Tuesdays with Nate | Your GEAR Questions Answered.

I mentioned on my Twitter account that I wanted to do a post about our gear today, so I asked people to submit some questions for me to answer, and here they are!  If you have more questions, head to our formspring page.  Next week I’ll be doing a full fledged description of all of our gear and bags, what we use, and why… and testing out a solution for foggy lenses.  Enjoy.

my Spider Holster, two cameras, and favorite sling bag by Kata

Q: What gear are you taking on your trip to NYC? What about on your trip to Europe?

A: This is a tender subject.  I obviously want to bring it all.  Hopefully, while in NYC we’ll be able to stop by B&H and Adorama, and maybe pick up some new toys.  But as far as what we travel with, Becka will bring her 5DmkII and her 50 1.2 and 24 1.4, I’ll bring my 7D with my Tokina 11-16  and my 35 1.4. In Europe, I may bring along the 24-105 as a walkaround option.

Q: I recently got a Nikon FG, and I’ve gotten my first roll back (film = awesome). Do you have any recommendations or personal preferences for types of film to use?

A: Film is very personal.  For my medium format camera I’ve been using the FujiColor Pro400H.  Try Try Try…. get your hands on a lot of different films, and find a good local lab to develop them.  I made the mistake of converting everything to digital first, which is very expensive, but lately I’ve been making regular prints, and if I have picture I really like, I can always take the negatives back. If you live in Central Florida you can take your film to our favorite place, Colonial Photo and Hobby, to be developed.

Q: If you could only use the SX-70 or one of your regular vintage film cameras, which one would you choose? (And why :) )

A: As much as I love the tone and simplicity of the SX-70, It’s just not practical for regular shooting and the film is expensive. (The two SX-70′s that we have in our collection are actually Becka’s cameras and she adores them and probably prefers them to everything except our twin lens.) I’ve got an Olympus OM-1 that would be my first choice, simply because of the light meter and ability to shoot a normal size roll of film.

Q: Which would you recommend? The Canon 50mm 1.4 or the Canon 28mm 1.8 on a 40D.

A: Considering the crop factor on the 40D, the 28mm (or 44mm after crop) isn’t a bad focal length, but I think the 50mm will be more practical and more useful for most applications.  28mm really isn’t wide enough to give you the dynamic look you want. That being said, I’ve only ever used the 50 and not the 28.

What 2 lenses would you take if you could only take 2 to a wedding?

This is actually not as difficult of a question as Becka thought it would be for me.  A few months ago, I dropped my Tokina 11-16 during a wedding, and for the next couple of months I shot almost entirely with my 35mm F/1.4 and 85mm F/1.2.  It pushed me a lot to not rely on my wide angle and start shooting a lot tighter, and I was really happy with the results.  Sometimes when heading to a shoot, trying to decide what to bring, I will only grab one lens to try and force myself to see things a little differently.  It’s helpful, but also more convenient for someone that has someone else shooting in case I don’t get what I was looking for. To answer on Becka’s behalf, she’d pick the 50 1.2 and 24 1.4 and with those two she could probably be happy for the rest of her life.

Q: Nate, I don’t think this went through with my others, but I wanted to ask, how about a post on the gear you use to carry your camera? Do you use a Spider Holster? Or the Black Rapid straps? Or do you use just the plain old strap that comes with it?

A: I know a lot of photographers like the strap that comes with their camera. I think they are crazy.  All of my bags are from Kata, as are my straps.  The exceptions are Becka’s ShootSac, her brand new Kelly Moore Bag, and I have one neckstrap from CPS (Canon Professional Services).  We also both have Spider Holsters, but mainly reserve them specifically for really long weddings where we bring pretty much all of our toys. They are definitely one of the best inventions and investments we’ve made.  They are truly brilliant.  The Kata Neckstraps are very soft, have quick releases on both sides, small storage for CF Cards, and are the only straps I’ve found that are long enough for someone that is 6’2″.  Same goes for the sling bag I use, it has a very long strap, room for 2 lenses and a flash, and three small pouches for small things like lens cloths, spare batteries, lens caps, and filters.