Useful Gadgets

[Rick Waldroup]

I, too, carry a Zoom H4 voice recorder. I also carry a small, white cotton towel, which always comes in handy. I have a note pad and the last thing not photo related is my Kindle- I ride commuter trains a lot and the Kindle comes in handy to pass the time while on the train.

 

[Godfrey]

I have a LS-10 and a LS-7. I carry the latter with me everywhere in a jacket pocket. Nothing beats the quality in that format, but it still has excellent ergonomics, unlike a Yamaha Pocketrak. You'd have to get a Sony PCM-M10 to go up, and it's twice the size.

If you want a LS-7, you'd better hurry, as it has been discontinued, and many places like B&H are out of stock on it. Olympus' new LS-12 and LS-14 are a major step backward in quality compared to the LS-10/LS-11/LS-7 they ostensibly supersede.

Thanks for the info!

G

 

[Godfrey]

What's in my bag when I travel:

Aside from camera du jour, lenses, batteries, storage cards, light meter, film as required...

- pens red and black
- notebook
- iPad mini
- Camera Connction Kit + cables + charger
- dust blower and microfiber cloth
- Zoom H4 sound recorder, stand, grip
- iPhone 4S
- Kodak Pocket Photo Guide

G

 

[alienmeatsack]

some of you guys must have been boy scouts!

I know my "useful gadgets" list comes from experience out in the field. Every time I go out and I'm needing something, I add it to my list if it comes up often.

If I really carried everything I want, I'd have a whole separate pack just for the goodies.

 

[noisycheese]

Here's my list and the application for each item -

*A ballpoint pen
*A small notebook
*A set of 6" straight nose forceps (for film loading issues)
*A partly straightened paper clip (for film loading issues)
*A round grippy rubber jar lid remover (for removing recalcitrant filters)
*An extra AA battery or two (for my Sekonic L-508 light meter)
*An extra pair of SR44 batteries (for my MP or my F3hp)
*A nickel (for opening screw out battery compartments)
*An ultrafine point Sharpie pen (for use with adhesive labels)
*A pack of 3/4" round adhesive neon colored label "dots" (for labeling pushed *film, film shot with a specific lens, film of a high priority subject, etc.)
*A small batch (10-15) of my 5"x7" postcards which have my bio, contact info. and one of my images on each side
*A 2x AAA Pelican flashlight (for seeing in the bottom of my camera bag in low light situations and for finding dropped sets of car keys at dusk)

While this is a long list of doodads, it is surprising how little room they take up in my camera bag and how light the entire collection is. They are all items I have needed and used when photographing so I continue to carry them.

 

[rpsawin]

some of you guys must have been boy scouts!

Yep...I often carry a compass in my gear bag. When I am in unfamiliar areas I use the info for taking notes especially if I want to return to the area to shoot better light/conditions.

 

[smbilgin]

Only a smart phone is almost enough for me when I go out with my M2.

* Lightmeter app
* Voice record app
* Flashlight app
* Compass app
* Maps app
* Note app
* Diary app
* Forum Runner app (for RFF)
* Ebay app (for panic GAS)
* SOS whistle app (when my nunchaku is not with me )

 

[presspass]

Portage small spiral notebook, space pen, tiny Streamlight, hemostats, and a cloth diaper - more for a wet camera than myself, at least so far. Oh, and a couple of the motel-special shower caps, they're tiny and they make great emergency camera raincoats.

 

[outfitter]

A really good, but small, flashlight.

If I'm traveling, a Sony AM/FM/shortwave radio about the size of a deck of cards (not as useful as it used to be, as the BBC and others are abandoning shortwave).

What a shame. I recall being in one of the most remote spots on earth - in a Ger in in Mongolia about 150 miles from Siberia and hundreds of miles from the nearest powerline or road - watching a teenage girl study English with the aid of a battery powered radio and a VOA broadcast.