DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register) 
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> What to put in the bag?
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 14 of 14, (reverse)
AuthorThread
 06/12/2015 05:15:15 PM · #1
Some of you are probably like me and after shooting for years, have shelved more gear than you can carry. Others are still fresh, eagerly drooling over each new rumor.

I need some fresh input.

Here's the scenario: You own a point-and-shoot, but have signed up for a DSLR class where you will learn camera basics, photography basics, and art basics. You will learn about basic travel photography (people, places, things: candids, informal group photos, landscapes, cityscapes, buildings, food, flea market items, etc).

Even though money is an issue, you are committed to outfitting yourself for this class and an upcoming trip.

What do you recommend?

Laptop:

Software:

Camera body:

Lenses:

Tripod:

Additional:

Thanks for your input!
 06/12/2015 05:39:20 PM · #2
Originally posted by Skip:

What do you recommend?

Laptop: a major brand i5, like this ($500): HP

Software: Lightroom 6 & Photoshop Elements ($213, although elements may come with the laptop (-$70))

Camera body: Canon T5i with kit lens ($649) T5i

Lenses: Canon 70-200 f/4 ($649), Sigma 10-20 ($399)

Tripod: I've never shopped for an inexpensive tripod, but I bet you could find one for about $125

Additional: Tamrac 5727014 Zuma 7 Triple Access Backpack ($62)



Total of about $2,600...

Seems like a lot, but it would be hard to remove most of this.
 06/12/2015 06:18:17 PM · #3
Laptop: Microsoft Surface Pro works great for a traveling machine.

Software: Photoshop and Lightroom CC Photographer's bundle, 10 bucks a month

Camera body: Canon 70D (great IQ, great articulating screen, APS-C

Lenses: On the crop body, I'd like to see covered 10/12mm up to 200mm, with a macro lens included in that group. But there are a LOT of ways to do this...

Tripod: Dolica Proline GX is a great starter tripod, can be had for 45 bucks on Amazon

Additional: Canon 430EX flash or equivalent, capable of bounce.

Message edited by author 2015-06-12 19:46:27.
 06/12/2015 06:26:39 PM · #4
I agree with the 70-200. A fantastic lens, for a good price. I have rented one on 4 separate vacations and was always impressed.

I will mention that I recently got rid of all my canon gear and picked up a sony a6000 and am very impressed. I owned the rebel xti and frequently used (borrowed)the 7d. For size, weight and IQ the sony is a winner, however they only have about 20ish lens options.
 06/12/2015 06:40:55 PM · #5
Originally posted by Bear_Music:


Camera body: Canon 7D (great IQ, great articulating screen, APS-C


Do you mean the 70D, with the articulating screen?
 06/12/2015 07:46:10 PM · #6
Originally posted by davidw:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:


Camera body: Canon 7D (great IQ, great articulating screen, APS-C

Do you mean the 70D, with the articulating screen?

Sorry, you're right :-(
 06/13/2015 06:12:35 AM · #7
@ bear_music: does the surface have an SD slot? or do you need a card reader?

(incidentally, that's another difference between the 7D and the 70D: the 7D uses CF cards.)

one thing i'm struggling with, in the effort to keep things simple, is separating out the things i carry around between what i use and what would be really useful starting out.

for example, two additional things have come to mind: a comfortable camera strap and a couple lens cloths.

thanks for the feedback! anyone else or anything else? it is really appreciated!
 06/13/2015 07:51:27 AM · #8
Originally posted by Skip:
@ bear_music: does the surface have an SD slot? or do you need a card reader?

It has a microSD slot, and a USB port. There are adaptors that let you put mSD into an SD camera, or you need a card reader to transfer to the Surface Pro.
 06/13/2015 07:53:20 AM · #9
In addition to my camera body and lenses all I have in my camera bag is the following:

Spare batteries
Spare memory cards
ND Filter
Waterproof cover - rarely use this
Notepad and Pen
 06/13/2015 09:09:18 AM · #10
Laptop: *brand bias self-censored from response* Core i7, at least 8gb of ram, video processor other than "intel chipset" (Like Nvidia GeForce) and a big ole' hard drive that is at least 7200rpm, or SSD if you have the flow.

Software: Lightroom first... Then if you have the $ Photoshop as well.

Camera body: I tried to remove my brand bias... alas... *coughs* Nikon full-frame *coughs & takes cover from stones being thrown by masses*

Lenses: 70-200 2.8 is koo, but with your topics for the class in mind, I'd go more for a 24-85 range lens so you can get wide.

Tripod: ***BEST TRIPOD EVER***
 06/13/2015 07:31:05 PM · #11
Laptop - Macbook. Retina screen, good graphics, SSD, lots of RAM. Or similar Windows model. Prices will be about the same, similarly equipped. Plus backup drive. 1TB WD drives are $59. If the person already has a decent computer, they might be able to get by by just getting an IPS monitor.

Software - Lightroom

Camera body - Nikon D5300 or D5500, or Canon 60D or 70D. Hard to go wrong with any, the performance is similar. I would shop by price. Right now, Nikon is cheaper. Next week, Canon probably will be. I would never recommend full frame for a beginner who is interested in travel, because price and weight.

lenses - get the body in a kit with Nikon 18-140 or Canon 18-135. Plus nifty fifty.

Tripod. The previously mentioned Dolica, or the Amazon Basics 63 inch. They're clones of each other, and similarly priced.

Additional - Amazon Basics bag. Polarizer.
 06/14/2015 03:12:05 AM · #12
I just added pruning shears to my camera kit.... I spent 20 minutes pruning a big ole shrubbery that was in the way of my shot, good thing it was city land and nobody cares if that bush lives or dies.
 06/14/2015 08:19:34 AM · #13
Thanks again for the suggestions!

I believe this is what the classroom kit will look like:

Computer: 17" Quad-Core, 8GB DDR3L, 750GB HDD SATA - ~$560

Computer Accessories:
- Case, Optical Mouse, Flash Drive - ~$30
- 2-year drop-and-spill - ~$95
- 1TB xHD - ~$60

Software: Adobe Photo CC - $10/month

Camera Body: Canon 70D
- with 18-135mm - ~$1250
- body only - ~950

Lenses:
- Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM - ~$800
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 - ~$200
- Canon Lens ‑ 50 mm ‑ F/1.8 - ~$125

Tripod: Dolica - ~$50

Additional:
- Bag - SlingShot 202 - ~$110
- Strap - ~$20
- Memory Cards - 2 8GB cards ~$12/ea
- 2nd Battery - ~$65 (Canon Original)
- Canon 430 ExII Speedlight - ~$200
- Lens Cloth - ~$2

Roughly, it looks like this could run $2,700 - 3,400; it would come down to the difference between going with the kit lens, or a combination of lenses. As this is a DSLR course, I would probably go with the body plus at least two lenses (with the nifty-fifty being the wild card).

I love the idea of pruning shears! While I don't carry those, I do carry a solid step-stool.

Thanks again! The feedback was invaluable!
 06/14/2015 10:31:11 AM · #14
My only comment would be about the laptop. 250GB SSDs are about $100 now. I'd swap out the spinning HD for an SSD. Everything will run much faster, and your students will be happier. I personally would save money on the camera gear and get a IPS screen for the laptop. Being able to see whether your image is too bright or dark is more helpful than that extra lens.

I also just got a bag that holds both water and lunch. Surprisingly rare in a camera bag.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 04/16/2024 12:37:52 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/16/2024 12:37:52 PM EDT.