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Backups in Photography
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Lens Flare and How to Reduce It
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Travel Photography
Turning Semi Professional In Photography
Related Pages:
Large Format - What I Carry (Paul Butzi)
Are you missing some essential photogear or gadget in your camera bag? Will your next photo outing be a flop because you left behind the wrong item?
I think it might be useful to collect information on what various people and photo authors recommend for photobag carry-alongs. So here's my list:
From The Traveling Photographer by Ann and Carl Purcell (1988, NY
NY, Amphoto Publishers)
Lichfield on Travel Photography by Patrick Lichfield (1987, Salem House Publishing, Topsfield MA) is a very interesting view of the life of one of the world's top travel photographers. Lord Lichfield tends to travel with a large staff of models and support staff, so his list reflects those kinds of needs.
n.b. Some photographers may prefer fewer bodies (2), winders (1) and lenses.
A remarkably open and useful practical guide is Susan McCartney's Travel Photography (1992, Allworth Press, NY).
Ms. McCartney goes on to list personal and professional items to bring along (such as cash, daily planners, maps...) and sequence to prepare for trips. Again, I recommend you read her pragmatic book to get full details!
I have to admit that I rarely bring along every photo gadget I have, mostly because I'm not that strong or that crazy!
Other Things I Bring Along:
I have also made cross-country bus trips taking along just an old nikkormat and 24mm f2.8 lens and film.
But my preference is to take along a camera and enough lenses and film to make it challenging but not too heavy to carry around. Over time, I have removed a lot of stuff, but some items sneak back under certain situations.
A key point is to always carry a camera! When you don't, you will see the very best sunsets and photos, I can guarantee it! I like the small clam-shell Olympus XA series cameras, with integral flash, along with an extra roll or two of film in my pocket (in plastic cannister).
At times, I have also carried some cheapy 35mm point and shoot (with flash) cameras that I buy for $2-5 US from yard sales. These cameras are more bulky, but cheap enough that if they get stolen in a bad neighborhood, it isn't any big deal. I prefer the water-resistant ones, so I can shoot in rainy or wet weather without worry.
Since bad weather is often a time of dramatic lighting and great reflections from water in streets etc., I tend to do a lot more such photography than most other amateurs. I also used to teach underwater photography, so I have the full set of Ewa Marine bags and nikonos cameras to carry on photographing in the worst weather. But if you are a fair weather photographer, I recommend you try some bad weather photography!
I also prefer two small bags to one big one, or a backpack and camera bag if I am traveling overnight. For long trips, I also bring a net bag from scuba days that can carry food and laundry and trip purchases. This net bag weighs a few ounces, and folds up smaller than a paperback book.
Where I need more capability, but I am worried about the neighborhood or location (wilderness), I might substitute a less costly setup. I have accumulated some multi-lens topcon and pentax K camera kits, along with M42 and minolta bodies.
Conversely, where I want to go for higher quality, I will break out my Bronica S2a, Kowa 6 or other medium format setups. For architecture, I have a Calumet 4x5 with tripod and Polaroid back and several lens-boards and lenses. While the 4x5 is too heavy to travel by bus or train, I find a few lens medium format kit is nearly as portable as the 35mm Nikon setups. However, the tripod I use is larger and no longer fits into my bag.
My final point is that you need to craft your bag and its contents to your photographic requirements and trip needs. Bringing all your lenses on a cross-town bus trip is probably overkill. You probably won't need that 500mm lens when shooting church interiors. But a tripod is almost always useful, and a small flash surprisingly handy oftentimes too. Over time, you should make a list of the items you really used, and didn't use. The above lists will help suggest some things that might go into your camera bag, but only you can decide what you want and need to put in there. More importantly, decide what you can do without too. The less you have to carry, the more likely you are to explore and make better pictures! Enjoy!!
Hello-
some time back I wrote that circumstances forced me to purchase a
camera
bag RIGHT NOW and I wound up buying a Canon bag. After almost a month of
working with it, I can make the following comments.
Water-repellancy: spent several hours walking in a light rain/snow
with
the bag slung over my shoulder. The loaded bag also floats (don't ask).
Everything inside came through both situations nice and dry.
