Cameras and Other Equipment (updated 3.23.09)

What I Use

This Canon camera and these lenses are outstanding.  They make photography a joy to learn.  They can be found on Amazon.com or eBay.com for a pretty good price.  Overall however, they are pretty pricey.  It can be an expensive hobby.  I enjoy taking nature photos and recently shot a wedding and found that I'd like to continue to learn about making  photography more than a hobby.  However, if you want to get good shots and not break your budget, see "My Recommendations" on this page.

Camera Body

I use the Canon 5D Mark II.  The 5D Mark II is an amazing "Full Frame" camera.  This camera is used for portraits, weddings and landscape photography.  The advantage of this camera over other digital SLR cameras is that this camera is "Full Frame".  Only one other Canon camera is full frame and that's the 8 thousand dollar Canon 1Ds Mark III.  This camera was significantly less expensive and offers for the first time, the true 'feel' of a 35mm film camera.  All of my existing Canon lenses work well with this camera.  The 50D will complement this camera for special events as a backup camera as well as a longer distance sports camera.  The 5D Mark II actually does much better with landscapes (16mm is really 16mm now, not 25.6 mm since the 20D is a 1.6 crop factor - 16 x 1.6 = 25.6).  Another nice thing about the 5D Mark II is the fact that it shoots video in high definition.  I've begun supplementing photos with videos in my recent updates to the web site.

21.1 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion (16,384 colors/each of 3 primary color), wide range ISO setting of 100-6400 (expandable L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600).


Full HD Video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip with HDMI output for HD viewing of stills and video.


Next generation DIGIC 4 Image Processor for faster processing of fine detail and color reproduction as well as reduced image noise.


High performance with 3.9 fps continuous shooting, new shutter with a durability of 150,000 cycles and improved weather-resistant body.


Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video.


3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) monitor with anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coatings for improved viewing and smudge protection.


Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System specifically designed to work with a full-frame sensor.


Compatible with over 60 Canon EF Lenses and most EOS System accessories.

Backup Camera / Sports Camera

Canon 50D 15 Megapixel Digital SLR Body

 - An outstanding camera body.  Due to its speed, we use it primarily for sports - Nick's basketball and soccer teams, as well as situations where we don't need an external flash.

• New 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with improved noise reduction, wide range ISO 100-3200 (H1: 6400, H2: 12800), 14-bit conversion for smooth color tones and gradations.

• Next generation DIGIC 4 Image Processor for faster processing, 6.3 fps up to 90 JPEGS using UDMA CF cards; 60 consecutive JPEGS or 16 RAW using standard CF cards.

• 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) with multiple coatings for improved viewing and smudge-resistant protection.

• Enhanced Live View shooting includes Face Detection Live mode.

• 9 cross-type high-precision sensors for accurate target subject acquisition and diagonal center cross-type AF point with f/2.8 and faster lenses.

• New Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction setting to automatically even the brightness across the image.

• Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System with a fluorine coating for better resistance to dust.

• Creative Auto goes a step beyond full auto with on screen setting display.

• HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) output for displaying full high-resolution images on a High Definition TV.

• Compatible with over 60 Canon EF/EF-S lenses and most EOS System accessories

Lenses

85mm f1.8 lens

- This is my favorite portrait lens.  It's fast, easy to use and has a shallow depth of field.  It takes a very good portrait shot with a sharp focus on the subject and a fuzzy focus of the background

50mm f1.4 lens

- A good, fast general purpose fixed focal length lens.  This is a very basic lens, but one I never leave home without.  It's fast and easy to use.

100mm f2.8 macro

- This is a great lens for a shallow depth of field portrait or nature photography - insects, flowers, or other macro photography needs.

16-35mm f2.8 wide angle

 - A very fast wide angle lens.  Great for indoor photography for large crowds (wedding receptions), or outdoor panorama shots

24-70mm f2.8

- My favorite all purpose lens.  On the short end, it's almost wide angle and on the long end, it zooms very well.  Great for portrait shots, group shots and outdoor photography

70-200mm f2.8 zoom

 - A great long distance zoom with a fast lens for sports action or telephoto shots.  We use this for soccer games and low light long distance shots

Flash and Flash Accessories

Canon 580EX Flash

- Canon's top-of-the-line Speedlite has been thoroughly revised. It's smaller and lighter than ever, yet provides a bit more power and significantly faster recycling. A new Select Dial makes changes, like exposure compensation, a breeze. It now covers lenses as wide as 14mm, and has new features for digital SLRs - including the ability to transmit precise flash color temperature information, and vary the zoom setting to match the imaging sensor

