everyday kits...

My kit varies with projects. Currently it's an MM1 and ZM 50. I use a camera bag insert in my commuter backpack and the rig accompanies me every day.

John
 
First depends on what I think I want photos of. Then of course where I am going; rule of thumb is if my cameras can't go somewhere, I probably can't either. :D
 
I've been appreciating the 50 Summarit lately.
In Sweden this time of year, it's bright enough for f2.5 almost until 10PM, and with such a tiny size and weight, it's the perfect everyday lens on my Leica.
In the winter though, I have to resort to the Summilux ASPH.
For years now my everyday camera has been the M3. With the close focus modification, it's close to perfect for me.

I don't worry to much about damage or theft. I have insurance for that now.
When I was in Serbia, I was worried about theft one night when going to a party with some new found friends, so I left my camera in the Hostel safebox. That night turned out to be one of the craziest in my life, in a century old hunting cabin with some crazy Yugoslav mafia guys; I could easily have burned through ten rolls, if only I would have brought my camera.
Never again.
 
Depending on where I might be going, for what purpose and what might happen, any one of the following:

D700 24-85 or
X100T or
M7 50 summicron or 35/3.5 summaron
 
back alley said:
can we talk about everyday kits?
i notice some folks carry kit that might be considered 'lesser than' for an everyday kit. understandable in some ways...if it were to be stolen or broken or lost then the loss is not as great...even with insurance, who wants kit damaged or stolen...and if we carry our best, most fave gear then the emotional/financial loss could be greater.
do you have a philosophy on everyday kit?
Click to expand...

it's not the gear i was talking about but the personal philosophy about choosing the gear.
 
For myself, my 'everyday' kit for work is usually 2-DSLR bodies, 3 zoom lenses, 2 PC lenses, strobes, stands, tripods, sandbags, maybe a laptop, etc etc etc. For my 'personal' everyday kit, I want to get as far away from carrying masses of equipment as possible. That kit is usually my Leica Monochrom 246, a 35 and 50 lens (or sometimes just the 50), and maybe an ND filter in my pocket. I just picked up the new M-D, and I think I'll likely carry it the same way as the 246.

Feels very liberating not to have to carry much.
 
back alley said:
do you have a philosophy on everyday kit?
Click to expand...

I do not have an everyday kit. I choose the gear based on the assignment. The gear I select for an indoor stage performance is probably entirely different than what I select for an air show.

However, I learned a lesson after I had finished shooting in a pathology lab and was informed that all my equipment had to be sterilized in an autoclave. After that, I decided to have a backup kit for the times when my equipment ran the risk of being lost, damaged, stolen, or autoclaved.

Instead of my manual focus Nikon F2 kit, I would use a less expensive manual focus Nikon EM kit.

Instead of my auto focus Nikon F4 kit, I would use a less expensive auto focus Nikon N70 kit.

Instead of my digital SLR kit or my digital mirrorless kit, I would use a less expensive digital compact kit.


EM backup to F2 by Narsuitus, on Flickr
 
Jockos said:
I've been appreciating the 50 Summarit lately.
In Sweden this time of year, it's bright enough for f2.5 almost until 10PM, and with such a tiny size and weight, it's the perfect everyday lens on my Leica.
In the winter though, I have to resort to the Summilux ASPH.
For years now my everyday camera has been the M3. With the close focus modification, it's close to perfect for me.

I don't worry to much about damage or theft. I have insurance for that now.
When I was in Serbia, I was worried about theft one night when going to a party with some new found friends, so I left my camera in the Hostel safebox. That night turned out to be one of the craziest in my life, in a century old hunting cabin with some crazy Yugoslav mafia guys; I could easily have burned through ten rolls, if only I would have brought my camera.
Never again.
Click to expand...

Huge mistake!
 
My EDC depends on what I feel like shooting that day. Monday it might be the X100T, Tuesday the MP w/ 50mm cron, Wednesday XP2 w/ 35 f2, Thursday MP w/ 35 voigt, Friday Hasselblad with 80mm, Saturday XP2 w/ 18 f2, Sunday, my iPhone. Could be one camera/lens combo fits what I plan on shooting that day a little better. Maybe I want to travel lighter another day. Or maybe I feel like film or medium format.

Guess at the end of the day it boils down to my mood that day. And having not thought about the fact that I have 7 different lens/camera setups, I'm going to try and alternate each day! :) Thanks for making me think about what I shoot a little differently.
 
Depends who/what I'm photographing.

Presently making photos of grand children, 8 & 6 years young. Using 35 film and dslr digital.

Other adventures I use medium format!
 
I'm very minimalist. I always want to take the kitchen sink with me so that I have everything I *might* need, but I also have physical limitations that make carrying any weight difficult the longer I have to do it. Lately, the most I can possibly carry in my bag is my camera, either an M2, or my Rolleiflex, a light meter, some film, and probably my glasses, and mophie battery for my phone. That's generally it. If I don't know what my day will entail, there will probably be a book in the bag as well.

A few hours of that is usually more than I can manage and results in a sore neck, a headache, and opiates.

If I'm going to be shooting all day, the glasses and film move to my pockets, the light meter moves to another pocket, and the camera is in my hand at all times with no bag to carry.
 
For me it has evolved to the point of what is comfortable to carry at any given time. I try to make all of my pictures look about the same nowadays no matter what camera I use...some are more pleasing (in terms of performance) than others. I have also discovered that intrinsic value doesn't necessarily equate to 'better or best'...at least in my case.

Good question.
 
Roger Hicks said:
M9 plus either 35 Summilux or 50 C-Sonnar.

Like jsrocket I can't see the point of NOT using my good cameras unless I'm somewhere really dangerous.

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...

For me, it's more a matter of how much bulk and weight I want to lug when I am unlikely to be doing much shooting.
 
My current carry-around-kit is a Nikon FE2 with 20/2.8 AI-S E and 50 AF-D lenses. Light, quick and lovely to use. Photo by Sonnar 85/2.8 on Sony A7S.
U51008I1465523253.SEQ.0.jpg
 
back alley said:
can we talk about everyday kits?
i notice some folks carry kit that might be considered 'lesser than' for an everyday kit. understandable in some ways...if it were to be stolen or broken or lost then the loss is not as great...even with insurance, who wants kit damaged or stolen...and if we carry our best, most fave gear then the emotional/financial loss could be greater.
do you have a philosophy on everyday kit?
Click to expand...

I think I definitely fall into the 'lesser than' camp - generally my everyday kit is a M2 with a single lens (rotating between 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and occasionally 90mm), and a spare roll of film.

I don't think it's ever occurred to me to take 'less' because it might be stolen or damaged though, I just don't like much stuff. There's two main reasons for this:
- I don't like the bulk/weight...
- I don't like the complication...
 
i always carried what gear i owned, not all of it but what i felt fit my mood for the day.
if i had a photo excursion planned than i took more gear, just in case.
after a few years on rff i started to think that maybe i should have a cheaper kit for edc.
lately that has begun to make less and less sense to me...if i have good gear i should use it, no matter where.
i have since started to carry an xe2 with the 16 because i love that kit! if i can't get a decent shot with that combo then i should just chuck it all and give up photographing altogether.
but my main point is that i carry what i like no matter where it might fit in a gear hierarchy...
 
My everyday grab kit is a Lowepro bag containing a Nikon F100 with 28mm f2.8 Ais and af 50mm f1.8D and also an af 85mm f1.8D. All fast primes and all sharp as a tack. Great for everything from environmental portraiture to landscape and holidays.
 
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