I’m not going to fill a site with a series of pictures of my photography equipment because there’s plenty of that around in many different and various other places. And all this camera stuff looks the same anyway.
Those of you that know of my past week’s hunt for a suitable transport solution will wonder what I settled on. It’s the Lowe Pro Rolling Computrekker AW Plus. Gee, isn’t that a mouthfull for a product name, eh! The previous Slingshot 200 was just too small and my other Computrekker AW backpack managed to barely fit everything and as a result it was just too much to carry around on my back (especially with airports and scanners and also traveling with a laptop bag with the HP8710w and assorted other bits in there). The Rolling version, which is also larger and has a bit more space is definitely the better solution. Still heavy but I don’t have to lug it around on my back.
Of course I still can’t get all my stuff in there but on my current trips I’m going to bring mostly the professional lenses for a change so I’m leaving various others at home (like the Nikon 18-200mm, Nikon 70-300 VR, Sigma ‘Bigma’ 50-500mm, etc.) and instead I’m going to rely on a two camera solution with, mostly, the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8.
For reference (and others googling around for this camera bag and what it can hold) the bag contains:
Nikon D200 + MB-D200 Battery Grip + Optech Strap
Nikon D300 + Optech Strap
Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip (in the zipped compartment)
Nikon 24-70mm f2.8
Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR
Nikon 50mm f1.4D
Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC HSM
Sigma 10-20mm f4.0-5.6 EX DC HSM
Expodisc 77mm (White Balance)
Nikon SB-600 Flash + Diffuser, Stand
Nikon SB-800 Flash + Diffuser, Stand, SJ-800 Filters, 5th Battery Addon
Nikon SB-900 Flash + Diffuser, Stand, SJ-3 Filters + Filter Holder
2 x Nikon EN-EL3e batteries in the MB-D200
1 x Nikon EN-EL3e battery in the D300
1 x Nikon EN-EL4a battery in the MB-D10
2 x Nikon lens and body caps (zipped compartment on top)
2 x Nikon EN-EL3e extra batteries
1 x Nikon EN-EL4a extra battery
2 x Nikon MH-18a (EN-EL3) chargers
1 x Nikon MH-21 (EN-EL4a) charger
4 x Sandisk Extreme III 4GB CF cards
2 x Sandisk Extreme III 8GB CF cards
2 x Sandisk Extreme IV 16GB CF cards
3 x Power cables (for the chargers)
2 x USB Camera cables
2 x Microfiber Lens cleaning cloths
12 x Visible Dust DHAP Sensor Cleaning Swabs
1 x Visible Dust Vdust Plus fluid
1 x Visible Dust Smear Away fluid
1 x Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly Brush
After getting all that through airports and security I don’t plan on taking the rolling bag along at all. For actual shooting I’ll rely on my trustworthy Think Tank modular belt solution. I can mix and match the modules based on what I want to bring along and only take those things along that I need or think I’ll need. Sling two cameras over the shoulders and the Pixel Racing Harness will take care of most of the weight. For simple situations I also have one of those Digital Holster 50’s around in case I’m expecting bad weather.
Not only do you have a impressive office, you also have very nice camera equipment! I guess it’s stupid to ask if you use it all:P You are a professional photographer on top of being a software developer? I am a developer in the making and also having a interest in photography so I have to admit that I am VERY jealous;)
You just have to accept that us mortals can’t do nothing else than admire you and be insanely jealous:P
Enough crazy jealous rambling. What I wondered was if it is a hobby or if you do it (photographing) professionally?
Ah, no, I’m not a professional photographer. At least, not by the definition of “earning a living taking pictures” or “making money”. In my case it’s just a hobby but one I take seriously and try and have fun with, learn from, and be creative with. Unfortunately it is also a hobby that only costs money.
Sometimes when I’m taking pictures somewhere people ask me if I’m a professional and I usually tell them “No, but I’m good at pretending that I am” and “Luckily not because there’s not enough money in it to earn a decent living” (which is unfortunate for real pro’s because with the age of digital photography the industry has gotten quite a lot of people getting into it and undercutting the pro’s prices, etc.)
Back in the mid to late 80’s when I was still in the Audio/Video (post-)production field I learned a lot about lighting, photography, etc. and dabbled around in it as a hobby and professionally to a limited degree. Always enjoyed it but only decided a few years ago to pick it up as a hobby again and ignored the old film gear and went digital with an Olympus E-10, which was one of the first digital SLR’s at the time. Then, three years ago I wanted something lighter and easier to carry and travel with and ended up going Nikon and… not lighter but much heavier and bigger and… then things just sort of got into a spiral. Things kept getting heavier and “more”. 🙂
I must say, though, in my office I pretty much really do use everything. With photography I have to admit that there are a few things I almost never use, like the really nice Nikon 105mm VR micro! Somehow I never get around to really using it! 🙂