Accessories

[Chris]

I have a few gift cards I need to use. I was thinking of getting a couple new sdhc cards for the new camera. The ones I have now are class 4 cards and I'm looking at the class 10 cards. Do you suppose I'll need the class 10 cards to get 6fps from the D7000? I couldn't find any information regarding write speed of the camera.

Something else I know I need is a bag to hold the new gear. There are only about 1 gazillion to pick from. What do you look for in a camera bag? Should I get a big one to carry everything in? I was thinking about getting a couple smaller ones to go with the one I have and carry them all in a duffel bag. I really like the one I have now but it's only big enough for the camera, one lens and some spare batteries. The 70-300 will fit but not with the camera attached. I'm not 100% sure it will fit with the camera detatched either. I think I like the backpack type bags but haven't had a chance to try one.

[keithsnell]

Hi Chris,

You should still be able to get 6fps from the D7000 even with the slower cards...until the buffer fills.  At that point the card speed will come into play as the camera tries to clear the buffer while you're taking additional pictures.  You'll still be able to take pictures, but at a slower frame rate.  You should be able to get about 10 frames at a full 6 fps before the buffer fills.  That's about 1.5 seconds of shooting, which is usually sufficient to "capture the moment."  If I was in your position I'd probably hold off on upgrading cards and spend my money elsewhere.

I have some suggestions on camera bags, but need to run for now.  I'll try to add some recommendations later on camera bags.

Keith

[Chris]

Thanks, that makes sense. I don't think I'll be using the burst mode often enough to worry about it.

[girod]

Hello Chris,

For walk-around, I'm using Kata T-216 (http://www.kata-bags.com/product.asp?p_Id=484&Version=photo) - but this has been discontinued and replaced with 2 new models: LighTri-317 PL (http://www.kata-bags.com/product.asp?p_Id=19820&Version=Photo) and LighTri-318 UL (http://www.kata-bags.com/product.asp?p_Id=19821&Version=Photo). Explore their  website (kata-bags.com) for other choices. I find their materials and craftmanship excellent.

For storing, I have this Humibox dry box: http://cgi.ebay.com/Humibox-Electronic-Dry-Cabinet-100Liters-/230514167235?pt=Digital_Camera_Accessories&hash=item35abb70dc3.

If you're looking for a flashbracket, I'm using this Boomerang: http://promediagear.blogspot.com/

jaime

[keithsnell]

Hi Chris,

My all time favorite bag (and Rebecca's too) for carrying our camera equipment is the Mountain Smith.  It's a "lumbar pack" with an excellent waist belt that distributes the weight of your camera gear on your hips.  For long hikes or walks, having the weight on your hips is much, much, more comfortable than having it on your shoulders.  The Mountain Smith lumbar packs also come with a shoulder strap that you can use in conjunction with the waist belt.  Normally the camera is carried in the middle of your back, with excellent weight distribution.  When you are ready to take a picture you unclip the belt, let the bag hang from your shoulder strap and swing it around in front of you to pull out the camera.  In this respect it acts much like a "sling" style camera bag, with the added advantage of keeping the weight on your hips for normal carrying.  It's extremely well designed.  Rebecca and I both use the "Tour" bag, which is one of their climbing lumbar packs.  We just stuck some spare camera bag padding into the bottom of the Tour to convert it into a camera bag.  Now Mountain Smith makes dedicated camera bags.  Their largest lumbar pack style camera bag is the Tour FX, which will expand to fit a lens as large as the Canon 70-200.  http://www.mountainsmith.com/products.asp?productId=271&categoryId=13&subCategoryId=27&subCategory2Id=0.  They have a smaller bag called the Aurora II.  http://www.mountainsmith.com/products.asp?productId=141&categoryId=13&subCategoryId=27&subCategory2Id=0

It might not seem like a big deal to be able to distribute the weight on your hips instead of your shoulders, but when you're carrying a heavy pro body, large glass, water bottles, and a pro level flash, the weight can add up fast.  The bags also have the ability to strap your tripod onto the bag.  (I only use this function if I'm using my extra light-weight travel tripod.)  

We bought these bags before our trip to Brazil for several reasons 1) they're relatively small and unobtrusive and don't look like camera bags, therefore they were less likely to make us a target.  2)  With both a belt and a shoulder strap they were less likely to be stolen by somebody cutting the shoulder strap or ripping the bag off our shoulders.  3)  We could get our cameras out of the bag, and back into it quickly without setting down the bag.  There's not really an effective way to do this with a backpack, and once you set the bag on the ground it's a prime target for thieves.  4)  The bags are VERY comfortable, and we could carry our camera equipment all day long without shoulder, neck or back strain.  Can you tell that I like these bags?  That said, the Tour model (not the FX) isn't big enough to carry more than one camera body and lens (two lenses in a pinch) so when we need to carry more we often use a small backpack bag instead.  I think the Tour FX model would be big enough to carry both a long lens and a wide - normal zoom comfortably (along with a camera body and flash of course).

Hope this helps!

