How Much Is Too Much?

August 28, 2010

I still remember the day I started getting into photography. Having received my first SLR camera as a birthday present, photography seemed so simple back then. Nowadays, as my interest grew more and more, so did my gear. All of a sudden, I’m surrounded by mountains of camera gear, from lenses, filters, flashes, cleaning kits, tripods, card readers….endless. It was getting to the point I could not pack everything into my slr camera backpack.

However, I’ve started to think whether all this equipment is really worth it? Is it really necessary to have in order to be a pretty decent photographer?

What most of us do not realise is that with new gear there’s also a whole lot of hidden costs to it too. Take for example the following:

  • Having too much gear clutters your workspace, causing distractions and stress.
  • If you have a lens or camera body, you’d  have to store the warranty information somewhere, and make sure not to lose it.
  • If your gear breaks, you have to get it repaired, or worse still replaced; which in the end costs more money and time.
  • Going into debt to buy new gear is not the best way to manage your finances.

One of the biggest factors that personally affects me is trying to decide which gear to bring. One can only carry so much in the slr camera backpack so it’ll come to a point where I can’t carry it all in one bag. Having too much camera stuff has become a hassle that I have to seriously think about what to take and what not to take on a hike.

Are all them really necessary for capturing great images? Although you’d certainly need special equipment to capture certain types of images, they by themselves aren’t the most important thing. Quite honestly, I learned that it isn’t the gear you have in your slr camera backpack that makes an image great, it’s the photographer.

There are tons of fascinating examples where you could find remarkable photos captured using even just an iPhone and iPhone apps. I used to think that instead of pushing the limits of our existing gear, we just buy something new in hopes that it’ll solve our problems. Admit it, who doesn’t love to get their hands on a fancy new toy and just add them into our slr camera backpack?

Although I don’t agree that you should necessarily get rid of everything you have and just use your iPhone from now on, I do think it’ll be a good idea to minimize the amount of gear and just focus on what you really need and want to carry in your slr camera backpack. Even as I write this, I’ve already have some idea of the things that hasn’t been used in a while.

So, how does one minimize their gear and how to resist the all to familiar temptation to buy even more new equipment? Here are some tips that may work for you:

  1. Keep a list of what you use and don’t use during a photo shoot. The goal of this can be to always want to reduce the weight of your slr camera backpack. Whenever you leave for a trip, make a list of everything you put in your backpack. While on the trip, cross the things that you use. If you’ve went on enough trips, you’d be able to instantly know which gear are seldom used, so you can just stop bringing them altogether.
  2. Using what you have, always try to push the limits of your existing gear. Learn as much as you can about the gear you already have, and if you get an overwhelming urge to pass those limits, then that’s the time to get another lens or even another camera.
  3. Always focus on adding knowledge instead of gear to your slr camera backpack. This one tip may be the most effective way to minimize the amount of gear you have. Read from blog sites, books or even magazines, attend workshops or other classes.

Last but not least, most importantly, experiment with the gear you already have! Knowledge doesn’t take up space and it doesn’t cost nearly as much too!

Canon Rebel Camera Case – Finding The Perfect One – Case Solved

December 25, 2011




Have you been shopping around endlessly looking for the perfect camera case for your Canon Rebel? I’m always perplexed, as to why camera manufacturers refuse to include a camera case with their cameras. The original manufacturer knows the camera design far better than anyone. They know where the weak points are, and how best to pack their cameras for storage and shipping. It’s really a mystery. Fortunately, I do have a few suggestions to help out.

One choice to consider, is whether to have one big bag, or two. You could get away with one big case to carry the rebel, tripod, filters, memory cards, batteries and the inevitable assortment of lenses. While it’s certainly nice having everything in one place, and cheaper to have just one case, it can be heavy and difficult to travel with to. An alternative I prefer, is having one big “carry everything” case, and one small “run out the door with just the essentials” bag.

The small bag should be just big enough to hold your Rebel, a default lens, and possibly a spare battery. That’s it. It’s perfect for the short trips to the beach, the hike, or the nieces birthday party. It also removes the potentially bad decision to just chuck the camera totally ***** into the bottom of your backpack with a bunch of other camera wrecking stuff.

