Friday February 26, 2010

What’s in Trey’s Photo Bag

Cali Lewis and John P met me for lunch one day in Texas, and John had his handy-dandy video camera. I was just about to leave for a long photo-adventure, and we decided to use the opportunity to document what is in my bag. I know many people are interested in this, so here we go!

Cali can be seen on Calilewis.me and is the host of Geekbrief.TV. You can find John P at OneMansBlog.com. Thanks again – and I hope you guys enjoy seeing what is on the inside.

I mention some Photography Gadgets there in the video — and if you want more information on any of the things inside, see my “Reviews” area of the website.

My Lenses:

I own a pretty good number of lenses.  I will put these in the order that you should buy them if are primarily interested in landscape and secondarily interested in people/objects.  Of course, there is no “correct” order, but simply a suggestion.

Note that you do not need all these lenses!  Just the first one will be fine.

  • Want to try out a lens?  See my Lens Rental review of BorrowLenses.com – Netflix for lenses!
  • Nikon 18-200 – A great all-around lens for wide-angle and zoom.  Just getting started?  This is what you need! (Review coming soon)
  • Nikon 24-70 Review (Lens) – Perfect for mid-range stuff like landscapes, birthdays, families, close-up sports, events, holiday cheer, swinger parties
  • Nikon 14-24 Review (Lens) – A great wide-angle lens for landscapes and architecture that I use for about 60% of my landscapes
  • Nikon 85mm Review (Lens) – Incredible for people shots. Just. Incredible.
  • Nikon 50mm Review (Lens) – Ideal for cute children, close-up objects where you like a blurry background, friends, interventions
  • Nikon 70-200 Review (Lens) – A great lens for things that are kinda far away, like animals or sports or that girl you are stalking

Cameras I recommend:

  • Good
    • The Nikon D90 – Approx $700-$900
    • Mini Review – I recommend this wonderful camera because it does auto-bracketing, can hold a variety of lenses, and is an amazing camera now and for the future.  You’ll be able to have this be your main body as you slowly build up a collection of lenses in the future, as you get to better know your camera.  It’s solid, shoots 12 megapixels, which is plenty big, and it even does video too!  My first camera was a D70, which no longer exists.  If I had the d90 first, I would have been in hog heaven!
  • Better
    • The Nikon D700 - Approx $2,400-$2,600
    • Mini Review – Now we are getting more serious! This is definitely a professional-grade camera. It’s big and tough and ready for battle. It’s got an amazing sensor — it’s still 12 megapixels like the d90, but it’s much higher quality in terms of speed and clarity. I know many photographers that have this camera and swear by it. If you already have one of the other Nikons and are looking to upgrade, you’ll be very happy with this thing. If you don’t want to spend over $5,000, then I think the D700 is certainly the best bang for your buck.
  • Best
    • The Nikon D3x - Approx $7,500 and up
    • Mini Review -See my Nikon D3X review for the full review!  It is my 24-megapixel love and it is the ultimate. I use it. It completes me. However, being realistic, I can tell you that it is only 10-20% (depending on the features you dig) better than the D700. That extra 10-20% will cost you a pretty penny, so my advice is to only do it if you have the extra cash, or this is a love where you have little willpower.
  • Best Backup Camera
    • The Nikon D3S - Approx $5,200 and up
    • Mini Review -See my Nikon D3S review for the full review! Once you get ultra serious, you don’t want to go on a big trip and only have one camera. Anything could happen. I hate to relegate the D3S to a backup camera, but that should not take anything away from this beautiful machine. The D3S is better than the D3X in low light and in high-speed situations. Another very nice thing is that it does high-def video.

Stuck In Iceland

Other Photography Gadgets Inside

About Me
  • casusan

    Cool video Trey – you have alot of neat stuff!

  • Ian Downey

    Hi,
    I cannot see any video to play!!!
    Ian

  • http://flickr.com/photos/gregoryjordan Greg Jordan

    Thanks for the video post. I now feel better about my tangled web of chargers that I keep hidden in my laptop bag! Hope you’re having a blast in kiwi land.

  • Jeff Goldberg

    Thank you for posting. I would enjoy seeing a video end-to-end from shoot through post processing to watch you do your magic.

