Whats in the bag?

Having shot pictures for sometime now, the question that most people have asked and continue to ask is more to do with the camera equipment I carry.

I use Nikon. A D80 and a D7000. Both crop sensor cameras. What I love about them is that they are easy to use and didnt cost me a bomb. The 2 cameras help me in adjusting my range and also saves me the time of swapping lenses if I had only one camera body.

I have realized having the best equipment and the latest features does not make you an awesome photographer. Trust me, you can make real shitty images if you don't know your camera. The only solution is to take the camera out more often and learn via trial and error. Or maybe hook up with someone who is ready to guide you. "Muscle memory", the more often you do it the easier it gets. Understand what your camera can do, before you lose all interest and put it back in the cupboard to collect dust.

Its easy to blame the equipment if you aren't seeing the desired results and this is something I learnt over time. I discarded any bias for camera brands once I was comfortable with what my camera had to offer.


My standard equipment is a 70-200mm F4 on the D80 and 300mm 2.8 on the D7000. And just in case I don't have the reach, I carry a 1.4 Teleconverter.

I don't just stick to the big guns while shooting because showing the subject in its environment gives the viewer a larger perspective. A 18-135mm that came as a kit lens along with the D80 is one of my favorite lenses. It gives me great range at the lower and higher ends while shooting and its as light as a feather. More importantly it is dirt cheap. To wind up, the last lens I carry is a 50mm 1.8d. Its such a gem of a lens for 5K (INR).

I constantly swap lenses between cameras and compare images to see what works best for me. My advise to beginners is make sure you know what equipment you are going for. Its best if you don't adopt a "let me start with this and then decide". Explore your options, borrow equipment and test it before you make a big investment. Else, in the near future you are most likely to put up an ad for camera sale on the online classifieds or hand over your camera to someone at social gatherings.

Until the next time .... Happy shooting.