wow Ken, you really load up.
___________________________________
John Hermanson | CPS, Inc.
21 South Ln., Huntington NY 11743
631-424-2121 | www.zuiko.com
Olympus OM Service since 1977
Gallery: www.zuiko.com/album/index.html
Ken Norton wrote:
> 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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