Equipment

Lots of technical jargon. Hopefully not too much. There is bound to be a difference of opinion here as everyone has unique values when it comes to equipment, especially validating equipment that’s already been purchased.

Having the right photography equipment for whitewater photography isn’t as simple as just throwing money down for the best equipment. It’s a fine balance between convenience, optical quality, aperture speed, durability and weight. Somewhere in this equation trade-offs must be made. Constant lens changing in trade for poor low light ability or a big, heavy, expensive lens? This is a choice everyone will have to make based on their shooting conditions and desired results.

This section of the tutorial will be Nikon specific because that’s what I shoot and am familiar with. I shoot Nikon because their support of legacy lenses, which has recently gone downhill with the D40/D40x, D60, D3000 and D5000. Even on these bodies the old lenses will mount and shoot, but be a bit limited by lack of auto-focus. Any mid range or higher Nikon digital SLR supports all functions on lenses from 1977 to present, or if the lens has had a small conversion, from 1959 to current day. This gives you a wider choice of lenses than any other brand, and while initially it might not seem like a big deal, it can open up some creative budget options.

I suggest investing more money in lenses than camera bodies, as lenses gain value over time and bodies lose value quickly. For example in Spring 2008 I bought the Nikkor 20mm 2.8 AF for $499 and it is now $568 in fall 2009. Since its release the D700 has gone from $2,999 to $2,400, and will only continue to drop in the long run while the lens will hold or gain value. As a rule of thumb Nikon lenses hold or gain value while third party lenses (which can be good) lose value over time.

An interesting thing to note when thinking about lenses is that at the wide end, length makes a dramatic difference, quite amazing how much between 10mm and 20mm. On the long end, the difference from 200mm to 300mm is much smaller than you’d expect.

Also worth noting is that lenses do not offer the same performance at all apertures. Most lenses lose some sharpness when they are wide open (largest aperture), especially in the corners. On many contrast drops too. As a rule of thumb cheap zooms do great when stopped down to F8 or F9 but lose a considerable amount of performance if shot wide open. Primes do better wide open, often hitting peak performance one stop below wide open, making them far superior for low light. Once you own your lenses it’s worth seeing how they perform at different apertures so you’ll know what’s good range to stay in. I never shoot whitewater below F11 because diffraction (light bending through the small opening) softens the image past this point. In general I ignore expensive zooms in this article due to their price, size and weight. Sure the performance is the Nikkor 14-24mm AF-SD 2.8 is amazing. So is the $1,800 price tag and 2lbs of weight!

I’ll need to cover a few Nikon terms that will be referred to in my suggestions. Believe me they have many more!

FX = Nikon’s designation for Full Frame (35mm) sensor cameras. At this time it’s just the D3 and D700 series.

DX = APS-C sized sensor. “The Nikon DX format is an image sensor format of approximately 24×16 mm. Its dimensions are about 2/3 those of the 35mm film format” The smaller sensor multiplies all lens mm values by 50%. For example a 50mm lens on a DX camera is the equivalent of a 75mm lens on an FX camera. DX in reference to lens nomenclature refers to lenses specifically made for DX cameras and not compatible with FX or 35mm film cameras.

AF-S = Auto Focus SilentWave Motor. The AF is driven by a motor in the lens.

AF = Auto Focus. Driven by a motor in the camera body. This motor is lacking in the aforementioned lower end bodies which only focus AFS lenses.

G = Gelded, no Aperture ring, can’t use it on some older pre-digital bodies. Not an issue here.

D = Relays focus distance to camera body for accurate flash output, not too important.

VR = Vibration Reduction. Great for shooting stationary objects, useless for action photography.

AI/AIS = Auto Index/Auto Index – Shutter. Works on all digital bodies, without metering on lower end bodies. Full functionality on higher end bodies. Used to differentiate between older Nikkor lenses that need a conversion to mount on digital bodies.

These setups are whitewater specific, and aren’t necessarily the best setups for shooting everything, VR can be really nice but was ignored due to added cost.

