What is in your kit?

dave lackey

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Yes, this is an evolutionary thing, I know. It will be a long time before I get exactly what I want in a kit but right now, here is how it unfolds and why:

The thought behind the kit(s):

For the time being, I am using only film cameras for a variety of reasons ranging from specific matchup of character of images with documentary motifs, to just the plain fun of it!

The kits:

Bag 1

Leica M3 w/ Summarit 1.5 and a Leica R4 w/ 50 Cron (For documentaries, portraits and other paid work...one camera with 400 iso film and the other 100 iso film)

Bag 2

Nikon AF body w/ 28-105 zoom and Nikkormat FTN w/ 50mm 1.8 (For the fun things with family both loaded with slide films)

Bag 3

Forthcoming Nikon bodies, FE2 and F2 (Another family/recreational use kit with an assortment of B/W and Color film)

Safari so-goody.

But bag 1 is incomplete! I am shooting about 50/50 now with B/W and color film. So, I need two cameras for B/W (iso 100 and 400) and two cameras for Color (slide and color film at low ISO and iso 400 Portra)

So, this year I will be adding a second M body/Barnack and another R-body SLR.

GAS!!! Otherwise known as an excuse to enjoy yet more gear!:p
 
Currently:

Bag 1: MP with 50 LUX ASPH, with HP5 BW Film and M6 TTL with 35 Cron with Kodak Porta 160.

Bag 2: M9 with 35 LUX ASPH and 75 Cron

Bag 3: Rollieflex f3.5, 75mm type 4. (Which I just picked up this week and went out and shot my first 2 rolls this weekend. One Ilford PANF Plus 50 and one roll of Kodak Porta 160)

Also have a GF1 with assorted lens that I'll carry from time to time.

All the kits are used to support a hobby. No children at home, college bills are all paid off, sold off my sports bike in August (starting to feel my age) and want to do some manual focus photography while the eyes are still holding up.


2011 was a bad year of GAS and need to slow down on the purchase side and use what I have in 2012!
 
Rangefinders:

Leica M6TTL LHSA .85 with black paint Leicavit

Leica M6TTL LHSA .72 with black paint Leicavit

Leica M6TTL Chrome .85 with Motor-M

Leica M6TTL Chrome .58 with Motor-M

21 Asph, 28 Cron, 35 Lux Asph, 50 Noct., 90 Apo, 135 Apo

All of this plus a Luna-Pro, film, cords, cable release, tabletop tripod, lens wipe, etc. fits into a Domke F-1X, and I break it up to carry 2 bodies & 4 lenses in the Domke 803.

R System:

Leica R-9 bodies (2)

Leica R-9 Motor Drive + Leica Winder for second R-9

Leica glass: 15 F2.8, 21-35, 35-70 2.8, 35-70 F4.0, 70-180 Apo, 90 Apo, 280 Apo with 1.4X Apo extender.

Nikon D-300s, 16 fisheye, 17-35 F2.8, 28-70 F2.8, 70-210 F2.8

Nikon F-3HP with 35 F1.4 & MD-4 Motor Drive

Mamiya C-330 with 65mm & prism.

Used to have a Hassy system with 3 bodies, 8 backs, 30 fisheye to 250 tele.

Right now I'm between jobs, hoping to find a nitch where I can use my rangefinders that I enjoy. Using that 70-180 Apo is also a dream. Tack sharp wide open, only reason to stop-down is for depth of field!
 
Kit 1:
M3-kit.jpg

Color-Skopar 50/2.5 and Jupiter-9 85/2.0 (Zeiss optical block). IXMOO's.

Kit 2:
M2-kit.jpg

Super-Angulon 21/3.4 and L-Hexanon 35/2.0. IXMOO's

Kit 3:
LeicaII-kit.jpg

Elmar 50/3.5 and Elmar 90/4.0. KASAM cassettes (got 5 of them now!)

As of today:
Rolleiflex.jpg

Carl Zeiss Planar 80/2.8


Then there's the two Nikkormat FTn's and the D3100 but I don't have a shot. I have a 58/1.4 and a 105/2.5 for those. That's it.
 
