Equipment

Equipment, Reviews, and Technique

Many photographers on the web repeat the old statement that the best equipment does not make a good picture. Rather, it is the photographer's eye that sees and interprets a great scene. While this is true, it should also be said that with lousy equipment, the best photographer cannot take great pictures. To make a picture great, it matters not only what it is of, but also how it is done. Sharpness, lack of flare, and precise shutter speed and aperture opening are but the most basic technical qualities which the photographer must rely on the lenses and camera to produce.

To obtain these technical qualities, I have always tried to purchase the best lenses and cameras I could afford. The choice of brand used to be secondary, as long as film was involved. Digital has changed this quite substantially. Now, the quality lies also in the camera, or, rather, in the sensor chip and technology employed. When I switched to digital SLR, I stayed with Nikon. Not only because I own some of their lenses, and because the D2x is a few thousand dollars cheaper than Canon's comparable top model, but also because the Nikon chip has higher lpi resolution, and, last not least, the ergonomics of the D2x is very close to the F5, so no surprises in handling. Lastly, Nikon's dedication to the half-size chip, which a few years ago seemed to exclude the serious pro-market, has now paid off: the technology allows for their chips to be as good as full-format chips of competitors, and within the Nikon digital system, all lenses are the same focal length on all cameras. Voilá!

What has really surprised me about the D2x: The quality of images captured with the D2x not only exceeds any film-based 35mm camera, but is at least on par with medium format film. If only I could afford a digital back for my Hasselblad! But, as it is, I think it will be curtains for the Hasselblad soon...

Enough said. Here is a list of what I use.

Equipment

Cameras and lenses:

DSLR camera: Nikon D2x, Nikon D70.
Nikon lenses: Nikkor AF-S 4/12-24 DX, Nikkor AF-S 2.8/28-70, Nikkor AF-S 2.8/80-200. Extender TC 20 E II.

Range Finder Camera (135 film): Leica M6. (Waiting for a digital M!!!)
Leica Lenses: Elmarit 21 ASPH, Summilux 35 ASPH, Summilux 75, Apo-Telyt 135.

Range Finder / Panoramic: Fujifilm TX-1.
Lenses: Super-EBC Fujinon 5.6/30, 4/45, 4/90.
Panoramic: Horizon 202.

"Point-and-Shoot" digital: Leica Digilux 2, and, my very first digital toy, Nikon Coolpix 950.

edium format cameras: Hasselblad 503CX and 903SWC.

Medium format lenses: Zeiss Biogon CF 4.5/38, Distagon CF 3.5/60, Makro-Planar CF 4/120, Sonnar SA CF 5.6/250.
Extender Zeiss Mutar 2x.

Periphery:

Tripods/Heads: Travel gear: Manfrotto Carbon One 440 tripod w/ Gitzo 1275 M ball head. Larger (and heavier) Manfrotto tripods and heads for local work.

Light metering: Gossen Spotmaster (until 12/2001), Sekonic L-608 (from 12/2001), Hasselblad PM 3. Built-in meters for 135mm.

Backpack and bags: LowePro Photo Trekker AW, Tenba 895 and 500, Tamrac 709.

Enlarger: Durst Modular 70 Color.

Scanner: Imacon Flextight Photo.

Printer: Epson Stylus Photo 2100.

Films:

Film: Fujichrome Provia F RDP III (current choice). B&W: Kodak Technical Pan, Kodak T 400 CN.

(Note: With films, I tend to use too many types and brands. For chromes, my choice was Fujichrome Velvia before Provia, and back in the Canon-days I shot Kodak EPR 64 exclusively. When I started medium format work, I first used color negative film - mainly Kodacolor GPX 160 (which has been discontinued, unfortunately). I did not really catch on to their Portra line of films for landscape work in medium format and went back to chromes. In B&W, I favor Kodak's Technical Pan film for the 120 format, but I also use T-Max 100 or 400, and T400CN for portraits or "street photography" (see Prague). On assignment for people and action with the F5 and F-100, I shoot Fujicolor Superia Reala 100, and Kodak Portra 400 NC or VC. The concert photos #s 5-16 of Manfred Mann's Earth Band were my first experiment with Kodak's Supra 800.)

Technical Pan and T-Max films are developed at home in designated Kodak developers.

Reviews

Horizon 202

Sekonic L-608

I'll comment on more Equipment (hardware and software) whenever I feel I have something interesting to report. Meanwhile, here's some resources I use when looking for new equipment:
Tests & Reviews-section of Michael Reichmann'sLuminous Landscape.
Lars Kjellberg's lens tests at photodo.
Photography-Review, which has hands-on reports from users.
Bjørn Rørslett's Nikon lens reviews at Nærfoto.

Technique

Most of the things I do to optimize my images for electronic display and to create inkjet prints from conventional transparencies or negatives I learned from the valuable hints and tips Michael Reichmann offers in the Tutorial & Essays-section of his Luminous-Landscape website, which I recommend for photographers of all levels. Another excellent page, including a step-by step tutorial on calibrating your system, is Ian Lyons' Computer Darkroom.

For notes on how selected photographs on this site were done, click here.