hclim Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 What are the accessories you almost never use but nevertheless feel must be around as you never know when you might need them? Here is my list: Polaroid back for my RB. Monopod and head for my 7II. Gossen selenium lightmeter. I have ignored spares and varieties (eg backgrounds). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahaohio Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Changing bag in case I need a "darkroom" quickly to fix something such as film getting stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 A couple months ago at a photo swapmeet I scored a brand new, in the box AE prism finder for my RZ ProII. I was actually looking for one of the older finders (which were cheaper) just so I could have something to look through, I wasn't comfortable with just the waist level finder. Yet I couldn't pass up the $600 out the door price (I can't remember what the seller was orinally asking...maybe around $800 but when I came around to ask about it a second time he dropped it to $600). I think in the stores they sell for around $1,200. However, I don't use it! It's just too heavy. After getting a checker britescreen I now feel much better using the WL finder as the grid lines help me a lot to keep the image straight. I'll keep the finder though since at some point I'd like to get out and do some night photography and I think the finder will do a better job metering then my hand held. Plus weight won't be an issue anyways with everything on the tripod.I also have a 250mm RZ lens that I don't see myself using much of. Again, It's just a huge mammoth lense that to even think of handholding is a joke. I bought it with the idea that I can pull in subjects at a distance fairly closely, but it doesn't seem to do this the one time I used it. I may trade it in for the 140 macro, I dunno yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_ing Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Good softening filters in case I'm doing landscapes but meet a beautiful model who wants me to do a portrait session for her right then and there. =) But seriously... A 15mm or so extension tube to get a little closer when necessary. I guess I use mine a little more often than "almost never" though. -Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q.g._de_bakker Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Nice question! Food for thought: "what would i perhaps <b>not</b> buy if i had to begin all over again?" <br><br>I would put polarizing filters in that category.<br><br>And the Polaroid back, yes. It only gets used to give other people something to look at.<br><br>Camera mounted flash units (like the Metz 45/60 series, and hot-shoe units). I rarely use them, and when i must, i always hate the result.<br><br>Still, you can't be without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bueh Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 I second the RZ67 AE prism and the Metz 45 flash (both way too heavy, inconvenient and inaccurate in the field).<p>And in the filters category I put star filters. <i>Gotta collect 'em all!</i> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oskar_ojala Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Polarizer (although when I use it, the result tends to be fake enough so that I like it very much...) A stack of BW filters (although these are actually useful every now and then) Portable flash for MF (not actually a bad idea, but I tend to leave such things in order to travel light) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custom film holders for fl Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 A set of closeup filters. They work in a pinch but since I know there is some quality degradation, I am always hesitant to use them :) <p> Doug<p> <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~dougfisher/holder/mainintro.html">Dougs MF Film Holder for batch scanning of 120/220 medium format film with flatbeds</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier_reichenbach Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 All of my UV filters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Any kind of filter. Other than the Rollei Orange for my Rollei TLR, I hardly ever use any of the many filters I've accumulated over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlatling Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Some of the accessories I would include in this listing are not really photographic in nature, however... I always carry the following:... A small mirror... A sharpie and a ball point pen... A writing pad... A couple of plastic bags in case of rain... A magnifiying glass... A supply of business cards... A scrap or two of heavy duty Aluminum foil... Duct tape or some similar material,... And of course a couple of cable releases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcallaway Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 My polaroid back gets used when I get the question "Whatcha taking a picture of?" :> I would have to say the one thing I always have but never need is a changing bag. In all the years I have been shooting I have needed it only once. Problem is that the one time you don't have it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucas_griego Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 I'd have to chime in as well with the RZ67 AE Finder. I have lugged that !@#!#! thing everywhere and I've come to think it's a structural part of my bag. Funny though - man I couldn't live without that polaroid back. What else would I had to clients and art direcors if it wasn't polaroids for them to ponder. : ) One thing I DO use constantly on my Fuji S2Pro is the Nikon angle finder - the one that slots down on the viewfinder. I'm tellin ya - that thing will save you from getting criks in yer neck. Especially for those shoots where you absolutely have to have your camera in the most inconvenient position to see through the viewfinder. : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_henderson Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Lens hoods. The biggest waste of bag space I could imagine when there's so many other ways of keeping the sun away from the front element. