[Popeye.Tom]

There, a questionable thread subject to see who bites!

How much, or what equipment do you always carry? Or, except for your phone camera, you don't always carry a camera?

I vacillate between not carrying anything but my phone to a reasonable kit. Right now, I have my K5 body and two lenses a 17-35 and 28-75 and a 2x adapter. It comes in to the office with me during the day or is locked in the trunk if I have to make stops to/from work.

Though I don't usually stop, I have when there was an amazing sky over the local orchards and such. But, it hasn't happened much, maybe I need to just make the effort to stop more often and make an image of anything that strikes my fancy - Achieving wonder is both having the ability to take advantage of the opportunity when it does arrive, but also just being prepared when the opportunity does arrive!

That leads me to one other question - how often do you find yourself making the time to stop when you spot something that strikes your fancy?

PT

[adpo]

i'm a college student, so i'll always have my messenger bag on me. As a result, i usually carry a gripped k-5, speedlight and a pair of pocketwizards around with me I do find myself reaching for my camera a few times a day and for the speedlight/PWs once a week or so

[adelorenzo]

I've gotten into the habit of having a camera along. My 645N is pretty big but I try to pack it around as much as possible, otherwise I'll almost always have my digital.

Getting in the habit of stopping, taking it out and actually SHOOTING has been less successful. Workin' on it.

[hcc]

I carry my K-7 with one lens in my Lowepro Toploader TLZ1 bag (Lowepro Toploader TLZ1 reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database). In the side pocket of the bag, I always have the battery charger, a spare SD card, a couple of microfibre clothes, the USB cable and two spare caps.

My main critical issue is the selection of the lens. I tend to change depending upon what I shoot.

[RioRico]

Absolutely always. Although the FOCAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHOTOGRAPHY lists various toggers who never touch a camera, IMHO a person is ONLY a photographer when they actually have a camera in their immediate possession. Otherwise, they're a bystander, part of the scenery.

When I step outside in slacks, a slim P&S is in my pocket. If I'm wearing cargo pants, a fat P&S is in a pocket. When I drive, my K20D sits on a no-skid pad on my dashboard. When I'm walkabout, the K20D is either around my neck, over my shoulder, on in the Ameribag slung over me.

Sometimes I get excessive. Sometimes I carry 6 cameras, all for different purposes. Why? So I don't have to fiddle with menu settings when I grab a cam for a certain use. Because I want a certain resolution or aspect or rendering and I want it NOW. And for backups when I'm clumsy.

Cameras are like lenses and guitars: Ya can't have too many! But they're useless if they're elsewhere. And that's why I travel with a Martin Backpacker Guitar. It makes a good canoe paddle, too.

[panoguy]

Sometimes I carry 6 cameras, all for different purposes.

More proof that RioRico is slightly nuts.

I lug my K-5 anywhere that I'm going with time for photography, or the W90 if it's gonna get wet... but sometimes it's just the phone (which sucks, but is better than "you should've seen it!"). For work, it's a bag with 30 lbs of gear and two tripods!

[Popeye.Tom]

....snip....Cameras are like lenses and guitars: Ya can't have too many! But they're useless if they're elsewhere. And that's why I travel with a Martin Backpacker Guitar. It makes a good canoe paddle, too.

I knew there had to be a photo out there:
http://www.tobiasmusic.com/images/SmPaddleGuitar.jpg

Right now I only carry one body, most of the time. I am carrying a small London Fog camera bag that fits the two lenses, body and adapter pretty well. But, when I go on a safari the load ends up as large as the luggage with clothes!

I find that the one small bag is good for most occasions, now like adelorenzo I just need to get into the habit of stopping more!

[magkelly]

It depends upon where I am going. At the very least I usually have my little pink pocket cam with me, but usually I have a Spottie with me. I rarely take the K-x out with me to places I go outside of the neighborhood I live in. I live in a less than ideal area and I don't want to lose it, shrug. Nobody cares if I have an older film camera with me, but my K-x gets too much attention when I have it with me. I need the K-x for studio work and for professional work outdoors. I can't afford to lose it. I can't afford to replace it right now.

I'm saving up for a K5 body actually, for work. Once I have one I might not be quite so paranoid about lugging the K-x, but for right now shooting casually I'm more comfortable with taking a Spottie or my beater Yashica than my DSLR. I've got several of that type of older SLR camera and while I'd be really ticked to lose one it wouldn't make me nearly as upset as losing my K-x would. There have been a lot of very brutal muggings here recently and it's mostly been women who have been attacked. Guy runs up to you, punches you, grabs your tech gear or your purse and takes off. I'm not that big so even though I carry a stick and knives usually I really can't risk that happening to me. I can't really stop a fast punch to the face.

Most of these people will take a look at my old Spottie and dismiss it as something not worthy of grabbing. If I am in a group I'm more likely to carry the K-x. I take it to photo club shots and stuff too, but when I shoot alone I like to be as inconspicuous as possible, but yeah, 85% at least I have some sort of camera with me when I go out.

[RioRico]

Sometimes I carry 6 cameras, all for different purposes.

More proof that RioRico is slightly nuts.

