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The Equipment
Like most photographers, I'm often asked what type
of equipment I use. I chose the Canon EOS system a few years
ago, largely because of their advances in digital SLR cameras
and flash with wireless TTL. I think that Canon continues
to take the lead in digital photography technology but Nikon
is also making some great equipment as of late. You can't
go wrong with either system, and if you're starting out,
I would recommend sticking to the two major brands for three
reasons: you will find more available equipment, you know
that your investment in a photographic system will last,
and there will be many knowledgeable photographers offering
workshops who are familiar with Canon and Nikon.
Nature photography requires a lot of camera
equipment so one has to pick and choose what one takes into
the field on a given day. Here's my full equipment list
along with a few comments:
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Canon EOS 20D
camera body
Since I shoot a lot of closeups of little things
and telephoto shots of birds and other animals that are
far away, the 1.6x magnification factor on the 20D is
a blessing. I've not traded this camera for the Canon
30D because I simply don't feel that it offers enough
of an upgrade over the 20D to make it worthwhile. Once
the rumored 40D comes out, however, I will definitely
want to make the switch. I'm also hoping to add a Canon
5D camera body for my landscape work.
-
Canon EF 300
mm f2.8L IS lens
Legendary sharpness, and the IS is a huge help
even on the tripod because in Costa Rica, one is often
shooting wildlife at marginal shutter speeds (1/30, 1/60)
even after cranking up the ISO.
-
Canon EF 100
mm f2.8 macro lens
A great focal length for me, as macro in the rainforest
is often done handheld using flash; a 180 mm macro lens
is a bit too big and gets you too far away from the subject
for pleasing flash lighting. This lens is well-built,
tack sharp, and reasonably priced.
-
Tokina ATX-Pro
28-70 f2.8 zoom lens
Nice and sharp for portraits and landscapes and a less
expensive alternative to the equivalent Canon lenses.
The Tokina is built like a tank. Nonetheless, I have had
problems with the contact strip that communicates aperture
information to the camera on two other Tokina lenses (my
12-24 f4 and 80-200 f2.8) and as a result I am changing
over to Canon L lenses as my budget allows. I have my
eye on the Canon 24-105 f4 IS L lens to replace this Tokina.
-
Canon EF 50
mm f1.8 lens
This wonderful little lens is cheap (US $65!), sharp,
unassuming, and super fast. It's a great lens for candid
shots in low light, for in-studio work with the 20D, and
can even do double duty as a macro lens for very small
subjects with an extension tube and a 1.4x teleconverter.
-
Canon EF 17-40
mm f4 L wide angle zoom lens
I bought this lens recently to replace my failed Tokina
12-24 wide angle zoom for reliable wide angle work with
my 20D and an eye toward using it for super wide angle
work with a Canon 5D full-frame body when I can acquire
one. The lens is very sharp and has relatively little
distortion, chromatic aberration, and flare for a lens
in this class. Indeed, it is reported to outperform Canon's
more expensive and heavier 17-35 f2.8 and 16-35 f2.8 in
these areas. At about half the price of these lenses,
the 17-40 mm boasts great build and sharpness in an affordable
L lens.
-
Canon 75-300
mm f4-5.6 IS zoom lens
This lens is not the sharpest, but it's also not very
expensive. I find it useful for handheld work if I'm traveling
light, and IS is always a nice plus. It also works well
for landscapes on tripod except for the fact that the
front element rotates, making use of a polarizing filter
cumbersome. I hope to replace this lens soon with the
fantastic new Canon EF 70-200 mm f4 L IS zoom lens.
-
Canon MT-24
EX macro twin flash
The best flash around for handheld macro work (though
the Nikon wireless twin flash looks very nice!); I use
it frequently with my 550 EX Speedlite flash as a slave
for backlighting and sidelighting of small subjects such
as ants, frogs, and even flowers.
-
Canon 25 mm
extension tube
This is one of my favorites accessories. I use it to add
extra magnification for macro work and with my 300 mm
lens for closer focusing on subjects such as flowers,
hummingbirds, and snakes.
-
Manfrotto 055MF3
Magnesium Fibre Tripod
I changed from my older and heavier Gitzo to this Manfrotto
on the recommendation of my friend Jerry Goffe, a Canon
Professional Services member and wildlife photographer
from New Mexico. It gives great strength to weight ratio
at a fraction of the cost of carbon fiber and works great
with lenses up to the Canon 500 mm f4. It has a carrying
strap, removeable center column, and legs that spread
to 90 degrees for low angle shooting. I use a Bogen 3-way
head, which may not be the best choice for wildlife but
is actually better for landscape and macro work because
you can control all 3 axes independently, making fine
adjustments much easier than with a ballhead. This is
a compromise I've made to fit my varied shooting interests.
-
Miscellaneous
accessories
For me, these include an off-camera flash cord, cable
release, polarizing filters, graduated filters, Photoflex
reflectors, car sunshades (which are cheap and make great
reflectors for larger subjects), small manual slave flashes,
rapid battery charger and lots of rechargeable AA batteries,
Leatherman pocket tool, camera pack cover, ponchos, ziploc
bags, and plenty of sunscreen and mosquito repellant.
-
Britek 4 strobe
studio flash kit
A very inexpensive starter kit, complete with softboxes
and umbrellas, for occasional indoor work with flowers
and people. I'm planning to try it soon for lighting hummingbirds
pollinating flowers in my backyard here in the highlands
of Costa Rica. I'll be reporting my successes (hopefully!)
and failures (hopefully not!) in the coming months on
my photo blog.
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