My Gear
What kind of gear do I use? Here’s a quick list what’s currently in my camera bag and lighting kit. As I write up reviews of these products on the blog, I plan on including links to those reviews from here.
Camera
Canon EOS Rebel T1i. This is my first dSLR, and I purchased it back in the fall of 2009. It’s served me well over the years, and it’s still ticking despite clocking 10-20,000 photos a year. I plan on upgrading to a Canon EOS Rebel T3i
or a Canon EOS 7D
within the next year or so. I’ll keep the T1i around as a back-up, but I can’t imagine it’ll survive as a main camera for too much longer…
Lenses
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8. This is my go to lens for a lot of stuff. I bought it shortly after I got my Canon t1i in December 2009. The Canon 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6
that I got with my camera was ok at photographing daytime football games, but it was pretty crummy at night football, indoor track, basketball, and wrestling. The Sigma lens, with its larger f/2.8 aperture, solved those problems.
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. This “kit” lens leaves some things to be desired, like a larger wide-open aperture. However, it still serves me ok as a standard lens for events / parties. Inside, the flash compensates fairly well for the aperture, and outside there’s enough sunlight. I would love to upgrade to a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L
or a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8
, but that won’t be anytime too soon.
Canon 85mm f/1.8. This is an awesome lens, but I don’t use it as often as I thought I would. It doesn’t have the versatility that the other two lenses do, although the image quality is great. I use it from time to time for portrait work, and I’ve also used it for some sports (mostly wrestling).
Flashes
Canon Speedlite 430EX II. This is my go to speedlite. Use it any time there’s an indoor event, and I’ve used it outdoors for a fill light from time to time. I wish it had the extra power that the Canon Speedlite 580EX II
has for bouncing indoors, but I can certainly live with the 430.
Bags
Canon 200DG Bag. I bought this shortly after I got my Canon t1i. It replaced an old bag that started ripping and, although it is starting to wear itself, I started using it again after the replacement bag fell apart. It’s not quite rugged enough for all the crap I haul around in this bag, but it’s survived. Let’s hope it survives a little longer…
