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Choosing Camera Kit for an Epic Trip Made Easy

Lowepro Mini Trekker Camera Bag

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Ted on Tour USA – Choosing Camera Kit for an Epic Trip

Choosing Camera Kit for an Epic Trip is the first part of a new blog post series. This series will run parallel to our travel blog posts documenting our epic trip across America. This new series will feature the photographic related aspects of the 15000 mile trip.

In this first post I will discuss the process I used to choose what camera kit to pack for our 6 week Ted on Tour USA trip. I will also be providing background information and tips to some of the pictures taken on the first part of our trip from the UK to New York

Here are links to read an overview of the Ted on Tour USA trip and Ted on Tour USA Part 2 Gatwick to New York.

Alternatively check out the timelapse video below![/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/LJzK-LAxT-U” align=”center” title=”Ted on Tour USA Video”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Which Camera Bag?

Our Norwegian Airlines flight allowed us to check in one 20kg bag each and take one carry on bag each. We chose to use a Lowepro camera bags as our carry on bags. This ensured all the delicate camera kit would be kept with us and away from the dreaded baggage carousel system.

I have several camera bags and chose the following for this trip –

  • Lowepro Mini Trekker AW which is capable of holding an SLR Camera with a large telephoto lens attached and 4 or 5 other lenses
  • Lowepro Fastpack 350 which holds an SLR Camera with a small zoom and 3 to 4 other lens.
  • Lowepro Event Messenger 250 shoulder bag. Ideal for a camera and a couple of lenses and a laptop.

I chose the Mini Trekker because it can carry a ton of camera kit and will (just) hold my camera with Nikon 200-500 attached. I use this camera bag 90% of the time.

The Fastpack camera bag is great as it has a top compartment ideal for carrying a wide array of items. You can use it to hold all your leads and chargers or alternatively put a bit of lunch and some other bits in there. The Fastpack camera bag has a slide-in opening for a laptop and/or notepad tablets.

The Event Messenger is a great shoulder bag that is ideal for when travelling light. It also has a slot for laptops (up to 15″ screens) and notepad tablets. The Event Messenger camera bag would travel empty and flattened in our checked in luggage. This camera bag would be ideal for travelling light when we got to ‘the other side’ and I didnt necessarily want to carry all the gear around.

Prior to the trip I did seriously look at buying a roller bag along the lines of a Think Tank Airport or similar. I eventually decided against buying one as I wasnt absolutely sure the roller bag would be better than a backpack when transferring between trains and planes etc.

I have undertaken many trips and found the backpacks perfectly when dragging suitcases around. I didnt want to risk my first experience with a roller camera bag on such a big trip.[/vc_column_text][ess_grid alias=”choosing-camera-kit-camera-bags”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Choosing Camera Kit

When I am choosing camera kit to take on any trip, I always start by listing where I want to go and what sort of shots I want to get. I have many lenses ranging from 15mm through to 500mm so needed to work out which lenses to leave at home without compromising my flexibility.

Create a Shot list

From part 1 of planning an epic trip here is my brief shot list

  • City scenes
  • Railways
  • Aircraft
  • Abandoned buildings and vehicles, dereliction and abandonment

Mixed into this would be the obligatory general touristy type shots of wherever we went.

In order to select appropriate lenses I padded out the brief list above with some specific details[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]

New York

  • buildings
  • water towers
  • escape ladders
  • city skyline
  • shots from tall buildings
  • street scenes

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San Francisco

  • Golden Gate Bridge
  • trolly buses/cable cars
  • Alcatraz buildings

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Pacific Coast Highway

  • general vista’s
  • national parks

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Route 66

  • old buildings
  • old cars
  • abandoned living

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Aircraft

  • Vegas Nellis AFB
  • Las Vegas McCarren Airport
  • Fort Lauderdale Airport
  • Joe Davis Airpark in Palmdale

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Railways

  • Around New York
  • California Zephyr
  • Tehachapi Loop

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Putting more details into our shot list made it easier to break down the lens characteristics I would need

  • Aircraft pics would need long reach
  • Street photography would need flexibility in zoom length
  • National Parks I thought would need wide and low light capable
  • Aircraft museums would need wide view and low light capable

I always want to take all my camera kit on every trip but it simply wasnt practical on this trip. With this in mind I sort through all my kit and remove things I can justify leaving at home. I couldn’t foresee having the time to mess with flash or macro so it was easy to discount all my flash kit and macro lenses.

