Bodies
Canon EOS 1DMk3 (prefered) 1.3 crop
Or
Canon EOS 5DMk2 (Full Frame)
Or
Lumix DMC FZ30 (when I feel like travelling light)
Or
Fuji X-10
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Lenses
Canon EF100mm f/2.8L IS USM MACRO (1:1)
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZE(1:2)
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE
LUMIX GF-1 + LEICA 45mm F2.8 DG-MACRO ELMARIT (2:1 35mm equivalent)(MFT)
Raynox DCR-150
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Flash System
Speedlite 430EX
Speedlite 580EXII
Speedlite 270EX
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Light Modifier
SpectraLight (this original one cost almost 2.5 x more than the chiong one)
Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer
Omnibounce for my 430EX and 580EXII (chiong one)
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Tripod
Manfrotto 190xprob + 486RC2 Ballhead
Benro C-1681EX Mg Carbon Fiber Tripod
Benro B1 Ball Head
Well, I did not use tripod yet (yucks and lazy on my part), pictures are taken mostly handheld and I shall attempt with a monopod next time.
Yes, I tried the Benro monopod (convertable) on 30 Oct. It really improves your hit rate.
Accesorries
Fotopro Dual Flash Mount Arm
Velbon Super Mag Slider
Pocket Wizard mini TT1 and Flex TT5
OC-E3 Canon remote off shoe cord
Kenko DG Teleplus Extension Tube Set
Raynox DCR 150
To be acquired: Wimberly Plamp
"Studio Wasp"
Canon 5DMK2 + EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro with Raynox DCR150 + 580EXII. Tips: I had to unlearn what I’d learned about shooting macro with tripod. Believe me, finding and focussing tiny moving target with the camera stuck on a tripod is a real pain and headache. How about shooting hand held + flash and manual focus? A technique I used is to set the lens to manual focus (set to minimum focus distance) and start rocking backward and forward to get the target in focus. I'm not suggesting that you tango around and look like a fool. 'Rock' slowly and when the target is in focus, fire a few shots continuously! I also prefer manual exposure for consistency especially for flash photography. The E-TTL flash does the magic here, so try to use it when possible. The E-TTL flash exposes the foreground automatically. PS: Do not get me wrong, if you can use a tripod and track a moving target, it would be optimal but for me it is hard and just me! Another thing to mention is this shot was taken in broad daylight and the fact that the background is dark is because I used a small aperture (large f #), fast shutter speed and E-TTL flash. The E-TTL exposed the foreground (the hornet) and aperture/shutter speed combo kept the background under exposed. You got the idea of "Studio Hornet...eh.. Wasp" now?
Bangkok
