Daily Archives: March 26, 2013

I started this series yesterday with my doctors orders to reduce the weight of my gear.  We dealt with the tripod yesterday now how to cut back on camera gear or at least reduce the weight!!  First I’m a big believer in a system I call the trunk bag!! I own a medium size SUV, a Toyota FJ Cruiser and it has a lot of storage space in the back, and is easy to work out of, but when you have to walk things change! If I have to walk more than the length of a football field a new system is needed.  Reducing the weight of your bag or backpack can be done several ways!   The first is get a bag that rolls!!!  I own several and love them for airports, checking into hotels and on short walks over smooth surfaces, they don;t work so well on a trail in the woods!!!!  So for a carry system, wheels are out.  That leaves shoulder bags, back packs, and belt systems.  I’m going to deal with belt systems in a different entry, so lets look at shoulder bags and backpacks.  You can carry a lot more weight comfortably with a back pack than with a shoulder bag, but remember this isn’t about how to carry more, but how to carry less weight!!!

 

You have to start with your gear. How much is enough for general photography?  For the purpose of illustration, let’s plan an imaginary trip, actually lets take a trip I’m planning to go on next year; Italy.  Sherelene and I have always wanted to visit Tuscany and the Italian coast (seen Scott Kelby’s images from there, gotta go!!!)  I expect to be walking around enjoying time with Sherlene and don’t want to look like I’m on assignment for National Geographic.  So what do I have to have to not miss those once in a life time shots????  To keep weight down I want one body to carry, it has to be as small as possible, say a Nikon D7100 which being a DX sensor camera is pretty small compared to the bigger beefier FX models.  I need a lens that gets me from at least pretty wide, to midrange, and then a telelphoto zoom to reach out and some way to do close-ups!

 

As of today, my absolute minimum system would be:

 

D7100 camera body

16-85 AF-S VR f 3.5-4.5 lens (24-120 equivalent range)

70-300 AF-S VR f 4.5-5.6 zoom lens  (105-450 equivalent range)

A diopter to put on the lenses for close-ups and polarizers on both lenses, and lens hoods.

That is the bare minimum, if I weighed the bag and thought I could carry anymore, I would opt for the Nikon 10-24 AF-S f 3.5-4.5   (15-36 equivalent range)

 

Total Weight?

 

 

7 pounds!  With a mirror-less system it might be 5 pounds!  Now we are making some progress.  So how are we going to carry this new lighter system, here are some ideas!

 

Before we start let me share with you that I am not sponsored by any single camera bag company.  I couldn’t do that because I’m a proud member of the “Bag of The Month Club”  I love a number of bags as you will see in this entry.  I do have a long history with Lowepro, Think Tank, and Domke, and all of these folks make great bags and I have put them to the test, in-the-field, and they are all on my highly recommended list!  You can’t go wrong with any of these fine brands….

 

 

Let me start with one I love for the Mirror-less systems, the Lowepro Flipside Sports Series AW, they look like a hikers travel backpack, are extremely well made and very comfortable to wear, with great ventilation in the back and shoulder straps

 

 

The next is the popular Messenger type bag, from Lowepro.  This one is called the Lowepro Messenger 160 and it holds the DX system perfectly, with lots of extra space for accessories, but be careful, you can be load it up very easy and increase that weight!  It’s a very handsome bag, almost dressy!

 

Next the great folks at Think Tank have two wonderful messenger type bags as well, they have a great in the field, rougher look and as everything they make are top notch build as well,  they are the Retrospective 5 and 10.   The 5 is great for a very small mirror-less camera and a couple of lenses and the 10 can handle a bigger mirror-less system or the DX system we assemble above.  I got them in Pinestone, a color I love!

 

 

Well there are some ideas to chew on as you try to reduce the weight and burden of your camera system in-the-field!   I’ve been working lighter for a few months since that doctors appointment, and to be honest, the simpler system is helping me make better images!  A great bonus along with that is less shoulder,  and back pain!  Can’t beat that!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

FLASH – I already have gotten an email from a friend saying,  “Surely you’re not dumping all your FX gear, D800/D600 etc, etc, and all those juicy FX lenses!!!???”  Take a deep breath, nope, but I simply can’t lug them around in the field on my shoulder, or on my back anymore.  Just can’t do it. So I plan to own a FX body, still working on which one,  the 16-35, 24-120, and 70-300 still  have a special place in a Domke shoulder bag which will now become a trunk bag.  When my assignments, both self or otherwise, requires FX type equipment it will be close-by ready to go to work.  The truth is I’m finding the new D7100 and mirror-less cameras to be so good that I don’t think I’ll be reaching for the FX gear as much in the future, but it will stay around until that is fully confirmed in practice.  Please keep in mind this is a medical and joy decision.   I’m feeling less pain with a smaller bag, and getting better images when I feel great, late in the day!  Now before I get any alarmed responses, I’m not having a bout with any life threatening disease, and have not been diagnosed with anything other than too many birthdays pilling  up!!  I feel great,  I just need to take better care of myself so I will continue to feel like getting out and shooting up a storm!!!!