At the moment 2 kits in working sets.
Kit #1/ 3 M2's, 21f4 VC Color Skopar, Nokton 40f1.4 MC and C Sonnar 50mm f1.5 - all loaded with Kodak XX and the new ORWO 74+ moviestock.

Kit #2/ Leica MP with 50 mm f1.4 Asph and Neopan SS 100 iso, Zeiss ZM with Canon 25f3.5 and Acros 100 and a Nikon S3 Olympic with the 2005 35mm f1.8 Nikkor and loaded with ORWO UN 54 100 iso movie stock.

Obviously I have deeper purpose for this mix. I am testing the ORWO films in various developers and as usual I shoot some reference films together with the new films (well. that's my excuse anyway). Still waiting for some sun for the 100 iso films though - but they are loaded and ready to go at the first ray of sunshine!
 
M4-2, M7, 35Summilux-M, 50Summicron-M, 50Noctilux, 90Summicron-M, 135Elmar (M4-P & 21Super-Angulon-M back at home in Germany), VISOFLEX II w/ adapter for 90Elmar & 135Elmar

IIIf, IIIb, 35Summaron, 50Elmar, Summarit, 90Elmar, 135Hektor

F, FM, F3HP, 24/2.8, 50/2.0, 50/1.4, 105/2.5, 200/4

Nikon S2 (Shintaro BP) + 50/2.0 H-C

Technika IV, Fujinon 180/5.6, Grandagon 90/6.8

Rolleiflex 3.5E

....

I have already sold my Hasselblad 500 C/M last year, two lenses at year`s end and plan to sell 135Elmar, 135Hektor, VISOFLEX II, Nikon SLR (except for the F) in the next weeks.

Trying different things is fun but my job does not leave me to much spare time anymore for photography and I don`t like to have much things sitting around not being used.
 
some of y'all got too much kit ... :)
i tote two cameras max, with one lens each. right now it's x100, and r2m with 35/2.5 color skopar.
 
#1 M3, Zeiss C-Biogon 21, 50 Summicron, Tele-Elmar 135

#2 M6 0.72, 35 Summicron ASPH, Summarit 90

Both with Tri-X and perhaps a roll or two of Ektar or Portra 400 depending upon the intended subject(s)
 
#1 in my Tamrac bag is Bessa R with J-8 50/2 & CV 35/2.5.
#2 is my SLR bag. It consist of my Canon AE-1 program & 50/1.4 + 28/2.8 Canon fd + Tokina 135/2.8.
#3 isn't so much a kit as it is storage for my other Canon FD cameras, lenses, flash, & other accessories & adapters.

I really need another bag or two. :)
 
I don't divide my gear into kits like the rest of y'all do, at least not on any regular basis. But, based on travel experience and lots of shooting in 2011, my current thinking is:

#1: Leiica M4-2 (or M2), Canon 50/1.8, CV Skopar 35/2.5; Oly Pen E-PL1 + Panasonic Lumix 14/2.5

#2: Leica M2 (or M4-2), CV Skopar 50/2.5, Canon 35/1.8; Canon IVSB2 (or Leica IIIc) + CV 25/4.0

#3: Canon IVSB2, Elmar 50/3.5 (or other vintage 50); Oly Pen E-PL1 + Pansonic Lumix 20/1.7 and 14/2.5

But I may change this tomorrow...
 
Right now:

Bag 1 (Risky places, small bag, no cameras hanging):

Olympus XA for bright light.
Yashica GTN for low light.

Bag 2 (Most places, a lot more fun, two cameras hanging, other two in the bag):

Leica IIIF with Industar-50 and Jupiter-3, R4M with CV 15 and CV 28 3.5, R3A with CV 40 1.4 and Leica Summicron 90, Hexar AF.

Arista Premium 400 & 100.

Glad to hear other members use several cameras and kits too!!!

Cheers,

Juan
 
Leica M7, 35 Summilux-M ASPH, Leicavit-M and 160 Portra.

