{"id":27504,"date":"2016-11-23T18:01:02","date_gmt":"2016-11-23T23:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=27504"},"modified":"2016-11-24T12:18:44","modified_gmt":"2016-11-24T17:18:44","slug":"lighten-camera-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/lighten-camera-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Lighten Up Your Camera Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a professional photographer, I always wanted to use the best equipment. Quality was foremost and quantity was not an obstacle. I had cabinets full of Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Hasselblad, Rollei\ufb02ex and Sinar cameras with an assortment of lenses to go with them.<\/p>\n

\"1-antelopecanyon_dscf6489a\"
10-24mm @ 15mm; f\/11; 2.3sec; ISO 200<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But over the years, I faced more and more situations that required me to limit my equipment. There were weight limits on some \ufb02ights, especially on small planes going to remote places. Or I had to hike into a location and could only carry so much. Or I was taking a trip with many stops and I wanted to simplify my load. And — I\u2019m sure this is familiar to some of you — lugging a lot of heavy gear just wasn\u2019t fun any more. Usually, I just took less of the equipment I had. But as I began replacing gear, especially after cameras went digital, I started looking at lighter models that still lived up to the quality requirements I had.<\/p>\n

My \ufb01rst purchase of a lighter camera was the Canon D9, which I used extensively during personal travels to see how the images would turn out. What I found was that this camera produced excellent images when seen on the computer, but they didn\u2019t blow up well. I liked the camera, but I knew I couldn\u2019t rely on it for professional work.<\/p>\n

10-24mm @ 24mm; f\/4.5; 1\/830sec; ISO 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a number of other attempts, I \ufb01nally settled on a camera that has served me well for some time: the Fuji\ufb01lm XT1<\/a>. I chose this 35mm DSLR at the suggestion of a friend who had used it professionally and felt the image quality was similar to a Nikon. As of this writing, Fuji\ufb01lm has upgraded the XT-1 to the XT-2.<\/a><\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019ve used my Fuji\ufb01lm XT1<\/a>\u00a0for some time, I can vouch for its excellent image quality (though it doesn\u2019t match my Nikon D800E<\/a>). What I especially liked about this mirrorless camera is that its electronic view\ufb01nder shows you changes in exposure and color balance, a very helpful feature. (However, I noticed that in very bright situations, the view\ufb01nder is often too dark, which makes it hard to see the scene you\u2019re shooting.) It produces sharp, clear pictures in low light conditions (though focusing can be slow due to low contrast phase detection); and it can tone down highlights by using the ADR — auto-dynamic range — feature. It\u2019s light enough to hand hold, which is a great advantage in low light, tight locations or anywhere a tripod is not allowed.<\/p>\n

Another plus is that it has a smaller sensor than most full-size cameras, so you can achieve a greater depth-of-\ufb01eld for added sharpness, especially in landscape photography. Also, all the dials — for shutter speed, aperture control, exposure compensation and ISO — are comfortable and easy to use. Finally, it includes a choice of several grid systems that are invaluable for keeping the horizon level.<\/p>\n

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
55-200mm @ 116mm; f\/4; 1\/140sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @ 10mm; f\/8; 1\/600 sec; ISO 400<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @12mm; f\/10; 1\/3sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @ 24mm; f\/22; 3.00sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @13mm; f\/14; 0.90sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
55-200mm @ 116mm; f\/4; 1\/140sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @ 10mm; f\/8; 1\/600 sec; ISO 400<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @12mm; f\/10; 1\/3sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @ 24mm; f\/22; 3.00sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div>
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
10-24mm @13mm; f\/14; 0.90sec; ISO 200<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>