Camera Equipment

Very often I find photographers hankering after the latest and greatest camera equipment; frequently trading in their gear every 12 months or so as each new model is announced, even when there are only very small real differences.

At one time during the early days of digital, the image quality was only borderline acceptable in most cases and there was genuine progress between each new model, but for the last five years the real world differences have become far more subtle. The megapixel war is fairly pointless now, especially for shooting nudes or glamour that don’t require the kind of definition that might be desirable in a landscape for example.

A quick look at many web forums will quickly reveal that most of their members are far more interested in camera equipment than in taking pictures. In fact, discussions about light quality and composition etc. rarely get a mention. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call them “camera owners” rather than photographers. Next year they will probably own a new camera but their photography is unlikely to have improved much.

I have a simple rule of thumb with camera equipment. When I stop thinking about it, I know it’s right. When I use the Hasselblad for example it just feels right. That is partly down to years of use but also the knowledge that it is a well thought out piece of equipment, which has been tested in the field and proven to be right for the job. When a new Hasselblad is introduced I don’t automatically want to abandon the camera I already have.

Going back several years ago I remember struggling along with a Canon Eos 100 SLR and there were times when I was exasperated by the functional limitations of the camera. For example there was a dial on the back, which was far too easy to move in manual mode and had to be taped down to avoid accidentally moving to the wrong setting. The need for a PC adaptor to work with studio flash was also awkward and unreliable.

At the time I wasn’t earning much money as a photographer, so I persisted with that camera for longer than I would have liked, but one day I finished a shoot in utter frustration and walked down the road to a camera dealer where I immediately bought a used Eos 1. This wasn’t the latest model that Canon were making at the time but it was a solid well made camera and it was a complete revelation compared to what I had been using before.

Many photographers are convinced that more options is always better when it comes to cameras and yet as I started to look closely at that Eos 1 I was struck by the shear lack of features and modes compared to some of the less professional cameras. It was clearly a much better designed camera for picture taking because they had eliminated distractions so that I could concentrate on the actual photography rather than the flashing lights. Probably the best example of this approach is found with the Leica rangefinder cameras. With camera equipment less is more sometimes when taking pictures.

At the time of writing I am working with a 1DsII, which I have had since 2005 and it’s a very good camera. There are a few points in the design ergonomics which could be improved, however it’s a thoroughly professional camera that inspires confidence and does exactly what I need. The real point about a professional camera like this is that they are built for hard daily use in all kinds of conditions and you are less likely to make errors in a moment of distraction because of the way they operate.

Looking at the various 35mm digital cameras, I feel we are reaching a point where differences in print will be largely impossible to see and left only to the pixel peepers. In practice this means that if you buy a professional DSLR it will still be a perfectly valid tool for your photography in several years time from a quality perspective but you will have also gained in the meanwhile from the general handling compared to lower end alternatives. You will also suffer less financial loss in the long run as you stop trading in your cameras every 12 months, so choosing professional equipment makes sense on a financial level as well.

For anybody shooting nudes or glamour photography there is a happy medium in terms of resolution because excessive detail is not terribly flattering to the model and will generally just result in many more hours spent in retouching. In real terms it may also lead to deterioration in overall image quality, since most modern lenses are already at their limit with the higher end 35mm DSLRs available today. Significantly higher resolution may also come at the price of compromises in other areas, so try to remember that the total megapixel count is not the only way to measure the usefulness of a camera.

In practical terms any recently made professional camera will do it all for commercial work from internet right through to billboards. It’s better to buy one good professional camera (even used) with just a couple of excellent lenses than to spend all your time and money constantly upgrading consumer level cameras and lenses.

One last piece of advice. Something I recommend in my book is that you “stress test” all your equipment to see where problems can occur during a shoot and take steps to avoid it in advance. This doesn’t just mean your cameras but also your lenses, lighting, cables, camera bags and the rest. Everything. That way you really learn how your equipment works and avoid costly errors. Look for dials that can accidentally be moved or batteries that run down too quickly.

In summary, search in detail for any areas of weakness in your camera equipment or workflow and then take action to make sure it doesn’t become a problem during the shoot.

The video above is a satirical but rather clever insight into the attitudes of many photographers towards camera gear. It was clearly done as a bit of fun and I have no doubt it will appeal to many photographers who will view this with the lighthearted amusement it merits.

