This is part one of a series of blog posts about traveling to and shooting in Asia. The destinations being Hong Kong, Macao & The Philippines.In this first part I'd like to go through the gear I'll be taking, how I'll be carrying it and what I'll be using to carry it. So I'll start with my camera bag of choice lately. But before I get to the goods. If you're on twitter and would like to follow my tweets and blog posts, I'll be using #dcpAsia . I'll also be posting street photography on my 35mmStreet blog.
I chose the ThinkTank Retrospective 7 for it's worn look and because it doesn't stand out as a camera bag (unless you're in the know). I bought it two or three months ago and have been using it every day since, mainly to get it looking even more used. I went for the Pinestone version as again, it looks more worn that the blue or black. The main reason I chose the Retrospective 7 was that I can fit my 11" Macbook Air in the back pocket (the bag is designed for the 11" Air), and my iPad in the inside pocket. Most of the contents of my bag are what I carry around every day and because I shoot the Fuji X series, I can pack a pretty amazing kit in a small bag. I'll put a list below of the gear that I'm taking on this trip & then I'll give an idea of the reasons for my choices. This trip is a mixture of personal and project. I'll be shooting for an NGO in the Philippines, going to children's orphanages in two different cities. The results of that project will appear on The Kage Collective website in August or September. I'll also be shooting plenty of street photography and of course, general travel stuff too.
- ThinkTank Retrospective 7 (contents)
- Fuji X-Pro1
- Fuji X-E1
- Fuji X100
- Fujinon 35mm f1.4
- Fujinon 18-55mm f2.8-f4
- 5 x Pateries for the X-Pro1 & X-E1
- 3 Batteries for the X100
- Casio Point & Shoot
- Hotshoe adaptor to mount the Casio on the X-Pro1
- Apple Macbook Air 11"
- Apple iPad 2 (Wifi only)
- Apple iPhone 4 & Earpods
- iPad Camera Connection Kit
- USB3 Card Reader
- USB3 4 Port Hub
- Zoom H4n Audio Recorder
- SD Card pouch with 10 SD cards (mixture of 16GB & 8GB)
- Western Digital Portable Hard Drive
- Manual Cable Release
- Flashwave III Transmitter & Receiver
- Fuji EF20 Flash
- Moleskine Notebook
- Hong Kong City Guide
- Sony Headphones
I've thought long and hard which of the three Fuji cameras to take. The X-Pro1 was always my first choice, but it was a toss-up between the X-E1 and the X100. When I shoot a project, I like to use two cameras and the X-Pro1 & the X-E1 go so well together. But I know I'll be shooting loads of street photography (especially in Hong Kong), and the X100 is my weapon of choice (the X100s will eventually make it's way into my bag...I think). I was planning to take the 35mm f1.4 and the 18mm f2, but I'm leaving the 18mm behind in favor of the 18-55mm f2.8-f4. The variable aperture is a bit of a bummer, but the IS could be useful, and with the 56mm f1.2 not out till 2014, this will give me a handy telephoto focal length (83mm in full frame speak). Plus I could set this to 23mm and leave it there, so that I get my favorite focal length of 35mm on one of the two bodies.
- Hold Luggage Gear
- Joby Focus Tripod & Ball Head
- CineSkates wheels for the Focus Tripod
- Battery Chargers for All cameras and Apple devices
- Small shoot through umbrella
- Extendable (Lastolite) hand held poll for flash and umbrella
The Joby tripod will be used for night shots in Hong Kong and the CineSkate wheels will turn the tripod into a dolly for shooting video. I'm intending shooting video and recording audio with the Zoom H4n, but it won't bother me if I come back with neither. It's just an idea. I would have loved a GoPro Hero 3 for this trip, but the trip is self financed and with this also being a family trip too, it's expensive.
So that's about it for part 1. The first part of the trip will actually be London, which although has China Town, is not really Asia :o)
Stay tuned, follow me on Twitter @derekclarkphoto and remember to add a search field on your Twitter program of choice for #dcpAsia .