Picture of the Week Winner –Week 10

Copyright (c) Don Turriaga - All Rights Reserved

Congrats to Don Turriaga who captured this awesome and unique shot of Pike Place Market back during the snow storm of December 2008 with his Canon 5D at f/9.0 for 1.3 seconds using ISO 100 at a focal length of 45mm. This is a great example of being at the right place at the right time!

What I love about this shot is the color and the unique view of something that has been photographed a billion times, yet I’ve never seen one quite like this before! I love it!

Be sure to click this photo above and leave some feedback on Flickr so this reader can get your feedback both good and bad (be gentle) and feel the love from our readers here!

Congratulations Don! Learn more about how you can participate in the Photo of the Week contest by clicking here.

Ron

Keep up with what’s going on…

Just some of the many things I’m reviewing behind the scenes

Thanks for visiting, but I’m ears deep in gear to review right now. Take this time to review the right hand side of the blog to check out some good articles you may have missed, or use the archive on the bottom right (scroll down far).

Be sure to check out my Facebook page to stay in touch and see what’s going on when things are quiet here on the blog. Also check out the forums to interact with me and ask me or the other expert moderators questions.

I’ll be back – including doing the final installment of Printing 101 later this week!

Ron

What's in my bag (Updated: November 21, 2016)

Here’s much of what I own/ use regularly as well as a little history of some things I used in the past.

Cameras

• Canon 1DX Mark II - The most amazing Canon camera yet - I love this thing!
• Canon 1D Mark IV (see my 1D Mark IV New Users / Shoppers Guide) – Hassle free and a great improvement over the 1D Mark III
• Fujifilm X-E2 with 56mm lens (85mm effective)

See my Ron's Recommendations page for more advice.

Sold or Stolen

• Canon 5D Mark III – the best camera I’ve ever owned, and a great value given the fact that it’s just a smaller and slower 1D X with greater resolution
• Canon EOS 1D X – 5D Mark III on steroids
• Canon 5D Mark II – paid for itself many, many times over
• Canon 1D Mark III – A lemon and headache until replaced just after the 1D Mark IV was announced. Final copy was good, but the IV blew it away.
• Canon Rebel XTi w/ BG-E3 BATTERY GRIP (my primary camera until November 6, 2007)  - Sold 12/08
• Several G series cameras
• Sony DSC-S75 (stolen - best point & shoot I've ever owned)
• Sony DSC-H1 (ex-wife kept it - never liked it anyway :-))
• Canon 40D (I still think this is the best xxD series camera Canon has ever made)

• Fujifilm X10 & X20 
• Canon G12 (and many G series)
• Canon VIXIA HF M30 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder – for sale

Canon Lenses

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

• EF 11-24mm f/4L USM - This is the lens that was so amazing that my wife made me buy it!
• EF 24-70 f/2.8L II USM – A good lens, but if I had to do it over again I probably would have got the 24-70 f/4L IS instead. See below for what will probably replace this.  
• EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM – I need to upgrade to the II model, but until then when I can only have one lens when I'm traveling then this is it. 
• EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM II - this is my “if I only had one lens” lens
• EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM – The new one is better, but I don’t use it enough to bother buying it
• EF 50mm f/1.2L USM - bought and sold this lens once, got it again and find that I don't use it much because I'm not huge fan of 50mm. It's a great lens though, but a bit long in the tooth. I'd definitely get the Sigma 50mm Art series if I were buying today - it's Zeiss Otus 55mm good.

Had but no more

• EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye – Was so fun to use in New York City (see here). I regret selling this one!

• EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM – This was an incredible lens that I loved, but after getting the 11-24mm it had to go. The new III is incredible and I loved the 16-35mm f/4L 

• EF 50mm f/1.4 USM (sold prematurely and wish I still had it)
• EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM (Great glass, but horrifically slow AF and minimal focus distance)
• EF 135mm f/2.0L USM (Like above but much better AF – magic comes out of this lens)
• EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (Owned TWICE - regretted returning it, so bought it again – sold used several years later for a profit!)
• EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (loved it, but the new II version is to die for)
• EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (loved it, but doesn't work with 1D-Mark III)
• EF 2x Extender II - Worked very well, but 100-400 made it less useful to own.

