What's in my bag for 2012

This year, I made a conscious effort to bring along my camera everywhere I go. While I look nerdy shooting a big chunky DSLR in a shopping mall, it's all good. I get to take a ton more pictures of the kids and hell, some of them are even halfway decent.

Canon EOS 60D + Canon EF 50mm F1.2L USM | 1/50 sec, f/1.2, ISO 1000

Heading into 2012, this is my list of current gear and some of my thoughts about them…

Cameras

 

Canon EOS 60D - Except for perhaps, having a crop sensor, needing a faster FPS and LiveView, there's not much else I could have hoped for in a DSLR. While many think the tilt screen is gimmicky, it's very nice to have and have proven to be useful for some of my shots.

Canon PowerShot G11 - I'm only using this for my scale modeling WIP pictures nowadays. The video mode is obviously more convenient than the 60D (which is manual focus only), but it doesn't really make sense to bring this out with me.

Lenses

Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8L II USM - On long term loan from my brother. I love this lens. It focuses fast, accurate and has a constant f2.8 aperture. 16mm (24mm equivalent) is just wide enough for most of my landscape shots. While it's a bit short as a one-lens set-up, it readily serves as the 2nd lens I always pack.

Canon EF 50mm F1.2L USM - On long term loan from my brother. Frankly I don't have the skill to use this lens properly. At f1.2, the depth of field is so small the margin of error is very low. When I do nail something though, the results are superb. Bokeh is as good as they come. Auto focus speed is so-so which affects its AI-Servo performance. To be honest, I wouldn't buy this lens with my own money. Lucky it's not mine haha.

Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS II USM - My go to travel lens and when I need the extra long reach to shoot my kids' performances. Tack sharp, superb IS and very fast auto focus. It's 1.5kg but the results always speak for themselves. The Holy Grail for Canonites, it's also the most stared-at lens.

Canon EF 85mm F1.8 USM - This is currently my lens of choice for a one-lens setup. I really like the 135mm equivalent length for my walk around shots: not too far to feel like a voyeur, not too close to feel like I'm invading personal space. It's long for groupshots, but is very good for portraits and isolation. Fast, light, accurate, and cheap (for a lens this good). What more could I ask for?

Sigma 17-70 mm F2.8-4.0 DC Macro OS HS - It's decent in every category imaginable: sharpness, bokeh, depth of field, macro capability, quickness, price and weight. The epitome of what I would call a 'general purpose' lens. The f2.8 is only till 20mm or so. Pity.

Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM - This was my always attached lens at the beginning of the year. It's a 50mm equivalent lens which many would call a 'normal' lens. I'm not yet very comfortable using this as my walk around lens for streets as I have to stand very close to the subjects. Otherwise, it's pretty fast to focus, accurate (apparently YMMV) and bokeh is pretty good.

Sigma AF 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM - My least used lens. I really don't have there skill level to really use the ultra wide angles yet. It does make everything look super wide though. The 16-35mm is more practical to bring around though so I rather have that in my kit.

Other things in my bag

Canon Speedlite 580EX II - I'm seriously underutilizing this. I really need to up my flash photography ability. Bouncing it up all the time just doesn't cut it.

Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home - Trying to get rid of this. There's nothing really wrong with it though.

Domke F-831 Small Messenger Bag - My general camera bag. Looks so discreet my wife didn't realize it was a camera bag. It fits my 60D with 70-200mm attached, with room for 2 extra lenses or 1 lens and 1 flash. Take everything out, I can use it as a day messenger bag. Could use some more compartments and straps but pretty much perfect for my needs (including my Indiana Jones fantasies). Oh and it's water proof too!

Joby Gorillapod Zoom - Useless POS.

Ona Bags Union Street Messenger Bag - Fits my 13" Macbook Pro, camera plus 3 lenses. Perfect for plane trips when I travel. So un-camera bag looking I'm using it as my day-to-day office bag.

Apple iPhone 4 - Many claim it's a compact camera replacement. I beg to differ. It's only good in good lighting and you're better off treating it as a prime lens. Once you zoom, it's as noisy as those old 2 MP compact cameras. I use it mainly for food shots when I'm out eating.

What I'm looking forward to in 2012

If Canon announces the EOS 5D Mk III, I will definitely be upgrading. It's full frame or nothing for my next camera. However, it does basically mean I have to chuck the 17-70mm, 30mm and 8-16mm aside as they are crop-sensor only lenses.

My next lens will probably be either the Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM or the Canon EF 135mm F2.0L USM. I'm of two minds about either though. But I have time.

Also looking forward to extending the long term loans haha…