6) What is your favorite tripod? Do you use a monopod as well or you shoot handheld most of the time? If yes then let us know in what condition you prefer monopod over tripod? Do you use alternative heads for your pods? If true please let us know why and your brand of choice?

I use a Gitzo G1325 Mk2 carbon fiber tripod. It is very sturdy and provides a great platform for heavier lenses. Whenever possible, I try to use a tripod for support, and nearly always use one with stationary subjects. I use a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead with lever release for shooting, as it is the smoothest, most secure, and easiest to use ballhead that I have found. The lever release is the quickest way to switch lenses or cameras and much faster than the traditional quick release screw knobs used on other ballheads, and the BH-55 has two cutouts for switching the lens to vertical as well as separate panning, tension, and locking knobs. I previously owned an Arca-Swiss B1 with quick release platform, but had that head lock up on me several times and it was not nearly as smooth as my RRS BH-55 LR. Since heads are expensive, I only own one and I chose a ballhead because it is ideal for many applications including macro, landscape, and wildlife photography. Gimbal heads, such as the Wimberley, are often used by bird photographers because they are extremely easy and quick to maneuver, but are not ideal for landscape work.

Incoming Dawn

Middlesex Beach, Delaware, USA, June 2007
Camera: Canon 1D Mark II N, Lens: 17-40mm f/4L USM at 22mm. Settings: 4 seconds, f/22, ISO 100, Singh Ray 2 stop soft graduated neutral density filter, RAW capture, full frame, mounted on Gitzo G1325 tripod with RRS BH-55 LR ballhead, cable release and mirror lockup used.
I captured this image just before sunrise. For sunrise shots, the best and most intense colors usually occur about an hour to thirty minutes before the sun ever hits the horizon, so I try to set up about an hour before sunrise and shoot until the sun is well into the sky. Puffy or wispy clouds usually make for the best shots, but if no clouds are around, the sky will turn soft pastel shades like in this shot. To get the very simple, elegant look of this shot, I dialed my ISO down to 100 and set my aperture to its smallest setting at f/22 to get a long exposure. The four second exposure was enough to blur the waves so that the water looks relatively calm, but allowed me to time the exposure to capture the ripple of sand in the foreground formed by a previous wave. The simple, uncluttered composition, graceful lines, and soft colors make this shot effective and quite elegant.

I shoot handheld when a tripod would be impractical and there is sufficient light. When photographing flying birds, I rarely use a tripod, as my setup is much more maneuverable when handheld and therefore makes tracking easier. I also often shoot handheld when using a wider lens, such as my 17-40mm f/4L or 70-200mm f/2.8L IS for environmental wildlife photographs. Using a tripod always provides a better platform to shoot from, but they are cumbersome, so the times I don’t use one are when I feel it is necessary to compromise guaranteed stability for maneuverability.

7) If there was no limit on your budget then what sort of Canon photography equipment you would buy? Please name the whole Canon equipments you’d like to add to your tackle.

Realistically, I would like to add a Canon 5D to my bag sometime soon. I had the chance to test a 5D when purchasing a lens, and I was absolutely blown away by the image quality. The 5D is a fantastic camera while produces beautiful 12.8MP files with incredible detail and little noise. Since it is full-frame, you get a wider angle of view than you do with a 1.3x crop factor 1D Mark II N or 1.6x crop factor 30D, which makes the 5D ideal for landscapes. Since the 5D is a non-pro body, it uses smaller batteries and does not have an integrated vertical grip, which greatly reduces its overall weight and makes it perfect for backpacking or trips where a lot of foot travel is required to get to your shooting location.

I also would like to get extension tubes, either the Kenko three-piece autofocus set or dedicated Canon tubes. The Kenko set is less expensive, but is not weather sealed. Extension tubes would allow me to focus closer with my 300mm and 2x setup, which I sometimes use for flower photography because of the beautiful out of focus effect it gives the background, and would also allow me to use teleconverters on my macro lens, which will not work alone with the Canon converters due to the structural design of the pairing. An extension tube combined with my 70-200mm and 2x extender should also make a good makeshift macro setup, ideal for when I’m hiking or backpacking with a minimal amount of gear.

Since I do a lot of bird and wildlife photography, I eventually plan to add a super tele to my arsenal of gear. I tend to go back and forth between wanting the Canon 500mm f/4L IS and the Canon 600mm f/4L IS, and if I had the resources, I would get both. Right now I’m leaning towards the 500, as it is supposed to be slightly sharper than the 600, and is definitely lighter and easier to handhold. It is also supposed to be easier to maneuver from the car, and is less expensive. The 600, of course, gives more reach. I had the opportunity to borrow a 500 IS from a friend and was very impressed by its performance both with and without the 1.4x extender. However, I couldn’t get a sharp shot with the 2x converter from the conditions that morning (which were not great, so it wasn’t an ideal test), so I would like to learn how both lenses perform with the 2x before making a decision on one or the other.

If money was not an issue at all, I would get a 1Ds Mark II for use for wildlife and landscape photography. This 16.7MP full frame camera produces huge files which can be printed very large, and the AF is more advanced than the 5D, making it better for moving subjects like big mammals and other wildlife. Since it is a pro body, it is also weather sealed, unlike the 5D, making it a better choice for wet or otherwise inclement situations. I would also consider getting the new 1D Mark III, because its files are supposed to be the best yet, due to its 14 bit color and increased high low noise high ISO capabilities. However, there have been some issues with the AF system of the Mark III, so even with endless resources I would be tempted to wait until an upgrade or fix to the problem is released before buying one.

Other gear I would like to get includes a Wimberley WH 2 gimbal head, another tripod and ballhead for landscapes while hiking and backpacking, most likely a lighter weight Gitzo carbon fiber model and/or the carbon fiber Gitzo Explorer for macro work with the Really Right Stuff BH-40 ballhead. The new Gitzo 6x tripods are really nice, so I would probably replace or backup my G1325 with the GT3050S. For support and maneuverability while shooting shorebirds, I would get a Skimmer ground pod, which is great for sliding along sandy beaches. I also want an L-plate for whichever camera bodies I plan to use for landscapes (the 5D and/or 1Ds Mark II). I would like to get a few camera packs, including a lightweight backpack for hiking (I haven’t found an actual model that is ideal yet), and a waterproof bag or case for transporting my gear while kayaking. I would like to get LensCoat neoprene covers for all of my longer lenses as well.

While I haven’t had the chance to ever try it, I would like to explore infrared and astrophotography so if my resources were endless I would buy an infrared converted Canon camera and the Canon 20Da for astrophotography. I really would like to get into underwater photography (I tried it once with a Ewa-Marine housing while snorkeling in Oahu), so I would definitely get dedicated hard underwater housings, ports, and strobes for my Canon gear.