Essential equipment?

[megy]

Hi all, other than the camera and lenses, what do you all consider to be essential in your camera equipment inventory? If you list something can you please give details, ie, not just filters, but UV/Skylight, CPL, ND grad etc?

Would be interesting to see whats on other peoples lists, and maybe someone will put something and others will be able to get and improve their photos.

[GetCarter]

ND Grad filter, tripod, spare battery, alarm clock.

[graham@Edinburgh]

Polarising filter for anything involving reflections. Or even just to "blue up" the sky.

Remote release (cable if Canon 300/400 etc, not IR as the cocking sensor's on the front )

Card reader if digital. So much quicker transferring and don't have to worry about camera battery. Especially since they're only about a tenner.

[bacchus180]

gaffer tape

[crmcatee]

lens cleaners - I get them from the opticians. They're about a fiver for 100 of them all in their own little packets.

[Bacardi]

bacchus180 said:

gaffer tape

(haven't you got a plane to catch?)

Blue tack

[F308 MAN]

40 gig "GigaOne" portable hard drive (for quick & efficient download from cards) whilst "in the field" ... would'nt leave home without it.
d

[Gemm]

Lens brush/blower.
Plastic bags (for avoiding dirty knees when kneeling down or as a raincover)
Torch
Elastic bands (my main use is to secure the remote release on the tripod so that it doesn't dangle but there are many other uses )

[graham@Edinburgh]

F308 MAN said:

40 gig "GigaOne" portable hard drive (for quick & efficient download from cards) whilst "in the field" ... would'nt leave home without it.
d

Who makes that one? I have an Epson P2000 kicking around somewhere that is rubbish. Slow transfer speeds and poor battery life. Plus it won't be recognised by XP as a drive so I have to transfer BACK to cards to get them onto the PC. Screen's great though :/

[speedychrissie]

crmcatee said:

lens cleaners - I get them from the opticians. They're about a fiver for 100 of them all in their own little packets.

how did you manage that then?
i just popped into town to see if i could find myself a similar bargain, but couldnt find any optician selling cleaning cloths for less than £2.99 each!

[crmcatee]

Costco is your friend for lens cleaners.. I'm sure they're about a fiver - it's ages since I bought them.

These are mini wet wipes. Basuch & Lomb sight saver cleaners anti-fog, anti-static. The bees knees. Used them for years and no problems.



These are them - they're on Eblag for £7 so I must be right - at Costco for about a fiver for 100. Eblag link

Edited by crmcatee on Monday 18th December 13:58

Edited by crmcatee on Monday 18th December 14:03

[ehasler]

graham@Edinburgh said:

Who makes that one? I have an Epson P2000 kicking around somewhere that is rubbish. Slow transfer speeds and poor battery life. Plus it won't be recognised by XP as a drive so I have to transfer BACK to cards to get them onto the PC. Screen's great though :/

My P2000 is pretty quick compared to other similar devices, battery life is good (get 10+GB transferred on one battery), and XP recognises it no problems - maybe yours is dodgy?

[poah]

tripod
CP
photoshop lol

[ehasler]

Hotshoe spirit level and geared tripod head

[cvp]

For me it's the old tripod for all that waiting time for the animals - couldn't hand hold that long.

Otherwise, I got a Gorillapod from Warehouse Express a month or so ago for supporting my little IXUS and have found it to be a really useful little table top sized tripod.

Chris

[markgawthorne]

Anadin Extra

[f308 man]

graham@Edinburgh said:

F308 MAN said:

40 gig "GigaOne" portable hard drive (for quick & efficient download from cards) whilst "in the field" ... would'nt leave home without it.
d

Who makes that one? I have an Epson P2000 kicking around somewhere that is rubbish. Slow transfer speeds and poor battery life. Plus it won't be recognised by XP as a drive so I have to transfer BACK to cards to get them onto the PC. Screen's great though :/

www.jobo.com/jobo_digital/giga_one/gb/index.html

d

[V6GTO]

GetCarter said:

ND Grad filter, tripod, spare battery, alarm clock.

And lots of memory for "Carpet Bombing"

Martin.

[V6GTO]

I wouldn't go anywhere without my extention tubes and flash gun. (Oh... you're talking about photography?...)

Martin.

[graham@edinburgh]

ehasler said:

graham@Edinburgh said:

Who makes that one? I have an Epson P2000 kicking around somewhere that is rubbish. Slow transfer speeds and poor battery life. Plus it won't be recognised by XP as a drive so I have to transfer BACK to cards to get them onto the PC. Screen's great though :/

My P2000 is pretty quick compared to other similar devices, battery life is good (get 10+GB transferred on one battery), and XP recognises it no problems - maybe yours is dodgy?

Yeah I think it is, but it's about 18 months old now as I ddn't use it for ages and never got around to sending it back Im lucky if I can get 6 x 1GB cards transferred on a battery. Strikes me as a bit pointless even only getting 10GB on a 20GB drive anyway, let along my 6. Takes a good 10 minutes to do that 1GB card (regular Sandisk 1GB) and about 15 for my 2GB (Sandsk Ultra II).

And thats without really using the screen for review so kind of pointless having it tbh. I think I'd be better off with cheaper and bigger storage with no screen tbh. Mainly for my airshow days out where even MrCarter has nothing on my carpet bombing behaviour Not unusual to get through over 1000 shots in a day.