The budget used setup.

If I lost all my gear and was buying again on a very tight budget, or starting new, this is what I would get. Quality with trade-offs for convenience and low light performance.

- Nikon D70. Used for $200-300. Two command dials for shooting manual, and it has an AF motor for all those non AF-S lenses. Only 6 megapixels but this is ok, I’ve sold 6mp cover shots. 24oz with battery.

- Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX: Cheap lens at $110 that looks great as long as there is plenty of light. Ignore the more expensive VR version since it doesn’t do anything for freezing action. Light all plastic lens. Poor low light performer if zoomed in at all and useless if you upgrade to FX. 7.4oz

- Nikkor 50mm 1.8D AF: $130 for nearly perfect optics with no zoom range. Great in all lighting conditions, lightweight and small too. On a DX camera it doubles as a nice portrait lens and makes the transition to FX too. 5.4oz

- Nikon 75-150mm 3.5 “E”: This little manual focus zoom is legendary due to it’s surprisingly great performance, even though it was introduced as a true budget lens made by a third party for Nikon. Only produced from 1980-1983 a used one can be had for around $100. All Nikon series E lenses are AI. All metal construction makes it a nice tough lens. It’s only recommended if choosing your angle and getting the correct exposure are second nature to you. The MF aspect is an acquired skill, and requires more planning, but for the price and weight you get pro-quality optics. Great for FX too. 18.3oz

The AF alternative:

- Nikkor 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX: Good general purpose zoom for $150 that is the counterpart of the 18-55. Both similar, all plastic lightweight lenses that will do well in bright light but poor in low light situations. No good on FX either. 9oz

This kit has a lot of bang for the buck, $600-700 total, but is limited to just the 50mm in low light situations, and the D70 is a little slow at 2.5fps. On the weight side of things it’s good coming in with a total of 55oz with the 75-150 or a low 46oz with the 55-200.

Sometimes the lens can make all the difference in a big print. Compare these two 100% crops, no sharpening added to either.

D200 and Nikkor 18-200 @ 200mm 1/800 F8 ISO 400. Noise degradation plays a small role here.

D200 and Nikon 75-150 3.5 “E” @ 150mm 1/1000 F5.6 ISO 100.

Budget professional used setup.

Spending a bit more money here, but this gear will be in it for the long haul.

- Nikon D200: Used at $500-700. A great camera with plenty of external controls and 5fps. Far superior rear screen over the D50/D70. Metal body adds durability and some weight. My workhorse for the last three years. 24.6oz with battery. Downside is terrible battery life, you’ll want at least two batteries.

- Nikkor 20mm 2.8 AF-D. Kind of expensive at $569. Why this lens: Superb optical performance, decent low light performance plus it’s small and light. It’s note as wide as I’d like on a DX camera but the 14mm 2.8 is $1,000 more and much heavier. If you ever upgrade to FX this lens is compatible and beautiful. This little guy is only 9.5oz.

- Nikkor 50mm 1.8D AF: $130 for nearly perfect optics with no zoom range. Great in all lighting conditions, lightweight and small too. On a DX camera it doubles as a nice portrait lens, makes the transition to FX too. 5.4oz

- Nikon 75-150mm 3.5 “E”: This little manual focus zoom is legendary due to it’s surprisingly great performance. Only produced from 1980-1983 a used one can be had for around $100. All metal construction makes it a nice tough lens. It’s only recommended if choosing your angle and getting the correct exposure are second nature to you. The MF aspect is an acquired skill, and requires more planning, but for the price and weight you get pro-quality optics. Great for FX too. 18.3oz

Total cost: $1,300-$1,400. Total weight: 56.7oz, three and a half pounds. In the long run these lenses will hold up and not be temporary solutions, as they all work great on FX cameras.

Nikon D200, Sigma 10-20 @ 20mm 1/800 F8 ISO 200, 100% crop.

Nikon D200, Nikkor 20mm 2.8 AF-D @ 1/1000 F6.3 ISO 100, 100% crop.