Working through the considerations I felt these lenses made sense

  • Nikon 200-500 f5.6 for airbases and airports
  • Sigma 18-200 C, Nikon 16-85 and Sigma 18-35 f1.8 A for Street photography
  • Nikon 50mm f1.8 because its so light I take it everywhere!

This lens selection would provide a lot of flexibility and cover pretty much every scenario encountered.

Cameras

Choosing cameras is always a lot easier – I always take all 3 cameras!

  • Nikon D7200
  • Nikon D300
  • Sony NEX6 with 16-50 lens

I usually keep the Nikon 16-85 on my D300 for general shots. I then use my Nikon D7200 with whatever specialist lens capability I want.

The Sony NEX6 is great for general pictures plus video. Its so small and light yet the picture quality is fantastic.

Camera Accessories

I also threw (metaphorically) these filters and accessories into the bags –

  • Hoya Pro 1 circular polariser filter for 16-85 and 18-200 due to potential haze and glare on the Pacific Coast highway and in the desert
  • A selection of different rated neutral density filters for creative work
  • Manfrotto 055 tripod
  • Manfrotto Ball head 057 Magnesium Ball Head with Q5 Quick Release
  • Manfrotto 035 Universal Super Clamp
  • Memory cards – as many as I could get into my bags
  • Laptop
  • Spare batteries
  • Chargers for everything

Apart from the cameras, lenses, laptop and notebook tablets, everything else would go in the suitcases. The camera bags would be heavy enough, so all of the robust non essential stuff would go into the suitcase.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I have to make special mention of the Manfrotto Universal Super Clamp. This single piece of kit is simply amazing! Combine it with the ball head and you have a really useful tool for when a tripod either isnt allowed or there isnt sufficient space. It can be a bit unwieldly, but the flexibility if you can find a mounting point, is fantastic.

The jaws open wide and it clamps to pipes, railings, poles – pretty much anything. With the ball head fitted you can move your camera around irrespective of the fixings orientation. You do need to ensure there is a reasonable amount of clearance around your fixing point to allow your head and camera to be moved. It’s fantastic though and has made many long exposure shots possible that I would otherwise have missed or at least struggled to get.[/vc_column_text][ess_grid alias=”manfrotto-super-clamp”][vc_column_text]

Camera Kit Complete

So after working through my shot list I had finally decided on what camera kit to take.

  • Nikon 200-500 f5.6 for airbases and airports
  • Sigma 18-200 C, Nikon 16-85 and Sigma 18-35 f1.8 A for Street photography
  • Nikon 50mm f1.8 because its so light I take it everywhere!
  • Nikon D7200
  • Nikon D300
  • Sony NEX6 with 16-50 lens
  • Hoya Pro 1 circular polariser filters
  • A selection of different rated neutral density filters
  • Manfrotto 055 tripod
  • Manfrotto Ball head 057 Magnesium Ball Head with Q5 Quick Release
  • Manfrotto 035 Universal Super Clamp

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Creativity and Improvisation

I’m always on the lookout for unusual shots and angles from the moment I leave the door. I knew the low level Thameslink platforms would provide a nice low light opportunity. I like long exposures and low light photography so was interested in the potential for blurred motion pictures of the trains arriving and departing. The long exposures are also great for getting people to show up as shadowy characters as they walk along the platforms.

I used the suitcases as a stable rest and the cameras built in timer in place of a tripod and release cable to get some pictures of the trains arriving and departing. Just because my tripod was packed in the suitcases didnt mean I wasnt going to take some long exposure photos. I moved the cases around to suitable places on the platform and took a number of long exposures. If you dont have anything with you put your camera on the floor, or on seats, bins – anything that is stable will do! Be creative and use the things to hand! Just be sensible – dont use improvised items right at the edge of platforms or block entrances and exits, you know the score!

I had hoped to get some aircraft photos whilst at Gatwick but the views were useless. I didn’t bother getting any photos in the departures lounge and surrounding area as basically there wasn’t a lot of scenes that caught my interest. I just didnt feel the ‘vibe’ and didnt feel the effort worth risking the attention from the heavy security presence for the meagre pickings on offer.

