adapted, over time, my carry methods, depending on the type of "outing."

FOR MY primary gear, I carry an 18 liter Nomatic Luma backpack (mostly to fit as an underseat carry-on for commercial flights), which holds all the above Sony/Tamron equipment. On site, it generally stays in the vehicle. For field-carry on a "dedicated" photo-shoot, I don't use a bag or backpack. In my personal experience, they are limiting and I have never found the "right one." I have used both and find that they actually make shooting more difficult for me. When carrying gear in the field, I either use a vest (often referred to in my self-deprecating posts as my "dorky-vest") 😊, or a small bag  My vest is not a name brand photo-vest. I look for large, zippered, pockets and light weight. I have found that fewer, larger pockets work better than many smaller, "dedicated" photo vest pockets. I try to carry only what I am going to absolutely need in the field.

OVER THE past 10 years or so, we have begun to do a fair amount of "world-travel." This is often family and/or friends oriented and photography has to be balanced with other activities. Much of it involves cruise ship and/or train travel in many parts of the world that are a distance from my home. Carrying all that photo equipment in that company with a mixed agenda just isn't workable. For such "non-dedicated" photo travel and for off the ship and other outings I use a small "man bag" (my friends and family refer to this bag as my "murse"), or in some instances, a small day-pack. I also usually pack the packable tripod for the trip (though I usually don't carry it on day excursions).