Stepping back a moment however, it does raise a question about the fascination many photographers have with camera equipment and I have to say it seems to have amplified ten fold since digital became the standard for most people. Take a look on practically any photography related forum and 90% of the the threads will be about equipment rather than taking pictures.

Without a doubt I like handling a great camera or lens as much as the next photographer but I have been around long enough to know that changing camera with every new model in the hope of finding some magic breakthrough solution is not the ultimate answer towards becoming a better photographer.

Just look at the work of Irving Penn as far back as the 1940′s who shot stunning fashion and nudes to realise the camera is probably the least important element in a shoot. This was all done decades before a camera was invented with any kind of automated “must have” features. At the same time Karsh was producing stunning portraits with antique equipment and nothing more than a heavy dose of talent with a little Potassium Ferricyanide…

Clearly it suits the requirements of camera stores and manufacturers to garner this kind of equipment frenzy for every new camera or lens that appears on the market but quite honestly I don’t feel there has been that much change in the quality of 35mm DSLR cameras during the last 5 years. The only real difference is more related to improved ergonomics and the price of entry, which has come down, rendering easier access to a greater number of people who want a high quality camera.

Equally in medium format I have recently been looking at files from the Leaf Aptus 65 and it doesn’t seem to be substantially different in terms of file quality than the Leaf Aptus 8.

The real newsflash here is that the megapixel war is over and just about any relatively recent DSLR is capable of producing professional quality images that could look fantastic whether printed inside a magazine or as a large print on a wall. Instead you should be concentrating on your choice of model, nailing the technique and successfully getting the right image. In other words being a photographer as opposed to just a camera owner.

Kata R-103 shown with camera equipment

Put together a group of professional photographers and assuming they don’t all work exclusively in the studio, I can pretty much guarantee they will all have fairly strong opinions about their choice of camera bags.

Every photographer looks for something different in a camera bag, depending on their individual requirements, so perhaps that’s why most can only agree that there is no one single perfect bag. Different jobs require differing amounts of equipment, so from that perspective, the easiest time of my life was during my last couple of years in Milan, when I worked almost exclusively with my Hasselblad kit.

At the time I always rented studios that had lighting in place, so I was able to fit all of my equipment in a sturdy Tenba shoulder bag and weave my way through the busy traffic on a motorcycle.

In those days I tended to take the same basic kit on location shoots as well, so that one bag was all I needed 95% of the time and I was able to work quite happily, whether on a beach in South Africa shooting nudes or at a studio in Milan doing a beauty editorial. I still have that Tenba today with no signs of any wear and tear at all. They are extremely well made and well worth checking out.

My current bag of choice for most purposes is a Kata R-103, which is very well made just like the Tenba, but I prefer some of the features, such as the bright yellow interior that makes it so much easier to view black equipment in dark conditions compared to other makers who choose to make their interiors dark grey or black like the image below.

For me it’s very important that the bag falls within the right measurements to be allowed as carry on luggage when flying and that is no problem with this Kata, whereas I always had to plead with the Tenba, which is technically too big and should be stored in the main baggage area. Believe me, you really don’t want to risk that when you have a paid assignment…

The only negative I find with rucksack designs is that they are not quite so easy to work from when on location because you have to put them down on the ground and open them fully to access any equipment. This can not only slow you down but obviously it’s more likely to become dirty.

N.B if you do decide to opt for a rucksack type camera bag it’s important to make sure that the design is suitable for carrying over long distances particularly if you’re carrying a heavy load. Look for well padded properly adjustable shoulder straps and these should feel very comfortable. Also look for a good chest strap, which holds the shoulder straps in place; greatly improving comfort and safety.

Finally with the bigger rucksack bags it’s definitely an advantage if you also have a comfortable belt included that goes around your waist to help support the weight properly. On the Kata bag I have shown at the top this also comes with an optional attachment for added space that clips onto the bottom of the main rucksack and then adds the belt part. I rarely need this but I’m glad I have it. See picture below:

Kata W-92

Regardless of which bag you choose, there are a few key points that you need to consider:

1) Any bag should be waterproof enough to withstand a heavy downpour for several hours and still keep the equipment perfectly dry. The weak point in most bags will be along the edges where you have stitching or zips. Since most cameras don’t appreciate being left wet for a couple of hours this is a primary consideration for me.