Shooting From on High

In part 2 – Gatwick to New York I mentioned we used the open top Big Bus tours to get around New York. These open top buses were great for orientating ourselves in a new city. From a photographers point of view they are great for several reasons –

  • The tour guides provide a great insight and point things out you would likely miss if unescorted
  • you see things you may not see from the ground
  • the elevated position gives you a different view of your chosen subject
  • people are unaware of your presence so there are great candid picture opportunities

Unfortunately there are a few downsides to the Big Bus tour buses for photographers –

  • an obvious lack of opportunity to ‘work’ a scene from different viewpoints
  • your fixed viewpoint means you almost always need a superzoom
  • other passengers on the bus getting in the way!

One additional bonus I didn’t anticipate with Big Bus tour was on the rainy days. I got some great abstract pictures of rainstreaked windows combined with the array of city lights. We also got to see the city and keep dry!

The Manfrotto Super Clamp would also come into its own for the views from high rise buildings. Tripods are a definite no no in most high rise buildings and, in reality, the volume of people around you makes them almost impossible to use. Most of the places we visited had some sort of railing or fixing I could use to stabilise the camera. As said before, the Super Clamp is a great piece of kit. In a couple of places I noticed the security guys watching me use the clamp. I could almost hear them wanting to scream ‘Excuse me Sir, you cant do that’ but obviously couldnt find an excuse to say it!

Below are examples from the scenarios discussed above.[/vc_column_text][ess_grid alias=”choosing-camera-kit-grid”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Part 2 – Long Exposure HDR

One technique I have been trying out is long exposure HDR. I wanted to try this technique out at New York Grand Central Station. This is an iconic location that has plenty of character and is perfect for standard HDR but has the added element of being very busy.

In part 2 I will show the results and discuss the techniques used.

Thanks for reading about how I chose which camera kit to take – I really hope you found it useful! Let us know your thoughts below

All the best for now and hope to see you in part 2!

Gary[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”sky” el_width=”80″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

If you liked this article then why not share it with someone you know who will also find it interesting  …. thanks!

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Aircraft Photography Tips Part 1 – Choosing Cameras And Lenses

RAF 3 Squadron 100th Anniversary colour scheme Eurofighter Typhoon landing at RAF Coningsby

Aircraft Photography Tips Part 1 – Cameras And Lenses

This post on aircraft photography has been refreshed and updated in June 2016 to take account of the latest lens releases.

Aircraft photography can present a number of issues which can catch out the casual photographer.  My updated article shares a few tips with you on how I approach photographing aeroplanes. I have listed the main factors this aircraft photography series will look at below –

  • cameras
  • lenses
  • appropriate camera modes
  • general camera technique.

Camera Specs

For aircraft photography, you ideally want an SLR camera that allows the user to select both spot and centre weighted metering modes. Choosing a camera with the ability to switch between these metering modes will make consistently reliable exposures a lot easier to obtain. It is important to note that not all entry level cameras will have a spot metering mode so make sure you check the specs out on any camera you are looking to buy.

Your chosen camera will also need shutter priority and aperture priority exposure modes.

Finally, check the camera has manual control of exposure compensation.

Some compact cameras and bridge cameras look appealing because they feature long reach lenses. Check the specs to make sure any bridge or compact camera has the features and modes mentioned above. The ability to mix and match metering and exposure modes is more valuable than lens reach.

Shutter Lag

If you have, or choose to buy, a compact or bridge camera then pay close attention to the cameras shutter lag specification. Shutter lag is the amount of time between you pressing the shutter button and the shutter operating. This time difference is referred to as shutter lag and ideally needs to be as close to zero as possible. I guarantee there is nothing more frustrating than to frame perfectly your subject matter but miss the shot because of shutter lag.

I use a Sony Nex-6 for general walking about or if travelling light, and many times shutter lag has caught me out because I am used to the instant response of my Nikon DSLR. So shutter lag can be a real problem photographing planes.

If using a compact or bridge camera be sure to look at the cameras shutter lag specification. There’s nothing more frustrating than to frame your image perfectly then miss the shot because of shutter lag.

