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Howdy everyone. My name is Josh, I run photo.net, and I’m a gear nut. And you know what? I’m just fine with that. It is entirely possible to be a photographer dedicated to improving your craft and skills, and still go gaga over whatever new gadget is new on the market.
Oh sure, some people will try to tell you that “equipment doesn’t matter” and that time spent Googleing reviews and fondling gear at your local photo store is wasted. But you know what? Those people can stick a sock in it. I like pouring over camera specifications. I like trying to come up with a reason why I need a 25th camera bag. And I like playing with new toys, even if I don’t really have a need for them. Because hey, I might need that gadget next week. Who knows?
The 10 products listed here are the ones that have caught my eye most of all right at this moment. Some are brand new, some have been out for years. But all of them are fantastic. I promise.
-Josh
Don’t think Josh knows his ass from a teakettle? Don’t agree with these suggestions? Please make a comment at the bottom of the page with your favorite “recommended” equipment. Give a paragraph or two of reasons why and help your fellow photographers choose their gear*.
*Please note that any specific product suggestions made by users may have links to our shopping partners added adjacent to that comment. No changes will be made to the comment other than that.
Ricoh GXR Unit with S10 24-72mm f/2.5-4.4, (compare prices) (review). I can’t lie, I was skeptical of the Ricoh GXR when I first heard it announced. Why would anyone combine the lens and sensor? Who would care? But oh man, was I wrong. The whole concept works great. Need a compact zoom camera for travel? Try the 10MP small sensor 28-300/3.5-5.6 module. Want a high quality street photography camera? Attach the 12MP large (APS-C) sensor 28/2.5 module. What about controls and features that feel like there were designed by a photographer rather than a engineering team? This camera has had a permanent place in my bag recently. I take it almost everywhere with me.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, (compare prices). The Panasonic LX3 caught my eye a few years back with its impressive image quality, good handling for a small body camera, excellent features, great high ISO performance (for a small sensor), fast wide angle lens, and multiple aspect ratios. The LX5 does nothing but improve on that platform. With a redesigned sensor, an improved user interface/control-set, and an extended zoom range of 24-90mm (while retaining a fast 2.0-3.3 maximum aperture). The extended zoom is the most important improvement in my mind. The LX3’s 24-60mm range was very good for street/candid/snapshots. But adding on that extra 30mm on the long end allows the LX5 to delve into the realm of portrait shots as well. To my mind, if you need a small sensor compact camera with manual control and high image quality, perhaps for traveling or a “take everywhere” camers, you cannot go wrong with the Panasonic LX5.
Leica M9, (compare prices) (review). The Leica M9 is a camera that some said could never be made. The optical problems associated with making a full frame rangefinder were just too great, they claimed. But in 2010, Leica proved them all wrong. After an auspicious start to the digital RF world with the M8 (a great camera with a couple of not-insignificant flaws), Leica has hit the ball out of the park with the M9. It is, in short, the digital camera that many of us rangefinder users have been dreaming about for years. Feels like a Leica, handles like a Leica, has the image quality you would expect from a Leica, and uses all of your Leica lenses at the proper focal length. Of course, it’s also priced like a Leica, which can be frustrating for those of us who find $7000 to be a big chunk of change. But it’s hard to argue that those who have and M9 seem to love it. Leica is selling them as fast as they can crank them out, something that doesn’t surprise me a bit. The M9 really is a joy to use.
Canon Elph 300 HD, (compare prices). I bought my first Canon Elph digital (the 2MP S110) in 2001. Since then, I have gone through a half dozen of them. Some were upgraded for new features (video capabilities) and some simply had to be replaced due to the significant use they got (my S400 died after a long fall down a cliff). But all of them have been great pocket cameras. From a little league game to ancient churches in Denmark to the local brewpub to the pocket of my tux on my wedding day, I’ve had a Canon digital Elph in my life for 10 years now and I have yet to find a reason to buy any other p&s camera. The Elph 300 HS is the latest and greatest in the long line. With a 24mm wide angle lens, full HD video, 60fps slow motion filming, and a DIGIC 4 processor, there is no way that this camera wasn’t going to end up on my “favorites” list.
Pentax 15mm f/4.0 DA ED AL Limited, (compare prices). In a world where most SLR kits come with nondescript mediocre “consumer” zoom lenses and where a “high quality” lens is held to to be a f/2.8 “pro” zoom, it’s nice to see something different. Pentax gives us that “different” with it’s excellent line of Limited lenses. Five lenses, 15/21/35/40/70mm. Sharp, compact and well finished with it’s all metal construction, in a world of fantastic-plastic these lenses are a joy to use. So much so, that they alone are reason enough for me to recommend buying a Pentax DSLR to my more traditional film camera friends who are looking for something similar to the manual focus metal construction lenses they are used to. The Pentax Limited lenses stand almost alone in this day and age as a reminder of how things used to be made.