Budget “I only buy new” kit.

Some people don’t like buying used items. If I didn’t buy used items, was starting from the beginning and looking to go cheap, this light weight setup would be my kit.

- Nikon D60: $570 and a mere 18.4oz. Can only auto-focus AF-S lenses. No dedicated aperture dial.

- Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX: Cheap lens at $110 that looks great as long as there is plenty of light. Ignore the more expensive VR version since it doesn’t do anything for freezing action. Light all plastic lens. Poor low light performer and useless if you upgrade to FX. 7.4oz

- Nikkor 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED AF-S DX: Good general purpose zoom for $150 that is the counterpart of the 18-55. Both similar, all plastic lightweight lenses that will do well in bright light but poor in low light situations. No good on FX either. 9oz

- Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G AF-S: Unfortunately the D60 can’t drive the AF motor on the 50mm 1.8 so we are limited to the new, expensive 50mm 1.4 AF-S at $450. 9.8oz.

The 50mm 1.4 pushes up the price of this kit a considerable amount. If you aren’t worried about shooting in low light situations this kit comes in at $830 and only 34.8oz – just over two pounds. Throw in the 1.4 and it’s up to $1,280, nearly the cost of the used budget professional setup without the longevity or weight. You could switch out the $450 50mm 1.4 for the $130 50mm 1.8 and use it as a MF lens, which can be tough with the large aperture and small depth of field, but is a valid way to keep the cost low.

The no budget, pure performance kit

Have a big trust fund, don’t actually kayak but like to shoot it? If I had the trust fund and didn’t have to carry the gear in my boat this is what I would use:

Nikon D3s: $5,200 and 43.7oz
Nikkor 14-24 2.8: $1,800 and 35.2oz
Nikkor 24-70 2.8: $1,800 and 31.7oz
Nikkor 80-200 2.8: $1,100 and 45.8oz

That whole kit adds up to $9,900 and besides being well out of most people’s budget, weighs in at a very bulky 10lbs. Way more than any kayaking photographer is going to carry on the river!

My kit

I’ve used quite a combination of kits over the last few years and hopefully this section will help you avoid the mistakes I’ve made. For the last year and a half I’ve used the “Budget Professional Used kit”.

Unfortunately during a recent expedition in Mexico my D200 took a big hit and has been spending an extensive amount of time at the Nikon repair facility. I’d like to give Kokatat a shout out for covering the repair cost. Nikon makes some great equipment, but they don’t repair things in a speedy manner and I had a shoot coming up and spent a lot of energy debating the upgrade.

I knew I wanted an FX body which limited me to the D3 or D700. I settled on the D700 for a few reasons. For half the cost you get nearly the same camera, both have the incredible low noise sensor. The largest advantage of the D3 would be the 9fps continuous shooting, but with a battery grip the D700 jumps from 5 to 8fps. $2,500 for 1fps? I didn’t consider the 11fps DX mode of the D3 worth considering, since I was going FX for the no crop factor. The other advantage to the D700 is the ability to leave the battery grip at home on multi-days and save the extra weight and bulk. The low light performance lives up to the hype, it looks as good or better at ISO 800 as the D200 at ISO 200.

A typical day on the river I carry all this in a Watershed Ocoee (21oz) with their padded liner.

- Nikon D700: 35oz.

- Nikkor 20mm 2.8 AF-D: 9.5oz

- Nikkor 50mm 1.8D AF-D: 5.4oz

- Nikon 75-150mm 3.5 “E”: 18.3oz

- Zeikos ZE-NBG300 battery grip. $63, 8.8oz. The downside if the Zeikos grip is that you only get 8fps with by using 8 AA batteries another 7oz. With an investment of $70 for 16 rechargeable AA’s and their charger the total is $133. Lot’s cheaper than the Nikon MB-d10 battery pack at $259, which then needs the $110 EN-EL4a battery, $35 EN-EL4a battery door cover and $130 for the MH-21 EN-EL4a battery charger for a total of $534.

