For all that is said about the final image being the only thing that matters, photographers do seem to have an interest in the equipment that was used to create a photograph, not to mention the equipment that they and other photographers use in a more general sense. If you’re not a photographer, this summary of the equipment that I use is probably boring. If you are, it might interest you.
I use three formats: mostly 35mm and medium format, and to a lesser extent, large format. I use a tripod for some work. I never use flash or any form of studio lighting. Although I only use film for ‘proper’ photography, I do use a small digital compact occasionally as a visual notebook or as a convenient way to add illustrations to written work (more in my day job than as part of my personal photographic activities).
I have a strong preference for cameras that are fully manual and do not depend on batteries. Only one of my primary cameras needs a battery for shutter speed timings. Everything else is clockwork. Some can use a battery for the light meter, but I very rarely use the built in meters. I do use a couple of external meters, however, and am quite happy to use sunny 16 in some situations.
I also have a passing interest in buying and trying old cameras to find out what they’re like to use, and to see what sort of images they can produce. I would not say that I’m a collector – I have no particular interest in building sets of equipment, collecting matching accessories, etc. I get curious, do some research, find something for sensible money, and put a roll or two through it just for the fun of it. After that, they tend to lie in a drawer and get partially forgotten about until I get the urge to try the shooting methodology associated with that camera again.
35mm
Out of the several 35mm cameras that I have, the stuff that gets used regularly boils down to two Leica rangefinders and a little Rollei 35. I have only one Leica lens, the rest being Cosina-made Voigtlanders for what could be called a modern look (sharp, contrasty, very little barrel or pincushion distortion), and some old Russian lenses which can impart a more vintage rendering (the Jupiter-3 and Jupiter-8 copies of the 50mm Zeiss Sonnar, especially so).
The Leica rangefinders are a IIIf RD/ST and a lever rewind M2, also with self timer. The CV lenses are a 15mm f4.5, 35mm f2.5 and a 90mm f3.5. All are Leica screw fitting so that they can be used with the IIIf, and are used on the M2 with LTM-bayonet adapters. The IIIf is usually paired with a 50mm f3.5 Elmar, but I find myself using it more with the 50mm f1.5 Jupiter-3 (which has been calibrated for Leica rather than the Russian cameras it was originally intended to be used on).
The little Rollei is the 35 S, which has a 40mm f2.8 Sonnar lens designed by Zeiss. It’s very compact, lives in my jacket pocket and produces excellent results. I invariably use sunny 16 with this camera because batteries for its meter are no longer available and I’m not especially interested in (ie, am too lazy to bother with) using the alternatives or having it calibrated for modern types.
Medium Format
The bulk of my medium format stuff is done with a Bronica ETRS, which produces 15 images on a roll of 120 film, each 6 x 4.5cm. This is essentially a landscape camera which is only really used on a tripod, and usually with a fairly wide angle lens. The ETRS is the only film camera I use that depends on a battery – if the battery fails, it goes to its 1/500th mechanical speed. This is a true system camera with interchangeable film backs, viewfinders and other gizmos. The main lenses for landscape are 40mm and 50mm. I sometimes use a 75mm or 150mm, but carting all that around in addition to a hefty tripod means that I rarely cart all that around. The compact and lighter outfit that I do cart about is the camera body with waist level finder, 40mm lens, two film backs, and some filters. The extra film backs, lenses, metered prism viewfinder and chunky handgrip increasingly stay at home.
Large Format
When I first took an interest in large format (partly in a quest for ultimate image quality in a film size that is reasonably affordable), I bought a 5×4″ MPP monorail. This thing was so heavy and bulky that I only used it about twice. I had no proper means to transport it (no carry case) and my reasonably substantial tripod struggled to keep it still. It gathered dust and was eventually superceded by a 5×4″ Shen Hao view camera, which is much lighter and far more compact. I haven’t had the time so far to do much with this other that shoot some Polaroids to get the hang of it. For a view camera, it has a surprisingly wide range of movements and I’m keen to see what I can do with architectural subjects.
I have two lenses, a 150mm f5.6 Schneider Symmar S, and a 90mm f5.6 SWD Fujinon. Both are very good glass at sensible prices. The Fujinon is quite large (the image circle is big enough for 7×5″) and just fits the Shen Hao.
Ancillaries and Accessories
I suppose the main ancillary that isn’t a camera is the tripod. I use a Manfrotto setup consisting of 055PROB legs, a ball leveller and an MN410 geared head. The geared head is superb for landscapes and architecture (or, indeed, for any work that requires precision). The ball leveller goes between the tripod and the head and makes it easy to get the base of the head level without having to tweak and adjust the tripod to get it just right. It adds weight, but the convenience makes it worth having – tripod setup is very quick. I also have a Calumet 5-section monopod with a small Manfrotto ball head, but this is only used occasionally.
The two light meters I use are a Weston Master V with Invercone, and a Minolta Spotmeter F. The Weston is mostly used with the 35mm gear for street and general walkabout happy snaps. With the medium and large format gear, I invariably use the spot meter.
For carrying stuff, I’m a fan of the Billingham shoulder bags. I use a small S3 for street, which has room for a body, a couple of lenses and several rolls of film. When out with both Leicas and (usually) four or five lenses, I use a 225. When using the full medium format outfit, I use an ancient Billingham about the size of a 335, or a small cheapie grey nylon bag for the ‘minimalist’ landscape MF setup. The big 335-esque bag also doubles as the large format bag.
