Equipment and how I use it

Bigoode posted about equipment recently and I figured I'd join the fun and post about my current gear.

Summary:

Canon 400D

• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
• Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
• Sigma 10-20mm f/4-4.6 EX HSM
• BG-E3 Battery Grip
• Homemade remote (RS60-E3 equiv)
• Canon 188A SpeedLite (circa ~1981)

Canon T-70

• Canon FD 50mm f/1.8
• Canon FD 300mm f/4
• Tokina FD SZ-X 28-200mm f/3.5-5.3

Canon S2 IS

• Raynox 0.66x wide angle converter
• 58mm and 52mm adapter tubes

My main camera is a Canon 400D (XTi in the US, KISS something-or-other in Japan). I bought the 18-55 kit and an EF 50mm f/1.8 lens at the same time, and took advantage of the cashback offer on a BG-E3 battery grip too. The battery grip makes this rather small SLR fairly comfortable and helps out greatly for portrait orientation shots.

I primarily use the 50mm lens as the picture quality is vastly better than the kit 18-55mm lens, although of late, I've pulled out the kit lens and used it wide with a polariser to obtain some fairly decent shots.

Next up (hopefully for my birthday next month) is the Sigma 10-20mm ultrawide. (UPDATE: I now have this lens)

Followed probably by a Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 or a decent SpeedLite, as the fixed direction Canon 188A SpeedLite I have (>20 years old and still working), is a bit limiting.

Additionally, I have a prosumer point and shoot - Canon S2 IS, which was my primary camera before upgrading to the 400D. It still gets used occasionally for macro work or long focal lengths (12x zoom, equiv of 432mm), and to shoot the odd shot movie (mostly for buyers of our puppies).

Then there's the film SLR. I have a Canon T-70 and am borrowing (semi-permanent loan?) a Canon FD 300mm f/4 lens for it. I also have a pair of Canon FD 50mm f/1.8's and a Tokina FD SZ-X 28-200mm f/3.5-5.3 but that latter lens is less than ideal on the quality stakes.

After watching the development of a roll of b&w film at Greg's place, I'm somewhat intrigued by the idea of home development, and may (finances allowing) try to start accumulating enough gear to do that myself.

As for what I shoot, well really whatever takes my fancy, although I have a prediliction towards portraits, landscape and night photography and nature/birding when I have the long lenses with me.