And no, I don't mean 'gear' as is pot if you're in London, I 'gear' as in all of the large and small widgets we all have in order to take the pictures we want. Anyone who's been taking pictures for more than a couple years has tons of stuff laying around that at the time they thought would be indispensable. And maybe at the time, it was.
Camera bags are like that. You're always looking for the ONE bag that'll do everything you want. Trust me, it really doesn't exist. I've got 4 or 5 bags in my closet that could hold my camera and a couple lenses and related junk for a short trip. In late 2006 my blue Tamrac shoulder bag I've had since the trip with my dad in 2004 started ripping and having holes in it. So in an attempt to get something that would last me, I bought a tan Crumpler shoulder bag which I used for about 9 months of the 365 portraits project. So if you met me out and about to shoot, that was the bag I was probably using. And I really like that bag, in fact I've become a big fan of Crumpler stuff despite their high prices, but my lower back has been bothering me, so in the late fall of last year I went and got a small Crumpler backpack. Thomas Hawk, who I met and shot in SF turned me on to the carry around backpack idea. And so far that has both helped my back and served me well on trips across the country and across the pond. Is it the perfect bag? For now. ;-)
My father used to say the old adage, 'buy the best, you'll never be sorry'. Which is ironic because my father used to buy generic sneakers from K-mart, but that's another story. And it seems that in any particular product segment there are the 'safe' choices. In cars, you can't go wrong with a Honda for example. Well in remote triggers (a widget that goes on your camera that wirelessly tells your flash to fire when you press the shutter), the Honda are called Pocket Wizards. Now, you can buy cheaper remote triggers (I own a set), but everyone seems to swear by these. Well the crappy plastic ones I had finally failed on me a few days ago so I went to B&H this afternoon and I bought a couple of the low-end Pocket Wizards (the high-end ones look like they are used to control NORAD, so I thought that was overkill for me). And I'll admit that in playing with them for 5 minutes, they work great.
The thing is, do they really need to cost $180 each? I mean, they don't seem to be built that much better than a couple of walkie-talkies from Radio Shack. In fact, that's what they resemble.
Here's one now. Not exactly Buck Rogers technology huh? Actually, maybe that's exactly what it looks like..
Then again, who cares what it looks like as long as it works. I whole-heartedly agree.. And it's a relatively niche market they're selling to, and I hear they last a long time. The thing is, getting back to my earlier question, do they really cost that much to make? And if not, why hasn't some other company come in and sold a good solid pair for $150 and steal all their marketshare? Maybe that's an idea for someone.
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There are plenty of crazy things like that in the photo world. I can understand a lens costing $1000. There may be 15 pieces of glass inside the thing that all have to move in relation to each other and stay in alignment while doing it. That I understand. But then I see something like this while shopping for a $30 umbrella. Yes, that's a $4000 reflector. And while I'm sure it's nice and I'm sure it's the best one you can buy and I'm sure it's built like a tank and all that. Come ON! $4000 for a reflecting umbrella? Ohhh.. it's 'parabolic', as if they just cracked the mathematics required to converge light on a single point. Come on. Maybe if you're making half a million a year you don't care, but I just think some stuff is expensive just to be expensive.
Then again, this is all coming from a guy who owns $4000 speakers, so maybe I should shut up before someone writes and essay about ME!
Camera bags are like that. You're always looking for the ONE bag that'll do everything you want. Trust me, it really doesn't exist. I've got 4 or 5 bags in my closet that could hold my camera and a couple lenses and related junk for a short trip. In late 2006 my blue Tamrac shoulder bag I've had since the trip with my dad in 2004 started ripping and having holes in it. So in an attempt to get something that would last me, I bought a tan Crumpler shoulder bag which I used for about 9 months of the 365 portraits project. So if you met me out and about to shoot, that was the bag I was probably using. And I really like that bag, in fact I've become a big fan of Crumpler stuff despite their high prices, but my lower back has been bothering me, so in the late fall of last year I went and got a small Crumpler backpack. Thomas Hawk, who I met and shot in SF turned me on to the carry around backpack idea. And so far that has both helped my back and served me well on trips across the country and across the pond. Is it the perfect bag? For now. ;-)
My father used to say the old adage, 'buy the best, you'll never be sorry'. Which is ironic because my father used to buy generic sneakers from K-mart, but that's another story. And it seems that in any particular product segment there are the 'safe' choices. In cars, you can't go wrong with a Honda for example. Well in remote triggers (a widget that goes on your camera that wirelessly tells your flash to fire when you press the shutter), the Honda are called Pocket Wizards. Now, you can buy cheaper remote triggers (I own a set), but everyone seems to swear by these. Well the crappy plastic ones I had finally failed on me a few days ago so I went to B&H this afternoon and I bought a couple of the low-end Pocket Wizards (the high-end ones look like they are used to control NORAD, so I thought that was overkill for me). And I'll admit that in playing with them for 5 minutes, they work great.The thing is, do they really need to cost $180 each? I mean, they don't seem to be built that much better than a couple of walkie-talkies from Radio Shack. In fact, that's what they resemble.
