equipment
I use quite a wide range of equipment. Although I still do own a Nikon F3 body, I rarely use it - over the last 3 years or so, all my photography has been digital, without exception.
Fujifilm S2 Pro
My main camera, and absolutely fantastic. Although it's been superceded by a new model, I've no intention of upgrading. It's perfect. Unfortunately, this can't be said for the RAW converter software that comes with it, but luckily Photoshop provides an alternative.
People gripe about the fact that it uses two sets of battereis, but I don't have a problem with that. The CR123 last for ages, and if I'm caught short on LiMH power, I can get AA cells anywhere.
Nikon Coolpix 8800 VR
I bought this before my big tour of Australia in 2004, as I didn't want to schlepp 15kgs worth of camera, lenses and tripod across a whole continent. Didn't want to pay for excess baggage either...
Originally, I was looking to get one of those point-and-shoot compacts, but decided to go for the Nikon because of the image quality. The 35-350mm optical zoom is also great, and combined with the image stabiliser it is virtually unbeatable.
Unfortunately, it's slow to focus in low light, and suffers badly from noise at higher ISO settings. That said, at lower ISO settings, the image quality is sensational.
Sigma 12-24mm f2.8-4.5
Superb super-wide zoom. On the Fuji, it gives me the 35mm equivalent of 18-35mm, which is great for landscapes. It's also great for close-up work, having a minimum focal distance of about 4 inches. Sharp as a tack right into the edges and no visible vignetting. Although it has a rear filter holder, there's no way of attaching filters to the front, which can be a bit of an issue.
Sigma 24-70mm f2.8
On the Fuji, the focal length translates to 35-105mm, making it a perfect allrounder lens, from wideangle to small tele. If I were to be restricted to using a single lens for the rest of my life, this would probably be it.
Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 APO / 2x tele converter
This combination gives me focal lengths ranging from 105mm (lens alone at the widest zoom setting) to 600mm (lens and converter at the longest setting). A great lens, and although the tele converter degrades the image a bit, it's still above and beyond anything I've used so far.
Smartdisk Flashtrax 40GB
When the CompactFlash card is full, I just pop it into this little beauty, press a button and it copies all image files onto its internal hard drive.
I've found that - due to the rather moderatly-sized batteries - this is really best done in the hotel or somewhere else where there's a power outlet. But it is great for going on holidays.
Manfrotto 055NAT3 w/ 029 head
In any situation short of gale-force winds, this combination will give rock-solid support.
But there's no two ways about it, it is heavy. Schlepping this beast around on top of all the other equipment requires some serious commitment. This is really the only piece of equipment that's on the list for replacement in the foreseeable future. I probably would've done it already if these carbon-fiber tripods weren't so expensive...
Bits and bobs
I use a set of Kenko macro tubes for closeup work, and Cokin "P" size filters (various ND and ND grads, and a circular polariser). For indoors, I've got myself a secondhand Nikon SB-24 Speedlight, which works perfectly with the Fuji body.
Storage-wise, I've got various CompactFlash cards, giving me a combined storage size of 2.75GB.