Lowepro Slingshot 200, (compare prices). How many camera bags can a guy own? Up at the top of the page, I used the number 25 as an example of my gear-nerdiness. Do I actually have 25 camera bags? To be honest, I’m not sure. These things seem to breed in dark closets, particularly when not being used. And one of the reasons that I’m not using many of those bags is that the Lowepro Slingshot 200 has been my “everyday” bag for a while now. Big enough for an SLR with a couple lenses (though no huge zooms) and accessories, the Slingshot goes to the park, a party with friends, or a concert with ease. With it’s “sling” style single strap, it’s easy to grab the camera without taking the bag off. No, it won’t let you take a wedding’s worth of gear. But for light everyday shooting situations, the Slingshot 200 is a great bag.
Gitzo GT1550T T6X Carbon Fiber Traveler Tripod, (compare prices). There are things in life that aren’t worth the money you’ve paid, no matter how often you use them. But then there are things that do their job so well and are such a joy to use that you find them worth every penny even if you only use them rarely. The Gitzo traveler is in the latter category for me. I simply don’t use a tripod very often. 98% of my photography is handheld and I rarely have a need for a tripod. That having been said, the Gitzo Traveler is so well designed and so well built that every time I use it, I wish I had more reasons to do so. Light and strong, the Traveler has been all over the globe and logged millions of miles with photographers who need to keep their camera steady. They take a beating and keep on coming back for more. And with a lifetime warranty, you can be sure that your Gitzo will be with you for years to come.
Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 Transceiver [Canon], (compare prices). In my previous life as an “extreme sports” editorial photographer, there were a couple pieces of equipment that I lived and died by. My Pocket Wizard radio slaves were at the top of that list. I used them almost every single time I went out shooting. My radio slaves had a hard life. They were knocked over, ran over, stepped on, had batteries explode in them, and generally weren’t babied. But 10 years later, they are still in my camera bag and have enjoyed a second and third life through my changing professional directions. The Flex TT5 is the current day evolution of my long lived Pocket Wizards. A transceiver that can receive or transmit, the Flex TT5 can control Canon or Nikon TTL systems as well. Something that my older radio slaves could only dream of doing. I’m always a fan of saving a buck and going with a cheaper alternative. But Pocket Wizard radio slaves are one of those products that I always recommend going with the real deal, when you can get a decade out of a product despite significant abuse, it’s hard to recommend anything else.
Sekonic L-308s Light Meter, (compare prices). Light meters have become somewhat out of fashion these days. With digital photography’s instant display and histograms, the idea of needing to hone in on exposure with a hand held light meter isn’t something that most people think about any more. But those people would be wrong. My Sekonic light/flash meter was one of the first accessories I bought back when I got serious about photography. It has served me well through digital and film use for 15 years now. Do you really want to try and fiddle with getting the right flash exposure while an impatient bride or fussy child is waiting for a portrait? Wouldn’t you rather be able to measure the light falling on a subject or scene for that once in a lifetime shot rather than just hoping your reflected light meter gets it right? Yes, today’s SLR’s have 3500 segment hyper-compu-gizmo-whatsit metering systems. But they can still be confused by any number of situations. There’s a time and a place for fudging and “fixing it later”, and there is a time and a place for getting it right the first time. Plus, after decades of boring black, you can now get the L-308s in red, blue, or green.
Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements 9, (compare prices) (review). Like most professional photographers, I have used the full version of Photoshop for years now. It’s a great product that can help you do amazing things with your photographs. That having been said, it does way WAY more than I will ever need it to, and I consider myself to be a fairly heavy user. In addition, at over $600, it’s not cheap at all. That is why I find myself recommending Photoshop Elements to almost anyone who asks me about a photo processing program. For the average photographer, Elements does almost everything that the full version of Photoshop does. Resizing, sharpening, color correction, cropping, blemish/dust removal, saving for the web, and so on. Yes, before anyone gets their underwear in a twist, the full version of PS has much much more than Elements does. But at less than $80, Elements is one of the best values out there for image processing software. Until you can articulate a specific reason why you need the full version of Photoshop, or become rich enough that $600 means nothing, sticking with Elements and spending the extra $500 on a new lens is going to do far more for your photography.
I have used Photoshop on a friend's PC and I agree that it can do way more than what I need. However, since I own and use PS Elements 8, I discovered that some very important facilities that are essential, even for the amateur photographer, are missing. E.g. color control practically does not exist, as "hue/saturation/lightness" offers very limited control possibilities. Neither can White Ballance be considered "color control" in the sense RGB controls would. The "curves" facility is also quite insufficient regarding color, brightness and contrast correction. "Selective color" is another feature I miss! Finally, "saving changes" requires four operations before you store your changed image. I do not understand why every changed image should be stored, by default, as a new image and only if you consent to replacing "the existing" image you can store changes. I think PS Elements could become a lot more functional with a few modifications. Adobe, do you hear ?
"I like trying to come up with a reason why I need a 25th camera bag."
Suddenly I feel better. I am not alone, although I don't think that I have more than ten or twelve. Well, maybe thirteen or fourteen. . . .
--Lannie
