We’ve had a number of questions about the camera gear we use aboard Wind Horse. Shown above is what sees 98% of the action. We will describe the logic of these choices shortly, but first a comment on what you can get by with.

If you have good light, and interesting subject matter, a modern $250 digital will do an amazing job. This photo was taken by our friend Joe Kutschka with his new Canon Powershot SX110 IS. He got some wonderful shots with it.

If lighting is poor, or things are happening quickly, the costs and bulk of the higher end cameras pay off. The was shot in very poor light using a Canon 40D body and their 24/70 2.8 L series lens.

Puffins are cute, but really hard to catch with the camera. This was done in low light using the Canon 50D body and 100/400 5.6 zoom. The film speed (ISO) was pushed to 800, shutter was at 1/1250 and the body was set on high speed motor drive (6 FPS). We probably shot a thousand images to get one good one (into which category this barely fits).The higher the processor quality, the better job it will do in low light.

Similar settings and gear for this whale. Shooting wildlife from a moving deck, even one as stable as Wind Horse, requires fast shutter speeds and high ISO settings, unless you have lots of light in which case you can back off on the ISO.

We have three camera bodies, the Canon 30, 40, and 50D. Three bodies eliminate the need to change lenses and allows us to grab the correct set up and get quickly into action. This also reduces the risk (and hassle) of getting dust onto the camera’s sensor.

There are three lenses which see the bulk of our work. The already mentioned 100/400 and 24/70 zooms, and a 10/24 wide angle zoom (fitted to the 30D body). The two longer lenses are always on the counter, ready to use. The wide angle is often in a locker, but if are shooting interior or panoramic photos it is on the counter too.

We also have an 18/200 Canon zoom for walking around town when we don’t want to drag two bodies and lenses with us. However, this lens has significant distortion and sharpness issues, which may be a quality control problem or inherent in its design. We would not recommend it.

A Tiffen polarizing filter is used on sunny days with clouds and/or snow. If the sun is off axis by 45 degrees or more this produces contrasts which are wonderful.

Finally, there is the “walk around” Canon G10, which gives us good results as long as the light is strong. In moderate to weak light the resulting images are “noisy”.

We always shoot in RAW format, where the camera does no processing. Images are then processed in Adobe Light Room, a wonderful processing and sorting program which we highly recommend.

The collection of camera gear we carry pays dividends in many ways. To begin with, it allows us to get photos which please magazine art directors in conditions which otherwise would not be worth recording. Where wildlife or other quick action is part of the scenario, the fast processing speeds are a requirement. And in good light we can shoot images which blow up without (or with less) noise, important for the walls at home.

On the other hand, a basic consumer camera will produce excellent results much of the time, and you don’t have the weight and bulk to lug around (or worry about dousing with sea water).