I test a few lenses here and there, but a Leica-M and 35mm Summicron or 35 Summilux is what I've primarily shot with for years now.
 
I've put away all the gear except the FM2 and a 50mm 1.8 loaded with Tri-X. I intend on shooting with this stripped down kit for the next year or so until I've really explored all the possibilities.
 
1)
IIIc with russian Industar-22 50/3.5 and CV 21/4 + finder
M4-P with CV 35/1.4 and Elmar 50/2.8 collapsible
T-Max/Tri-X and recently 2 rolls of Fuji Superia 200 color

2)
Nikon F with Nikkor 135/2.8, Series-E 50/1.8, and Nikkor 35/2
T-Max/Tri-X

3)
Nikon D90 with 85/1.4G



sometimes I mix and match
 
Bag 1: Mil-Tec shoulder bag
Current camera: Zorki - 4 with Jupiter 8 f2/50mm
Otherwise it usually has the following:
manual release cable
Gossen Digiflash
tabletop tripod
small note pad and pens
Spudz lens cloth
Mrock pouch that held my recently destroyed Jupiter 12 f2.8/35 (still has a hood and filters for the J-8)
T.O.C. Universal Finder and case
Bag, Waterproofing, Chemical-Biological Mask, M1 (a large, heavy duty plastic bag I found at a surplus store to throw the camera into if I get caught in the rain)
pencil bag with; Fujicolor 100, Kodacolor 200, Kodak BW400CN (one each for now).

Bag2: Lowepro SlingShot 200AW, my DSLR carrier.
Nikon D80
spare battery
small case with extra SD cards
circular polarizer
Sigma f2.8/50-150
Nikkor f3.5-5.6/18-55
Optech Rainsleve.
 
Obviously this won't all fit in the same bag, but here's what I currently shoot with:

CAMERAS

- Minolta Maxxum 700si SLR
- Minolta Maxxum 700si SLR (b)
- Canon AT-1 35mm SLR
- Canon Canonet 28 35mm rangefinder
- Kodak Duaflex I TLR
- Kodak Brownie Flash Six-20
- Kodak Autographic 1A
- Kodak Brownie Target Six-16
- FED 2 (D6) 35mm rangefinder
- Zorki-4 35mm rangefinder
- Yashica Electro 35 GSN 35mm rangefinder
- Sony Alpha A550 DSLR
- Sony Alpha A500 DSLR
- Sony Alpha A200 DSLR
- Sony Cybershot DSC-H50


LENSES

- Sony AF DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM lens (a)
- Sony AF DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 SAM lens (b)
- Minolta Maxxum AF 35-70mm f/4 lens
- Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7 lens
- Minolta Maxxum AF 100-200mm f/4.5 lens
- Minolta Maxxum AF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 APO (D) lens
- Rokinon (Samyang) 8mm f/3.5 MC Fisheye lens
- Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 lens
- Canon 40mm f/2.8 lens
- Industar 26M LTM 50mm f/2.8 lens
- Industar 61M LTM 53mm f/2.8 lens
- Yashinon DX 45mm f/1.7 lens


ACCESSORIES

- Manfrotto 715B tripod
- Lowepro Flipside 400 backpack
- Vanguard VGP-13 aluminum case
- Vanguard VGP-3202 aluminum case
- Vertical Battery Grip - VG-B50AM
- Vertical Battery Grip - Minolta VC-700
- Minolta Program 3500xi flash
- Vintage Leningrad-7 light meter
- Kodak Brownie Flash six-20 flash gun
- Macro reverse-mount adapter (incl. step-up/down rings)
- Triple axis spirit level
- KMZ (FSU) turret viewfinder
- custom "Gordy" wrist straps

Glen
 
I'm really liking 24/50.

Kit #1: R4A or ZI with Leica 24/3.8 and ZM 50/1.5
Kit #2: M8 with ZM 18 and CV 35/1.2
Kit #3: Contax Aria with 50/1.4

Wish list: add a CV 75/1.8 to #2, a converted Contax G 90/2.8 to kit #1, and a 25/2.8 Distagon to #3.
 
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