Impact resistance: well, I haven't thrown it against a wall or
anything
like that, but it did survive two seperate attempts by free-lance wealth
redistribution specialists to take possession. That strap is strongly
attached-all metal fasteners there. The gear inside was well protected
through all that, plus the usual banging around of a 2,600 mile trip on
Amtrak.
Capacity: after my trip, I emptied the bag and did an
inventory. For
those curious, here is what I had: F3, MD-4, FE, (both cameras with
straps), spare camera strap, lenses: 24mm, 50 mm, 75-150 zoom; Cokin filter
holder and 6 filters, 12 rolls of film, cable release, Vivitar 283 flash
(and adapter for F3), spare batteries for each camera, penlight, notepad, 2
pens, Tylenol, lens tissue, lens cleaning fluid, lens brush, 20 AA
batteries, Walkman-type cassette player, earphones, 4 cassette tapes,
Gerber multi-tool, small kit of screwdrivers, corkscrew, a roll of
quarters, Mylar survival blanket (think 4' by 5' reflector), and a small
Teddy bear. If my 300 mm lens was intact, I could have slipped it in as
well.
Pros of this bag:capacity is good, well padded, reasonably
water-resistant.
Cons: the color, the strap is constantly slipping, the color, the
film
pockets are attached to the lid-if you have film in them the bag won't
close without using two hands. Did I say that I didn't like the color?
Well I don't.
After working out of this bag for nearly a month, I have to say I
will
continue to use it. It has had a pretty fair workout and my gear is
intact. None of it got lost when the flap wouldn't close. No seams are
pulling loose, the hardware is all still functional.
I could have done worse. Price at the local camera store where I
bought
it was around $90 with tax, the New York shops probably have it for less.
And I found out why Canon is still in business-to make camera BAGS. It
sure can't be the cameras...;-)
Jim Colburn
From Nikon MF Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999
From: [email protected]
Subject: Level / "big list"
Howdy All,
There was some talk recently concerning how to level tripods that do
not
have a circular spirit level. I found the answer to this during a visit
to the tool department of our local Sears store, in a "acrylic circular
level" for $1.49 USD. The part number is 939891.
....
Adios,
Bill Hilburn Jr.
From: zeitgeist [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.technique.people
Subject: The cheapest but best gadget to improve your photos.
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999
The simplest and cheapest thing you can get to really
improve your portraits is a vignetter. Of course I'm
assuming that you use a lenshade already, but even if its
just a cheap rubber collapsible thing, you can rig a neutral
density gel filter for a vignette. This works with any kind
of lighting, even the lamest flash on the camera.
There are very few images that I have seen in professional
services that did not or could not use one.
I use three layers of 1 stop ND, though I'm sure the last
one is too far out most of the time to register.
What a vignette does is drop the tonal values of everything
not in the center oval area. Seems very simple, but it has
major effects, your subject will grab all the attention, the
color, especially the highlights in the surrounding areas
will not have the graphic weight, will not pull the eyes of
the viewer away. You could be working in an alley with a
dumpster and trashcans in the background, and it would fade
away to insignificance.
I used to have a whole set of them, off center left, right,
this corner, that, but as I kept grabbing the wrong one,
lost one, etc, I'm down to just the center oval.
I use a bellows shade on my camera, a cool one with a slot
to insert the frame of the vignetter in the middle so it
held away from the lens. The "rule" I learned is that the
vignetter should be a distance equal to the focal length of
your lens, IE: a 150mm lens should have it's vignetter 150mm
away. Why, what this does? I haven't a clue, I've seen lots
of guys place vig's right over their lens. I would guess
that if you follow the rule, you can use the same vig and
get equivelent results with various focal length lenes,
something that is absolutely not true with filter cap vigs.
Works best with tele lenses, wides almost do it naturally
(though they design it out)
DOWNSIDE warning: If you are using the cheapest lab
services where they just put the film in on one end and
collect the envelopes on the other, the kind that run on
auto exposure, they tend to average the whole image, see all
that less exposed vignetted area and print for the
background leaving you with a lighter than desired face.
(but if you are using a flash on the camera, you are already
used to that anyway ;-)
WARNING TWO, you will look so cool and artistic using one
that your friends will ask you to photograph their wedding.
