Being essentially a by-product of science, equipment makes up a good part of the craft of image-making, be it moving or stills photography. Practitioners of either discipline love to discuss equipment. Hence I have written this post, in which I will talk about the various pieces of gear I have amassed since I began taking photographs regularly in the past year or so, why I made a particular purchasing decision and my views on each.

But, before that: why did I choose Canon? It was because I acquired a Canon XL-1S professional DV camcorder in 2003. I chose this camera over offerings from other manufacturers (Sony and Panasonic, namely, for the broadcast market) simply because it was the only camera made to be modular through a design direction that was the closest to that behind 16mm and 35mm film cameras.

It’s true when it is said that a photographer will usually be locked into a manufacturer’s system with the first purchase. With that one step into the Canon world, and some S$30,000′s worth of investment, I never looked back…

 

Canon EOS 300D, with BG-E1 Battery Grip (Feb 2005)

The 300D was my first digital SLR. I bought it to gather stills for a video production, thereafter which I never did use it much till I took it with me on a vacation trip. It’s with a friend ever since I got the 30D.

 

EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (Feb 2005)

The kit lens which came with the EOS 300D. For a while, this was the only lens I had.

 

EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM (July 2006)

With ET-64II lens hood. I bought this lens second-hand because I desperately needed a telephoto lens to cover some behind-the-scenes stuff for a video production. Bad buy. Just as well… it’s dead now.

 

EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (October 2006)

With EW-83E lens hood. Being schooled in architecture, architectural photography was (and still is) my first area of interest. I bought this lens simply because there was nothing else on the market that could give me such a wide angle, as I was still using the 300D. This is still my primary lens when it comes to architectural commissions. If I should move up to a full-frame body, I will replace it with a 16-35mm f2.8 L II USM.

 

EF 50mm f/1.8 II (October 2006)

With ES-62 lens hood. The ubiquitous 50mm lens for everyone. Excellent image quality at a low, low cost, with nothing to gripe about it… well, except its poor background blur, maybe. Recently, this lens broke. That, plus I really hated the noisy lens motor, so I replaced it with an EF 50mm f/1.4 USM.

 

Speedlite 580 EX (November 2006)

I bought this flash mainly for the food-tasting luncheon for Tasha’s wedding. I did not settle for a 430 EX because the price for the 580 EX had gone down around that time.

 

Canon EOS 30D, with BG-E2 Battery Grip (December 2006)

I moved up to the 30D when the secondary mirror on my 300D failed during a night recce, and I needed a replacement body the next day. I chose the 30D for both its affordable price—which has, coincidentally, just dipped around that time—and the fact that I had been impressed after trying out a friend’s 20D. The 30D has served me very, very well. I have been using it for four months now, and it has become an extension of my hand.

 

EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (December 2006)

With EW-73II lens hood. Again, a second-hand buy because I needed a lens to cover this range of focal length—personally, my favorite range. The lens can produce good images, but only if it is stopped down to f/8, which does not make it all that useful a lens.

 

EF 35mm f/2.0 (March 2007)

With EW-65II lens hood. 50mm is considered the standard field-of-view for 35mm photography. But stick a 50mm on a body with a 1.6x crop factor, and you get nothing close to a standard field-of-view. Hence I got the 35mm. Lovely lens, except that its non-USM lens motor whirs rather loudly like the 50mm f/1.8 II (though it does not hunt as much as the latter) and it does not have FTM. Win some, lose some. I carry this lens with me in my personal sling bag at all times, since it is so small and light.

 

EF 50mm f/1.4 USM (March 2007)

With ES-71II lens hood. A replacement for the 50mm f/1.8 II. Moving up from that cheapo lens, this lens is a world of difference. AF is fast and silent, plus you get FTM. Lovely, lovely lens, and a steal at a fraction of the 50mm f/1.2 L USM while offering image quality that rivals its L-series counterpart.

 

EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM (April 2007)

With EW-83F lens hood. I took the plunge this month and got my first L lens, largely in anticipation of two upcoming shoot. Using it makes you realize everything good that has ever been said of L-series lenses is true. Gorgeous image quality. Heavy and intrusive, though; if you are itching to raise the ire of security guards everywhere, just make sure they spot you with this lens. On days when I simply cannot be bothered to lug this lens around, I will take the 24-85 instead.

 

ST-E2 Wireless Transmitter (April 2007)

No more clumsy fumbling with the extremely-short Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2! The ST-E2 does not work as great as I thought it would, since it communicates with slave strobes by light and not radio. I have yet to try it outdoors, but I suspect I will be disappointed. It looks like it will have to be the Pocket Wizard soon.

 

Speedlite 430 EX (April 2007)

Got this as a secondary strobe for a shoot tonight.

 

Canon EOS-1N, with PB-E1 Power Booster (September 2007)

I found this camera body, in mint condition, at a second-hand camera store. Now I can finally couple my EF 24-70mm f2/8 L with a full-frame body and carry one lens less.

 

EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM (September 2007)

One fine day, I took the crap EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM (see above) out of my camera case only to hear a rattling coming from within it–one of the lens elements inside has come loose. All the more reason to spring for a proper telephoto zoom lens. The EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM is a solidly-built lens that gives gorgeous images. I am so pleased with this purchase.

 

Canon EOS 5D, with BG-E4 Battery Grip (November 2007)

This was, again, found in mint condition at a second-hand camera store. Now I can finally use my EF 24-70mm f2/8 L full-frame as it is.

 

Canon EOS-1D Mark II (November 2007)

A mint condition second-hand body I found sitting in a glass display waiting for a good home. This body was sent back to Canon for refurbishment before being let go by its previous owner, so the shutter count is an amazingly low 36. Now I can let go of my EOS 30D…

 

EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM (December 2007)

An ultra-wide angle lens for my architectural photography pursuits, since my beloved EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM won’t work with my full-frame bodies.

 

EF 14mm f/2.8 L USM (June 2008)

The most ultra-wide of rectilinear lenses in Canon’s catalog. For architectural work, this lens is as far as you can go on a full-frame body. This was a second-hand copy in mint condition. While I was considering the Mark II version of this lens, this copy tested sharp enough for my liking. And I was also deliberating between this and the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L. Eventually I came to the conclusion that, in certain shooting conditions, a TS-E 24mm, while it gives you in-camera perspective correction, simply isn’t wide enough when you run of space to back away from the building. In those cases, I’d be far better off with correcting perspective in post; with the 14mm, at least I have more area that will not be cropped off after the image has been keystoned.

 

On the road map:

EF 16-35mm f2.8L II USM, for the reasons mentioned above. Settled for EF 17-40mm f/4.0 L USM instead.

EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, simply because my current telephoto lens is so crap.

TS-E 24mm f/3.5L

Canon XL H1 high definition camcorder.