G Dan Mitchell Photography

My Gear

This is a general list of the main equipment I use as of the January 2012, minus a few odds and ends. Contact me by via the contact page or by email if you have questions or are interested in more information about my choices. Links to the equipment at site sponsor B&H are in parentheses. (Your purchases from B&H via the links on this page help support the blog - and for this I’m grateful! :-)

Please do not misinterpret this to be a list of The Very Best Photography Equipment That You Must Own. This is equipment that has served me well for the types of photography that I do, but different gear could be as good or better for your particular types of photography. For example:

• If you are just getting started with DSLR photography, I would generally recommend that you not go out and buy this stuff just because it is on my list.
• If your mix of photographic subjects is different than mine (which tend to be heavy of landscape and nature and night photography and some urban subjects, and light on portrait photography or event photography, etc.) then you might well want to look at other alternatives in some cases.
• If you tend toward somewhat more “informal” photography – e.g. not using a tripod, etc. – then other gear might make more sense.
• If you don’t print much or at all, some of what I have listed here could well be inappropriate for your needs.
• If you have a predilection for another brand, that is fine with me – I’m not a brand bigot!

You might also find some useful information on the Tests & Reports page, where I link to a number of previous posts about equipment and other related topics.

Cameras

• Canon EOS 5D Mark II (EOS 5D II at B&H)
• Canon EOS 5D

Lenses

• Zooms
  • Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM (Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L at B&H)
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM (Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS at B&H)
  • Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM (Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM Lens)
    (A November 2011 update from the fine non-IS version: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Lens)
  • Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM (Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Autofocus Lens)
• Primes
  • Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L II (Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Autofocus Lens)
  • Canon EF 35mm f/2.0 (Canon Wide Angle EF 35mm f/2.0 Autofocus Lens)
  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM (Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens)
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 (Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens)
  • Canon EF 135mm f/2 L (Canon Telephoto EF 135mm f/2.0L USM Autofocus Lens)

Tripods/Head/L-Plates

• Gitzo 2542L “Mountaineer” Tripod (Gitzo GT2542L Mountaineer 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs)
• Induro C313 Tripod (current equivalent is Induro Carbon 8X CT313 Tripod)
• Really Right Stuff (RSS) BH-55 LR Ballhead
• Acratech Ultimate Ballhead (Acratech Ultimate Ballhead)
• Velbon 540 “El Carmagne” Tripod
• Really Right Stuff L-plates for Canon 5D and 5D2

Filters (various diameters and manufacturers)

• 9-stop neutral density filter 77mm
• Circular polarizers in various sizes

Packs/Bags

• Lowepro Inverse 200 AW (Lowepro Inverse 200 AW Beltpack (Black))
• Lowepro Slingshot 200 AW (current model: Lowepro SlingShot 202 AW Camera Bag)
• Lowepro Nova 200 AW (Lowepro Nova 200 AW Shoulder Bag (Black))
• Lowepro Rover Plus AW (current model: Lowepro Rover AW II Backpack)
• Lowepro Toploader AW (current models: Lowepro Top Loader Pro 75 AW Camera Bag and Top Loader Pro 70 AW)
• Thinktank Airport Acceleration – (Purchase online from Think Tank Photo web site)
• Crumpler Six Million Dollar Home (Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home Bag)
• Crumpler Eight Million Dollar Home (Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home Bag)

Flash

• Canon 580EXII (Canon Speedlite 580EX I at B&H)

Printer

• Epson 7900 (Epson Stylus Pro 7900 Printer)

Paper

• Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk – my favorite
• Museo Silver Rag – a lovely warm tone paper for certain uses
• Epson “Ultra Premium Photo Paper Lustre” (formerly Premium Lustre) – fine for general use and my usual proofing paper
• Epson Premium Matte