In My Bag(s) Part II
"eclectic bag-a-loo" y'all keep asking for it, so here it is.
Just as I mentioned in my previous entry discussing my camera gear, I have tons of bags and none of them are perfect. I don’t expect to find the perfect bag in my lifetime, because one small change in gear can make a bag unusable or even worse… overkill.
For me, it’s important to have one MAIN bag, and a few auxiliary bags that serve a specific purpose. In the past, that has been one for film gear, one for video gear and one for my main camera loadout, but in the past year that has changed somewhat.
These days, I still have three bags, but my main bag serves as primary stills and video camera, lens, and accessory storage. My favorite right now is the dark green and grey Eastsport backpack. I still don’t really love photographer bags, though the black and orange VEO 37 has proven to be so useful, I’ve had no choice but to keep it in use (more on that later).
The main difference from my previous post is the addition of a second full frame camera body, the Canon 6D.
This copy of the 6D has been astro-modified by Astronomik for full-spectrum astrophotography, but I do also have the correct filters to use it for normal / terrestrial use. The addition of this camera serves four purposes: the intended astrophotography use, a backup for my 5D, a higher dynamic range alternative to my 5D for direct sunlight or unfavorable lighting conditions, and lastly, for video work. The 6D is a very capable video camera with the newest version of Magic Lantern installed, and I’ve been really pleased with the output.
To my eyes, there is no comparison between the files from the 6D and the 5D. The 5D was the first full frame camera I ever used and owned, and I still believe there’s something magical about the files. It has limitations, especially with dynamic range, so I always carry the 6D as well, and recently the mirror fell off (a common problem for early 5D owners), so it’s necessary to keep a backup camera around.
As far as the VEO 37 bag goes, it’s become something of a lighting or rigging bag. It’s special trick of having a secret compartment to store a full sized tripod is just so useful, and the rest of the bag is used to store lights, flashes, clamps, and general accessories for all the cameras I own.
I also tend to keep my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 III lens in here. as well as all this other (sometimes) useful junk:
Lastly, is the film bag which is very simple. Two cameras and a bag of film.
This black and brown Jansport has been great for keeping everything film related all in one place, and it’s large enough that I can fit a digital camera and a tripod in with my film cameras if I think I’ll need them.
As I’ve moved to full frame digital, I’ve not had the need or urge to shoot 35mm film as much. Most of that same look is achievable with the 5D, and I’ve been reaching for the Yashica 124G much more often because of that. Without implementing the Brenizer Method, the look of medium format, 6x6 square images is nearly impossible to achieve, and this Yashica has been a joy to use.
And when I do want to shoot 35mm, this little Pentax PC-550 is exactly what I’m looking for. Simplicity. The photos from it look like they are from a disposable, but it has a huge viewfinder, auto-wind, and a quartz laser date system.
That’s really it for the discussion part, for the sake of all the future questions I will receive about the details of all the gear I shoot, I will attempt to catalog everything I think may be of interest in a list below.
Cameras
Canon 5D (2005)
Canon 6D (2012)
JVC MG-330 (2009)
Vans Disposable Camera (2022)
Panasonic DMC-LC20 (2002)
DJI Osmo Pocket (2018)
Pentax PC-550 (2001)
Yashica Mat-124 G (1979)
Lenses
YONGNUO YN50mm F1.4 Standard Prime Lens
YONGNUO YN35mm F2 Prime Lens
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
Canon - EF 50mm f/1.8 Standard Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM
Opteka Telephoto 85mm f/1.8
Ulanzi Anamorphic Lens for Osmo Pocket
Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 EF 2x Teleconverter
Filters
Moment Cinebloom 10% and 20% 77mm
ICE ND 1000, 64, 8 77mm set
Fotga Fader Variable ND 77mm
Lee 2 stop graduated square ND
Prinz Three Image Diopter 58mm
RocketFish Diffusion Filter 77mm
Flashes
Neewer TT560 x2
onn. Universal Electronic Flash x2
Sunpak XLF-50
Movo Photo FC50C Off-Camera TTL Flash Cord
Okay I think that wraps everything up. If there’s something pictured in this article or my previous one that I didn’t go into detail about that you’d like more information on, please let me know here or here or leave a comment below this post. Thank you so much for reading this article. Stay safe out there people!
See you soon.
—Forrest
Finally! Thankyou!