|
NavigationUser login |
The Photographer's Toolbox To capture great images you not only have to have a well-trained eye you need to select and master the tools of the trade. So let's have a look at what I consider the essential tools for any photographer. The 35mm Camera Body When you buy a 35mm camera body you are, for the most part, buying into a whole line of equipment- a brand name (say Canon, Nikon or Olympus). This is because of the widely held opinion that you should buy lenses that are made buy the same manufacturer as your chosen camera. There are exceptions, but it is important to choose a camera body that offers all of the lenses and accessories that you may want to acquire over time. I recommend buying a camera that allows you to interchange lenses and easily override the automatic and auto focus modes. Before you buy it is critical that you, literally, get a "feel" for your choices. If you are buying on the Internet, go to a brick and mortar camera store and spend some time with your choices. Work through the control dials and take note of whether or not they are positioned where you can access them easily. Ask yourself: Does the camera feel good in your hands? Do you like the way the information inside the viewfinder reads out? How heavy and bulky is the camera…will you backpacking and want a lighter model? Ask the counter person to see the instruction manual, or to explain all of the icons and modes of operation for you. If that salesperson does an exceptional job explaining all of this, I would suggest that education might be worth paying the extra forty or so dollars to the store. Lenses Do not skimp on lenses. They are as important as the camera itself. When shopping for lenses, you should become familiar with the term "fast lenses". The speed of a lens refers to the maximum opening of the aperture (or f-stop) of that lens. A large aperture (like f-1.4) permits a greater amount of light to reach the film, which is important in dimly lit situations. Fast lenses are generally synonymous with high-end quality lenses. You will quickly see the dramatic difference between fast and slow lenses when you begin to compare prices. Optimally, you want to have a wide range of lenses in your bag. Lenses are measured by their angle of view: 16mm is a very wide-angle lens, whereas 600mm is a very long, telephoto lens. I used to frown upon zoom lenses because they were slow and had lame optics and lame results. That has changed drastically over the last ten years. You can now buy a 28mm-105mm f/2.8 from Tamron for around $800.00 (a great, fast lens I will be reviewing in an upcoming article). It is a big, bulky lens, but it is like having five fast lenses in one. In the end, the kind of photography you want to do will dictate the lenses you choose. But I can say confidently, and from experience, that you get what you pay for when it comes to optics. I suggest buying the best you can afford. Filters You might want to click over to my previous article about filters for a more detailed look at this subject. As mentioned I believe that it is imperative to have excellent optical lenses so why would you mount anything in front of those lens that wasn't also of excellent optical quality. You should keep a filter on your lenses at all times, if for nothing other than to protect the fragile surface of that lens. Remember that it is a lot cheaper to replace a $30 filter, than to replace a $1000 lens. Skylight 1A filters, and UV Haze filters are often left on the lens at all times for that very purpose. I would buy one of those two filters for each lens, plus a a circular polarizing filter (to cut glare and deepen the color of the sky), a 81A warming filter (to slightly "warm up" cool shade and shadows), and perhaps a neutral density filter (which only blocks light and does not effect the image otherwise). I am not a fan of "creative filtering", but there are a plethora of choices out there for those interested in turning noontime into sunset and so forth. My main advice here is to keep your filters on, and keep them clean and scratch-free. Tripods A tripod is another essential tool because so many great shots occur in low light situation (sunrises, back alleys). Remember any time the light requires you to set your speed shutter lower than 1/60th of a second, you can no longer handhold the camera, unless you're going for that blurred effect. Strong, sturdy tripods tend to be heavy and bulky. New carbon fiber tripods are sturdy and lightweight, but until recently, have cost thousand of dollars. My advice: Buy a medium to small tripod, and make sure the center post has a screw mount in it. Then put a screw with a hooked end into this mount. From this hook you can hang a heavy bag of rocks, sand, or camera bag and essentially turn your 100 dollar tripod into a 900 dollar model. Flashes All modern cameras, and their dedicated flash counterparts, have taken the misery out of calculating flash ratios. I used to dread using a flash until these new tools came along. The big brains in the new cameras do all the hard work, especially when it comes to daylight fill flash calculations. Many cameras have a small, built-in flash (like the Canon EOS A2), which work great for daylight fill flashing, but don't count on it to light up a large indoor room or the like. Camera Bags Gone are the days of the old style camera bags that had seatbelt straps that would dig painful groves into your shoulder. There are a number of excellent bags out there that got smart and shared technology with the backpacking industry. After years of pain, camera bags are finally comfortable. When going on a long trip, with 70+ pounds of gear, I usually pack a Lowepro Trekker AW to hold the bulk of my gear. I will also pack smaller camera bags into my checked luggage and pull them out and use them when going on side treks. I will, depending on location, also carry a Pelican waterproof hard case. Sizes and styles are numerous for both hard and soft cases. Accessories After you weed through all of the crazy gadgets, you will find that there are lots of important small accessories that you will continually need in your bag. Here's a partial list:
Film All I want to say about film, until my upcoming article on the subject, is try to save enough money to buy and process plenty of it…because shooting lots of film is the best teacher out there. By Howard Kelley [] 
If you like this site then please subscribe to our full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email. huh? Similar |
Photo Forums
|
Printer-friendly version