What's in the bag?

[Nikonfreak]

Thought this might be a fun adventure for the forum. I've read a bunch of "What's in your photo bag" stuff from folks like Thom Hogan, Moose Peterson and a host of others so why not list what we use most often... and the list changes almost annually as folks upgrade, change gear, get different lenses, etc etc.

So what say?

If I'm shooting a concert:

The staples:
2 Nikon D300 camera bodies ... go everywhere...
Pelican 1510 Case
Lowe Pro Street and Field Harness system

Lenses:
Nikon 28-70 f/2.8 AF-S
NIkon 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR
Nikon 12-24 f/4
Nikon 85 f/1.4, Nikon 35 f/2 and Nikon 50 f/1.8 (backup in case the light levels aren't high enough to get away with ISO 800 to 1000 with the f/2.8 lenses)
Nikon 10.5 fisheye (recent addition)
Nikon SB800 (I prefer the Metz 58 AF-1 but it doesn't recycle fast enough for red carpet work).

If I'm in a press box not able to move about - Nikon 300 f/2.8 AF-S VR, Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR

If I'm doing an outdoor portrait or other such shoot:
Aside from camera bodies
Nikon 28-70 f/2.8 AF-S
Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR
Nikon 35 f/2
Nikon 85 f/1.4 (recent addition, will come along for very narrow DOF abilities)

Various reflectors of various sizes both round and oblong, AB flash units (3-4 of them), softboxes, etc... and Metz 58 AF-1 and Metz 45 CL-4, lots of cords and at least 4 pocket wizards.

If I'm out shooting wildlife:

Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR
Sigma 105 f/2.8 Macro
Nikon 300 f/2.8 AF-S VR
Nikon TC 17EII 1.7x teleconverter
SB 800 Nikon and Metz 58 AF-1
(Nikon 10.5 fisheye will probably come along next time)
SC 29 Sync cord
10" reflector

What would I change in 2008?
Not really much of anything...
I have one more D300 coming (3 total)
I will probably acquire at least two more studio strobes (brand and model undecided as of yet, but I will need more power than I currently have)
I likely will swap the 28-70 f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor for the new Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 AF-S lens to get the extra 4mm at the front end of the lens. I will decidedly avoid the purchase of the 17-55 f/2.8 DX lens.
I plan to purchase the 400 f/2.8 AF-S VR this year. If I budget properly, by around the middle of April.
I also plan to acquire my own Vagabond Battery pack ... borrowing is a hassle.

I don't plan to purchase any more DX lenses at all... period.

Edit -= PS .... I carry all of this stuff in a Lowe Pro Street and Field Harness system with various lens bags and such attached.

I have various bags and systems to lug all this stuff around. I have a Lowe Pro Mini Trekker, Lowe Pro mid size trekker, and a large one that holds a computer. I also have the Pelican 1510 case for travel and when I'm not taking a lot of gear.

All this shifts around depending on what I'm doing and what I'm shooting. I have cords up the wazoo, cables, yada yada, depending on what I'm shooting and stands coming out my ears, booms, etc.

I should have mentioned that I plan to pick up a scrim this coming year. I will want a fairly good size one for various projects that are kind of kicking around.

Julio

[INSOMNIAC269]

That's not a bag! How many Sherpa's do have helping you with all that, lol. Seriously, nice stuff.

Me in a nutshell, scenic stuff.
Nikon D300
28-70mm f2.8
Tokina 12-24mm f4
Tokina 100mm f2.8 for macro
70-200mm f2.8
Sigma 30mm 1.4
SB800
ND Filter
Graduated ND filter
Circular polarizing filter
Manfrotto Carbon fiber tripod/remote shutter release

Outdoor portraits
D300
D200
28-70mm f2.8
70-200mm f2.8
Sigma 30mm f1.4
SB800
Sb600
2 stands
2 silver/white umbrellas
expodisc for WB

[cyclohexane]

Where's the pictures to go with this?

Here's my stuff; all lenses/flashes/accessories that go on the camera Nikon-brand for the next few sections

General news, etc:
1 camera body (D300 or D2HS; hopefully just D300's or better to choose from eventually)
17-35mm f/2.8D AF-S
70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR
1 SB-800 with SC-29 offshoe TTL cord

...plus some odds and ends like the included diffuser for the SB-800, a green gel for fluorescent lights that I always forget about, extra batteries, loose shoelace in case anything needs to be tied, small bit of gaffer's tape, 77mm circular polarizer...

Sometimes I use an 85mm f/1.4D AF instead of the 70-200mm.

This is all kept in a sand-colored Domke F-3X with the logos removed.

"News" Portraits

This bit is a work in progress because I'm not much of a portrait shooter lately (will change; boss's orders), but it usually entails a camera with whatever lens necessary for the concept, plus some of the following:

2 SB-800 flashes
1 SB-600 flash
2 light stands with umbrellas (that $100 kit made by Impact from B&H; mounting heads are reassembled to actually hold the umbrella properly)

...and any other light modifiers desired (i.e. the included diffusers that came with the SB-800), gaffer's tape, and so on.

