What's in My Camera Bag
*Cue Geekin' by will.i.am*Asking me to talk about cameras and lenses is like asking a mother to talk about her kids. It's gonna get long-winded really quickly, so bear with me. I've put together a comprehensive list on another page, which you can always access from now on in the "About Section". For this post, I'm gonna strictly talk about my favorites that I cannot live without and take to every session. If you want to see practically everything I own, CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST HERE. Recommendations for starter DSLRs are also on that list.
CAMERA
Canon 5D EOS Mark III - This is my main camera body, which I purchased last year. Prior to that, I had a 7D and Canon Mark II, which I ended up selling to fund the Mark III. Unless Canon decides to majorly upgrade its next 5D line, I won't be purchasing a new camera for awhile. It's an excellent camera in low light, focuses rather fast, and has tons of focus points. My main reason for purchasing this camera was for low light situations. It performs amazingly well at night, and it's ability for customization is brilliant.Canon EOS 7D - For whatever reason, I can't seem to part with this camera. It was my first semi-professional body, and for my first year in business, I used this camera exclusively. It's not a full frame camera, but it has served me well. I bring this camera along to all my shoots in case the Mark III breaks down. It's now my back up camera. The only down side to this camera is that past ISO 400, it gets rather noisy. I don't like the quality of the photos it produces past ISO 800. However, I still believe that its color accuracy and vibrancy is better than any camera I've ever owned, and that's including both the 5D Mark II and Mark III. The auto-white balance just seems to know what to do.
LENSES
85mm f/1.2 II - This L lens isn't hyped up for no reason. The creamy photos it produces boggles my mind, and my heart still flutters when I take photos with this lens. This is a recent upgrade though, so I'm still in the honeymoon phase. Most of the photos you see on my site was taken with the 85mm f/1.8, the little brother of the f/1.2. If you're wondering…1.2? 1.8? and what's the big difference? The difference you see in photographs is probably not overly noticeable, but I can say that my 85 f/1.2 focuses slightly more accurately, silently, and the way it smooths out the background is much more buttery. The 85mm 1.2 is like a Rolls Royce, and 85mm 1.8 is more like a Ford. They will both get you there, but the difference is when you're using it. 85mm work below:
50mm f/1.4 - A great all around lens. I don't use this lens as much as my 85mm for my outdoor work, but it's so helpful for indoor photography. When it comes to boudoir and indoor shoots, I use my 50mm f/1.4 eighty percent of the time because there's often not enough room for me to use a 85mm. With the 50mm, I can get closer to my subjects. I generally recommend this lens as a first purchase for those that want to do more serious portrait work. Of course, if you have the money, by all means splurge on the 50mm f/1.2 L. It's the Rolls Royce version. Below is an example of my 50mm f/1.4 paired with the Canon 5D EOS Mark II.
35mm f/2 - I use this lens predominately for laying down shots and I absolutely LOVE it for travel. This is not really a portrait lens, but a wide angle lens, which means that it's going to retain more detail, and you can be super close to your subject. If you're not sure what a wide angle lens is, think of your camera phone. Camera phones are always wide angle. I like the 35mm lens for casual food photography when I'm at restaurants. It allows me to be discreet, unlike my 50mm or 85mm, which would require me to back up a lot. Here's an example of my 35mm at work.
Those are my favorites I always carry with me to every shoot. I do have other gears and lenses, but they're not in my usual bag. For that full list OR for recommendations on entry-level DSLRs, GO HERE.
Hope that was helpful. As always if you have other questions, shoot me an email at ling(at)lingwangphotography.com.
Thanks for tuning in and have a great week!
- Ling
P.S. Get Your Geek On!