Before diving into my camera bag, another caveat on gear - all the best camera gear in the world will not make you a great photographer. It is still what is behind the camera and between your ears and perhaps a little of what is in your heart that will make you a better photographer. It does help though to have an assist from today's technology in your hands. The right tools in the hands of a craftsman can result in some really special things.
First and foremost, the camera is a Nikon D850 which unfortunately is being repaired by Nikon at the moment. This was my latest acquisition almost a year ago and I am simply amazed at some of the images I have taken with this camera. With a 45.7 megapixel (mp), full-frame, CMOS sensor and a frame rate of 7 frames per second, which can be increased to 9 frames per second with the battery pack, this is a great camera for almost type of shooting. The images from this camera are just stunning. My backup camera is a Nikon D750 which has a 24 mp full-frame sensor which does very well in low light at high ISO settings.
I have the trifecta of Nikon lenses - the 14-24mm, 24-70mm and the 70-200 mm, all of which are f2.8 lenses. This is one of Nikon's best lenses and I consider this to be my sky lens. Dramatic clouds really stand out when I use this lens. Here is one example:
I also like the 14-24 mm for closeup wide-angle shots such as this northern leopard frog. The lens was only a couple of inches from the front of the frog in this shot.
The 24- 70 mm is a versatile lens that gets a lot of everyday use. Both the 24-70 mm and the 70-200 mm take a 77 mm filter which is convenient. The 70-200 which I use for stage events and other medium telephoto shots has first generation vibration reduction (Nikon's term). Canon calls it image stabilization and other manufacturers use their own terminology. I also have the Nikon 500 mm f4 lens that I use for birds and other wildlife. This is one of Nikon's best telephoto lenses and I find the resolution and bokeh (out of focus background) to be outstanding. Below is one of my birds taken with this lens. I love the sharpness of this lens and it helps to have an aperture of f4 available if needed. But quite frankly, I find that the sharpest f-stop for this lens to be around f8 to f11. The main drawbacks are the cost and weight of this lens.
I also use the Nikon 1.4x and 1.7x teleconverters to extend the reach of the 500 mm lens. Again it is nice to add these to a f4 lens as the teleconverters reduce the light by 1 1/3 and 1 2/3 stops of light respectively. I find that I still get super sharp images even with the teleconverters.
Finally, as I also like to do close up work I currently have the 105 mm Nikon f 2.8 D macro lens. This is an older lens and I am looking to upgrade to the AFS version of this lens. This will enable me to use the focus shift feature on the Nikon D850 to create a series of images at different focus points that can later be stacked using Photoshop to extend the depth-of-field. Also, known as focus stacking, the ability to automatically capture a series of images at different focus points is a great new feature on the D850.
Speaking of filters I use a B&W screw-in polarizer and several neutral density filters (an 8 stop Hoya and a 3 stop B&W) which I use for waterfalls and other times when I want to show motion with a slower shutter speed. Here is an example of a long exposure using a neutral density filter:
I also have a Cokin system of graduated neutral density filters.These square filters fit into a holder and I like to use these to darken skies while retaining as much light as possible on the landscape. Truth be told, I have used these less of late with the Nikon D850 camera because I am finding that the greater dynamic range capabilities of this camera make getting all of the tonalities in one shot without a filter much easier than ever.
I have an older Nikon 800 SB 800 flash which I have used indoors at events. This is a very versatile flash and for years many photographers used this flash for studio work. I also have a flash extender which is a magnifying glass with a holder to project the flash out further than I could normally. I have used this for wildlife work, but I don't really like to use it because it is awkward to mount on the flash and can give an unnatural look to wildlife photos as well as possibly startling wildlife with the bright flash.
Here is an example of one time when I used the flash extender:
Is was already getting dark and the owl was too far away for a flash. There was quite a bit of red-eye in the shot that had to be removed in Photoshop and to me this is not natural looking as the flash is too obvious. I have a few diffusers which fit over the flash to create softer light from a flash and I will use a diffuser when photographing people at events.
Finally, to stabilize my camera I use a Gitzo 3541 tripod and a Kirk BH-1 ball head with a Arca-Swiss quick release system. I have L brackets made by Kirk on both camera bodies. This allows me to switch my camera from horizontal to vertical without having to flop the camera on the tripod to one side or the other which is not very stable and changes the angle of the camera to the subject. The L-brackets also protect the camera on the bottom and one side in case the camera is dropped, an all to common thing for me. I also acquired a focusing rail to help with macro and other close up type work. This makes it easy to make small adjustments in the distance from the camera to the subject which is critical in close-up photography. I use a gimbal head called a sidekick with my 500 mm lens. This head is less expensive than the standard gimbal head. It allows me more control of my 500 mm lens while keeping the camera steady.
My gear includes other odds and ends such as a weather cover, a remote trigger for really long exposures, few extra camera batteries, a bulb blower for cleaning and assorted lens cloths. All of my gear has been acquired over an extended period of time. There have been earlier lenses which I felt did not yield sharp images and these were sold on Ebay. Some of the gear will be upgraded such as the 70-200mm lens which is temperamental at times when it comes to autofocus and newer models have a more advanced vibration stabilization as well as better optics. All-in-all though I am quite well equipped for most any photographic challenge. And, to be honest, not all of this gear fits in one camera bag. If so, I would need to have a strong back or perhaps a mule to carry all of this gear. I use two camera bags and will pack what I think I will be needing into one bag. For example, my macro equipment during the spring wildflower season.
I have a lot of money invested in my equipment and this year I decided to get a separate insurance policy through a company affiliated with the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) which gives me peace of mind. Hint: if you are a professional your homeowners policy may not cover your camera equipment, but even if they do the deductible may be prohibitive. Check with your insurance agent.
Most of my gear has been purchased new, but I am finding good bargains on used lenses with KEH.com. I would prefer to support local camera outlets, but quite often the selection is not what I need and sometimes the price is better online. I have used B&H, Adorama and Hunt's Camera for the cameras and new lenses. Finally, as I tell many, a great site to use for research is www.dpreview.com. They provide reviews of most gear and have other great articles. You can even do a side-by-side comparison of similar gear.
If you have any thoughts on gear I would love to hear more. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail. Also, if you would like to see more examples of my work check out my website at www.tomhaxbyphotos.comhttps://tomhaxbyphotos.smugmug.com/
Finally, if you have not bookmarked my blog, which would be a great idea, there is a link from my website to my blog. Which you might also want to bookmark.
