What's In My Bag?

 "Hi, my name is Andy, and I am a recovering equipmentaholic"

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 here more than once will perhaps note that my equipment - particularly lenses - have changed from time to time. I had (my first in all my years of shooting) a "fatal" accident with my workhorse, Sony G 24-105 zoom lens back in the fall of 2023. At the time, I was re-thinking my "carry" specs, and wanted to go back to something like the "holy trinity" that Nikon and Canon shooters know and love: wide, medium, and long  "pro" zooms. I don't carry all "pro" lenses. The primary reason for that is a function of size and of cost vs. utility. These days, I am not even sure how to define a "pro" lens. Back in the day, it meant a continuous f.2.8 aperture, sturdy (usually metal and weather sealed) construction, and the highest quality optical (glass) elements.

I DO not always carry the camera-brand lenses for the camera body. At their "pro" level, they are generally all excellent. Years back, purchasing an "after-market" brand meant you were probably sacrificing both build and optical quality. That has all changed. in recent years technology and quality manufacturing has brought third-party lenses equal to the "brand" lenses (and in some cases, there are opinions that a copy or two might even be better). In the past couple years (2020 - 2023) I tried 2 different Tamron lenses which got favorable reviews: the fixed 24mm f2.8, and the 75-300 f4.5-6.3 Di III zoom. I was impressed and satisfied with the optical performance of both.

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 drove my decision to "upgrade" my Olympus main zoom lense 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. Very close to the "majors'" "holy trinities." I probably won't ever have the f2.8 copy of the long zoom. I mostly shoot landscape and don't really feel the need for the large aperture. I also don't care to carry the extra weight.

Sony a7R II "Full Frame "(35mm equivalent) mirrorless

• Tamron 28-75mm f.2.8 Di III VXD G2 Zoom Lens
• Tamron 17-28m f1.8 Di III RXD zoom lens
• Tamron 70-300mm f4.5 - 6.3 Di RXD zoom lens
  

Olympus OMD EM5 iii (M 4/3) mirrorless

• M. Zuiko 12-100mm f4
• M. Zuiko 9-18mm f4 - 5.6
• M. Zuiko ("pancake" )14 - 42mm f3.5 - 5.6
• Bower 7mm Fisheye

Other Gear

• Sirui foldable carbon fiber tripod with "Arca-Swiss" type Benro Gear Head (M-3204X)
• Sirui Ultralight, packable carbon fiber tripod with "Arca-Swiss" type Ball Head (T-025)
• L-Brackets
• 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 B&W CPL filters, bubble level, and an assortment of square 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 the smallest LowePro backpack available (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 put the very small, Olympus setup in small, packing-cube type bags in my carry-on, and use a very 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).