Whatever camera system you have, or choose to buy, to consistently get good aircraft photo’s you will need to get intimately familiar with the following camera features

  • aperture and shutter priority modes
  • exposure compensation controls
  • metering modes – matrix, centre weighted and spot.

Don’t worry, these camera modes and features are discussed in depth in part 2 – Aviation Photography Tips – Metering Modes, Exposure Compensation and Exposure Modes.

These terms might seem a bit daunting at first – you will need to practice and experiment to really understand the subtle differences of each function, but your persistence will be rewarded.

Having a good understanding of what these camera modes do, in which circumstances to use them, and how to quickly change between them is very important.

To get consistently good aircraft pictures you need to focus on the action unfolding in front of you and not get distracted by operating the camera.

you will need to practice and experiment to really understand the subtle differences of each function, but your persistence will be rewarded.

Which Camera For Aviation Photography?

The choice of cameras available are overwhelming, but almost any of the current crop of DSLRs are capable of delivering good results, providing they feature the modes and features mentioned above.

I suggest a DX or crop factor camera will be of more benefit than a full frame camera. The ‘crop effect’ of the smaller sensor gives you a ‘free’ boost to your zoom lens of up to 1.5x magnification.

Try not to get caught by GAS – Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Buying the newest, latest and greatest lens, camera or whatever is absolutely no guarantee of success.

Having a solid understanding of your camera and lens performance and then applying that knowledge to your subject matter is the real key to success.

Lenses

The lens you invest in will depend on many factors not just how deep your pocket is.

The first question you need to ask yourself is what type of aviation photography do you want to undertake. If you are looking at capturing larger and slower moving commercial aircraft at your local airport, the lens choice could be a lot different to getting fast moving fighter aircraft at airshows or low level in the Mach Loop.

As silly as it sounds, if you are looking at the civil aviation scene, any lens between 24mm or 28mm through to 300mm will have its uses.

If smaller warbirds or modern fighter aircraft are more your thing then a telephoto lens with a reach of at least 300mm is a good starting point.

Its pretty straight forward deciding on exactly what lens range you want – the smaller your target the longer reach you need from your lens and vice versa.

I used to use a Sigma 100-300mm EX f4 lens sometimes combined with the Sigma 1.4x teleconvertor. This combination gave 460mm reach which equates to 640mm when factoring in the crop factor of a Nikon DX format camera. This combination has served me well and has yielded good results. It didnt have image stabilisation (IS) or vibration reduction (VR) but is a solid lens giving good results.

I sold, and am still selling, many aircraft pictures used with that lens combo.

What lenses might be considered suitable for aviation photography?

Generally speaking, speed of focus and image sharpness at the long end of the zoom range are the most important factors in choosing a lens for aircraft photography. At the end of the day there is no point in having 300mm or more of lens reach yet the autofocus cant keep up with a fast moving jet. Conversely, lightning fast focus is no use if the image is that soft that it might as well be out of focus!]

Entrance Level Zoom Lenses

As with everything in life, focus speed and image sharpness generally improve in proportion to the price tag.

Starting with the cheaper options, Nikon offers a reasonably cheap Nikkor AF-S DX VR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR which could be used as a first lens. Reviews suggest the lens isnt particularly fast focussing and the image sharpness drops noticeably between 200mm and 300mm.

Moving up a bit in quality and performance is the new Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED which is supposed to be very good and offers better VR and features better quality lens glass.

Sigma offer the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS and Tamron offer the SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD.

All three lenses are reasonable performing mid range zoom lenses and wont cost a fortune.

More importantly, if you decide aircraft photography is not your thing, you wont be greatly out of pocket and will have a good lens that is perfectly suitable for many other styles of photography.

Intermediate Range Zoom Lenses

As you move further up the quality and price range you will come across the new Nikkor AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED which features improved optical quality, auto focus performance and VR.

The traditional alternatives, and until recently the aviation photographers lenses of choice, are the Sigma 50-500mm f4-6.3 APO DG OS HSM and Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO. Both lenses are well respected for aviation photography and the debate still rages as to which lens is the better. In simple terms both are very good lenses, especially if you can get one second hand. Reports seem to suggest the Sigma 150-500mm lens is slightly better than the Sigma 50-500mm. The former is also cheaper but both lenses get good reviews.

