Your camera setup: what and why

But I bet you can lost in those 100MP images for days, like I still do when someone puts a globe in front of me.

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Yes. I do like zooming in all the way to see what’s there… usually nail heads, rust patterns, peeling paint.

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The problem here seems to be that Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc, all use full frame mounts on their APS-C cameras so at the end of the day even glass that only projects to APS-C will still be big due to the initial mount size. This is a good thing of course, there’s 60+ years of native Canon, Nikon and Minolta lenses that can be used in those cameras without adapters (pre-mirrorless at least).

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In theory, while those lenses need to be wider at the mount than necessary from a purely optical perspective, they do not have to maintain that width for the whole length.

In practice, not many are designed to take advantage of this though.

With age comes wisdom: you do not need to carry those large aperture lenses for most situations.

I am always puzzled by people (usually 60+ men) carrying FF constant f/2.8 zooms for travel photography in broad daylight, like south of 40°N during the summer, especially with modern FF MILCs that can do ISO 6400 without any problem.

Those lenses are huge. They make no sense in that context, except as a blunt instrument for self-defense.

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BEAST MODE…

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I guess the good thing about it being so heavy is that apparently I can hand hold my camera again. I was having problems with the Z7ii, I could never hand hold it, it was too unbalanced with the lens generally being too heavy. Now that the whole thing is heavy, I seem to be OK hand holding. No issue hand holding the GR iii. Some issues hand holding when I had the D850. Weird.

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Your body is repulsed by Nikon :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

I’ve heard the same reports from some people when it comes to heavy cameras, being much easier to handhold and also get stable shots as opposed to smaller ILC cameras.

Random thought: Pentax had those bulky but smallish DSLRs, I wonder if they had the same benefits as they look very well balanced.

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Something I would like to know more opinions on: what to carry all the gear in? I’ve heard a vote for “in my backpack”, I’ve seen one dedicated Lowepro photo bag, but what else do people use?

I have experience with a large-ish photo gear backpack (a Lowepro as well, I believe) which was nice enough and could hold the dslr and lenses and flash and stuff we had back then, but it was quite bulky and being a backpack meant you always had to do the whole “shrug the thing off, put it down somewhere, open it up without the whole kit dropping out, get whatever you need, put the rest back, zip it back up, shrug it on again” which got a bit cumbersome at times.

With a system cam and one or maybe two lenses on the horizon, I’m thinking about a shoulder bag or sling, something that I can keep in front of me and pull things out of from the top. I’m somewhat edging towards getting a normal messenger bag and using an insert, which keeps the price down, and IMO most camera bags, apart from being far more expensive than they have any right to be, scream “HELLO I AM A LOOT BOX” to me, I’d rather have something more low key.

I’d be interested in experiences and opinions of others!

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Depends entirely on your use case. Eg

  1. How and how long are you carrying your gear? Are you a wedding photographer that arrives on site, leaves the backup camera and lenses in the car, shoulders the two cameras and pockets the extra batteries and SD cards? Or are you a hiking 20km (w/ 1500m elevation) with your MILC using a lens or two?

  2. What do you need quick access to? All your lenses? All your filters? Only spare batteries?

  3. How much gear and how big is it? A GRiii? A single camera + lens? Two cameras, five lenses, and a drone?

  4. What else do you need to carry? (Most camera bags are designed to carry your camera gear + a few minor items).

  5. What kind of climate? Rain? Snow? Desert? Do you need a rain/dustproof solution?

That’s my choice:

Good questions!

In my case, it’d be a system camera (probably will be a Z50II) with one or two additional lenses, maybe a filter or two in the future. There’s something to be said for not hauling all the kit around all the time, but I would probably not have that much kit to begin with. I have high hopes that I can keep GAS under control (this statement is more a reminder to myself than a promise)…

This would be purely recreational outings, so to speak, I take pictures because I like taking pictures, no pressure or backups or whatnot. Also, the ability to head home when I get tired of it.

I don’t think I’d take that much extra stuff with me, it won’t be multi-day hikes or anything, just the kit, maybe a bottle of water and a snack, sunglasses, but not much else.

I’m the kind of person that totes his laptop to work in a dinky little €8 Decathlon backpack with just the sandwiches and work phone and that’s about it. Heck, I’ve considered just using that backpack (with an insert) but as I said, I’d like something I can wear in front of me.

I use a normal Haglöfs Vide backpack. I carry food and drinks in it, and my camera with one lens (usually the M.Zuiko 60mm macro) goes on top in the main part of the bag. Most of the time I also bring one extra lens, like the Panasonic Leica 15mm, which fits well in the top pocket.

Please let me know how you like it, if you get it!
I was considering it as an upgrade from D3500, but was put off by the unavailability of APS-C zooms. Currently looking at the Z5 II and going full-frame way…

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I usually carry my camera on a strap, or in a Deuter Stroof 5 sling bag. The bag is not a dedicated camera bag, but is large enough for a camera with lens, a bottle of water, and some snacks. It’s a great bag.

We need a PlayRaw. :slight_smile:

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I use a Brevite Jumper backpack.

It easily fits my macro setup with room to spare and I’ve managed to fit my R10 and a lens along with two smaller micro four thirds bodies and lenses.

I’ve used it as my personal item when flying as well. The top compartment is kind of small (it’s not wide enough to fit a Nintendo Switch) but it can fit a book, snacks, keys, etc. There’s a laptop sleeve where I put my tablet. The back accessory pockets can fit a lot of batteries, cables, chargers, etc. The pocket on the side can fit my large water bottle but can also hold a tripod depending on the size, and there’s straps on the bottom for bigger tripods.

It’s small, but I’ve managed to fit a lot in it. And importantly, it doesn’t look like a loot box. There is a side pocket for easy access to the camera body, but if that’s a concern you can buy a small lock to lock the zipper to other zippers to prevent it from being opened. I’ve had it for two years now and used it for multiple trips, and outside of summer I use it almost daily for macro stuff. No real wear and tear that I’ve experienced.

My Nikon gear is in a Lowepro Prostatic 450. This bag is large and fits pretty much all my Nikon gear. If I’m taking the X-T20 in there too, then I have a lens case for the Z100-400 lens.

My GFX 100S II is in a wandrd prvke 41L. This bag is so comfortable, the GFX gear is heavy. I wanted to get the larger insert for it as well, but they ran out and are making a new version of this bag so… I like the roll top on this bag which will allow me to carry things other than photo gear. Overall its really nice, I’d recommend it.

I also grabbed a wandrd rogue 6L sling. This fits the Z7ii with any lens other than the 100-400. I am going to experiment with carying this as well as the lowepro to be able to carry more gear when I’m out :hot_face: So far it is very comfortable.

I also have a goruck gr1 which is a regular backpack and and have some temba inserts. This is also a great bag and can carry lots of heavy stuff without issue.

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You guys seem to be bag experts, what do you think of: Element Sling 7L Volcano Black | Compact photo shoulder bag

German company, recycled materials, design seems great… I’m eyeing it for the Scotland trip. A backpack won’t cut it all the time

That wandrd sling looks great!

This looks like a great sling. The roll top is a feature you won’t find elsewhere. Seems great for travel. It is pricey for a sling that size, but the manfacturer makes high end stuff.

The most important thing for a camera sling is how it sits on your shoulder when it has gear in it. They start to become uncomfortable quickly of its not sitting right or the padding is inadequate.

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