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: [email protected] (C. J. Morgan)
[1] Re: What's in your camera bag??
Date: Sun Jan 02 2000
"KansasCityJobs" wrote:
> Ok I've got an Elan II, 2 lenses, and film. What else do you carry in your > bag and why?
My camera bag normally contains: - Two camera bodies (the same model so the switches are in the same place) - 3 lenses (20-35mm; 35-105mm; 70-210mm) (covers 95% of shooting needs) - Flash (dedicated to camera bodies used) - LumiQuest flash deflector (very compact & works well to minimize shadows) - Blower brush (to clean inside of cameras) - NO lens cleaner (otherwise just breath, & clean with one's T-shirt) - Cable release - Extra set of AA batteries (works equally for either camera body or flash) - polarizer & soft filters (keep such things simple) - pocket notepad & pen (make notes for any new situation & take addresses) - whatever film to use that day
C.J. Morgan
[email protected]
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: "Carey L. Jones" [email protected]
[1] Re: What's in your camera bag??
Date: Sat Jan 01 2000
Locking electronic cable release Extra batteries Seikonic L-508 light meter (has both spot and incident capability) Circular polarizer Cokin "P" filters (warming, grad grey, etc.), holder, adaptor rings Spirit level which clips onto the flash shoe. Flash sync cord Lumiquest flash bouncer/diffuser A stopwatch/timer for long exposures Chameleon folding reflector/diffuser (in my backpack bag) ;-) A tripod (not *in* my bag, but I rarely leave home without it) ;-) Kodak Gray Card
...
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: [email protected] (JDLynn777)
[1] Re: What's in your camera bag??
Date: Sat Jan 01 2000
I have read all the other responses, and am pretty amazed that no-one
mentioned
a sewing kit!
Other then Cameras/lens/flashes.
A Lens-Pen, This is easier and faster then liquid lens cleaner and tissue. Plus I have a Cleaning Cloth. Batteries Circular Polarizers Cokin Filters. although I rarley use them, they are handy. Tripod, Mono-pod Venca Radio slaves for remote firing of Flash Cable release. Bandaids -self explanitoryAnd the above mentioned Small Sewing Kit... 1.99 at the local drug store, and I have actually fixed a few wedding dresses... for the price these women pay you would think the dress should last the night!!!
Happy New year Everyone!
Josh
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: Eric Myers [email protected]
[1] Re: What's in your camera bag??
Date: Sun Jan 02 2000
Besides the obvious, camera body and a couple of lenses, I carry some
labels and a pen to mark canisters of film I have either prematurely
rewound, with the last frame taken, or to mark the film I have pushed or
pulled.
I also carry a spare set of batteries but I think most people are doing
that these days.
It's interesting to find out what little extra's people pack in their
camera bags, like bandaids, sewing kits, etc.
Eric
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: "Greg Major" [email protected]
[1] Re: What's in your camera bag??
Date: Sun Jan 02 2000
I carry a whole slew of gear in my Tamrac 603 (a great general purpose bag,
by the way) including...
INSIDE THE MAIN COMPARTMENT
Nikon FE2 with MD-12 and Optech strap Vivitar 283 flash Nikkor 24mm f2.8 Nikkor AF ED 70-300mm f4-5.6 Nikkor AF 35-135mm f3.5-4.5 Nikkor 55mm f2.8 Micro
IN THE FRONT COMPARTMENT
Bubble level that fits on the hot shoe (handy for landscapes) Cable release Nikon branded Zippo lighter (cool little item) At least one 8-pack of AA batteries for the flash and MD-12 Extra lens caps (for the ones I put somewhere and forget) Rolaids Lip balm
IN THE "POP-OFF" FILM BAG
A mini first aid kit with Band-Aids, Tylenol, matches, sterile cloths, and moist towelettes A micro fiber lens cleaning cloth
OUTSIDE
A Tamrac filter pack with a wide selection of B+W filters, circular polarizer, and so forth attaches to one side A Tamrac film bag loaded with Tri-X, some slide film, Silly Putty, and a few rolls of Fuji attaches to the other side My cell phone hangs from the back on one side A Mini MAG flashlight hangs from the back on the other side
IN THE POCKET ON THE BACK
A zipper sealed Glad bag with every photography equipment related receipt I have
As you can see, I've pretty well loaded the bag to capacity. There's enough
room for a little something extra, but not much. I'd like the larger version
of this bag, but I haven't truly outgrown this one yet so I'll wait. I
should probably note that the Lens Gate system in this bag was swapped out
from my Tamrac backpack. I didn't like the Lens Gates that were supplied
with the 603 so I guess you could call this a hybrid bag.
