As do most photographers, I often get asked about my camera equipment.  You know, the usuals; How far does that thing zoom in? How much does that cost? I’m thinking of getting a new camera, what should I get? How good of pictures does that thing take?…and the like.

Well, as do most other photographers, I will attempt to answer some of these questions, and give you an insight in to my gear bag.

The Big Two

First off, you need to know that I am a Canon guy.  I have nothing against Nikon, in fact, my rifle scope is a Nikon, and I think the optics are the best in the business.  I just started shooting Canon years ago, and have never switched away.  I really like the way it performs, and their glass is really good.  I have had several generations of Canon cameras and lenses, and the progression has been easy for me.

My Photography History

I began taking pictures at a very early age.  And usually, they weren’t of people.  I liked to document the strange things I would find.  As I hit high school, it was a natural progression to start taking photography classes as soon as I could.  I had a great teacher, and as I progressed, he was fairly critical of my work.  I learned a lot from him, and I still use a lot of what I learned today.  I also was the photo editor for a couple years on the yearbook staff.  Not a big accomplishment, but I did get to do things like shoot sports and other activities.  Again, I have never liked taking pictures of people, but that was part of the job.

After my junior year of high school, I saved my pennies, and purchased my first “nice” camera.  For the time, it had some pretty nice features, like auto focus, electronic controls, and auto exposure/speed.  Pretty snazzy for a 35mm film setup.  I continued my photography classes through my senior year in the form of independent studies.  I spent a lot of time in the dark room and learned a lot about lighting and exposure techniques, as well as composition and subject selection.  I was also the adjunct sub for the underclassmen photography classes on occasion.  Not my given choice, but you do what needs to be done when you are “working” for the teacher.

After high school, I took a lot of landscape and nature photos, just trying to keep up on what I liked to do.  I also did a few events such as golf outings, and banquets.  I even shot one wedding for a friend.  That solidified what I already knew…I am not a wedding photographer.  Good for the experience, I guess.  A few years later, my camera decided that it wasn’t going to work any more.  I really don’t know why, but it worked one minute, and the next time I pulled it out, it didn’t.  At that time, the digital technology was starting to be mainstream, and I didn’t have the money to purchase that, but I also didn’t want to invest in new film equipment.  There it sat.  A camera bag full of stuff that did nothing for many years.  I contemplated selling it a few times, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Fast forward 10 years or so.  With the old equipment still in a now dust covered Tamarac bag, I decided that I would begin the process of researching the world of digital single lens reflex cameras.  DSLR’s to most people.  What better way to justify the purchase of one, than buying one for your wife for Christmas?  While my old lenses were still usable on the new equipment, I had a couple new lenses to choose from, and the freedom to take as many pictures as I could without changing film.  It felt good to be using a “real” camera again.  Now, I just needed find excuses to use it.  Well, I did, when I was asked to shoot an RGS fun trial.  It was kind of like riding a bike.  Everything just came back naturally.  After that, things kind of fell into place for me, and I was able to take this gig semi-pro.

Gear History

Photo Credit: Ken Rockwell

When I was starting out, my dad had purchased a Canon AE-1 at  a pawn shop that came with a couple of lenses.  One of which was a Sears lens, yep, Sears made lenses at some point.  The important lens was the 50mm 1.4.  Still a great lens in any generation.  I took a lot of pictures with that camera, and using a manual camera really forces you to learn the basics of photography.

My first camera purchase was a Canon EOS Elan.  Such a great camera for its time.  I purchased a 28-80 and a 70-300 with that.  I was able to cover a lot of bases with this rig.  I really wish it still worked, as I would throw some film in it periodically, and shoot B&W just for fun.

Photo Credit: dpreview.com

When I decided to take the first step into the digital world, I bought a Canon Rebel T2i.  Not really knowing about modern equipment, I shopped around and bought what I thought was the best in my budget range.  I bought a combo kit which included another 18-55 and a 55-250, both with Image stabilization.  All seemed legit to me at the time, and it worked pretty well.  Still does, for the right things.  I eventually sold the two kit lenses and purchased on lens that can cover a wider range.  The 18-125 is what my wife still uses on “her” camera.   After getting a few events under my belt, I quickly realized I was going to need better equipment.

