Kevin J. Sperl

 photography

 

Photo Column 002 - Professional Camera Gear

A compositional advantage to using a long lens with a large maximum aperture (in this case a 600mm f5.6) is to isolate the center of interest while also eliminating background distraction by use of selective focus and depth of field. And, yes, in this case, I can zoom in on a subject at some distance away. Stay tuned for further discussions on these techniques.

 

 

Professional camera gear attracts attention. There is no doubt that my camera equipment is heavier and bigger then consumer cameras. More than once I've heard comments like “Can you see the hairs in the nose of the man on the moon with that thing?” Uh, no I can't, but there's good reason for the difference in weight and size.

Why so heavy? The materials in, and construction of, professional cameras is intended to withstand daily use (or abuse, at times). You may think that taking 300 photographs in a year is a lot, but I may take that many in a single day.

Why so big? People erroneously think the larger size simply allows close-ups of far away objects. Not so. The size of the lens actually permits more light to strike the film plane so pictures can be taken in low light conditions at an acceptable shutter speed.

The size difference is obvious when comparing a pro 300mm lens to a consumer 300mm. As we will discuss in a later column, the aperture of a lens controls the amount of light passing through to the film plane. The more light that is allowed, the greater the range of condition's in which photographs can be taken.

The diameter of a lens is a ratio of it's focal length to its maximum aperture. As an example, a 300mm focal length lens with a 2.8 maximum aperture has a diameter of 4.25 inches (divide 300 by 2.8). A consumer 300mm lens with a maximum aperture of 5.6 has a diameter of 2.1 inches (divide 300 by 5.6) Thus, the pro 300mm must necessarily be larger (and more expensive!).

What's in my bag:

This is the gear I typically carry while on the job.

Two camera bodies:

  • Canon 1D Mark II digital body with an image resolution of 8.5 m Pixels.

  • Canon 1D digital body with an image resolution of 4.5 m Pixels.

Five lens:

  • Canon 17-35 f/2.8 wide angle zoom

  • Canon28-70 F/2.8 medium range zoom

  • Canon 70-200 f/2.8 long range zoom

  • Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens

  • Canon 300mm f/2.8 telephoto

  • Converters for the 300 to yield a 420 and a 600mm effective focal length lens

Yes, I'm a Canon guy. It's what I started with and I had no reason to switch to other manufacturers when I upgraded to pro-level gear. Users of all types of cameras are welcome here. You'll get no arguments from me about which brand is better. All major manufacturers make good cameras. Besides, cameras don't take pictures, people do!

Having said all this, using better equipment does not guarantee a better photograph. The photographers skill in using the equipment and the inherent art of creating a photograph are much more important. You can give me the most expensive hammer made and I still can't build a house. Give a skilled carpenter a cheap hammer and he/she can still build a pretty good house. So, if you think the only thing standing between you and great photographs is a better camera, think again. Learn to take your best photographs with the gear you have until you are convinced that your photography has gone beyond the capability of your equipment to produce the images you want. Then, and only then, buy better gear.

Next time we begin the journey of understanding and controlling exposure. Until then, keep shooting.