Backpacking Photography System

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Backpacking Photography System

Jul 28 2010 7:50:01 pm EST

Topics: Backpacking, Photography,

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Storing Camera

Early in my wilderness photography experiments, I kept my camera in my backpack. Although this was a protected spot for my equipment, I had to take off my pack each time I wanted to take a picture. As a result, I didn’t want to take pictures.

If I decided to take off my pack, sometimes the time spent getting the camera would cause me to miss my opportunity to catch wildlife or other fleeting compositions.

My next short lived experiment involved carrying the camera by the strap around my neck. Although the ease of access was unrivaled, I was constantly bothered by it swinging as I walked. More importantly, any time i slipped and fell, I risked smashing my camera, or getting dust and mud on it.

My current system is a compromise between the previous two systems. I purchased a Tamrac 5630 Pro Digital Zoom 10 Case (Black) with the S-500 Chest Harness. The Tamrac case holds my Nikon D700 camera, Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens, some batteries and cables, and even my Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

The exterior of my Tamrac case has attachment points for accessories. I use a Nite Ize Medium Backbone Case to clip my Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash and Garmin GPS 60CSx.

The Tamrac case with chest harness allows me to keep my camera in front of my body. I no longer have to take my backpack off to access my camera, nor do I have to worry about my camera being unprotected.

I tried hiking in the rain with the Tamrac case, and found my gear covered in moisture. As a result, I carry a SealLine Baja 20 dry bag to stow the case in. If I wade in streams or if it starts raining, I stuff the case in the dry bag and lash it to my backpack.

Equipment

For multiday trips, I like to bring a tripod and flash for low light conditions. I tend to be satisfied with a 50mm prime lens, although if I’m interested in wildlife, I’d like to settle in one spot and use a lens with a farther reach. Currently, my budget supports the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens, although I’d love to upgrade to a super telephoto. The 70-300 is only really effective to 200mm before it gets mushy. For wildlife, 200mm is difficult to work with. At least it’s not too heavy or massive.

I tend to bring the following equipment on my backpacking trips:

1. Nikon D700 full frame Digital SLR camera
2. Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens.
3. Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash.
4. Tamrac 5630 Pro Digital Zoom 10 Case (Black)
5. S-500 Chest Harness.
6. 2x Nite Ize Medium Backbone Cases. One for SB-600 flash and one for Garmin GPS
7. Garmin GPS 60CSx.
8. Nikon MC-35 GPS Adapter Cord and Garmin PC Interface Cable to attach GPS to camera, for recording GPS data to image files.
9. Satechi Shutter Cable
10. Nikon EN-EL3e Battery
11. Manfrotto 3 Section Aluminum Tripod with Manfrotto Compact Ball Head Rapid Connect System.
12. SealLine Baja 20 dry bag
13. Extra AA batteries

Dates:

2011

2010

2008

2007