See my Which Lens Should I Buy? article for lens advice.

Filters

• Singh-Ray 77mm Vari-ND Variable Neutral Density Filter  (VariND comparison)
• Hoya HD2 Circular Polarizer 82mm
• Breakthrough Photography (early prototypes of the X2 & awesome X3)
• Hoya 77mm SUPER-HMC - CIRC POL (THIN) – HOCPSMC77
• Cokin Z-Pro U960 Pro Graduated Neutral Density Filter Kit – Love it
• Cokin Series Z 77mm Lens Adaptor Ring – Need it for above
• Cokin 82mm Z-Pro Adapter Ring (0.75mm Pitch Thread) – Need it for the ZPro with the wide angle lens

Sold

• B+W 77mm KB-15 (80A) FILTER - BWKB1577 (didn't like filter and cheapo case)
• Hoya 77mm SUPER-HMC - UV PRO 1 FILTER – HOUVP1SMC77
• Hoya 58mm FILTER INTRDCTN KIT (UV/CP/WARM) – HOFIK58

• Hoya 77mm MC - UV PRO 1 DIGITAL FILTER - HOUVP1MC77 - UV filters are a waste of money. Get insurance your gear instead!

 

Support

• Gitzo GT1541 - Perfect Travel/Hiking Tripod (see my tripod & head recommendations)
• Gitzo GM5541 Monopod (see my monopod recommendations)
• Really Right Stuff BH-55 (see my tripod head comparison as I wouldn’t get this one again)
• Really Right Stuff B1DMkIII-L: L-plate for Canon Mark III (sorta works with the Mark IV)
• Really Right Stuff B85 Lens Plate for 70-200 and long lenses (replaced with Kirk LP-41)

Had but sold

• Bogen / Manfrotto 3021BPRO Tripod Legs (hate em – clips broken twice)
• Bogen / Manfrotto 3245 Automatic Monopod with 484 Mini Ball Head (crap)

• 804RC2 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head (RC-2 Quick Release)  Great for video camcorders, but not photography

Camera Bags

Too many to list – See this article for my Think Tank Photo bag reviews.

I also have these also :

• Bogen/Manfrotto Tripod Bag
• Bogen/Manfrotto Compact (Umbrella) Stand Bag
• Canon DELUXE BACK PACK BAG 200 EG (retired from use after zipper failure dumped my gear on concrete)  My wife uses it as a diaper bag now and it still spills diapers all out! DO NOT BUY THIS BAG!

Flashes

• Canon 600EX-RT (2) – Best flash Canon ever made until they came out with the 600EX-RT II
• Canon 580EX II (Qty: 1) – Love em, but the radio built into the RT is awesome
• Canon ST-E3 – it’s worth it!
• Canon OFF-CAMERA SHOE CORD – a must if you use a flash bracket
• Canon CP-E4 Battery Pack – Waited years to get this, but regretted wait so long. If you shoot events you’ve gotta have this – no more waiting for the flash or black frames where the flash didn’t fire.

Had but sold

• Canon ST-E2 wireless flash transmitter – Works better than its reputation, but get another 580 EX II instead if you can afford it.
• Canon 580EX II – Still have one, but sold two
• Canon 430EX – Don’t waste your money – get the 580’s or 600

Diffusers & Gels

Stop wasting your money and read On-Camera Flash Techniques instead. It is the miracle book that teaches you how to use your flash properly – even without diffusers.

• Lots of Rogue Flashbenders products (most of what they make) - the only way to go (way better than Honl’s)
• Rogue Color Correction Gels - Great for avoiding problems with mixed colors that can't be fixed easily with white balance correction after the fact.
• Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Fashion & Commercial Lighting Kit - it's good and it works, but people love to gripe that it's tupperware. I like mine but don't use it as much as I probably should.

