I have been getting lots of emails and messages through social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, enquiring, what is in my camera Bag?
So, I have decided to write an article to share the camera gear which I use and carry all the time.
What is in My Camera Bag?
1. Camera Body
I carry two camera bodies and two camera lenses most of the time when I go for wildlife photography.
I use full frame camera body, Canon 1DX Mark II as my main camera body. Wherever I go for photography, I ensure that this one is there in my bag.
Canon 7D Mark II, the APS-C body from Canon, is another camera body which I take with me.
2. Camera Lenses
When it comes to lenses, I carry the super Telephoto lens; Canon 500mm f4 L IS II USM Lens for Wildlife photography.
Most of the time, I will be using Canon 1DX Mark II with this 500mm lens and 1.4x extender combination.
I will switch to 7D Mark II only when I am looking for more reach (the 1.6x crop factor of the 7D Mark II helps to get closer to the subject). Thus, I can get an effective focal length of 1120mm.
Canon 70-200mm f4 L IS USM lens, and Sigma 10-20mm lens are the two other lenses which I use. I carry either of these lenses.
If the location where I am going is good for Landscapes, then I take the ultra-wide angle 10-20mm lens from Sigma.
Otherwise, in most of the situation, it will be the 70-200mm lens. It helps to shoot when the animal or bird gets close or when I want to capture a habitat shot, along with the animal or the bird.
3. Memory Cards
I carry a few additional CF cards and SD cards for storage.
4. Tripod
I shoot mostly handheld. So, only in very few situations, I carry a tripod along with me. I use a Manfrotto 055X Pro B, a four-section tripod made of Aluminium with a center column.
5. Monopod
I prefer Monopod over Tripod when I do Bird photography. Most of my Bird photography trips involve Treks. So, it is difficult to carry a tripod along with me. Manfrotto 680B (a 4 section monopod) is my current monopod model.
Previously, I was using a three-section monopod from Manfrotto. I found it difficult to carry it along in my bag because of its height in folded condition. So, I went for the four sections one.
6. Action Camera
I always carry YI 4K Action camera in my pocket.
Taking my DSLR camera with the wide-angle lens may not be possible in all situations. So, a GoPro type camera is useful in such scenarios.
I use it for recording short Time-lapse videos and normal videos also.
7. Camera Cleaning Kit
It is essential to take the camera cleaning kit since I am into Wildlife photography. The camera gear will be continuously exposed to dust and dirt. So, regular cleaning is required.
Camera Cleaning cloth made of muslin, Lens wipes and Lens Pen are the three things in my camera bag for the cleaning purpose.
I found Lenspen very useful for cleaning both camera body and lens. It has got a brush on one side and a carbon tip on the other. The carbon tip side is to remove dust and fingerprints which cannot be removed by the brush.
8. Spare Camera Batteries
You never know when you run out of batteries. The places I visit to photograph wildlife and birds are remote areas.
So, it is not necessary that I may get the provision to charge my camera batteries. So, I carry a fully charged extra battery for each camera body, along with the respective chargers.
So, these are the camera gears which I take along with me when I go for photography.
9. Filters
I carry a couple of camera Filters with me, one Neutral Density Filter and a CPL Filter, both from Hoya.
Both the filters have 67mm thread size. So, it goes with the 70-200mm lens. I use a Step up converter ring (67mm to 77mm) to use the same filter with my wide angle lens.
I use the ND filter for cutting the extra stops of light for long exposure shots and recording videos.
CPL filter is used to cut off the reflection from water or to saturate the colors in the scene (provided the Sun is in the favourable direction).
10. Camera Battery Charger
Chargers of both the camera bodies will always be there in my camera bag.
11. Teleconverter
I also make use of the Canon 1.4x III EF Extender (11), especially when I am doing Bird photography. It helps me to give the extra reach of 200mm when attached to the 500mm telephoto lens.
12. Memory Card Case
I use a hard case for carrying memory cards. It can take 8 CF cards and 16 SD cards. It is shockproof and waterproof. So, the memory cards are safe inside it.
13. Tripod Head
I use Manfrotto’s 498RC2 ball head along with my tripod.
What is my Camera Bag?
Now, you know the camera gears and accessories I own. So, you will be interested to see the camera bag which I use.
Lowepro Flipside 500AW is my current camera backpack.It can hold my 500mm super Telephoto lens along with two camera bodies, Tele-converter and one more lens.
Feel free to share your questions in the comment section if you have any.