Sports

2 camera bodies (D300 and D2HS; used to be a D2H and D2HS)
17-35mm f/2.8D AF-S
70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR
300mm f/2.8G AF-S VR

400mm f/2.8D AF-S I in a ThinkTank Glass Taxi

...plus a Gitzo 1588 monopod, some CF cards, maybe an SB-800 if the situation warrants in, and whatever extras I need... usually gaffer's tape, locks, etc.

This (minus the 400mm) is in a Pelican 1510 rolling case with the velcro dividers. The largest carry-on allowable (U.S. domestic) rolling case made by Pelican, and also tough enough to survive being checked-in with all the gear intact and unharmed. Close-up:
ThinkTank's Airport International would fit all this and some extras (plus laptop), but while it'd survive being checked-in, the gear might suffer a bit, so I haven't moved to that. We got this for my dad for Christmas though, and he loves it just to wheel things around in, even if he doesn't usually travel with all of his kit.

On location, the gear ends up scattered between a belt kit with pouches and slung over my shoulder.

Sometimes an 85mm f/1.4D is in the case instead of the SB-800.

Occasionally joins the rest of the gear on outings:

Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF - Don't use this enough, but it has it's niche for dungeon, er, indoor sports (when f/2.8 isn't enough) and some other things. Also used as a smaller, less conspicuous short telephoto.

The film hold-over kit
F3/T (beat-up clunker with parts from a regular black F3; black regular eyepoint viewfinder; meter requires repair)
FM2N (Taiwan's special edition version from the year of the Dragon)
20mm f/2.8
105mm f/1.8
Hasselblad 500CM with 80mm f/2.8 (still need to test for leaks)
...plus a 62mm circular polarizer (though a linear would be fine), cable release, etc.

This is in a sand-colored Domke F-2 which still has the logos on it. Also often accompanied by a medium-sized Gitzo tripod with Kirk BH-1 ballhead, which is probably the only tripod work I do. The F3 and the Hasselblad are for class, and the FM2N is probably the only item I'd "collect"; it gets used equally as much as the F3 though.

A 50mm f/1.4 (matched to the FM2N) is usually in the bag here, but I don't use it much.

-------------------------

Used to own, but sold:
Tokina 12-24mm f/4 "Pro AT-X" or whatever - don't use it enough; great lens except for flare performance (sharp, good color, well-made), really, but not worth having around for the 15% stuff I need wider than 17-20mm (on APS-C digital, no less).

Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G AF-S DX - lost amongst the other lenses; doesn't share filters, etc.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF - don't use it enough any more; used to be my staple lens and is probably the lens I've had the most stick time with; has visited Mexico, Japan (Hokkaido and Honshu), Taiwan, Finland, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and any number of connections in between, U.S. and abroad.

Nikon TC-20E 2x teleconverter - 2 stop loss is actually a 3 stop loss when you consider the fact that stopping down 1 stop is the first step towards actually getting acceptably sharp images out of this thing. Going from f/2.8 to f/8 is a huge impact on available shutter speeds. Results look great so far with the 400mm f/2.8, but how often do I get to shoot at f/8 any more?

Nikon D70 - with a D2H and D2HS, this didn't get used much. Sold to a friend who'll use it so it won't spend the rest of its natural life sitting in a closet.

Nikon D2H - sold to make room for a D300.

----------------------------

Basically, the kits are structured around:

Usability: Which lenses can I use all the time (17-35mm, 70-200mm), or at least for more than one purpose (300mm)? What special lenses do I find myself needing (400mm)?

Common filter size: This is for screw-on filters, so 62mm or 77mm. I really only use a circular polarizer in these two sizes on occasion, and though the two big telephotos share the drop-in filter size I don't use the CPL1L polarizer (my dad does own one for his 200-400mm).

Batteries: Standardizing on EN-EL4/A batteries makes life simple, and battery changes few and far between.

-----------------------------

Changes?
I thought about selling the D2HS but the prices for really nice, hardly-used ones is already in a rather sad realm. Also, I'd have to find a MH-21 or MH-22 charger for the EN-EL4A batteries, which seem to have disappeared from stores. Still, I'll probably sell it anyways to go towards another D300.
One shooter told me that the new Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 is sweet and basically everything short of a life-changing experience, so if I can somehow make room for that I'll definitely try to. Would be sweet to have 45-70mm for gym sports, though f/2.8 is still depressing...

[rootrider]

most of the time
all carried in a Case Logic slr backpack (SLRC-4):
D70 body, around 45k actuations
Tamron 17-50mm 2.8, Hoya 67mm CP
Nikon 80-200mm 2.8, B+W F-Pro 77mm CP
Nikon 300mm f/4, Nikon 39mm drop-in UV filter
Nikon 50mm 1.8, usually has a Nikon yellow filter for film, sometimes a Nikon CP
Kenko 1.4x Teleplus Pro-300 DG teleconverter
an extra battery
lens pen & lens cloth
a few business cards

usually at home
Nikon 18-70mm
Nikon SB-600
my tripod (some cheap Sunpak)

Nikon FA body

I usually only bring the 18-70 out when I know I'll need the extra length or the AF-S. The Tamron's AF speed is nearly as fast and I rarely miss the 50-70mm range.

