Tripods and Accessories
Tripods are a very important piece of equipment for the serious photographer and timelapser. Choose wisely. It will make a difference every day you are shooting!
Tripods
Get a good tripod! I strongly recommend getting a tripod with an Arca-Swiss style quick release plate for mounting the camera. This mount is the de-facto standard for professionals - and it generally implies a good tripod. I also recommend a Ball Head - but that is a personal preference.
ARCA-SWISS MOUNT
SIRUI TRIPODS - $
DPReview did a Tripod shoot-out, and Sirui did very well. I have been using them for years, in very harsh conditions - including supporting Motion Control equipment. They cost much less than other brand names, but they handle the workload very well. Try them out. And they weigh just about the same as expensive carbon-fiber tripods.
Sirui makes a great Ball Head! I have used them in the desert and Iceland for years and they have never frozen up or gotten jammed with grit - never. They are smooth and stable and handle a Pro DLSR + Lens just fine. And they have the notch for doing vertical panoramas!
benro tripods - $$
Benro makes some great tripods and ball heads. I've started seeing a lot of these in the workshops.
leofoTo tripods - $$$
Leofoto makes outstanding tripods. These cost more, but the ergonomics and precision of the machining is excellent. They feel like a well-crafted machine!
I have 2!
Manfrotto Mini Tripod Kit with Smartphone Clamp
Smartphones are getting better and better. Here is the best tripod - and it doesn’t cost that much! Keep 1 or 2 in your pack for iPhones and lights.
Storage
Here are some of the products that I use frequently
This is an outstanding SSD storage device! It’s super fast and rock solid. You can drive a car over these! And they are super portable!
The prices are below $100 per Terabyte!!!
This is a great storage device which provides “RAID” support for Fault-Tolerent backups. This enclosure contains four separate disk drives (1-8TB each). With RAID, if one of the disk drives fails, you do not lose any data, you simply replace the drive.
These drives are decently fast. They also offer super-fast RAID using SSDs.
PowerBank / Charger
Anker 737 POWERBANK
24,000mAh 3-Port Portable Charger with 140W Output! This battery can even power your laptop! It charges very quickly when coupled with their charger (below).
You need to get a dedicated Fast Charger for your USB-C Devices! Just plugging your battery or camera into any USB-C device, will result in slow charging times.
You can use this FAST Charger for all of your USB devices!
SPEED UP YOUR WORKFLOW!
With the launch of the USB-C connector, there is a new crop of products that support faster charging and faster transfer rates. BUT, just because a product supports the USB-C connector, does not mean it is fast!
To be fast, a product must support the USB4 or THUNDERBOLT 3/4 protocols.
It’s time to upgrade to the FASTER CARDS, CHARGERS, CARD READERS and CABLES. If any “one” of these items is “old” (more than 3 years old) then your workflow will be slow.
TEST YOUR WORkFLOW!
BlackMagic provides the “DIsk Speed Test” Tool that you can use to test the speed of all of your storage devices (SDs, CFEXpress, SSDs, Laptops, Desktops).
Even if you have ‘fast cards’, your ‘card reader’ and ‘cables’ are probably slowing you down! You will be surprised with the results!
new fast usB-C Cables
Cables are often overlooked. Just because cables have a USB-C connector, does not mean that the cables are fast internally. You need to get cables that support USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 protocls - this applies to both Transfer speeds and charging rates. You’ll be suprised just how fast you can transfer and charge your devices with these cables! Test it with the BlackMagic App!
PRO/GRADE CFEXPRESS TYPE A / SDSX FAST CARD READER
If your card reader is more than 3 yeasr old, it is slowing down your workflow. The new card readers are faster and support the new faster cards. This one purchase will save you a ton of time! Make sure you have fast Cables!!!
FAST CFEXPRESS TYPE A (OR B) CARDS
If you purchased a new camera, then you want to make sure you are using the fastest cards it was designed for! The newest cards are extremely fast in order to support 4K/8K video. Most importantly, the download speed of these massive cards is SUPER FAST compared to a standard SD card.
Lens Filters
B+W Filters
For all of my “on-lens” filters, I only use B+W Filters. They are produced by the legendary optics company - Schneider Kreuznach in Germany - ‘nuff said.
Variable ND (Nuetral Density) filters have gotten much better at optics. B+W makes some of the best. These are great for ease of use when you shooting dynamic locations (i.e. Diamond Beach in Iceland - with the waves crashing!). You can quickly change the level of ND in real-time, instead of having to stop, move to a secure location, and change filters.
LEE FILTERS 4X6 GRADUATED ND FILTERS
While Lightroom has gotten very good and corrective exposure issues in post, it is much better to manage environmental light in-camera. The Lee system is very flexible and can handle different lighting situations - especially contrasty sunsets and sunrises. Make sure to get the filter holder and adaptor ring for each specific lens you will be using.
Monitor Calibration
If you don’t know what this is, then you probably need one!
SPYDER MONITOR CALIBRATION TOOL
This device is used to calibrate your external monitor or laptop. You can't publish or print good color images unless your monitors are calibrated - it’s that simple!
Travel Accessories
Here are some important items for traveling - including Iceland!
Lightning Strike Finder
“Strike Finder” is a camera trigger designed to capture lightning strikes either day or night. It’s just three inches in size, enabling it to be a lower profile than its predecessor. The Strike Finder mounts onto the camera hotshoe so you can walk away and let it do all of the hard work!
International Power Adaptor with 1 USB C, 2 American Outlets and 3 USB Ports
Essential for Iceland travel! This allows you to power / charge your devices with their US cords. With USB-C outlets as well.
Think Tank Photo Airport International V3.0 Carry On
When traveling with your gear, it is important to make sure it is well protected. The Think Tank camera bag is well designed to keep your gear secure. It is also the right size so that you can carry it on most flights. But if you do have to check it at the gate - then at least you've done what you can to protect it!
MindShift Gear TrailScape 18L Backpack
This is my Go To backpack. It is very well built and is flexible in terms of internal storage. I like the large outer storage which can store larger equipment (like boom mics and mini tripods).
PETZL makes some great headlamps. Make sure to get one that is hands free - because you'll be busy setting up your equipment.