Of all the gear I carry, those moist towelettes, the Rolaids (substitute
your favorite medication), the extra batteries, the receipts, and the Mini
MAG flashlight are the best suggestions I can give. They come in handy more
often than you would think, they don't take up much space, and they're
cheap.
One other thing I do that is somewhat unique is to buy some sort of keychain
or similar trinket to attach to the zipper pulls and other parts of the bag
whenever I visit somewhere new with the camera. That's a habit I started
years ago. It's cheap, it's somewhat useful (when used as a zipper pull),
and it's a neat reminder of where the gear has been.
Greg
Houston, TX
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000
From: John Halliwell [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
>It's interesting to find out what little extra's people pack in their >camera bags, like bandaids, sewing kits, etc.
If I'm out for the day, I'll take a packet of 'wet wipes' with me. Very
handy if you fancy a burger, but don't want the camera covered in grease
afterwards. Strapped to the top of the bag (prominently) is a portable
'movement' alarm which gives me a bit more freedom with leaving the bag
momentarily (saves the shoulder some suffering). Inside the bag a name
and address panel (complete with a reasonable reward on return) should I
leave it anywhere by accident.
Just in case the winder battery (and spares) for Mamiya 645 packs up, a
manual wind crank. Lastolite pocket reflector gold/white.
--
John
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000
From: "Paul Brannon" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
I have two camera bags; one for my old Minolta SRT101 and one for my
Minolta Maxxum 7000. Each carries one little essential I haven't seen
mentioned yet - a nickel. What for? Why, to open the battery cover or
tighten the screw on a tripod quick-release shoe.
"B"
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000
From: Les Hassell [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
Only me... wrote:
> Which camera bag? I have 4 bags :-)
I'm with you there, brother! I carry a number of bags and/or cases (all of
which make chiropractors drool) depending on where I'm going. However, a
few little extras that remain constant from bag to bag are extra pens and
notepads, garbage bags & big Ziploc Bags, gaffer's tape, a disposable
underwater camera, and (very important for those noisy plane and
helicopter flights) EARPLUGS!
--
Les Hassell
http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~hassell
Date: 3 Jan 2000
From: [email protected] (D. Glenn Arthur Jr.)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
Okay, in addition to the expected body, lenses, and flashes (I need to
get a bigger bag -- one body goes in the case and the other hangs from
my neck), my main camera case contains:
lens paper, blower brush, lens cleaning fluid, cable release, filters,
clip-on hot shoe (plugs into PC socket), mini tripod (couple of inches
tall), optical flash slave, another hot-shoe-to-PC adaptor, batteries
(both button cells and AA), a latex glove (for unscrewing stuck filters),
screwdriver, 20' coiled PC cord, and Kodak "Color Separation Guide and
Grey Scale (Small)".
Would be in the camera case except that they're usually in my purse:
light meter, pre-numbered spiral bound perforated index cards.
(First frame of most rolls is a shot of an index card w/ roll-number
such as "1999-145" or "2000-001", which camera, what film, date, and
notes. Inside the front cover is a card with my name and address and
phone number (in case the lab loses my film), and the labels for the
fields on the index card. After I shoot the index frame, I tear off
that card and stick it in the camera case to copy into my database when
I get home.)
When I pack additional gear (like the screwmount stuff), it goes
into a backpack. Since that backpack is usually used to haul sheet
music and a stand, the front pocket contains an electronic tuner,
guitar strings, picks, diagonal cutters, cough drops, etc....
Film either goes in the backpack or a canvas shoulder-bag. (The film
is in a Rubbermaid container, sorted by speed.)