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roman_sonnleitner1 Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 polarizing filters; reversal-mount rings; accessory self-relase timer; color filters for my (often-used) camera-mount flashes (Metz & Vivitar); tele-converters 'just in case I need a really long lens' - which I hardly ever do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougmiles Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 I was just going to say "extension tube set" but reading other responses led me to think of a bunch of others. :-) Interesting reading too, as oft-used essentials for some are for others useless baggage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavelp Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Spare take-up spools. I have no good excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Hi Lucus, Do you find the AE prism finder is more accurate then your hand held meter? Until I learned that the light pretty much stays the same save for moring and late afternoon and cloudy days, it was unneccesary for me to meter before every shot. Still, though what about wide angle shots with both shadows and highlights? Better to spot meter and average? I took some wide angle landscapes recently and just processed the roll. I simply held up my meter and took an incident reading. So far my negs look ok I think, but I'll know for sure when I can get in some printing time. I think the prism finder may have been better as if I'm correct it will measure several areas and make an average, but I didn't have it with me at the time. Regards, Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucas_griego Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Hi Marc, Funny enough I find that everytime I have used the AE Prism finder it's bang on. I mean the trannies just come out great. Which makes me feel like an idiot the times that I screw up with a hand held meter! But generally I do meter every shot or about every 3rd shot. Not that it always needs it but it's a habit I got into from assisting other photographers. Sometimes it's just a reason for them to yell at you in front of the client so it looks like they run a tight ship.. LOL! And other times (like recently in Bali) the light literally changes by the second and you've got to be right on to get the shot. I don't usually average. I should more probably. My biggest weakness is that I am not very consistant in the way I shoot. Since I shoot several different genres (fashion, news, editorial) I tend to be all over the place. On product I am usually the most consistent. But that's becuase it's all rather low end and a basic 'safety' lighting set up. But hey pays the bills. Though this week I may force myself to use the AE Prism - or average meter on a roll or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Ingold Posted June 29, 2004 Share Posted June 29, 2004 I've never used my Bogen Super Clamp (with a small ball head), although I carry it on every trip. It seems like a good idea, but it only fits certain objects which never seem to exist where needed. It's also very bulky - bigger than a spare body. I shudder to think of the docent's reaction to a Super Clamp on the back of a pew in a cathedral. On the other hand, I've used a "Pod" beanbag a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd_schoenbaum Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 I use my polaroid back all the time, its great for showing me those things I overlook when I am setting up a shot, and even better as a place to write notes. <br>As for stuff I dont use all that much: photoflex litedisc, extension tube, pinhole lenscap (havent used it yet), wiberly plamp (rarely used, but awesome when needed), and I am sure there's more. <p> todd schoenbaum<br> http://www.celluloidandsilver.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victor_lioce Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 LOL! Good topic. When I purchased my 645, I got a deal on 2 bodies with meter finders, 3 lenses, 5 film backs, a flash meter, 2 Vivitar flashes and an assortment of other minor accessories. I bought a 72mm Polarizing filter and all the necessary step down rings too! I convinced myself that I would use one body for B&W film and one for color. However, I rarely go out with the intention of shooting both types of film at the same time! So, I rarely use the 2nd body, I have yet to use the flash meter and prefer one flash over the other. I actually removed the smaller Vivitar flash to my 35mm bag and keep the larger one with the 645's just so I have an extra weighty flash with the 645! Actually it has more power/distance which I usually prefer. So, I put the flash meter, and the filters in this catagory along with the 2nd body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny_wong2 Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Definitely the changing bag. I learn photography in the early 70's and my instructor never leaves home without one and has a million stories of why he needed one and how it has saves his neck. Base upon this education I carries one during highschool in my bag and has kept up the habit after finishing college and after a few years of jobs turned to phot as a primary source of income. That was 10 years of fun shooting and almost 25 yrs of money shooting in 35mm MF and LF. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO USE THAT @^%$(@$ CHANGING BAG ONCE - but I still carry it around (lol) just like my Swiss army knife and Gerber multitool pliers I guess these extra stuff we are lugging around is good for our strength training I recall Mr Adams use donkeys to carry his gear around at one time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_goldfarb Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Great thread. Gossen Sixticolor meter and filters--particularly cooling filters. I shoot mostly B&W, and I almost never use a cooling filter when I shoot color, but it is handy when I can't quite decide whether I'm in moderate shade or deep shade. For the space it takes up, I could just as well shoot three frames with an 81A, 81B, and 81C for those odd times I can't make up my mind. Maybe if I start shooting 8x10" color Polaroid at $15 a sheet, though, I'll be happy I have it. Polarizers--essential when they're essential, but I think most people polarize too often, and I don't really use them that frequently. Canon FD 7.5mm/f:5.6 fisheye--what a great lens for a couple of shots a year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now