Photography Gear List
Photographer
For the last 30+ years my photography gear list consisted primarily of a 4×5 view camera and one 210mm lens. My most recent view camera was an Arca-Swiss F Field Clasic with Micro-Orbix. Many of the images in my galleries were composed with this camera using various lenses. The most knowledgeable person for Arca-Swiss in the United States is Rod Klukas, formerly of Photomart in Phoenix and now the US representative. For additional Arca-Swiss resources see Tom Westbrook , and Precision Camera Works .
Phil with his Canon 5D MKII and 70mm - 100mm lense.
My photography gear now consists of a Canon EOS 5D MKII system. While this gear does not provide the same image size as the Arca-Swiss, the Canon DSLR offers many advantages. Foremost is the very quick turn-around from image creation to processed image. With the Arca-Swiss and shooting with Velvia film, I would wait a minimum of one to two weeks for my processed images to return. Then of course I needed to decide if I would pay for a high quality drum scan or a lower quality flat-bed scan on my Epson V750. Now I just import into my raw processor of choice, Lightroom, and then finish the image in Photoshop CS5.
A second advantage of working with my new gear is the ability to use the Live View function. I use a Hoodman Loupe which essentially functions in the same way of using a loupe to view the ground glass of a 4×5 view camera. I use the Canon Live View zoom feature to enlarge the image up to ten times. This slower pace is similar to working with a 4×5 view camera. A third advantage is simplification in determining proper exposure via observing the image histogram.
My current list of photography gear is:
- Canon EOS 5D MKII
- Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
- Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
- Gitzo GT3530LS w/GS%121LVL Leveling Base and Acratech GP Ballhead
- Hoodman Loupe
- Various Sing-Ray Graduated Neutral Density filters and the Cokin Z-Pro holder
- Polarizers – clear and warm
- Canon TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller
- Various tools and accessories
The first image was taken by my good friend Ron when I was doing an assignment to photograph a mutual friend’s rustic cabin in rural Washington state. The camera is of course the Arca-Swiss I owned at the time. As you readily see in the image I also owned a nice head of hair. This image was taken just after major surgery to remove a metastatic lung tumor. A few months later my hair was gone from the MVAC chemotherapy I received. The second image with the new Canon gear nicely shows my hair loss. My cancer journey may be a topic I’ll talk about down the road. Time will tell!