The first piece of my current puzzle that I purchased was the Canon 7d.  A lot of factors went into this decision.  It is very fast, water proof, and has the same control configurations of the pro bodies.  While I would like to be in the realm of full frame pro cameras, this one has far more features that fit my style of shooting that you don’t find on “lower-end” pro bodies.  To get the same features on a full frame camera I would have to spend many thousands of dollars, which is not possible at this time. Besides, you have to have goals…right?

My next step was to purchase some professional glass.  Most people shooting the average camera do not notice small detail flaws in their images, but I do, and the only way to correct this is with high quality lenses.  My first purchase was a 70-200 f4 L IS.  This is by far one of the best lenses that Canon makes, and to this day, I haven’t seen the quality images that this lens produces.  Unfortunately, the f4 wasn’t quite what I need for a lot of the conditions that I shoot from.(By the way, this one is for sale if you are interested…just let me know)

My next purchase was a 24-105 f4 L IS.  This is a great all round carry lens that covers a multitude of situations.  It is on my camera 90% of the time, and works great.

When it came time to upgrade the zoom lens, I went to the 70-200 f2.8 L IS.  Pretty much an industry standard, this lens really performs well in all conditions.  The image quality isn’t quite that of the f4, but it really is a great lens.  This one will be in the bag for a long time.  3 lbs of glass plus 1.5 lbs of camera can be quite heavy, though…so….

One of the most important equipment purchases I have made is my Black Rapid strap.  For the photographer on the move, this really is a must.

I do all of my post production editing in Lightroom 5 and some additional work in Photoshop CS5.  I use a Macbook Pro for everything.

Of course, I have to have a bag that holds all this, so I use a Lowpro backpack style gear bag.

The Wish List

Some day, when I am a rich and famous photographer(yep), there are some equipment upgrades and additions I would like to do.

The first one will be the Canon 16-35 f2.8 L.  I shoot in a lot of low light close range situations.  This lens will cover a lot of those.  Hefty price tag, but will be worth it.

My pie-in-the-sky purchase would be a Canon 1Dx.  The bad-boy of all cameras, this really is the best camera for an all weather sports photographer.  At $6700, it may be a long while before I get my hands on this one.  A really, really long while.

The last thing I think I want is a 2x extension tube for my 70-200.  There are times I would like to get a little closer in on my subjects, and this would help.  Mostly, this would be for wildlife shooting and such.

Update 2016:

Canon 5d mkiii

Canon 7d mk ii

Canon 16-35 2.8L v1

Canon 24-70 2.8L v2

Canon 70-200 2.8 v1

Canon 2x Extender

FAQ

Here are some answers to the questions above.

1.  How far does that thing zoom in?

• While the 70-200 can have an ominous presence, it really is not a “long range” lens.  It does cover distances of up to 30 yards really well.  For close range sports, this is a must have lens.

2.  I’ll bet that camera takes great pictures, doesn’t it?

• In a word, no.  It’s the who behind the camera that takes great pictures.  The actual image quality of my camera is really not that much better than my T2i.  They both have a similar sensor that shoots 18mp.  My current body has better processors, but those really do not make great images, either.

3.  I’m thinking of purchasing a camera, what should I get?

• Good question.  There are so many factors that go into buying a camera that is right for you.  What, where, when, how, and why will you be shooting?  Write the answers to those questions down, and then ask the first question.  I usually tell people, “buy the best you can afford right now, and then invest in better glass before a better camera body.”  If you have the answers to those questions, feel free to contact me, and I will be glad to discuss my thoughts with you.

4.  I would like to start taking more pictures, so I’m going to get a good camera.  Will that help?

• Again, NO!  Go learn the fundamentals of photography, first.  While todays digital cameras are a genius in a small box, you absolutely need to know the basics first.  Take a class, read tutorials, read blogs, and then practice, practice, practice.  Like anything else in life, you need to gain experience before playing in the big game.

5.  How much did that cost?

• Don’t worry about it.  It wasn’t cheap, but to get the best quality, the price cannot be a factor.  Well, sort of, but you have to buy the best you can afford.  If you plan to make money with your equipment, you need to be investing in the best.

I hope this was informative, and gives you some insight into what I have going on in the background.  Do you have any other questions for me?  Fell free to ask in the comment section below, so that others can see the answers.