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Photo fieldcraft

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Photo fieldcraft

Photographer on the road

Along with your camping gear and daily tools.

A camera from the sixties or seventies looks perfectly at home in a classic Land Rover. Film has its pleasures, but for travelling with family and friends, I prefer digital. The car already provides enough mechanical nostalgia.

Surely, today's equipment can hardly avoid being made of plastic and/or having a battery somewhere, even for things that were perfectly doing the job without any of the two.

Even if the idea is not to shop for the latest trendy accessory, but on the contrary to give to existing objects a second lease of life, the concept has its limits.

Digital photography

Practical freedoms

My father gifted me this 1971 CANON FTb as I was a teenager, so forgive me if I still stick with CANONs. I still have it and (like so many old things of that time) it still works like a charm !
The Canon FTb is a carefully designed mechanical camera. It has a smooth shutter action, a generous viewfinder and a clear exposure meter that measures a defined area in the centre of the frame. Film loading is straightforward, thanks to Canon’s QL system, which removes the hassle to thread the film onto a spool.
Its cleverest feature is the depth-of-field preview lever: as a kid, I was in love with it. A press closes the aperture so you can judge the zone of sharpness. Releasing it immediately restores the bright view. It can also be locked in place, while a separate mirror lock-up adds control for deliberate shooting. Canon never reproduced this combination with the same convenience on later bodies, even its professional cameras.

Now... Analog is nice and cute but digital cameras were not just a trend. They did bring concrete advantages: it does make sense (for once) to embrace the change.

With digital, you can validate/delete/reshoot a picture immediately. Photograph action in bursts. Experiment without paying for every (limited) frame.
There is no film to protect from heat or find somewhere someone to develop, at considerable cost per (viable) image.
Most importantly, you can safely store your photographs along the way.

Actually, I don't think the brand matters. Grab the camera that makes you believe you are an artist, that you feel comfy holding it (and that you can afford).

Buy for the journey

Think priorities

My priorities are straightforward: solid construction, manageable size and weight and a price that lets me actually use the equipment. A camera that stays packed away because it is too precious achieves very little.

For this, I favour a good second-hand reflex camera (DSLR). Older bodies can offer excellent value. A DSLR is not automatically better than a mirrorless camera or a bridge camera... but let you choose and change the lens from an ocean of choice.

Mine is a Canon EOS 70D, introduced in 2013. It is not pocket-sized, but its grip and reasonnable weight make it easy to live with. Its burst rate of up to seven frames per second is useful for passing Land Rovers and children playing. Continuous autofocus and a sufficiently fast shutter speed are very good for my needs.

Canon specifications.

Spend on the lens

Lense shapes; body records

If only one message can be conveyed here: choose your lens more wisely than your camera.

When I purchased my first reflex camera (CANON EOS 450D: entry level body), I was fairly disapointed. For years, I did not get any satisfaction with it. The lens sold with it by default was the EFS 18-55mm IS. How was it possible to not get any fancy picture with such a serious-looking package ?

After 10 years carrying it as you carry a burden around your neck, I attached to this entry level body another lens: the 35mm. And my world changed !

A capable body cannot compensate for a lens that is poorly suited to the scene. But the contrary does work: a poor body with the proper lens delivers. The lens really shapes the image; the body just records it... The photographer still has to find the light and the moment !

I travel with two small, fixed-focal-length lenses.

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM (2012)

Carryaround lens

The Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM offers a useful balance for travelling:

- Street photography: the 35mm is a classic and practical choice for everyday street scenes and cars in their surroundings, with more context than the 50mm allows (see below).
- Documentary use: compact and manageable weight (336g), it is easy to keep mounted on your camera all day without fatigue or drawing unwanted attention.
- Low-light shooting: an f/2 aperture lets in more light than a standard kit zoom lens. It gives extra flexibility as daylight fades. Good for evening drives or portraits without flash.

On my EOS 70D, its framing resembles a 56mm lens on full frame, matching human vision closely.