Model releases and business cards are in my DayRunner, which is in my
purse. Also reprint order forms (in case I'm carrying an album of prints
to show off as well).
At some point I need to add a flashlight (torch) and laser pointer.
Date: 11 Jan 2000
From: [email protected] (TaoSurfer)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
I saw this late, but figured I'd join in on the conversation.
I have a Lowepro Commercial AW bag, that is packed with gear. It's heavy,
but very comfortable when carrying, and comforting to know I have a lot of
gear in case something comes up.
Nikon F100 w/MB15 Vertical Grip
MC20 Remote
SB28 Speedlight
80-200 f/2.8D AF 105 f/2.8D AF Micro 85 f/1.8D AF 50 f/1.4D AF 35 f/2D AF 20 f/2.8D AF
B+W Filters (Tons!)
Rollei 3.5E
Sekonic L-718 Digimaster Light Meter
I also carry around a Bogen monopod.
Chris Jett
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999
From: Josef Brugger [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
....
slide-in accessory shoe bubble level 100-yen piece to open the battery cover yellow and red filters for B&W the Life Guide to Photography (the 4"x7" spiral bound booklet) for its tables of exposures in odd situations plus two bodies, three or four lenses and a half-dozen rolls of K200, Provia 100F and XP-2 Super. Olympus XA
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999
From: "Tony Parkinson" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
Kind of varies but usually some of the following :- Spare camera batteries Spare AA batteries for the flash Hama Lenspen Mini Tape recorder for location/exposure details Cleaning kit Mini Maglite Victorinox Hiker Swiss Army Knife couple of Mars Bars (the UK ones without the nuts !!) collection of Cokin Filters Cokin Filter Holder Portable CD Player Couple of Garth Brooks CDs Extra Film Binoculars Latest copy of Practical Photography
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999
From: "Sarawoot Chittratanawat" [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
- SB-28 speedlight - MC-30 shutter release cable - DK-7 - 52mm or 62mm Cir Pol, depended on the lens that I take with me - 81B filter - Lens tissue, Blower brush - extra batteries - Zip lock plastic bag - One trash bag (in case raining, this bag is big enough to put my camera bag in) - Rubber band - Pen and notepad - Pocket knife
Date: 31 Dec 1999
From: [email protected] (McEowen)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What's in your camera bag??
Besides cameras, lenses, flash and film . . . * Minolta Flashmeter III * three sets of filters (52mm, 62mm & 72mm): CC30M, 81A, 80A, PL each size. * spare AA batteries * spare MS76 batteries * tape recorder * reporter's notebook * pens * lens cleaning tissue * two reversible tip jewelers screwdrivers * cable release * large clip containing business cards, NPS card and TWA frequent flyer card (just so I'll know where it is) * Available light exposure wheel torn from a Kodak Data Guide
From Nikon Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000
From: "Paradiso" [email protected]
Subject: [NIKON] RE: "Must have" gadgets
Here's my list of non-camera gadgets and baubles for typical urban/nature
shoot:
- - small basic Swiss knife - - pen with eraser tip + notepad (eraser cleans hotshoe and electrical contacts) - - small dictation micro tape recorder (superior to pen & notepad) - - minimag flashlight - - jeweler's screwdriver set - - electrical tape, small roll - - clear plastic bags (cover camera against rain & dust, or my head from rain) - - assorted elastic bands (worth more than their weight in gold !) - - compass/thermometer/whistle/magnifying glass combo (found at outfitter store) - - $2 worth of quarters (or a cell phone if you have one) - - flagging tape, small roll - - small first-aid kit (kept in car or in bottom of backpack)
There's my $0.25 worth.