2) While it’s good to have a bag that is light, ultimately it’s main requirement is to protect your equipment, so I always look for bags with serious padding and tough, resistant materials that will really protect my gear properly.

The vibrations caused while travelling or worse still, seeing a bag slip off a rock or even a baggage shelf in a train can easily damage equipment unless you have some strong protective padding and I don’t see the sense in spending thousands on equipment, but relying on a thinly protected bag. That is why I have personally never liked Lowepro.

3) Personally I prefer it if a bag doesn’t immediately look like a camera bag, so you can walk through busy areas without attracting too much attention. Those bags from Billingham with the brass and leather just seem to scream “steal me!”. Crumpler are very good in this respect because they make bags that look much more generic and not necessarily carrying an expensive array of equipment.

4) It should go without saying but any camera bag should be comfortable to carry. When you are choosing a bag, it’s a good idea to take your equipment to the shop and see how it feels with the full weight and then think very carefully how you would manage if you were carrying it for a few miles whether over rough ground or even in a crowded city. That is why is now tend to favour rucksack designs most of the time.

N.B If it’s too heavy with all your equipment ask yourself if you really need all that equipment. For most shoots these days photographing nudes or glamour I can get by with very little equipment and one good zoom like the 24-105L can substitute several prime lenses.

5) Think carefully about the size and exactly what you need the bag for. Also consider whether you are likely to buy other equipment at some point in the future and whether that bag will still be big enough. On the flip side though, having a bag that is huge and unwieldy is a pain in the neck as I found with a CCS bag I have that sits nicely round my side, but becomes very wide when packed with equipment, making movement through crowds just about impossible despite its tag a bag for photojournalists.

6) These days with digital cameras we tend to have lots of accessories, such as flash cards, readers and batteries, so look for a solution that has appropriate areas for these items. It’s easy to spot older bags that were conceived before digital became standard because they generally lack these kinds of tailor made spaces.

Ultimately no bag is perfect for every situation and that is why most professional photographers own at least a few, but bear these key points in mind when choosing a bag and you should make a good choice.

Finally make a point of always packing your equipment carefully and never race away from a location without fully checking that you have everything in place. For this reason I like to store equipment in the same spaces and find it quicker that way to count everything in at the end of the shoot. You definitely don’t want to arrive at a shoot with a nude model, make up artist and assistants only to find you are missing equipment or something has broken in transit.

This morning I received a letter from the insurance company for the renewal of the policy on my camera equipment, which I always do every year, though I have never personally had to make a claim. That’s partly down to luck but mainly down to a concerted effort on my part to make sure equipment is always well looked after. Nevertheless it is because of the story below that I continue to pay the premium every year…

A photographer I used to assist many years ago once went on a trip to Scotland for a commercial assignment and needed to take a picture of a nude model in a loch with a small boat and the stunning surrounding scenery as a background. That water and the cold breeze must have been freezing for the poor girl, so she was certainly brave that day.

At the time the photographer had an assistant with him (not me) who was fairly new and fitted a wide angle lens to the Hasselblad, but didn’t quite twist it far enough to hear that precise locking sound that every Hasselblad owner knows so well.

A few moments later the photographer began focusing the lens only to find his prized wide angle unexpectedly slipping from his hands straight into the dark waters below. They were on a small wooden docking point so the water below was quite deep and there was no way of seeing the black lens in the water below. I hate to think what that conversation sounded like.

No doubt feeling somewhat distraught the photographer called the local naval base later on that day and explained what had happened, asking if they might be prepared to look for it on their next naval exercise. Following this he thought nothing more of the matter until he received a call 2 days later saying that his black Hasselblad lens had been found in a terrible state by divers, having drifted quite some distance with the flow of water and asking what would he like them to do.

He called the insurers, who demanded to his amazement that an attempt be made to repair the lens, so after being rinsed in a bucket of fresh water it was duly sent back to the factory for a repair. The lens was gone for a considerable amount of time and in the meanwhile his policy was paying for the daily rental of the equivalent lens. Eventually when his refurbished lens was returned it cost about $1 less than a new one and the rental costs for the other lens were about the same, so effectively it cost twice as much as a new lens bought from a shop.