There's nothing slight about me.

P&S-land: I may have my Sony DSC-V1 in one pocket for general photography in 4:3 aspect. And the Sony DSC-P10 in another pocket for video shoots in 3:2 aspect. I could do both with just one camera but that requires menu-diving, not good when events rush by. I may also have the Minolta F300 (modded for IR) in another pocket. Or the Minolta may be in my Ameribag whilst the Olympus 770SW lies flat in a pocket, waiting to tell me the elevation, or for me to jump into a lake or ocean (after bagging the other cameras, of course). And the Canon SS-80u or Olympus XA let me burn film as needed.

Serious-land: Yeah, the K20D around my neck. And some MF folder or TLR in my bag (with light meter) for those big square shots, or one of the 6x9 folders for more seriousness, or the ZX-M or MV-1 if I want WIDE shots with short glass. Meanwhile the 770SW and the DSC-V1 are still in my pockets, along with my TracFone, the FotoMoto (but I've only shot 5 pix with it so it doesn't count).

Mania-land: I won't detail that here. Suffice to say that heavier stuff may be involved.

I used to wear a fisher-folk's vest with many pockets stuffed with small cameras, film, radio and recorder (cassette or minidisc), batteries, PDA, ocarina, notepad, etc. I have lightened-up a bit -- now I dictate into a camera. At least I no longer carry a folding shovel in my backpack. Just a spare set of chopsticks.

[Tonto]

I am trying to carry a camera more and more - Ideally would like something like the Q with zoom to carry about-Phone camera doesnt have enough control for my liking.
In terms of on the go shooting I found after getting a sholder sling/strap for my Kx/K7 I take the camera with me way more. I prefer that to a bag as I can just rest my hand on the camera and bring it to shoot in one fluid movement. My regular walkabout lens is a 17-70 zoom, if I am going to a place like a zoo I add a small bag (I use an old Sony discman bag) to carry my 55-300 and filters and such.

[cmohr]

It depends upon where I am going. At the very least I usually have my little pink pocket cam with me, but usually I have a Spottie with me. I rarely take the K-x out with me to places I go outside of the neighborhood I live in. I live in a less than ideal area and I don't want to lose it, shrug. Nobody cares if I have an older film camera with me, but my K-x gets too much attention when I have it with me. I need the K-x for studio work and for professional work outdoors. I can't afford to lose it. I can't afford to replace it right now.

I'm saving up for a K5 body actually, for work. Once I have one I might not be quite so paranoid about lugging the K-x, but for right now shooting casually I'm more comfortable with taking a Spottie or my beater Yashica than my DSLR. I've got several of that type of older SLR camera and while I'd be really ticked to lose one it wouldn't make me nearly as upset as losing my K-x would. There have been a lot of very brutal muggings here recently and it's mostly been women who have been attacked. Guy runs up to you, punches you, grabs your tech gear or your purse and takes off. I'm not that big so even though I carry a stick and knives usually I really can't risk that happening to me. I can't really stop a fast punch to the face.

Most of these people will take a look at my old Spottie and dismiss it as something not worthy of grabbing. If I am in a group I'm more likely to carry the K-x. I take it to photo club shots and stuff too, but when I shoot alone I like to be as inconspicuous as possible, but yeah, 85% at least I have some sort of camera with me when I go out.

Wow, It makes me really sad to think you have to live with such a constant threat of somebody attacking and taking your possesions. People should not "have" to live this way, we should all be able to walk around freely without the constant threat of violence.

I guess it's something you live with when it is your home, and its just something probably that down here where I live its not so much of an everyday thought. I'm glad you seem to rise above it and continue to do what you do.


cmohr

PS, carry a camera every day,I have for 25 yrs.

[theoicarry]

My cameras come with me every day, just like my side arm.

[magkelly]

Wow, It makes me really sad to think you have to live with such a constant threat of somebody attacking and taking your possesions. People should not "have" to live this way, we should all be able to walk around freely without the constant threat of violence.

I guess it's something you live with when it is your home, and its just something probably that down here where I live its not so much of an everyday thought. I'm glad you seem to rise above it and continue to do what you do.


cmohr

PS, carry a camera every day,I have for 25 yrs.

I tell you what I have lived in 3 major cities and I have not felt nearly as threatened as I do living here in what amounts to a town, albeit a slightly bigger one than most. That I didn't hesitate to carry a nice camera in NY, CA, or PA vs here should tell you something about this rat hole I currently live in. It didn't used to be like this actually. But between severe unemployment numbers and a major influx of gangs and other undesirables this town has really changed in the past few years for the worst. I have 3 (very stubborn) old people to take care of and there's no one else available to do that otherwise I'd be out in WA state or CA somewhere I think. But I walked in LA, Harlem, the Bronx, the nasty part of Philly, and I still felt safer than I do here most days. This town used to be and still thinks it's Mayberry but it's not. Not anymore.

[post_eos]

I carried an I-10 in a pouch on my belt until I dropped it. They're not real durable :-( I'd love to get another one for the right price. They are a great quick grab camera.

[Skullsroad]

My new everyday camera is a Fed Mikron.