Equipment
Cameras and Lenses
My current equipment is made up of two types of film camera, a medium format Fuji GX 617 panoramic camera and an Ebony 45SU large format camera. Although they are different in many respects they still have one thing in common, they are both film based. I have however, (March 08) aquired my first full frame DSLR camera which I will be putting to the test in the coming months. My lenses consist of the following focal lengths, a 90 and 180 for the Fuji, 24 to 70 and 70 to 200 zoom lenses for the digital, 90 and 150mm for the large format. I rarely venture out with them mixed due to the heavy weight of each set of equipment.
Filters
I use filters manufactured by Lee. I tend to steer clear of gimmicky effects that some filters produce because I like to display an image as close to the actual scene as possible and because of this I only use filters when necessary. The ND graduated filters are the one's that tend to be used the most. These filters are invaluable to the landscape photographer in that they balance the exposure between the sky & the foreground. I have a circular polarizer which can be used to either enhance colour saturation or remove reflections off surfaces such as water, glass etc. Other types of filter I use are the warm tones. These are mainly used to counteract the blue cast that certain conditions can produce on film, such as snow scenes or cloudless skies. They can also be of benefit to slightly enhance a sunset. The one filter I own which see's little use is a sunset filter. As the name suggests it enhances a sunset or sunrise but I feel it gives an unatural look to a scene so I tend not to use it.
Film & Scanning
My first choice of film I use is Fuji Velvia 50. With its fine grain structure and saturated colours it helps to create impact in a photograph and is a firm favourite with landscape photographers. The bad news is Fuji have discontinued this film and replaced it with a ISO100 version. Fuji claims their new replacement is better with more accurate colours and reduced grain, but I disagree. After testing this film, I feel it gives a cyan cast to blue skies and does not render the same warmth in low light conditions as the original 50 version, along with a significant increase in contrast. Recent news suggests,(June 2006) Fuji are to reintroduce a new ISO50 Velvia in the spring of 2007. It will be interesting to note whether or not it will retain the properties of the original version.To digitise my images I use an Imacon/Hasselblad Flextouch 646 scanner. My main reason for choosing this type of scanner was not only the 6400 maximum resolution but also its ability to handle film sizes from 35mm to 5×4 which also includes the panoramic formats.
Accessories
My two main accessories are a lightmeter and tripod. The tripod is a Gitzo 1348 and is manufactured from carbon fiber for lightness. It is fitted with a Manfrotto 405 geared head which is sturdy enough for either the Pentax or the Ebony to be mounted on. I always use a tripod as it would be difficult to eliminate camera shake without one when using slow shutter speeds, lightmeter readings are taken with a Sekonic L-608. This type of handheld meter has an option for spot or incident light readings to be taken. I find that I prefer to use the spot facility because I can take various readings from different parts of a scene then use the average facility to give me an accurate reading, however, I still bracket half a stop either side of the reading to be sure of a correctly exposed image .To carry all my equipment in I use a backpack type bag which is a Lowe Pro Photo Trekker AW. It's comfortable to wear & distributes the weight evenly on my back, it also has an in built waterproof cover which keeps things dry in wet conditions.