  • Brad Truxell

    Great video! It’s great to see how other photographer’s carry their equipment. You gave me some excellent tips on how to travel with your stuff. I just got a Lowepro backpack last year, and it is great.

  • http://www.nkn.com Curt

    Hate to say anything negative, as I love what you do, however it was frustrating to watch…only because the camera person did a terrible job of showing what you were talking about. Sometimes the center of the image was your chest – couldn’t see your face or the product you were talking about.
    It would have been far more helpful if they would have simply stayed focused on the bag and its contents.
    Aside from the focal lengths, I would have also liked to know what lenses you choose.
    Thanks though for lets us take a peek inside how you work!

  • http://chrissp.com Christoph Spiegl

    I have to say. You really give some nice insights but still I do not understand why you do not keep your lens caps on, you sad you use wide f-stops but when you shoot landscape the F-stop is like 18(?) and when I do that I get the dust pretty big!

  • Wayne Abshire

    I like your large bag what brand and model is it?

  • Derick

    Good video, I’ve always been curious what you use to carry your gear around.

    I’m guessing that was a Brazillion Dollar Home Crumpler bag and a LowePro Vertex 300 AW.

    https://www.crumplerbags.com/flash/flash.aspx#/english/product-details/brazillion-dollar-home-bz01a.html

    http://products.lowepro.com/product/Vertex-300-AW,2074,16.htm

  • http://dinbrascostudio.blogspot.com din brasco

    i love Lowerpro…mine Lowerpro photo runner 100…

  • http://www.stuckincustoms.com Stuck In Customs

    THanks all -

    Curt – no problem… I understand what you mean… I wasn’t the camera man! hehe – John P did it on the fly and maybe that camera is pretty zoomed in. !

    Wayne – I am not sure the model number of the bag — it’s one of the biggest lowepro bags though.

    Derick – that might be the model of the crumpler — it is the smallest one that can stil hold the 17″ laptop

  • Pingback: The Remarkable Mood

  • Roc

    Trey, I didn’t see any filters in your bag; Pol’s-ND etc. do you not use filters?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Johnathan-Bass/678804811 Johnathan Bass

    I enjoyed the video – There’s enough cool stuff in your camera bag to keep me playing for a month. I love Lowepro bags, I was stoked to see that they are your choice for camera bags.

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/alluvial_palimpsest/sets/ Jeremy Helm

    I second Jeff Goldberg’s request. Actually the thought occurred to me while reading over your Hearst Castle post that I would have enjoyed seeing you set up your shots there (or elsewhere), and what considerations go into the setting you’ll use, etc. I confess, I’d watch the post processing as well

  • http://amusingfool.blogger.com/ AMusingFool

    I’m a bit curious after watching that. You don’t take any longer lenses? And I was also a bit curious about the lack of caps; not so much about seeing scratches, but more a matter of ruining the coating to get flares and such. No issues with that?

  • http://www.stuckincustoms.com Stuck In Customs

    Roc and others – yes I do have one ND dark filter that I sometimes put on the lens for long exposures… but I don’t put any other filters on at all.

    Jeremy and Jeff – I do have that coming in the HDR DVD as soon as it is ready!

    AmusingFool – yes – I take a 70-200mm too – but check that in my clothes-luggage. And I don’t worry about ruining the coating – it has not been a problem so far !

  • http://16exabytes.com Jason

    Dude, you have everything you need.. But your cable management sucks!! How can you stand that ratness of cables.. Let me give you a quick trick, put the ends of the cables together, keep folding them until you can tie it into a little knot, that way when you throw all your cables into your bag, they don’t ratnest up!

    Practice it.. It’ll make life so much easier.. Hahhaha J/K.. Can’t wait for a workshop in Hawaii! Sign me up whenever you decide to do one out here..

    Peace out!

  • grover woessner

    aome where Trey talked about an Italian fractel program he was liken. Can’t find it, any body to share with me?

  • http://www.organicphotos.biz Nate Cornelius

    Hey Trey,

    Awesome video, its really fun to see all that goes into making great photography – especially when its shiny and expensive!
    Just wondering what brand and model your portable hard drives are.

    Thanks!

  • http://WanderingJon.com Jon Brown

    Always nice to see the details of the gear other photographers who are also constantly traveling carry. At first it was shocking to me that you don’t carry a 70-200/2.8, but then given what you shoot it makes sense that you don’t… damn heavy beast…

    I find it equally interesting, and would love more detail on, how and in what you carry your gear in, and just how heavy each bag is.