The final chapter in the story was a letter from the insurers politely requesting that should he ever drop another lens in a Scottish loch, they’d prefer it if he left it there…

The lens you see above is a Canon 85mm F1.8 that I originally purchased back in about 1992 if my memory serves me right. It’s actually the second oldest lens in my collection and I’ve used it on countless jobs over the years. Remarkably it still feels & handles like a brand new lens, performing well in the era of high resolution digital cameras, even though it was very much intended for film use when originally designed.

From what I can tell, Canon haven’t changed a thing on this lens in the last 18 years, which is a sure fire sign that they managed to do it right the first time round. It’s still very much one of my favourite lenses.

Looking at some specifics, one of the first things you will notice when working with the 85mm lens is that the auto focus is extremely fast, smooth and precise. In fact I have no other lens that is as capable in servo mode at following fast moving objects. My 24-105L is pretty fast and able to follow most subjects in movement, but the 85mm is like greased lightning and the only lens that allows me to take crisp sharp images of a fast moving subject such as a nude model running on the beach, while I am also running.

The maximum aperture of F1.8 is fast and while Canon also make a much heralded an F1.2 version, the faster lens costs about 5 times as much, weighs significantly more and has slower AF, so on balance the F1.8 still has much to recommend it.

Canon 85mm lens with fast USM focus

One particularly nice feature on this lens is that you can manually make small adjustments even in auto focus mode and it won’t hurt the lens. Lets say for example that you are shooting a glamour image and your illuminated focus point in the viewfinder is on the neck instead of the eyes. Rather than trying to recompose, you can visually make the small adjustment by twisting the lens to focus normally and then shoot the image. Most of my other Canon lenses won’t allow me to do that when shooting in AF mode.

Having used the lens for many years I can say that it’s still more than capable of handling the resolution of today’s 20+MP cameras with no serious problems due to chromatic aberration or softness at the edges, however, I would still recommend the use of the standard large lenshood for this lens that Canon produce, because the front element is quite large and rather exposed, making it more susceptible to problems from flare or even just damage while in movement.

In terms of sharpness this lens is excellent on my 1DsII. It’s a little soft but by no means bad at F1.8, however, it’s extremely good from F2.8 right through to F22, though I tend to avoid working at the very smallest aperture on any lens because the quality will begin to suffer. The very best results are usually obtained between F5.6 – F11.

In a direct comparison test I was surprised that my 24-105L was actually sharper at the edges when working at F4, but that is more a reflection of how spectacular the zoom is at 85mm rather than the prime being particularly bad. At the other apertures they were essentially identical in practical terms and you have to remember that the zoom cannot go wider than F4.

The 85mm is generally acknowledged as a portrait lens and for good reason. At this focal length you will lose the kind of distortion that you would typically see with a wider lens such as the 50mm when shooting a closeup portrait and I have always found this to be a wonderful all round lens for all kinds of glamour, beauty and nude photography. From full length images to head and shoulder portraits, it’s an ideal focal length for flattering body and face images.

Just about any lens has a few negatives and this one is no different. For some reason I can’t quite understand, the closest focussing distance on this lens is rather limited and it literally won’t allow you to shoot closer than a classic head & shoulders portrait on a full frame camera. For anybody shooting beauty portraits this is a serious limitation and invariably a bit annoying when you reach the limits but want to go just a little closer for the perfect crop. When I know I will be in situations like this I have always tended to put on the 100mm macro or more recently the 24-105L which will focus to a nice tight head shot with no serious distortion, showing that it can be done…

The build quality is OK. It doesn’t feel like the Carl Zeiss lenses I have used on the Hasselblad or even the Canon L series lenses, both of which cost significantly more, however, it’s more than adequate in practice with normal day to day use. Certainly this lens has never given me the slightest mechanical problem after 17 years of use, but for that matter neither has the ultra cheap feeling 50mm F1.8 that is even older!

The plastic focus ring doesn’t feel quite as smooth or as sure as it could do during manual focus, but I guess Canon has never been overly concerned about this aspect with its EOS lenses, no doubt assuming quite reasonably that most photographers will work in AF mode 95% of the time. Only my original series non USM 100mm macro and the 24-105L have a smooth quality feel when used in manual mode to focus.

Overall the 85mm F1.8 is an excellent lens that should really be in just about any Canon photographer’s kit bag. It’s reasonably compact in size, fast and very versatile, so I would never sell it.