Ken in Vancouver, BC
[email protected]
From Nikon Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000
From: "Scott Laughlin" [email protected]
Subject: Re: [NIKON] RE: "Must have" gadgets
>- clear plastic bags (cover camera against rain & dust, or my head from >rain)
OK. I never wanted to bring this one up. But I use one of those plastic
shower caps for this. The elastic around the edge fits nice around the
camera while mounted on the tripod. Best of all, stay at a hotel and they
are usually free. Now, the Domke vest makes me look stupid enough, I'm
not
about to put the shower cap on my head to keep out of the rain. I just
get
wet. :-)
Scott
From Nikon Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000
From: "Sirius" [email protected]
Subject: Re: [NIKON] RE: "Must have" gadgets
My list includes:
R-O-R (Residual Oil Remover) is by far the best lens cleaner I've
ever found
PEC-12 is by far the best film cleaner I've ever found (it even
removes Sharpie "permanent" marker)
a good micro-fibre cloth for "polishing" a lens or filter after
using R-O-R and lens tissue
Lens Pen (mostly for the brush, but the "polishing head" works, too)
spare front and rear lens caps ("no name" caps are far cheaper than
Nikon brand caps)
spare UV filters (because of the conditions in which I shoot, all my
lenses have UV filters for protection; it's quicker to replace a
filter while shooting than clean it if it gets extra dirty, so the
spares are worth it)
bubble level (fits in the hotshoe for use when the camera is on a
tripod)
OpTech straps (on my cameras, tripod, camera bag, and the other bag
I carry all my film, spare batteries, etc in; my post about OpTech
straps bounced due to a problem at this end; I've used them for years
and think they're great; they aren't too "bouncy", just enough to ease
the strain of two F4Es around my neck and a heavy bag on my shoulder)
a film end retriever
a changing bag (the only time I ever had a roll of film wind too far
and pull out of the canister, I didn't have the bag with me; it's
never happened when i have the bag, so I always have it with me now
-g-)
tucked into my camera bag are some small packages of tissue
(Kleenex), a few Band-Aids, Imodium (air show food can be awful),
extra pens, a spare notebook, some coins for a pay phone and a small
amount of cash, one of those thin plastic raincoats that folds up into
a very small pouch, and a garbage bag to cover the camera bag if I'm
caught in the rain
Jeff Rankin-Lowe
From Nikon Mailing List;
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000
From: "Karl Peschel" [email protected]
Subject: [NIKON] re: Must Have gadgets
First and foremost - a film leader retriever, since the N70 rolls the film
end back into the can. Let's me switch film mid roll without hassle.
Second, a mini maglight. Helps for setting the camera and finding one's
way
in the dark.
Third, a Bogen Super clamp. Multi purpose clamp that affords attaching a
ball head, flash, etc. to it. I've used it at Epcot in Orlando, FL to
secure my camera to a railing for long time exposures or to a tree in
Tennessee !
Lastly, although not really a 'gadget', any book by John Shaw. Especially
his Closeups in Nature and Landscape books. True gems.
From Nikon Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000
From: [email protected]
Subject: [NIKON] "Must have" gadgets
Pentax Micro-fibre cloth (fantastic);
Leatherman AND Swiss Army Knife (not sure why I need both, but they both
seem to get used a lot.....);
Pen & notepad;
Mini-maglight;
Ultrapod (for times when a tripod just isn't practical, and it's light
enough to carry ALL the time);
Duck-Tape (repairs 'almost' anything);
Insulation tape (for when Duck-Tape is overkill);
Instruction books.
That's it I think.
From Nikon Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000
From: "Scott Laughlin" [email protected]
Subject: Re: [NIKON] "Must have" gadgets
FWIW, here's my list:
Mini-mag lite
Pen and pad
Exposure zone cards
lens cloth
Q-tips
dust blower
Cardboard cut out of proportion to 35mm for composition estimates (I made
it
out of cardboard and wrapped in black electricians tape)
Bug repellant
Table top tripod (actually lean the legs against my chest to help
stabilize
when a regular tripod won't work)
Leatherman
Compass (for anticipating sun position more than anything)
Reading material for those time when I need to wait on weather/sun
Pretty much it, as if it was not enough.
Scott
From Nikon Mailing List;
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000
From: "alexscott" [email protected]
Subject: [NIKON] Must have gadgets and Nikkor 200m f4
.....
As far as must have gadgets are concerned, this is what I always carry:
Microfibre cloth
Swiss Champ army knife - has the small screwdrivers, pliers AND a bottle
opener!
Film leader retriever
Q-tips
Compass
Cell phone
Old, soft towel for drying camera bodies, myself (!) and protecting lenses
in the gadget bag
Small soft brush
That's about it - but it's enough!