The SB-600 is patiently waiting for a companion (ie. at least one other SB-600, or maybe just some slaves). I have little use for the flash being on my camera and having only one flash to shoot wirelessly isn't nearly as fun as having two or more

the tripod.. it's cheap, can barely deal with the weight of the 80-200 or 300mm, and it's a pain to set up quickly. In reality I probably need a good monopod, a sturdy tripod for long exposures, and a light-weight quick-to-set-up tripod for quick shooting and easy mobility. I tend to only use my current tripod when I need to shoot slower then 1/4th second or so.

The Nikon FA.. I really need a wide angle lens for that camera. With 50mm being the widest I can shoot at on film right now it's not very fun.

future
Well I lost my job two months ago so that kind of put my purchase plan on hold for a while. When I get the chance I'll likely pick up a D300, using what's left of my D70 as a backup until it dies (then maybe buy a used D200).

Next lens purchases will hopefully be a couple lenses for the FA. I'd love to re-purchase the 20mm 2.8.. and then maybe buy something like the 35-70 2.8 or 28-70 2.8. That should complete my lens set for the film camera.

As for my main camera(s):

• I will be buying the Tokina 12-24mm f/4 as soon as possible. I loath having 17mm as the widest I can go.
• Next will probably be a prime or two.. I don't use my 50mm much at all on the digital body since I find the ~75 - 85mm equiv. fov mostly useless. I'll probably be buying the Sigma 30mm 1.4 for wide angle low-light shooting and then the Nikon 85mm 1.8 for some longer telephoto fun.
• I've also been thinking about getting a macro lens lately. The Nikon 60mm is a nice and relatively cheap lens but I have little interest in having to be a couple inches from my subject. I'll probably end up with the Sigma 105mm 2.8 or the Sigma 150mm 2.8. I'm fine with having to use a tripod for the macro work and, as far as I'm concerned, longer is better.
• filters.. I need a B+W F-Pro 67mm CP as well as a 67mm Graduated ND filter. I'll probably also be buying the Nikon 39mm CP just so I can get some polarization with my 300mm when I want it.
• I also just need a better bag to carry all my crap

The things I shoot vary so much (from landscape, to long exposure, to outdoor & indoor events, to motorsports, to photoshoots of cars, to street photography) that I try to keep my kit as flexible and usable as possible. I'll have a focal length range of 12 - 420mm shortly, with everything from 12 - 300mm being f/4 or faster. I almost always shoot with a polarizer on my lenses and I try to shoot using only ambient light as much as possible.

[eClix]

I have :
Sigma 70-200 2.8
Nikon 17-35 2.8
Nikon 50 1.4
Nikon 105 2.8 VR
D80
D1x
Mac book black
SB-800
Hopefully in the future after moving and not being broke I can get my hands on a D300 I tried one out briefly, and was very responsive for it's price range, and I liked have only the active focus point(s) visible .

[gaopa2]

Holy Smoke, Nikonfreak! I am not strong enough to carry all of that gear!

While I carry two D300's on a shoot, I have one lens mounted on each.... an 17-55/2.8 and my 70-200/2.8 VR. If I think I might need my Nikkor 12-24, 105/2.8 macro, 50/1.8, 85/1.8 or the 80-400 VR I will mount that lens on my D200 and have it in the car, just in case. In addition, I only carry one SB-800 flash ( a second one in the car) and enought memory and batteries to get the job done. My kit fits nicely in a big Tamrac photo backpack.

Happy Shooting! Bill P.

[Bonner]

You guys have way too much money! My bag carries my camera and extra memory/batteries.

My main interest is modeling photography. As I have noted in a prior post, I use only my 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G Nikon for the studio on my D300. The camera is tethered to my Dell with Nikon Camera Control Pro 2.

For outdoor portraits I use the Tokina 50-135 f/2.8 on the D300. My style is to use natural lighting from anything in the location.

My backup is the D80 with the kit lens 18-135 f/3.5-5.6G. I have the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 because I wanted it. I like to concentrate on the model and not equipment. All my life I have been a big fan of KISS!

Jim

[Chris101]

I keep it lean. My bag changes constantly, but the last time I had some Nikons in it, there was a N80 with a 50mm f/1.8, an IR converted D70 with the 12-24DX on it, and a D100 with a 24-120vr lens. I prefer fitting a single lens onto a camera for a shoot, rather than carrying many lenses to be switched on and off a single body. I dunno, that seems to make it easier for me whn I'm shooting - less choices, more time shooting. When it's all Nikon stuff I can always mix&match if I need to.

[ulrauko]

wow, lots of nikonians on board
i've got Nikon d70s, nikon fm10
tokina 12-24 f/4
nikkor 18-70
nikkor 50 f1.4
nikkor 70-210 f/4
and that's it. UV, Grad, Pol Filters from HOYA for all the lenses
mostly i shoot landscapes, street and sports (snowboarding etc.)

[badpickev]

for me its all in the sig