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Staffan's Equipment

Equipment

 

 

To Travel Light as a wildlife-interested photographer is a joke.

What you bring is what you´ve got.

What can break, will.

So I try to bring it all…

 

My hazy eyes need autofocus.

My hazy brain needs auto exposure and auto white balance.

My motifs often need many frames per second.

After having tried almost all possible camera systems I settled for the best equipment money can buy.

The sharpest, brightest lenses, the fastest and most accuratly exposing cameras, the most modern flashes and the finest CF-cards.

Autofocus, autoexposure, auto white balance and motor-powered everything.

Have happily left film and have gone completely digital, since 2004.

The Nikon D3 and D3X are real miracles.

D3 can be exposed with very high ISOs without damaging the images at all.

The D3X gives better tonal range files and fine detail than any other camera that I have ever seen. It gives incredibly detailed and sharp files.

In both the AF is fast and exact and the controls are easy and intuitive.

The days of film feel left very, very far behind.

The D700 is like a light D3. Same quality of files, but smaller and not as heavy to carry. Still very stabile and sturdy.

The D300 also creates great and very detailed files, better even than the D2Xs and with better ISO possibilities than the D200. Also the internal flash system in it is really good.

The perfect backup camera, or when I need light-weight more than anything else.

The D90 gives unbelievably fine video files, and the possiblity to use long lenses like the 600/4 creating a wonderfully beautiful blurred soft background.

Yes, the latest Nano-coated Nikkor lenses are heavy to carry, but tack sharp, crystal clear and incredibly fast-focusing. The new 14-24 and 24-70 and the Micronikkor 105, the 200/2, the 300/2,8 VR and the 600/4 VR are the sharpest and most fine-rendering lenses I have ever tried or seen work from. No haze. And with the D3:s you can fine tune and calibrate each individual lense to each individual camera body.

Giving a crispness in detail also with the longest lenses plus 1,7x converter better than anything else I have experienced.

VR vibration reduction is often a blessing.

 

I use a wide-angle zoom on one body, a short tele-zoom on the other.

Long telephoto lens on the third, usually the 600 mm.

Original Nikon stuff only.

ISO mostly 200-1600 on D3.

100-640 on D3X

Motor drive at as many frames per second as the technology allows.

Then I feel prepared for most quick situations.

I also bring backup of almost everything.

 

Photography tool box:

 

Cameras and such:

2 Nikon D3

1 Nikon D3X

2 Nikon D300

1 Nikon D90

Nikkor AFS 600/4 G ED VR

Nikkor AFS 500/4 G ED VR

Nikkor 400/2,8 G ED VR

Nikkor AFS 300/2,8 G ED VR

Nikkor 200-400/4 IF-ED VR

AF-Nikkor 200/2 VR (the sharpest lens I´ve ever tried!!)

AF-Nikkor 70-200/2,8 VR

AF-Nikkor DX 12-24/4 (for the D300s)

AF-Nikkor 14-24/2,8

AF-Nikkor 24-70/2,8

AF-VR Micro-Nikkor DX IF-ED 105/2,8 (the next sharpest lens I´ve ever tried!!)

AF-Nikkor Fisheye 10,5 mm/4 (for the D300)

AF-teleconverters Nikkor TC-14B II and TC 17 B II and TC-20 B II

2 Flashes Nikon SB-900 and a Project-A-Flash tele flash fresnel-lens kit.

Field glasses Nikon 8x42 and Nikon 10x25

 

Tripods and such:

Carbon fibre 6X tripods from Gitzo (GK 5541 for the heavy lenses and GK 3580 for hikes and lighter jobs), with leveling units and extra big feet for snow and sand)

Ball heads and panning heads from Gitzo and Kirk.

Arca Swiss style quick releases and swivel heads from Wimberley.

Macaroni- and or rice or bean-bags. Organically grown of course 

Apple Mac Book Pro 17” Laptop

Epson 8000 external hard disk.

San Disk Extreme IV CF-cards 8-16 Gb

Rechargable Nikon Li-ion battery packs, kits of Lithium AA batteries for really cold weather.

Camera bags and -backpacks from Tamrac.

Waterproof bags and boxes from Pelican and Ortlieb.

 

Other equipment:

Tent Hilleberg "Staika". Stands anything, can be put up anywhere.

Tent Hilleberg "Kieron" 4-man. Stands anything, but rooms more people.

Sleeping bag North Face "Goose Down" for ordinary trips.

Sleeping bag North Face "Deep Sleep" for the really cold ones.

Thermarest sleeping mattresses.

Backpack Norröna "Beito". Brings it all.

Arcteryx jacket and pants. All round. All year.

Heavy Duty down parka "SnowGoose Expedition" from Canada Goose. For minus 30 and below.

All underware in Swedish "Wool power". Best I´ve tried. Doesnt even smell when used!

"SOREL Extreme" - Canadian Army Arctic winter mukluk boots. For minus 20 and below.

Hiking boots Le Chameau (long), Gore-Tex.

Nokian felt lined rubber boots. For sleet, wet snow and slush.

Rubber boots "Wildmark". Summer use.

Lundhags felt-lined leather ski boots.

Inuit-kamikks of seal skin and caribou fur, for minus 25 and under.

Pocket flask, type "Jerry Can" with french Cognac, preferably Rémy Martin or Grönstedts Extra.

 

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Uploaded on October 2, 2009
Taken on July 3, 2009