Be sure to check the straps and hand grips that come with the case. You’ll want something substantial, with good stitching or riveting attachment points to the case proper. Having straps and grips is kind of nice as it gives you more options for moving your gear. Lugging your Canon through the airport with a few other bags, is a different experience, than just toting your Rebel to the beach for a few sunset photos. Having straps and hand holds that are detachable is an extra bonus.

A non brand name camera bag is not such a bad idea as well. While you may be proud of the fact that you own one of the premier brand name cameras, it also makes it a potential target to thieves and other sticky fingered fiends. Cheap synthetic materials may not look as nice a rich Corinthian leather bag, but they can be just as tough and durable as the expensive leather ones. Again they will appear less conspicuous, which can be a very good thing.

The Best Camera Bag – A Guide to Buying

December 24, 2011




Choosing the best camera bag should not be a difficult task. Whilst there are lots of different designs and makes to choose from, there are fundamentally just 2 varieties: shoulder bags and backpacks. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and selecting the right kind for you requires thinking a bit about kinds of shots you take and where you go with your camera.

So let’s make a quick assessment of shoulder bags:

What are they?

Shoulder camera bags have a strap that goes over one shoulder for carrying. They open from the top.

Main points

These kind of digital SLR camera bags are great because they are so easy to access. Just whip open the flap at the top and get hold of the equipment you need. Changing lenses, memory cards and so on is an absolute breeze with this system.

But the convenience of this is offset by the fact that a single strap distributes the weight of the bag unevenly over your shoulders. If you like to walk around with your camera a lot, this can literally become a real pain!

Shoulder bags feature solid foam padding around the sides which offers good protection. They are though, often a bit exposed up top, where the opening flap tends to be thin material only.

Foam dividers with Velcro attachments can be easily shifted about to redesign the interior of the bag, to best fit your changing collection of photography equipment.

A number of digital SLR camera bags in this design feature a waterproof lining stitched into them. Where that is not the case, it’s usually possible to get hold of a neat waterproof cover that slips over the top.

Now let’s take a look at backpacks:

What are they?

Just like normal backpacks, camera carrying bags of this kind have two straps, one fitting over each shoulder.

Main points

Backpacks are kinder on your body when it comes to carrying them for any length of time. The weight of a camera and other photography equipment can be quite significant. Backpacks distribute this weight evenly and make a photo-shoot less of a gym session.

If you love outdoor photography and take long walks with your camera, a backpack makes things easier. They are also the best camera bag choice for people who travel with their DSLR camera.

These bags are not only comfier for carrying, but they tend to be slightly better padded too. The whole of the inner surface is covered with strong padding, providing protection from all angles.

As with shoulder bags, back pack digital SLR camera bags usually have movable dividers inside which allow you to secure your photography equipment in place.

Often backpacks have more zip sections, netted pouches and general ‘extra’ areas than shoulder bags. Again, this is to their advantage when it comes to long photo shoots where spare batteries, phones, maps and the like, could be needed.

So when choosing the best camera bag, spend some time thinking about what kind of photography you do. Is convenience your priority, or comfort? Do you need to change lenses quickly or is that not a problem? Are you likely to take your camera on trips?

In reality, most photographers have need for different things at different times. So it can be well worth choosing two separate camera bags in different designs, to cover all possibilities.

Solar Powered Backpacks

December 22, 2011




Solar power backpacks are simply high quality backpacks, usually made of 1,680 Denier nylon, with small solar panels attached to them. A new technology called thin film solar panels are used to generate power from the sun while keeping the weight to about 3.5 pounds for the whole backpack. There are currently two main manufacturers of solar powered backpacks, Voltaic Systems and Eclipse Solar Gear. Both of their backpacks have similar features; one is a little less expensive while the other generates more power.

Both backpacks are designed to charge hand held electronics such as cell phones, PDA’s, GPSs, and digital cameras. They are not designed to charge laptop computers. Laptops usually draw more current than the backpacks can generate so eventually the battery pack would be totally depleted. Portable hand held electronics do not draw that much power so the backup battery remains charged up.

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