What's in my camera bag, part 2
Several days ago I posted Part 1 of a 3-part blog series on what's in my camera bag. Today I bring you Part 2, all about my crop body, zoom lenses, and a couple of specialty lens items. Wheee! More peeking into my camera bag ahead!
Canon 70D. This is my backup body, and it has a crop sensor. It is also the camera I use most often when I'm shooting surfing because its crop sensor gives it extra reach. I upgraded this body from the 60D a few months ago. The 60D is also a wonderful camera but since I use this body for shooting surfing so much, I got the 70D because it's got more focus points and an improved focus system. It also has built in wi-fi and an app that you can use on your iPhone to do all kinds of crazy things. Technology these days, guys!
Canon 24-70 2.8 II. I've said before that this lens is my least favorite, and I probably make photographers everywhere faint when I say that, because this lens is loved by many. It has nothing to do with its quality; it's AMAZINGLY sharp. I just like shooting long, wide primes, and this doesn't fall into that category. BUT, I still find it to be a lens that I can use. Its strong point is its versatility. I can use it if I need to shoot a wide landscape shot; I've often used it in my studio; and it's a good lens to take with you to a shoot when you're not quite sure what focal lengths you need.
Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II. Zoom in from far away, take a portrait, and then count the eyelashes on your subject when you upload your photos to your computer. I also use this lens for shooting surfing. A lot of people find it heavy so I suppose it could also double as workout equipment in a pinch!
Canon 17-55 2.8. This is an EF-S lens, which means it can only be used on cameras with a crop sensor. It's quite a step up from the 18-55 kit lenses that come standard with Rebels or even the kit lenses that come with the other Canon crop bodies. It's got a constant wide aperture, it's really solidly built, and really sharp. Even though I have the 24-70 which I can use on my crop body, I keep this lens because the 24-70 is not quite wide enough on a crop camera for my taste, but this lens is.
Canon 55-250 4.0-5.6. This is another EF-S (crop body only) lens. I got it a loooooong time ago in a kit with my first Rebel. I sold the other kit lens, along with that first Rebel, long ago but I've held onto this lens. Sure, it doesn't have a very wide maximum aperture, and it's also a floating aperture, meaning when you zoom in, the maximum aperture gets smaller. However, it's actually a really sharp lens, especially being a kit lens that doesn't have the most expensive build. It's nice and light, and you can get some really nice bokeh from it even at smaller apertures when you zoom in. The bonuses of zoom lenses!!! While I don't use this lens professionally, I still keep it around for personal use...it's nice for when I don't want the extra weight of the 70-200. My most-sold fine art print was taken with this lens. And a couple of weeks ago I shot with this lens in my studio in a project to show that photographers can still get quality photos, even without a bunch of high end gear.
Canon 2.0x iii teleconverter. This teleconverter doubles the focal length of lenses. I use it exclusively with my 70-200, though I could use it with other lenses as well. The only time I use it is when I shoot surfing (though not every time); I know a lot of people like to use it for things such as birding, too. When I have this plus the 70-200 on my camera, random sketchy men tend to walk up to me at surf breaks and say, "That is a REALLY BIG LENS." Cue side eye from me. Negatives: it narrows your lens' maximum aperture by 2 stops (though with a 2.8 lens outdoors, this is not an issue) and it slightly (and I mean sliiiiiiightly) degrades image quality. You have to zoom in past 1:1 to see it, though. Earlier versions of this tele had much more of an impact on image quality but this one is good.
Lensbaby Composer (shown here with Edge 80 optic). I have the original Lensbaby Composer (which is not sold anymore; the new version is the Composer Pro). It came with the double glass optic and has a 50mm focal length. It is a super fun selective focus lens. You can get the most dreamy photos from it. It's manual focus and can be fairly tricky to focus because of the concept of the lens itself, but that doesn't take away from its awesomeness. I also have the Edge 80 optic that can be used with the Composer; it's an 80mm focal length and is an awesome portrait lens and also allows for some very cool tilt-shift like photos. And I have the macro converters too, which allow you to make some of the funkiest macro photos ever. Several of my top five favorite photos I've ever taken have been taken with my Lensbaby.
Stay tuned for the third and final installment of what's in Amy Kristin Photography's camera bag!