what gear do you bring when you go shooting?

[mikelangelo]

What kind of gear do you bring with you when you're out in the field?

Just a camera and one lens? Lens cleaning kit? Tripod? Monopod?

My wife bought me LowePro's Off Trail 2 Belt pack for when we go hiking. It holds my Rebel with 70-200 lens, plus two attachments for extra lenses, etc.

I'm going to Arizona this weekend and my wife and I will hike on at least one mountain, so I wanted something comfortable.

I'm curious what others bring on their photo outings... Is a tripod/monopod important to bring?

[Joe[y]]

i ALWAYS carry my digital compact (canon powershot s2) but when i'm out 'searching' for photos i simply carry a film nikon slr (n75) with a 28-80mm and a 70-300mm lens. if i've seen a spot for a landscape (not often) i take my tripod out with me too. pretty normal amateur stuff really!

though, you might catch me looking like a nut in the city with a 'toy camera' every now and then

[ctranter]

It depends what I think Im going to use. If Im going to use the 400 with 1.4x I need the tripod. I can fit all my kit in my rucksack, so thats not a problem, but obviously if I know im just going down the road to take macro shots, ill just take my macro.

Im looking into getting the new 24-105 f/4L for a nice walk around lens.

[mikelangelo]

Im looking into getting the new 24-105 f/4L for a nice walk around lens.


I was thinking the same thing... of course not realizing it was over $1k. I had hopes it wouldn't be so expensive...but I should've known better.

[blinking8s]

i keep my 17-40, 50 and 85 with me or nearby at all times, in the "field" or at work i have my camera bag which is a backpack, containing all my gear (17-40, 50, 85, 70-200, 580ex and monopod) and a 35mm SLR as backup. One day another dslr as backup, but my shopping list is very long, this will be a while...

but whenever I dont have something with me at work is when I need it most...

for fun stuff, I usually just took my 50mm, but I picked up a 17-40 last week so it stays on the camera most now...

[Hippo]

For Digital:

At least 5 sets of charged batterys, all of my memory cards, my camera, misc accesories, a tripod if im goin to be in low light areas or plan on doin long exposures.

Film:
a 28-90mm, 90-200mm, body, 10+ rolls of film, tripod.

[derevaun]

For an SLR setup, I'd bring a standard lens, a long portrait lens, and a zoom that goes wide (i.e. for film a 50mm, 135mm, & 28-70mm) and a tripod for the clenched aperture shots. The first thing to throw at gila monsters would probably be the wide zoom.

There's always something cool blooming in the desert, so a set of diopters or a reverse thread adapter is a good idea too. I usually also bring a Holga/Diana/Empire Baby toy camera because they're light and they do that particular thing.

Don't forget an extra liter of water!

[mikelangelo]

Set of diopters? Could you explain in more detail what those are? What exactly do Diopters do?

[dontfeedthenerd]

Diopters correct vision. So you can look through the lens without your glasses.


Me.. If I'm hiking, I bring my XT, my15-55, my 100mm macro, and my 75-300, all of which fit in my Tamrac expedition 3. I can also strap on my tripod to that.

I have a UV filter, a polarizer and yea. So basically I take along everything I have. I've never had a problem with batteries, the XT doesn't chew up charge anyways. I only have one mem card, I'm looking to save up for another one tho

[derevaun]

Set of diopters? Could you explain in more detail what those are? What exactly do Diopters do?

Sorry--I meant close-up filters. Cheers!

[mikelangelo]

well... I brought 3 extra batteries, 2 1GB cards, my 70-200 and my 18-55 lenses with polarizing/UV filters and lots of water. My wife and I hiked up Picacho Peak this mornign. Took us about 4 1/2 hours. It was difficult. There was a team of about 8 firefighters out for a workout behind us. They were in full gear (yellow shirts, green pants, helmets, LOT's of water, etc.) and they caught up to us pretty quick..but they turned back as a couple of their party weren't doing so well. Hiking in Arizona...in august... not the easiest thing to do.

It was frustrating... I seemed to have the wrong lens on at the wrong times... and I didn't even think to get a portrait of the firefighters while I had the chance. I was SO mad 'cause they would have made a great shot!!

Here's a couple pics from my trip. Thanks for all the tips.
http://www.mikelangelo.com/blog/index.php?showimage=214
http://www.mikelangelo.com/blog/index.php?showimage=215
http://www.mikelangelo.com/blog/index.php?showimage=216