How ready is your camera gear usually?

[tpatana]

One day I got thinking, I was quite busy elsewhere so when I got back home I had to pretty much just grab my bag and go, hoping all I needed was in the bag. Most of time my gear is <5 minute ready, meaning I have both camera and flash batteries either close to full, or charged after last event, and lenses/bodies are typically within 6 feet from my bag, and most in the bag anyway. So when I need my gear, just get my bag and check the adjacent floor and shelves for missing items, pick them up and I'm ready.

So say your friend gave you a call and tells there's awesome event you must come to shoot right now, gives the address but doesn't tell exactly what the event is, how long it would take you to leave your house with at least your main body plus most/all your lenses so regardless of the event you're set for the shooting. Flash(es) I would count in, but not strobes or anything that magnitude.

Choose either appropriate wording or the estimated time it would typically take you to get driving.

 

[expatinasia]

Number 1 is interesting, but can you remember where you put your car keys!! ;D

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

My camera is sitting here next to my computer 18 inches away, I can grab it for a photo immediately. Right now it has my 24-70 lens on it, but my 70-200 MK II and 199-400 / 100L are 5 ft. away in my bag along with flash, spare batteries, spare cards, and spare camera battery.

I can have everything in my bag and ready to go in 1 minute. Normally, if I am going out for a job, I plan which equipment will be needed beforehand, and top off my batteries. That usually involves a second backup camera going along.

 

[Grumbaki]

In home office, sitting at the computer:
- Far left (1meter): battery packs "charging station" (2 chargers and 3 batteries)
- Left (within arm's reach): Storage station (all cards and the readers, including sd to ipad), random utilities (lenspens, wipes, notebook and pen)
- Right (2meters): Cabinet with all the lenses (from shortest to longest focals with zooms ranked at their widest), filters, flash. Tripod leaning on the cainet.
- Back, (2 meters): 3 bags, ranking from "day trip" (messenger body with 3 lenses) to "take all the gear trip" (griped body and 5 lenses + room for personnal stuff.

Rotating chair and voila.

 

[paul13walnut5]

I have an sx230 charged with card in glovebox of car.
My T3i lives in a billingham hadley with sigma 18-50, charged with card and basic filters under my computer desk but essentially ready to lift.
Everything else lives in my hall cupboard with a choice of billingham 355 or lowepro fastback 250.
My situation is a bit different as I have a photo tripod, a video tripod, stabiliser, timelapse tripod, jib, 2x lighting kit (one 3 head red, 1 large octosoft box) mic stands, mics, video monitor etc.

If I'm doing video I'll spend an hour between deciding what kit to use and gathering it (extra filtration, calibration cards, headphones, extra batteries, loads of mdmory) and bdcause my 7d is still in for repair my M is currently living in it's shelf space. So I could have answered yes to all but the last category.

 

[alexanderferdinand]

Sony RX100 always with me. 5 seconds.
Big toys: most of the time a body and 24-70+ 70-200, the TC 1,4 in a bag to grab.
With extra cards, polfilter, brush and rocketblower, tablets against headache.

Extra/special lenses 10m away, eneloops charged, 1 or 2 minutes extra.

Rest of my life is much less organized )P

 

[cellomaster27]

I have almost all of my camera gear in a tenba small messenger bag with a BR strap attached to the camera. Tripod in a its own bag right next to it. 3 feet from me?

 

[Loswr]

It's all in my walk-in closet in the master bedroom (my wife has her own walk-in closet). Not 'packed' because the gear is stored in four Storm hard cases for protection. But one case holds the 1D X with the 24-70 II attached, another case holds the other 'go to' lenses - 70-200 II, holy trinity primes (35L, 85L II, 135L) and the 100L Macro, and a third larger case holds the remaining lenses (UWA zoom, TS-E, MP-E, supertele, etc.). The fourth case holds flashes, PWs, filters, etc. Many of the closet's shoe cubbies are put to good use, holding various lens cases, flash brackets, straps, wired/wireless releases, lens cleaning supplies, etc. Tripods, light stands, softboxes, backdrops etc., are all in there, too. A selection of bags is right next to the Storm cases, from the small Toploader Pro 65AW for just the body with standard lens attached, a few backpacks, to the Lens Trekker that holds the body with the 600 II.

...at least your main body plus most/all your lenses...

Sorry, but without a couple of Sherpas, that's just not going to happen...

