A.E.Landes’ Photo Gear
Even when I was using an older film camera, less than 5% of my photos ever make it out of the hard drive or negative files to be seen by another human being. So even though I upgraded my setup to digital and better lenses, my ‘keeper’ percentage has not magically gone up, which leads me to believe the old sages who say, “The camera does not make the images.” I like my $3 yard-sale film cameras as much as my $5000 digital wedding rig, because of the different qualities they both have regarding image capture.
My preferred travel and portrait set up: Canon 5D Mk2 with a Leica 21 f/4, Leica 35 f/2, and Leica 90 f/2, along with a Holga loaded up with Ilford HP5 400 BW film. Natural light is my friend, but I will use the 580EX II flash when needed.
My wedding pack is: Canon 5D Mk2 and a Canon 1D Mk2, with Canon’s 24-70 f/2.8 and a 580EX II flash. My backup lens is a 50mm f/1.4, and an older Rebel XT, in case things go really crazy.
Fast-paced sports is done with: Canon 1D Mk2 and the Canon 24-70 f/2.8. I usually don’t need much longer zoom than that because I like the look of a wide angle for action, and I can usually get pretty close to it since I don’t shoot field sports (yet).
When I am out for fun: I usually carry a Holga and an older Rollei Magic II, loaded with BW film or expired film. I chew threw old slide film in a Vivitar Slim and Wide when out on bike rides, and I enjoy the point-and-shoot quality of the Lomo LCA+. I also love putting my Leica lenses back on the R5 SLR and seeing the negatives come out of that thing.
For editing and storage: Right now, I use a MacBook Pro with Lightroom/CS3, and find it to be more than satisfactory with speed, organization and ease of use. For storage, I use an ExpressCard connected to a three external drive backup system which are quickly filling up.