In the Bag
Working as an editor at a photography magazine, I occasionally get to use the latest and greatest in camera gear through short-term equipment loans. For my trip to Beijing, I chose equipment that would let me travel light without compromising image quality. The world’s smallest DSLR — the Olympus E-420 — caught my eye — so the professional equipment for my two-month adventure in Beijing will be provided by Olympus.
My Olympus DSLR kit includes two camera bodies, the E-420 and recently released E-520; a 12-60mm f/2.8-4 lens; 25mm f/2.8 Pancake Lens; EC-14 1.4x tele converter; FL-36R flash; and extra charged batteries to help me keep up with a pair of 8GB SanDisk CompactFlash cards.
For image editing and blog posting, I’m bringing along my thin and light Apple MacBook Air. I also have a Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium ultra-mobile PC for accessing the web on the go using Beijing’s new WiFi network (more on that later). Thanks to its compact size, 25mm wide-angle lens, and 720p HD video capture, I also chose to pack the versatile Panasonic DMC-FX35 point & shoot camera, so I always have a camera even when I can’t carry my Think Tank Airport Antidote backpack.
I’m also packing my bag with plenty of accessories. In addition to power adapters and outlet strips (I’ll be posting about powering your gear in China in a few days), I also brought along an 80GB Apple iPod Classic and 320GB Western Digital Passport portable hard drive, for backing up images and other files. The pockets of my Airport Antidote backpack are stuffed with everything from lens wipes to a pocket tripod for working in low light.
Even though I know the ins and outs of almost every camera on the market today, I’m also bringing along manuals for each piece of equipment, and reading them cover to cover on the 13-hour plane ride to Beijing. With the incredible sophistication of today’s technology, I often discover new features just by opening a camera manual.
