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07-21-2009, 06:25 AM   #1
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To the DSLR carry-everywhere-ers

I recently purchased two things that make it easier to carry my camera around and leave my bag at home: A good walkaround lens (Sigma 17-70) and a new long strap. Always having my camera at the ready is something I've wanted for a long time, but I didn't want to lug a big bag around or have a big camera hanging off my neck.

Now that I can sling the camera across my body and slide it around to the back, it's less obvious, but it's still got that big threatening φ72 lens.

So you people that carry it everywhere, how do you do it? An inconspicuous messenger-type bag? Just carry it around and not care what people think? Opt for a K2000 with a pancake lens to be less threatening?

07-21-2009, 06:38 AM   #2
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What makes you say it's "threatening"? I generally carry around a mid-size body with a 400mm prime and/or a pro body with a huuuge 50/1.4 on it and nobody seems to be terrified of either.
07-21-2009, 06:47 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by pingflood Quote
What makes you say it's "threatening"? I generally carry around a mid-size body with a 400mm prime and/or a pro body with a huuuge 50/1.4 on it and nobody seems to be terrified of either.
Unfortunately, some people do feel "threatened" by a large-ish lens, even when it's obviously not pointed at them.

I was shooting by one of the local lakes a couple weeks ago, and several people came up to me to inquire - less than cordially - "what are you doing?" while I was taking shots of waterfowl. The flip side is that a couple of folks were genuinely interested, including one geezer who said I could use his dock whenever I wanted, so I could get a little closer to the birds.
07-21-2009, 06:50 AM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by pingflood Quote
What makes you say it's "threatening"? I generally carry around a mid-size body with a 400mm prime and/or a pro body with a huuuge 50/1.4 on it and nobody seems to be terrified of either.
Well, not really threatening in that way. More like "Hey, what's that guy doing in Wal-Mart with that big camera? Is he from the paper? I don't want my picture taken, I'd better steer clear."


Last edited by lavascript; 07-21-2009 at 06:51 AM. Reason: Added quote
07-21-2009, 09:06 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by lavascript Quote
Now that I can sling the camera across my body and slide it around to the back, it's less obvious, but it's still got that big threatening φ72 lens.

So you people that carry it everywhere, how do you do it? An inconspicuous messenger-type bag? Just carry it around and not care what people think? Opt for a K2000 with a pancake lens to be less threatening?
I use a small Domke messenger-type bag if I'm carrying a larger lens or a waist pack with the pancakes. The combo of the 40 and 21 DA pancake lenses is freeing, fun and non-threatening even with a largish K10/20d body. There will, eventually, be a K2000 to go with them. The body and two lenses will fit a smaller waist pack or holster.

People do react differently to a large lens. The nice thing about the DA 40 is that it is so sharp and focuses so well, it can easily be cropped.
07-21-2009, 09:47 AM   #6
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I recently just about got accused of being a paedo for shooting pictures overlooking a playground.
It was a sunset. I was shooting at 16mm (DA*), from the top of a hill, with the closest kids about 30 meters away.

A "youthwatch" (some social support group for dodgy neighborhoods it seems) person walks up to me and tells me I shouldn’t be shooting here.
I ask him if he means I might get mugged around here and thanks for the warning.
No, he means I should go away or he'll report me to the police for photographing kids, as it's against the law.
I ask which law.
He tells me "child protection act", the preposterous ignoramus.

I find it really annoying that amateur photographers with dSLRs are being harassed - in the UK there have been many cases of arrests and searches of SLR-wielding enthusiasts, while no-one thinks twice when people snap away with their cameraphones. If I were a terrorist scoping for targets, I honestly don't think I would be interested in the shallower DOF and increased DR inherent to a larger sensor size. (I like this article on the subject)

But back on topic - it is true that people react differently to a larger lens.
I used to live in the Middle East, and my father bought a P+S camera for the sole purpose of candids, as some people (especially women) didn't take too kindly to being photographed. Even among young westerners, the kind of people who upload a couple hundred pictures to facebook after every party, an SLR tends to make people more self-conscious and often gets in the way of capturing a natural portrait.

Feel free to mail me your SLRs and lenses when you switch to point and shoot - I will gladly carry the burden of social stigma and accusations of terrorism
07-21-2009, 10:10 AM   #7
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This is part of the reason I got the E-P1. Very non-threatening camera for street shooting. dSLR raises more eyebrows, but with a small ltd prime on the front usually not as much. But dSLR with big zoom pointed at people? Here in LA they can get pissed off. There is a bit of a dividing line and it certainly is defined by camera/lens size along with use.

07-21-2009, 10:42 AM   #8
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Independently of people feeling threatened, I wouldn't be as likely to carry my carry around with a 17-70 as with something smaller. The DA40 is my most common choice, although sometimes I feel like shooting wider and will use my M28/2.8 instead.
07-21-2009, 10:43 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by PolishMike Quote
I recently just about got accused of being a paedo for shooting pictures overlooking a playground.
It was a sunset. I was shooting at 16mm (DA*), from the top of a hill, with the closest kids about 30 meters away.

A "youthwatch" (some social support group for dodgy neighborhoods it seems) person walks up to me and tells me I shouldn’t be shooting here.
I ask him if he means I might get mugged around here and thanks for the warning.
No, he means I should go away or he'll report me to the police for photographing kids, as it's against the law.
I ask which law.
He tells me "child protection act", the preposterous ignoramus.

