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Surface Photographic Equipment

Manifest as at June 2011

No, I do not use everything at once.  However, use most things depending on the job at hand.  Although there is a LOT of gear here, much of it is specialist for specific shooting applications.  The reason for 2-3 bodies is that when photographing wildlife on the run, it eliminates the need to change lenses.  People make photographs NOT gear - the gear just helps!

Cameras

  • Canon 1-D MKIV 16 mega pixel D-SLR camera (1.3 crop sensor)
  • Canon 1-D X 18 mega pixel D-SLR camera (full frame sensor)
  • Canon 5-D MK2 21.1 mega pixel D-SLR camera (full frame sensor) - dedicated underwater camara

  • Canon VIXIA HF S-10 HD 32GB Flash Camcorder (wildlife behaviour)

Lenses

  • Sigma 15mm f2.8 DG.5 fisheye lens (superior to Canon equivalent)
  • Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L-Series USM TYPE 2 zoom lens
  • Canon 35mm f1.4 L-Series USM lens
  • Sigma 50mm f2.8 1:1 DG macro lens (a very sharp macro lens that has reasonable price tag)
  • Canon MPE-65mm specialist macro lens
  • Canon 90mm f2.8 EF shift-tilt lens
  • Canon 100mm f2.8 Type 2 L 1:1 USM macro lens
  • Canon 200mm f2.8 L-Series USM telephoto lens
  • Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L-Series USM Type 2 zoom lens
  • Sigma 24-105 f4 IS zoom lens (Canon mount and superior to Canon equivalent)
  • Canon 180mm f3.5 L-Series macro lens
  • Canon 300mm f2.8 IS L-Series USM telephoto lens
  • Canon 500mm F4 IS L-Series USM telephoto lens
  • Canon 1.4 tele-converter Type 3 (2)  One for 300mm and the other for 500mm
  • Canon 2 X tele-converter Type 2 (rarely used)

  • Kenko extension tube set (12, 20 & 36 mm) for macro photography (Japanese not Chinese manufacture)

Support & Carry

  • Gitzo G-2258 explorer carbon fiber tripod (best pod I have ever owned & well worth the dollars)
  • Gitzo G-1325 carbon fiber tripod with removable internal pole
  • Gitzo GT-3541LS carbon fiber tripod
  • Gitzo G-1321 floating head for G-1325 tripod
  • Photoflex lightstands (2)
  • NatureScapes "Skimmer"
  • Really Right Stuff B-40 ball head
  • Really Right Stuff B-55 ball head
  • Really Right Stuff quick release plates
  • Really Right Stuff replacement lens plates (feet) for Canon MPE-65mm, 300/4 IS & 300/2.8 IS lens
  • Really Right Stuff L bracket (all cameras)
  • Really Right Stuff pano head adapter for ballhead
  • Aqcratech V2 Ballhead (lighter than RRS ballheads & used when gear must be light ie: in light aircraft
  • Wimberley flash brackets (high functionality, robustness & outstanding design)
  • Wimberley WH-200 Head Model 2
  • 4th Generation C-51 replacement lens foot for 500mm F4 telephoto lens
  • Really Right Stuff B-150 focusing rail/plate
  • Kinesis & Think Tank "combat" carry equipment (harness, belt, lens cases & camera carry case) Think Tank & LowePro soft lens carry cases.  A wide assortment of styles & brands to suit all field  & assignment situations
  • Tamrac 610 shoulder carry bag with lens gate system
  • GEPE CF card carriers.  Water, shock & dust proof in easy to see/find neon colours
  • Pelican hard cases. Pelican cases are used when maximum protection is required
  • Think Tank International Roller carry-on airline bag (essential for airline travel)
  • Think Tank Airport Roller carry-on airline bag (not that essential as it is too large for most aircraft, but it works well when operating from a four wheel drive vehcle)

Lighting & Filters

  • Canon 580 EX/2 speedlight (3)
  • Canon MT-24 EX macro twin lite
  • Better Beamer flash extender
  • Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5 Flash Tranceivers & Receivers (4)
  • Quantum Products Turbo 3 Battery Pack
  • B&W KSM circular polarising filter (German made and not the Chinese copy)
  • B&W UV filter (for lens protection in harmful environments ie: volcanic dust, wind blown sand, etc
  • Singh-Ray Vari-D ND adjustable filter
  • Singh-Ray 77mm thin type neutral circular polarization filter
  • Lee filter mount & adapter rings (58, 72 & 17mm)
  • Hi Tec 100 series (100mm) graduated neutral density filters .3, .6 & .9 soft & hard edge
  • Sekonic L558 light meter
  • 12 inch soft pocket white reflector
  • 12 inch soft pocket translucent diffuser
  • Wimberley plamp

  • HOHLPHOTO Flash Gells & accessories

Other

  • Canon remote shutter release module (standard type)
  • Canon Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3
  • Canon C-Finder (Ideal for macro work as it allows vertical viewing)
  • Copperhill sensor brush & other cleaning aids
  • Visible Dust Arctic Butterfly Cleaner Brush

  • Really Right Stuff bubble level for hot shoe (used to keep camera straight when shooting landscapes)

Computers & Software

  • MAC PRO computer running Snow Leopard O/S with 3 x 2 terrbyte internal drives
  • Firm Tec redundacy and backup system with 5 x 2 terrabyte backup drives
  • MAC PRO laptop
  • Two 500 GIG (Lacie Rugged) portable hard drives (for backup storage when traveling)
  • Hoodman Firewire 400/800 R AW CF card Reader (fastest transfer from CF card to MAC)
  • Adobe PhotoShop CS-4
  • Apple Final Cut Express Video Editing Software
  • Breesebrowser Pro
  • Photo Mechanic
  • EIZO CG301W monitor
  • Gretag Eye-One monitor colour profiler
  • Noise Ninja noise removal software
  • NIK software

  • PKS-2 Pixel Genius Sharpener software

Analogue Equipment

  • Nikon F4 cameras & assorted A-Series lens(from a land & time long since forgotten)
  • Large cardboard box to store the camera bodies & lenses (kept under the bed)