The Cameras
Every camera and lens in my collection is there for a reason, it has its function and stands separate from others, independent in its use case. There is no space for redundancies in my collection and each piece of equipment I see as a tool to achieve creatively and gives me the freedom to do so. the chase of the "right" gear is the other side of the "photography coin" and can be as freeing as it can be a trap, the goal should be to find the right tools to complement your work and what you hope to achieve in image making. this is a continual process and evolves as you evolve as a photographer.
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Some notable bits of gear I use are as follows: a Sony a6500 mirrorless camera, a 20mm, 30mm, 28-75mm, 85mm all of Sony, sigma, and Tamron make, a Canon New F-1, AE-1 program, 28mm and 50mm fd lenses, Olympus XA for everyday carry. these are my workhorses and each has its strengths and weaknesses that complement each other.
Copy Stand Project
In transitioning from a mostly digital to a mostly film process I have needed different tools to support that changed workflow, A copy stand is one of the most important to be able to scan film at home which gives greater flexibility and control over my negatives vs. utilizing lab scans. below are some images of one I constructed myself along with some details on what pieces of kit were utilized that helped me achieve a pro-level scan at a good price.
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The construction consists of an iron pipe and flat fitting to secure it to the wooden board, this allows for the use of a smallrig clamp that holds an FD to E mount lens adapter. the adapter comes equipped with a tripod screw mount which gives the ability to permanently fix the Canon FD 50mm 3.5 macro lens to the stand. This lens along with a mirrorless camera is what is used to scan the negatives. a Cinestill scanning light supplies the backlighting needed to illuminate the film through the 3d printed holder that keeps everything in place. A Valoi duster is affixed to the right side for easy dusting when pulling the film through the carrier.
