Geared Up

While compiling a list of my favorite professional DSLRs two things came to my mind: At this point in the 21st century, why are they still called DSLRs and not simply SLRs? Canon’s top-of-the-line, film-based EOS-1v was introduced in 2000 and is long gone. Nikon’s F6 ($2,399) was launched in 2004, and although you can still buy one, not many people do. To me it’s like calling automobiles “horseless carriages” and since I don’t think a Nikon F7 is around the corner, let’s put this abbreviation to bed.

Studio lighting hardware is going through the biggest change—a paradigm shift, really—since the flashbulb was invented in 1929. There are many trends and fads with LED’s popularity seemingly having equal parts of both. LED lighting also appeals to DSLR and mirrorless camera shooters who want to capture stills and video.

If there’s a more challenging photographic discipline than wildlife photography, I don’t know what it is. It requires heavy and expensive long focal length lenses, a sturdy tripod, and the physical prowess to schlep all this gear through physically demanding environments. If you’re thinking “that’s not you, Joe,” you are correctamundo so I asked a few friends for advice on telephoto lenses and this is what they told me.

It seems as if there’s a camera bag for everyone but one thing is certain—I’m sure it’s true for you as well—I’ve got more camera bags than I need! We’re constantly tempted by bags combining functionality with style, from surplus military bags beloved by hipsters to the $2,000 Ghurka Rangefinder No. 57 bag to toss onto your Bentley’s back seat. Todd Hutchings, a commercial photographer on the Monterey Peninsula, introduced me to his use of sports bags to carry equipment because they disguise the bag’s purpose from thieves.