Canon specifications.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM (2015)

For people and details

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM makes a sensible addition to the 35mm:

- Compact and lightweight: it weighs just 160g and is 40mm long.
- Inexpensive: costs around CHF 100 making it one of the most affordable prime lenses available, yet capable of sharp pictures !
- Beautiful background blur: the 7-blade circular aperture creates a soft background separation (bokeh) for portraits.

On the 70D, its framing resembles an 80mm lens on full frame, making it useful for portraits or details of the journey.
The reviews usually highlight its metal mount and more reliable focusing than its predecessor, which are valuable qualities for equipment used daily on the road. Its wide f/1.8 aperture helps when daylight fades, allowing faster shutter speeds without flash.
Canon specifications.

Compromise

Always the compromise !

Indicative price references are CHF 300-500 (used) for the 35mm (CHF 800 when new), and only CHF 50–70 (used) for the 50mm, (around CHF 100 while new).

The limitation with these 35mm and 50mm lenses is space: neither is particularly wide, so you need room to step back from your subject. Inside a vehicle, in narrow streets or when photographing a larger group, the smartphone you anyway bring along is an excellent complement. Modern smartphone cameras can capture breathtaking panoramas and lively coloured landscapes.

However, smartphones have their limits. Simulated background blur in "portraits modes" look artificial and photographing faces exaggerates their proportions, a consequence of perspective that software cannot fully disguise.
This is where DSLR with a suitable lens give you more control over distance.
That is why photographers still bother to carry the extra load: heavier, delicate and expensive, but worth the effort for the faithful memories they want to bring back.

One life, live it !

Dust, bumps... and keeping the pictures

That needs protection

We are used to smartphones which are water/dust/shockproof... Well, specialised cameras and lenses are NOT: treat this kit as expedition gear that requires protection. Store it in a padded, dust-resistant bag, secured against bouncing around the cabin. Change lenses out of the wind, carry a blower and clean cloth. Keep it away from rain and direct heat.

Batteries on reflex cameras are made to last weeks without reloading, of course this depending how intensive you are using them. And you can easily carry a spare one.

I shortened a 230v-plugging cable down to less than 5 centimeters, so I can carry it along with its charger.

Finally, the LOWEPRO OFF TRAIL waist pouch was recommended 25 years ago by a fellow traveler, who tested it in Malia's sand desert. He also wisely advised me to cover the jangling pull-tabs with heat shrink tubing. As simple as brilliant ! The bigger Canon 70D mounted with the 35mm just fits in it.

Talking about protection

Filters as extra layer

It's my choice not to use any lens without a protection, using a filter. I believe it makes sense for cameras that will be used in the rough. It is convenient to clean on the go a dusty filter with a dry cloth. It happens to involontarily leave a big fingerprint right on the front lens. The filter gives you a more relaxed day to day handling of your camera.

It also guarantees you a fair and honest resale process, in case you part with your material at some point. The buyer has, as you do as a seller, peace of mine that the condition of the glass is as-new condition.

As for product choice, the price difference between a $15 Hama filter and an $80 Hoya filter can be justified technically, but rarely in proportion of the difference in photographic results. A protective filter should be optically invisible, yet protect the lens without creating reflections or affecting sharpness. All in all: spend extra for multicoating, not for hardened glass or premium branding.

Daily backups

Hardware can evaporate

Make backups part of the evening routine. Not only to better check on the quality of the pictures using a sharper and bigger screen, but also as a straithforward backup solution. You can buy for a couple of bucks a card reader that plugs directly on a smartphone. Regularly slide the SD card into that reader, plug it to your phone... and the backup is done in seconds.

If your phone has WIFI or network connectivty, along with some backup function (Icloud or Google-similar) your picture are stored remotly within minutes, whatever happens to the hardware.

Equipment can be replaced. The photograph of your friends beside the Land Rover, at the end of a very good day, cannot. I learned that the hard way with a stolen digital camera in Budapest...

Victoria the Land Rover