- Three 4gb CF cards. You won’t need this much with the D70 as 6mp is a lot easier on storage space

- An old T-shirt to dry my hands on before I pickup the camera. I keep it in the watershed and outside of the liner.

- Headlamp -just in case

- Cliff Bar or similar – just in case

- $20 US – just in case

- Extra camera battery if I am not using the vertical grip.

My total weight comes in around 7-8lbs for a standard day. 1lb less if I leave the battery grip at home. As you can see my equipment recommendations focus on optical quality, price, and weight. Some might ask why no mid-range zoom or lenses in this kit. In my experience mid-range zooms generally give you the most boring angle for kayaking shots, and jumping from 20mm to 50mm makes me work harder to get creative angles.

When I first started out I would store my camera bag behind my seat, even on multi-days. As time has gone on, I switched to carry my camera up front in between my legs. I switched to this for a few reason. First because I almost always want my camera with me when I am on shore, can’t take a picture if you don’t have a camera, and it was pain to take out of the boat every time. Second because I paddle a lot of multi-day trips, and on the longer ones there is no room for my camera in back. It also helps balance out the load when it’s up front. I don’t normally anchor my camera in the boat, unless I feel like there is a distinct possibility I might swim on something I am about to run. In these circumstances I just clip it to one of the front bungees, and I think it would just break the bungee if it was a bad swim. When I have wet exited the boat with the camera up front, I never remember to grab it in the situation, but we’ve found it without too much trouble in these (thankfully) few circumstances. If I was serious about clipping it in up front I would add a webbing loop around the plastic front pillar support in the Jackson Hero.

In all of my suggestions convenience comes in last. The cost of a convenient lens like the 18-200 outweighs its performance and durability – for me. My opinions are something you’ll have to filter with your own values, it’s nice to just have one do it all lens, but there are inherent quality trade-offs by going this route. It’s your call if the convenience is worth the trade offs for your photography, because it just might be.

Remember it’s more important to get out there and shoot than own any piece of equipment or technical detail.

My first published shot: Nikon D50, Nikkor 18-55 @ 18mm 1/1600 F10 ISO 400. Shot in shutter priority, matrix metering. Yep the shot is a little over exposed and the ISO was too high, but strong composition means a lot more. Taylor Robertson in National Geographic Adventure.

Thanks to Taylor Robertson for being a motivator and mentor to me on the business end of things.

Next up: Post-Processing

Whitewater Photography Tutorial #1

Whitewater Photography Tutorial #2

Whitewater Photography Tutorial #3

Whitewater Photography Tutorial #4

Whitewater Photography Tutorial #5

Whitewater Photography Tutorial #6

Whitewater Photography Tutorial #7

Other gear I’ve bought but doesn’t make it in my bag every day.

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 AF DC II – Surprisingly sharp lens that can’t hold up to extended heavy use. This lens has terrible focusing abilities and loves to back focus. Had it repaired twice but now it’s a paperweight due to its inability to focus accurately.

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX – A slew of terms for a good lens. Only useful on bright days and not too great at 200mm. Borderline durability for expedition kayaking, not to surprising considering how complicated it is. Focuses much better than the Sigma counter part, and has lots have recently started popping up on the used market, where it’s an ok buy around $500. 19.75oz

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM – If you want to go wide on a DX body and there is good light this lens performs well. On the other hand it’s terrible in low light and atrociously soft at 20mm. I only used it when I knew there was a shot I wanted with it, not an every day lens for me. The 20mm 2.8 is a much better buy around $500 than this lens, but you might need the much wider angle on a DX camera. 16.64oz too.

Nikkor 200mm F4 AIS – An old MF classic. Beautiful sharpness and contrast, tough to focus at F4 because of shallow depth of field. I still use this one when I know I want the focal length. 19oz.

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G – Well it’s light. It’s also terrible from 200-300mm and wide open, AF is slow and hunts a lot, especially in low light where the lens is borderline useless anyways. 17oz.