Reports seem to suggest the Sigma 150-500mm lens is slightly better than the Sigma 50-500mm. The former is also cheaper and both lenses get good reviews.

Next up is the Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 APO EX DG OS HSM which is very well respected amongst wildlife photographers as well as aviation photographers but comes with an even bigger price tag.

In a similar price range is the Canon 100-400mm L f4.5-f5.6 which is coveted by Canon photographers. As a Nikon user I cannot comment either way, but reviews and discussions around the web indicate this is a very good lens for Canon owners.

As mentioned earlier, the two Sigma lenses were the defacto lenses of choice for aviation photography until very recently.

Tamron, and more recently Sigma, shook up the market with new lens offerings. Both companies have released a 150-600mm zoom lens with exceptional image quality. Sigma even released two versions – one in their C or Contemporary range and one in the S or Sport range. The S version has better optics and is aimed squarely at sports photographers and has a price to match. The Tamron and Sigma C lenses are priced similarly to the 150-500mm and 50-500m lenses which seems to indicate that they will take over the mantle of ‘go to’ lenses for aviation photographers.

These three lenses get rave reviews and seem to have significantly raised the bar in terms of affordability versus optical quality and image sharpness.

More recently Nikon released their 200-500mm f5.6 VR lens. This is similar in price to the Tamron 150-600mm and the Sigma 150-600 C lenses. The Nikon has a slight edge in that it features a constant f5.6 aperture throughout the zoom range. As a negative it only goes to a maximum zoom of 500mm.

For what it is worth, I tried both Sigma 150-600’s and the 200-500 side by side on a Nikon D7200 and ended up buying the Nikon 200-500 lens.

The Nikon just seemed to focus faster and the VR seemed smoother in operation and looked steadier. It was purely a subjective test but I went with my gut feeling when making a decision.

It should be noted that once you start looking beyond the three 70-300mm zoom lenses I mentioned, you are looking at very good lenses that are going to set you back a decent sum of money. They shouldnt be viewed as casual purchases and are only suitable if you want to seriously get into aircraft photography.

One saving grace is that many are upgrading from their 50-500’s and 150-500’s so there is a chance of picking up one of these proven performers second hand at good prices.

A factor you may overlook in your lens choice is the weight. A standard 70-300mm lens will weigh somewhere around the 750g to 1kg mark. The 150-600mm lenses are going to weigh in between 2 and 2.5kg. You are going to notice the weight after an hour or so at an airshow!

Superzoom Lenses

I purposely havent included any of the superzooms in the 18-200mm or 300mm range. This is primarily because there is a lot going on inside a wide angle superzoom lens and many optical compromises are made to fit all that zoom range into a single lens. There is a place for the superzooms in photography, and I have considered getting one, but not for aviation photography.

I do feel that if you are seriously looking at aviation photography and are tempted by the superzooms then you will be better served by separate lenses.  A good 70-300mm for flying aircraft and a wide angle lens for aircraft on the ground will serve you better as opposed to a single superzoom lens.

You can get very close to the action at some airports, so a wider angle view lens can result in some interesting alternatives to the standard 3/4 front landing type image. Indeed, you may find the shorter end of a 150-500 or 600 lens isnt short enough and end up missing shots!

Long Prime Lenses

I purposely havent discussed the various prime lenses such as the 400mm, 500mm or 600mm lenses purely for the reason that they are out of the budget range of many photographers. Needless to say, they are generally exceptional lenses but come with eye watering price tags well out of reach of the average photographer.

I havent discussed the various prime lenses such as the 300mm, 400mm or 500mm purely for the reason that they are out of the budget range of many photographers

There are many differing opinions on lenses so please feel free to comment or get in touch if you want to discuss these lens options and their relevant pros and cons in more depth.

So in summary, I have suggested a camera system that allows the user to select and control the following

  • metering mode – centre weighted and spot
  • auto modes – aperture priority and shutter priority
  • manual control of exposure compensation.

I also suggested a telephoto zoom lens with a reach of around 300mm. Next time we will look in more depth at the camera exposure and metering modes mentioned above.

I hope you have found the post interesting so far, follow the link to read Aircraft Photography Tips Part 2 – Camera Metering Modes, Exposure Modes And Exposure Compensation

Thanks for reading

Gary

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