    I gathered the big bag is a LowePro and other made by Crumpler bag, but I’d enjoy the discussion of how you came to these two bags. Where is you laptop is kept? How you deal with them in various modes of transportation (big airplanes, little airplanes, taxis, rikshaws, boats)? Why a backpack and not a roller? How do handle them when you have the rest of your luggage?

    Recently I ran into a little trouble on an inter-island flight in Hawaii on which carry-on bags were limited to 16 lbs. Normally they don’t really care or check, but an FAA inspector was around and I had to reshuffle items.

  • http://www.stuckincustoms.com Stuck In Customs

    Thanks all

    Nate – any brand will do…. I usually just get either the cheapest or the 2nd cheapest.

    Jon – I do sometimes carry the 70-200 — but I usually pack that in the big suitcase.

    BTW, I don’t know if I love my two bags enough to fully recommend them!

  • Austin

    Nice Setup! Interesting Vid!
    I actually Have 3 of your lenses!
    Nikon 50mm 1:1.4D
    Nikon 14-24mm 1:2.8G
    Nikon 18-200mm
    and Nikon 105mm 1:2.8G ED

  • BrandonJ

    Hey Trey,

    Thanks for the reviews on all your equipment. I was a little curious what tripod you use. I know most people look for lightweight so it’s not so much of a burden to carry but I know a sturdy tripod is more important. The tripod I use doesn’t have a “swivel ball” head like I’ve seen on yours and I’ve yet to find one.

  • http://tourismpicks.com Mike Behnken

    Thanks for being so honest and informational in your reviews.

  • David

    Trey – Quick question. If you had to estimate the value of the bag that holds your camera equipment, what would you guess? I just hate the thought of losing a bag that has that much value.

  • Sheree Altobelle

    I was curious about your tripod too! I don’t see any tripods in any of your reviews. Perhaps I’ve overlooked it. I know light weight and durability are important. Which ones would you recommend?

  • http://www.stuckincustoms.com Trey Ratcliff

    Hey Sheree – I use a Really Right Stuff Tripod – I have more info about it at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/hdr-camera/ – enjoy!

  • John Geis

    Trey,

    I was wondering what’s the type of travel wallet that you show in the “what’s in my bag” video? I’ve been looking for a good one, and figured I’d take a look at the one you have.

    Thanks,
    John

  • http://www.photographybymarshall.com Marshall Postnikoff

    Just love your HDR work. I have just started to work with it and love the results. Your eBook was a great help as well. Just wondering if you can tell me the name of the camera bags that you used in your video “What’s in Trey’s bag”? The bag that you carry your notebook in looks the right size for me

    thanks,

    marshall

  • http://www.google.com/ Philly

    I am forever indebted to you for this infraomtoin.

  • http://flickr.com/mostlyananda Kentster

    Hi Trey
    great vid. love your shoulder bag. can you share what make/model it is? I have been searching for something about that size.
    thanks

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerseyjj/ Jersey JJ

    Hi Trey, I don’t feel so bad about my cord pile now. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://yourtravelbuddy.wordpress.com Nina

    Dear Trey,

    Thank you for sharing. You’ve just shared everything I really need. :D
    I just love your work!! Once again, thank you for sharing.

  • Tom

    So just to be clear — you always check luggage with clothes and don’t carry it on the plane? I’m a little curious about all the bags you end up bringing on a trip and carrying around, not just the gear :-) . I think ideally I’d be able to fit all my clothes in those bags, but that seems tough…

    I’m also curious about what measures you take to protect your gear and luggage, especially if you leave stuff behind while you’re out shooting. Do you normally decide where you’re going to stay ahead of time to make sure you can secure your stuff? When I went backpacking in Europe I stayed in various hostels which kept the costs way down: some I would have been fine with leaving stuff behind but others not so much. I didn’t really plan ahead either so I didn’t always know what I was gonna get…

    I’m definitely inspired by you to go on some trips with a bunch of gear, so I appreciate what you have to say about this! Extra credit if you have some tips for traveling cheaper so I can do it more often :-) ! (Perhaps would make a good post or a Google+ hangout topic?)