Keith

[prairiedust]

The Mountain Smith sounds like a great bag.  My own choice was less practical, based more on my love of beautiful construction and materials rather than backwoods usability.  (Though it is a great bag).  I have a large khaki Billingham Presstop. I like the soft waterproof canvas, leather straps and brass fittings - the sort of thing where age deepens the character of the bag.  The shoulder strap is comfortable and long enough that I can keep the bag at the small of my back when hiking, though the Mountain Smith is better designed for that.   I won't recommend the bag to others, there are other choices more pragmatic - but I love the look and feel of it.
I don't use a flash much but I have a simple bracket picked up a Wolfe's in Topeka, modifed with a Nikon remote cord.  My favorite diffuser is a plastic thing I pulled out of a box of bulk ethernet cable. People think I'm using Tupperware on my camera but it works beautifully in enclosed areas.  I picked up a Lumiquest Softbox 3 but it feels kind of klutzy.  If I put the whole thing together with the Bugma mounted on the D300, tripod, and cables, it looks kind of sexy but lacks real usability. It's just too slow and static for use in the wild.
So, I normally don't use a flash bracket anyway. I put the D300 built-in flash in 'commander' mode and the SB900 in remote. Then I just hold the flash in my hand so I can quickly model the light as the scene needs it. Yes a third hand would be very helpful with this technique.
My most used support is a quick-collapse Manfrotto monopod, which doubles as a walking stick - helps a lot when you're clumsy as I am on a trail. It's also good at removing spider webs from the path as you go.
My main tripod is a very substantial Manfrotto 055XPROB with a 322RC2 horizontal grip action ball head.  The head sounds better on paper than it is in real life.  It is the least fluid thing I've ever used.  It isn't a hiker's tripod, though I have taken it on miles-long jaunts along high trails. I'm no baby. (But usually not smart enough to grab a lighter tripod for the trip..)
Other than this my favorite case is a little LowePro jewel I use for the Leica D-Lux4.  It's on my belt constantly, is very secure, and incredibly well made for the price.

[keithsnell]

Here's a snapshot of Rebecca's Mountainsmith Tour bag, loaded with a D2x, 17-55mm f2.8, SB800 flash, spare batteries and various other accessories.  (Yes that's me carrying her bag.)  My bag is a bit more subdued olive green, but my D3 was on the long lens at the time, so I borrowed her D2x for this jaunt into the field.

Just in case you are curious, In this snapshot I'm demonstrating how much the exposure meter reading can be effected by sunlight coming in through the camera viewfinder.  The answer:  a lot!!!!  In this case the sunlight was shining into the viewfinder from almost directly behind us.  When I put my hand up to shade the viewfinder from the sun, the exposure changed by several stops!  (We're viewing the exposure values on the camera's LCD (by pressing the "info" button)).

Keith

[Chris]

Thanks for the input everyone.

Jaime those kata bags are pretty cool. I never would have guessed they make a humidor for cameras. Will it work for cigars too? lol. I don't think that will be something I get right now but is something to think about. The flash bracket is very interesting but I will wait until I feel I need one before buying one. I'll have to learn to operate the flash first.

Dave, I looked up the Billingham bags. Very nice. I like canvas and leather myself. Looks like it would work very well but, I'm not sure it's for me at this point.

Keith, i find it very interesting that your choice isn't a "camera bag". I happen to have a nice, large, backpack with a detachable lumbar pack. I was surprised the first time I loaded it up and put the waist belt around. It really makes a difference. I'm using it to haul books while i "hike" around campus right now but I may follow your example and give it a try as a camera bag. I just need some padding.

I'm off to Topeka right now. I'll see what best buy has in stock. That's where my gift cards are for. It'll be good to get out of the house even if I don't come home with anything.

[Chris]

Well, the selection at best buy is pretty pathetic. I know it's hard to imagine size from pictures on a website but dang those bags are small. Even the ones I thought would be pretty large were much smaller than I expected. I decided on a Lowepro. It has just enough room for everything in the padded camera area and has some extra storage for other stuff. Before I decided to buy it I took it over to the camera display and stuck a D90 in it with the 18-105 attached along with the security device. It fit perfectly and had a little room to spare so I'm pretty sure the D7000 will fit. I got it home and put the lenses and flash in it and they fit perfectly. It may not be the perfect bag but I don't do a lot of hiking and all day adventures. The main thing is that I have a place to put the things so, I'm happy.

[keithsnell]

Congrats on the successful shopping trip.  You'll have to show us pictures of the camera bag when you get a chance.

Keith

[Chris]

Thanks. It was a good trip. It's only about an hour drive so the kids don't argue too much. When they start acting up I find a good song on the radio, turn it up and start singing along. They get a kick out of that. Usually.

Here are a few pics of the bag.

[keithsnell]

Thanks for the pics.  It looks like it will be just about perfect for your new camera, lenses and flash.

[Chris]

Looks like people are starting to get their D7000's. Hopefully mine will be here soon.

[Cindy Miller Hopkins]

I love the Mountain Smith as a day bag. Keith suggested it to me years ago and have been using it every since! Love the yellow interior so you can see your stuff.

Good job shopping - I use and love the very same LowePro ... like the one in the photo. It has a built in rain cover, which is handy. On a normal trip I always carry the following in that bag ... TWO pro-Nikon bodys with 18-200mm zooms, 80-400 zoom, 12-24 wide, 60mm macro, 300mm f4, filters x6, multiple card holders, external hard drive, viewable hard drive, all my chargers, cords, extra batteries, cleaning supplies, camera manual, model releases, etc. AND if all fits nicely in ANY overhead storage even small regional jets. I'm a full time travel photographer, so I never know what kind of airplane I will get stuck in! I need to travel small it's heavy but compact. I have basically carried some version of this bag for over 15 years ... it works for me!