I'm one to do an analysis on how stuff works in the overall approach. For
this trip I had picked and chosen a set of equipment based on some
assumptions as well as shooting styles of the past several years. Here is
what I took and a few comments with it. (these comments are being copied
down from my pocket notebook).
ITEMS TAKEN:
1. OM-4T - Used it for slide film. Film advance started slipping too much
and was replaced by the 2S.
2. OM-2S - Used it for print film, B&W film and then slide film once the 4T
acted up.
3. OM-3Ti - Used it for B&W (Neopan SS), flawless.
4. E-1 - Used it for digital backup of some film shots as well as for
proofing.
5. 14-54 Zoom - Used with the E-1
6. 35-80/2.8 Zoom - Used mostly for color slide film pictures. VERY
enjoyable to use--the most used lens of the trip.
7. 24/2.8 - Wasn't used as much as expected. 35mm was usually wide-enough
and teles were used more.
8. 35/shift - This lens was used mostly with B&W. I wouldn't have used it as
much, but it was my only "normal, normal-wide" focal length lens with a 49mm
filter-ring size.
9. 100/2.8 - Used mostly with B&W. Wonderful as always.
10. 200/4 - Used it a lot with B&W, but was the most used lens behind the
35-80.
11. 300/4.5 - Used it some, but it was usually a touch too long.
12. Lowe-Pro SlingShot 300 AW bag. I'll save my comments for another
section.
13. Medium-sized Bogen (Manfrotto) 3001 tripod with medium-sized ball-head
with hex-plate.
14. Mini-tripod - Used only to prop up a tarp at the campsite.
15. Monopod - Used it quite a bit, but not as much as usual because of close
shooting proximity to the vehicle.
16. Polaris flash/ambient meter - Used it for post-sunset scenes at mountain
lake.
17. Cable release - Too short, where in the world is my big one?
18. QR plates - grrrrr
19. Hoya B&W filter set, 49mm and 72mm polarizers.
20. Naneu Pro bag - used it mostly to just hold exposed film.
21. Lens cleaning supplies
22. Fanny Pack - used to carry stuff when hiking.
23. ExpoDisc - Not used.
24. Extension tubes and reversing rings.
ITEMS NOT USED ON TRIP:
1. ExpoDisc - This one surprised me, but between the handheld's ambient dome
and the multi-spot metering, I never felt the need or desire to drag it
out. Frankly, I think I forgot I had it with me.
2. 25mm extension tube - I did use the 14mm on the 300/4.5 when shooting
critters, but never touched this one.
3. Reversing Ring - Any macro opportunities were thwarted by high winds.
ITEMS NOT TAKEN THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN:
1. Tokina AT-X 100-300/4 - I'm of mixed opinion here, but having two zooms
(35-80 and 100-300) for a given kit sure is handy and efficient. Not for
everything, but does reduce kit size when trying to be efficient. It's not
that I missed having the lens, it's just that it would have been handy a
couple of times.
2. Zuiko 50/3.5 - I was missing a normal (non-shift) medium focal-length
lens for use with B&W.
3. MD2 drives - Hex plates and OM bodies don't work well together. Almost
always in the past I had winders attached to my OM bodies to address this
issue. My memory of that faded.
4. Flash - Space constraint was an issue, but I should have packed at least
a 285HV.
5. Big 3021 Tripod - What was I thinking? I'm 6'4" and trying to use my
short squatty tripod? Duh!
6. 55mm lens shade. Last night I finally figured out how to use it with the
B&W filters. Grrr.
ITEMS NEEDED:
1. Longer cable-release - My 18" one is missing somewhere in my darkroom
boxes. Longer is better.
2. New QR system - The hex plate quick-release plate system has got to go.
3. ND GRAD filter - self explanatory
4. Step Ring for the 35-80 to use my 72mm polarizer.
5. UV Filters.
Overall, I believe that my equipment selection was pretty much OK. I did
give a lot of thought to the equipment selection and proof that it was
pretty good is the list of items not used on the trip. Of the items not
taken, the one that was slam-dunk needed was my big 3021 tripod. This was
the first time I really regretted not taking it with me. Normally not that
big of an issue because I tend to reduce the height of the tripod for
lower-level shooting, but for the grand scenics that I was photographing, I
got a kink in my neck. The MD2 drives were left behind because of
size/weight concerns. As it turned out, a second bag was really needed
anyway, so this savings was nulled out.
The one assumption I made was that the 35-80 would "replace" the normal
35/2.8 and the 50/3.5. This was a good assumption, except for one thing:
Filters. My B&W filters are 55mm ring size (I have 49-55 step rings) and
the polarizers are 49mm and 72mm. So the 35-80 couldn't be used with the
B&W filters and I didn't have a step ring for the 72mm polarizer. This was
the only thing that really held the 35-80 back from being nearly universally
usable.
There was one thing I fought the whole time. The Lowe-Pro SlingShot 300 AW
bag is as close to worthless as I've come across. It is a difficult bag to
work out of. The "Top Load" limiting claspes get caught in the zipper every
time you open the bag up all the way and then try to zip it back up. The
shoulder strap is VERY slippery unless you put it up and over your
head--which is the designed way to carry it. Because the strap is so
slippery you can't just casually carry it on your shoulder for a few seconds
or minutes. Most disturbing is that the inner flaps and seams get caught in
the zipper. You're constantly having to work the inner material out of the
way every time you close the zippers. The bag does have a few redeeming
values--if you are restricted to ONE camera and two zooms, the bag is ideal,
but as I'm constantly swapping cameras and lenses, the bag was horrid for
this.
As a general rule, I've not been a fan of UV "protective" filters, but I'm
starting to come around. I'll be getting quality UV filters for the zooms.
The hex-plate QR system has run its course with me. Unfortunately, a change
will require all new heads. If I change, maybe it's time to change bases
too. Ugh. So much for "lifetime" investment. What I ended up doing was
taking my small ballhead that I use on the mini-tripod and monopod and
attached it to a QR plate. It looked kinda silly having two ballheads
stacked, but it was quite usable.
AG
--
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