Canon 420EX Flash in slave mode

- This flash is used as a second flash to add extra light to the subject.  When used as a second flash in "slave" mode, it's controlled by the 580EX to add double lighting.  When mounted on a unipod, it can be very versatile in bringing added light to a subject

Canon CPE3 Compact Battery Pack

- This allows the flash to recharge much faster for photos every 1.6 seconds rather than every seconds.  It holds 8 AA batteries.  It allows at least 400 flashes per every 8 batteries

Gary Fong Lightsphere II

- This very inexpensive add on to a flash is a great way of diffusing light, distributing it over a wider area.  It softens the flash with minimal loss.

This device is used primarily for the larger separate flash units.  Gary does sell a difuser for point and shoot digital camera's on board flashes.

His site is located here -> http://store.garyfonginc.com/index.html

Stroboframe Folding Flip Compact Flash Bracket

- I use this to raise the flash away from the camera.  This allows a more even lighting on the subject.  It eliminates red-eye and softens harsh shadows.

Canon EOS TTL Off-Camera Shoe Cord

- This is necessary when using a bracket, or if you want to hold the flash at least two feet from the camera while shooting using a tripod.

Miscellaneous Accessories

Canon BGE2 Battery Grip

- Allows for 2 lithium ion batteries to be used together, provides a better grip and another shutter button for portrait shots

Canon RS-80N3 Remote Switch

 - This is a very inexpensive device that eliminates camera shake when mounted on a tripod

Sandisk Ultra II 4 GB Cards

- While 4GB may sound like a lot of space, when I shoot in "RAW" mode, each photo is approximately 10mb.  that leaves room for about 400 photos.  For weddings, where you'll shoot typically more than 1000 shots you'll need at least four of these.  They now have an 8 GB card, but I like to have multiple cards in case one stops working.

Lowepro Memory Card Wallet

- This wallet will fit on your belt and will enable you to carry multiple memory cards and extra batteries.

Extra Batteries - no matter what camera you have, always have at least one additional fully charged battery with you.  Shop for the best deals at Amazon.com, eBay and Adorama.com.

Filters -

Hoya UV and Circular Polarizing Filters

Bags

Tamrac 5612 Pro 12 Camera Bag

 - In this bag, I carry two SLR camera bodies, 6 lenses, all the filters, two flashes, a flash extender and 32 batteries for the flashes as well as 4 Lithium ION batteries.  Pretty much everything fits here. This is a great camera bag for a long photo shoot or wedding

Lowepro Micro Trekker 200 Camera Backpack

This backpack holds the camera body, plus four lenses and several filters.  I take it with me hiking and use it for general photography

"My Fun Ultra Portable Camera"

Software

Photoshop CS4

- It's very complicated, but worth the time and effort to learn.  You can save pictures that you'd normally delete.  I took about 3 months to learn this program and it's amazing how powerful it is.  However, it's very expensive.  If you're looking for most of what Photoshop can do and want to save money, you should get Photoshop Elements

A great photo collage program I found is called Lumapix Fotofusion.

It's easy to put together collages for scrapbooks, photo albums.  You can find it at http://www.lumapix.com/

Photo Printing / Developing

Depending how many photos you print, it may be a better value to use a web printing site instead of a printer.  However, if you're just printing a few photos, there are some very good photo printers out there.  Check out www.epson.com and www.hp.com for excellent and inexpensive photo printers.

As far as web photo printing, I've had a lot of luck with Shutterly.com.  They have great deals and use exceptional paper.  I have been very happy with their service and quality over the last five years.  Go to www.shutterfly.com and look at their prices.  The cost of printing your self gets to be very expensive when you factor in ink, print heads, and high gloss paper.

As always, if you have any questions or need advice on any of these topics, feel free to email me - tedwill@comcast.net

My Recommendations for Point and Shoot Cameras:

These are my favorite point and shoot cameras all price at or under $500.00.  These cameras are for great for general photography and can produce stunning images.

My favorite point and shoot today is the Leica D-Lux 3.  It's a great camera. 

• 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
• Unique manual setting options give you the freedom to create images that express your own style
• High-quality Leica lens takes in stunning shots from the wide-angle to the telephoto range
• O.I.S. optical stabilization technology and ultra fast processing
• Pure, discreet, timeless design in a housing of high-quality aluminum