I find it really annoying that amateur photographers with dSLRs are being harassed - in the UK there have been many cases of arrests and searches of SLR-wielding enthusiasts, while no-one thinks twice when people snap away with their cameraphones. If I were a terrorist scoping for targets, I honestly don't think I would be interested in the shallower DOF and increased DR inherent to a larger sensor size. (I like this article on the subject)

But back on topic - it is true that people react differently to a larger lens.
I used to live in the Middle East, and my father bought a P+S camera for the sole purpose of candids, as some people (especially women) didn't take too kindly to being photographed. Even among young westerners, the kind of people who upload a couple hundred pictures to facebook after every party, an SLR tends to make people more self-conscious and often gets in the way of capturing a natural portrait.

Feel free to mail me your SLRs and lenses when you switch to point and shoot - I will gladly carry the burden of social stigma and accusations of terrorism
I hate this! just because your male and have a slr doesn't mean your a pedo. You should create some business cards to show people when questioned.

I personally have a neck strap made from wetsuit type material which is much softer. It also has bits so i can take always the bit it the middle and join the two remaining pieces together to create a handstrap. I normally carry the camera on my sholder instead of round my neck as I don't like it bouncing everywhere. My normal lens is the DA Limited 35mm Macro Lens
07-21-2009, 11:30 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by dopeytree Quote
I hate this! just because your male and have a slr doesn't mean your a pedo.
You mean my Schoolboy Loving Rapist camera? I'd say that's pretty damning right there!

I told him photography was my hobby, and asked him if he would stop me if I were a journalist, to which he told me that photojournalists would not take pictures of children, as you cannot take pictures of people without consent, and it is in fact illegal.

For those in the UK:
There is in fact legal precedent judging otherwise - it's fine taking pictures of anyone if they are in a public space, as one cannot have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in such places. It is also fine to photograph private property if visible from a public vantage point (although here is where the expectation of privacy bit comes into play - i.e. no taking pictures of people in the shower with your 500mm lens). There are no laws protecting children from the horrors of photography, although most schools and such will have their own rules for sports events and suchlike. The more you know...

EDIT: Oh - Ed, that strap sounds cool. Have a company name or link for us by any chance?
07-21-2009, 11:33 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by PolishMike Quote
I told him photography was my hobby, and asked him if he would stop me if I were a journalist, to which he told me that photojournalists would not take pictures of children, as you cannot take pictures of people without consent, and it is in fact illegal.
I have photos on my iPhone that are representative of my work. On the rare occasion that someone has asked me, I whip it out and show them.

The iPhone I mean. Perverts...
07-21-2009, 11:38 AM   #12
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I use the Pentax sling bag that came with the K20D. It fits the camera, all of my Ltd. primes, and a long tele zoom. All I need.
07-21-2009, 11:51 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by lavascript Quote
So you people that carry it everywhere, how do you do it? An inconspicuous messenger-type bag? Just carry it around and not care what people think? Opt for a K2000 with a pancake lens to be less threatening?
I tend to pull the battery grip and throw the 35mm limited (for daytime) or the FA 35mm f2 (for indoor, low light, or night) on it. It's a smallish combination that produces excellent images, and doesn't seem to intimidate people the way my 16-50 does. I have an *ist DL, also, and I've considered adopting it for candids because it's so much smaller than the K10/20D.

In this modern age, we've lost so much of our privacy - and it's all going to be gone soon, in many senses of the word - that we (as a society) react by clamping down on things we think we can control. We can't stop someone from looking up our address at the DMV, so instead we try to stop someone from taking pictures of our dog in the park, or our kid at the drinking fountain. Most people can't even articulate why they think we (Photo hobbyists) shouldn't take pictures of buildings. The terrorism thing comes up, but nearly anyone, outside of the context of confrontation, will admit that it's much more likely a terrorist will use a small, unobtrusive point-and-shoot camera rather than the big monsters that fairly announce to everyone within 500 feet "Hey! I'm taking PICTURES!". The establishment assures us that all of our children are at imminent risk of abduction, when the per-capita rate of child abduction by strangers is lower than it was when I was a kid and allowed to run the streets 'til the streetlights came on. So we (socially) react badly in our attempt to get some control of an environment that seems to have gone mad... but partly because the government and the media are locked in a conspiracy of convenience to keep us scared... *sigh*
</soapbox>
07-21-2009, 01:38 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by PolishMike Quote
You mean my Schoolboy Loving Rapist camera? I'd say that's pretty damning right there!

I told him photography was my hobby, and asked him if he would stop me if I were a journalist, to which he told me that photojournalists would not take pictures of children, as you cannot take pictures of people without consent, and it is in fact illegal.

For those in the UK:
There is in fact legal precedent judging otherwise - it's fine taking pictures of anyone if they are in a public space, as one cannot have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in such places. It is also fine to photograph private property if visible from a public vantage point (although here is where the expectation of privacy bit comes into play - i.e. no taking pictures of people in the shower with your 500mm lens). There are no laws protecting children from the horrors of photography, although most schools and such will have their own rules for sports events and suchlike. The more you know...

EDIT: Oh - Ed, that strap sounds cool. Have a company name or link for us by any chance?

I think this is similar to the law in a number of countries. Public or visible from a public area is almost always fair game. If you go onto private property the right to photograph is usually up to the property owner. But what also matters is use of the photo - commercial vs editorial, personal etc. You usually couldn't use anyone in an advertisement without a model release.
07-21-2009, 02:05 PM   #15
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this is the strap I have I think...Reporter Strap | Demo Page

I can't be 100% though as it came with a crap camera I was given..I ebayed the camera and kept the strap
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