Here's one now. Not exactly Buck Rogers technology huh? Actually, maybe that's exactly what it looks like..
Then again, who cares what it looks like as long as it works. I whole-heartedly agree.. And it's a relatively niche market they're selling to, and I hear they last a long time. The thing is, getting back to my earlier question, do they really cost that much to make? And if not, why hasn't some other company come in and sold a good solid pair for $150 and steal all their marketshare? Maybe that's an idea for someone.
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There are plenty of crazy things like that in the photo world. I can understand a lens costing $1000. There may be 15 pieces of glass inside the thing that all have to move in relation to each other and stay in alignment while doing it. That I understand. But then I see something like this while shopping for a $30 umbrella. Yes, that's a $4000 reflector. And while I'm sure it's nice and I'm sure it's the best one you can buy and I'm sure it's built like a tank and all that. Come ON! $4000 for a reflecting umbrella? Ohhh.. it's 'parabolic', as if they just cracked the mathematics required to converge light on a single point. Come on. Maybe if you're making half a million a year you don't care, but I just think some stuff is expensive just to be expensive.
Then again, this is all coming from a guy who owns $4000 speakers, so maybe I should shut up before someone writes and essay about ME!
What kind of sneakers are they?
There is an interesting parallel here, which maybe you're aware of. Your dad told you to buy the best, and you'll never be disappointed. But he bought generic K-Mart shoes. You're saying you agree that you should buy the best, but you won't buy the $4000 reflector? But you still wear the sneakers that cost the same. And one of those things is a job.
Personally, I think both are too expensive, and that you should blow all that cash on glass. Hey, sell your shoes and buy a Noctilux. You won't regret it.
Enough ranting, I agree about the Pocket Wizards. People who love them really love them (and start fan clubs), but the rest of us just use them and wonder why they can't make them cheaper.
I think Bill said speakers, not sneakers....
It will be interesting to me to watch the prices of radio slaves with the new Radio Poppers coming out that do ttl metering that is beyond the capability of the pocket wizards. Also - they supposedly will have a very inexpensive version that transmits a straight signal without the ttl info. They will be priced close to the price of the e-bay radio slaves that many have purchased. Time will tell if the quality will be closer to the PW for much cheaper, or just cheap.
Fun site - thanks!
Your description of searching for the perfect bag is the Man Version of why Women love to buy purses. There is no "perfect purse"- it doesn't exist. I like one bag because it's shaped nicely- but it won't hold a magazine so it's no good for train rides. I like another bag because it's bigger but it's suede- can't use it in the rain. Another holds stuff, can get wet, but is sort of dumpy and not professional looking. I shop all the time for the perfect bag. Can't do it.
And no- I would NEVER spend $4000 on a bag. Or a lens. Or speakers. Or sneakers. I do however, respect your respect for why the lens is $1000. Someone did have to craft that thing. That is why good puppets cost a lot of money. It takes time to make stuff and girl's gotta eat. But I will not be eating $4000 food.
Even the best shoes from KMart are embarassing. My opinion.
The irony is that the cost of equipment seems to be inverse proportionate to the amount people seem to be willing to pay for the photography you produce.
Pocket Wizards are worth the money. They are reliable. The key with them is to keep the manual near by and know how to reset them quickly - I've had a few assistants change settings on them while taking them from the case to the strobe or onto the camera - just brushing them buttons while handling them. They are complicated and if they don't work - I always go back to zero. I do a quick reset and get back to business.
Gear is the obstacle that drags us all down. As Bill mentioned, there is no perfect bag - although for a while the original Domke seemed pretty dam good.
As far a buying a Noctilux - well, if you want to shoot with no depth of field, and can have the lens and all your M bodies set-up for it. I found a mint condition Canon 50mm f/1.2 from the sixties and it is fantastic. (even found the rare hood for it) It is really sweet with Neopan 400 on my M4 or M6.
I'm glad to see Bill address the joy of shooting film. I'm so sick of some many experts in the industry downgrading shooting film or with M bodies. Sometimes, all the digital stuff is a curse hanging around your neck. Not everything is for an assignment, not everything is always last minute, sometimes it is just the joy of photography that you need to refuel your soul.
Getting back on the topic of using film, I recently purchased an M8. Its a fantastic camera, but the digital Leica experience is nothing compared to the advance crank and the soul of my film R4. Being someone from the digital generation, I first learned through film. My heart still sticks with it.