Had but sold

• LumiQuest PROMAX SOFTBOX – Junk
• LumiQuest PROMAX 80-20 POCKET BOUNCER – Junk
• Sto-Fen OM-EY OMNI-BOUNCE f/CANON 580EX/580EX2 – don’t use it after reading On-Camera Flash Techniques
• Gary Fong Lightsphere - Cloud (GALCC3F) for 430EX
• Sto-Fen OM-EW OMNI-BOUNCE f/CANON 430EX – STOBC430EX
• Tons of others including Honl junk

Books

Tons! See the right side of the blog for the books I’ve reviewed, most of which I still own and see my Which Books should I read? article

Printers

See my printing series for more info about printing, but I also have both of these printers in my studio:

• Canon PRO-2000
• Canon iPF6450
• Epson P800
• Epson P600
• Canon PRO-1
• Epson Stylus® Pro 3880 – if you prefer printing sheets sheets over rolls this is the only printer to own

Had but sold

• Canon PRO-10 - Excellent little workhorse - cartridges too small though so expensive to own
• Canon iPF6300 24” Wide Format Printer – My go to printer for metallic and my most heavily used
• Epson Stylus® Pro 4900 – Great ink set but clogged heads killed it well before it's time - very sad
• Epson R3000 - loved this one!
• Canon MP560 for non-photography work

Studio

See my Ron’s Studio Lighting Gear List for a partial list of what I have for my studio light setup, and see here most of what I have as part of my studio stuff on B&H. In addition to that I have the following (and more – lost track):

• Bogen / Manfrotto 6' STAND w/RETRACT LEGS
• Bogen / Manfrotto 2905 - Swivel Umbrella Adapter (Lite-Tite)
• Westcott 43" UMBRELLA WHITE SATIN/REM COVER BLK – WEU43SBC
• Westcott 43" UMBRELLA (SOFT SILVER/BLK BACKING) – WEU43SS
• LumoPro LP604 5-Section 6ft Stand
• LumoPro LP632 Umbrella Swivel w/ Hot Shoe Adapter
• Bogen / Manfrotto SUPER CLAMP w/STANDARD STUD
• Savage BACKGRND PORT-A-STAND
• Westcott 6 IN 1 42" ILLUMINATOR REFLECTOR KIT – Couldn’t live without it!
• Adjustable Clamp Company PONY SPRING CLAMP 1" w/TIPS
• Adjustable Clamp Company PONY SPRING CLAMP 3" w/TIPS
• Savage Muslin Styled, Paper Background Panels - 40x60" – Verona
• General Brand PRO GAFFER TAPE (2"x12-yd) BLACK – GBGT12B
• Smith-Victor 575 UNIVERSAL TO SHOE MOUNT ADAPTER – SM575 (crap)
• Sekonic L-358 Flash Master – Sold
• Savage Widetone Seamless Paper Background - 107"x 12 yds. - #20 Super Black
• Bogen / Manfrotto JUSTIN SPRING CLAMP w/FLASH SHOE
• Impact MULTI BOOM LIGHTSTAND & REFLECTOR HLDR (piece of garbage – broke the first time I used it) – See my Ron’s Studio Lighting Gear List for a better replacement.

Other

This is by no means a complete list, but it’s a start:

• GTI PDV-2020Ex Personal Desktop Viewer (aka lightbox) – Couldn’t live without out!
• Hoodman Loupes (3)
• Giottos ROCKET AIR BLOWER 6.6"
• Canon TIMER REMOTE CONTROLLER TC-80N3
• Canon RC-5 REMOTE CONTROLLER – CARC5
• Delta GRAY CARD 4x5"
• ExpoDisc 
• RayFlash 
• Microstar Micro-Fiber 18% Gray Lens Cleaning Cloth (2)
• Purosol Optical Cleaner and microfiber (replaces above)
• Hakuba Lens Cleaning Pen/Brush
• Bogen / Manfrotto 337 2 Axis Flash Hot Shoe Double Bubble Level
• Plamp
• SanDisk 8GB Extreme SDHC Class 10 Memory Card
• SanDisk 8GB Extreme CompactFlash Memory Card
• SanDisk 8GB Ultra CompactFlash (for non-pro cameras)
• Lexar 8GB Professional 400x CompactFlash Card
• X-Rite ColorMunki
• X-Rite i1XTreme
• X-Rite i1Display Pro 
• X-Rite ColorChecker Passport 
• `Lenovo W701ds Laptop (had to return and still miss it)
• Apple MacBook Pro  (lusting for one of the new MacBook Pro’s)
• Wacom Intuos3 Digital Tablets (2 – medium size)
• NEC PA Series displays

and much, much more

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.

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