 

[Rienzphotoz]

My WXD office bag (see the attached pic) holds a MBP, a Nikon D7100 + 18-300mm VR lens, an EOS-M + 22mm lens, a Yongnuo YN588 EX Speedlite, CamRanger, an iPad Mini and a Westcot 14 inch 1 Stop diffuser hooked up to the side and a Gorillapod SLR-Zoom tripod with a a Manfrotto 496RC2 ballhead bound on the top of the bag ... I carry this every single day to work and I always have at least one of my Manfrotto tripods and a cheap light stand in the car... this helps me to be ready anytime ... that's how I was able to capture the attached image of Mynah birds fighting.

 

[Vossie]

Your questionnaire suggests you always need to take a car before shooting. I take a lot of shots in or around the house (of my kids), but when I go out shooting I typically need 5-10 mins to collect the gear I want to take with me on that occasion. I mostly use Lowepro S&F bags; If I want to take a lot with me or plan to walk for an extended period, I use a harnass and will need some time to fix the lens, filter and flash bags to it. If i want to go light or only for a short period, I just grab a Lowepro toploader 75 with a few lens bags with their individual shoulder straps.

I keep my body (with the last lens I used attaced to it) in my living room; typically on the dining table or in the toploader 75. This way I can grab it and shoot immediately (I normally do not switch it off) and start shooting. About half of my lenses is in a cupboard in my living room (all individually packed in Lowepro lens cases or S&F bags). The rest of my gear is typically in my study room. Either packed in a Lowepro nature tracker backpack or also in lens cases. Some smaller gear and stuff I use less frequently is stored in a cupboard in my study room. I never leave gear in my car (except maybe a tripod).

If I go on vacation I need in excess of 1 hr to pack everything.

 

[tpatana]

So I could have answered yes to all but the last category.

Yes, same for most of us. That's why I specified the situation that your friend calls and tells you must come right away.

I have to say, I'm bit surprised how well prepared people are. For me it's rare that I need more than 5 minutes to get everything, but I thought I'm anal/ocd with my gear. But seems I'm not the only one.

 

[PKinDenmark]

Usually it is not too difficult, as I have a one-body-only setup. This is more or less by design, as I want 'low-complexity'.
I have my kit on shelves in one cupboard. Two bags to choose from - a medium size backpack for the comprehensive trip and a smaller shoulder-bag for the simpler one.
The lenses are lined up in pouches after size.
I keep one battery ready fully charged. And the charger can be added easily too for a long trip / vacation.
So filling the bag with what I expect to need most is a matter of 1-2 minutes.
Then eventually adding filters, remote trigger, tripod, extra memory cards is another 1-2 minutes.
If flash is needed it may add some extra time, as I am not using that too often.
All in all not too bad - but I want to do this without stress, or I may end up missing something.

 

[AvTvM]

1. "Standard scenario" < 1 min
Bag (Thinktank Retrospective 20) is always ready: 7D w/grip, 10-22, 17-55, 70-200/2.8, 580EX II + spare batteries for cam and AA (flash + everything else), spare CF cards, filters (circ pol, ND 8x, ND grad 0.6, 0.9), flashlight, laser pointer, business cards, pen, 1 transparent plastic bag ...
then just grab bag, wallet, mobile phone, car keys, house keys - and out the door!
2. Additional Tripod? Stored close to bag <1 min
3. Special task, different lenses needed? stored next to bag in hard case -> quick repack < 5 min.
4. Access on foot longer than 30 min + tripod required? -> re-pack everything into backpack (Kata 3N1) < 10 min.

 

[adhocphotographer]

I have my camera + one other lens with me at all times... usually 24-105 and 50 1.8.... so, i'm <30 secs from most shots... my flash is only sometimes in my bag and my 70-200 only when i anticipate a specific use or have the whim to bring it into work with me!

At home, they are all pack in my back ready to pick up if needed. included in the bag is a spare battery (charged), CPL filter and spare cards. so if i need them i can grab the bag and i'm out the door in <1 min.

 

[ahab1372]

Most of my gear still fits in a ThinkTank Urban Disguise, together with the work laptop, and that bag is usually with me. It probably qualifies for having made the most trips (to work and back home) without actually seeing any use, but I still carry it for the ad-hoc occasions

 

[gferdinandsen]

In the majority of times, all I have to do is zip by backpack shut and I'm ready to do.

 

[Viggo]

It's very seldom farther away than and arms reach sitting in stdby. Pretty much never ever more than 6-7 seconds away at all times.

 

[pj1974]

Most often my 7D is 'ready' (in Av mode, ISO 400, f/8 - with my 15-85mm lens attached) on a built in cupboard shelf in my spare bedroom. My other lenses (UWA, L telezoom, macro) and flash are on the same (large) shelf - 'laid out' in order, all with their hoods and lens caps fitted.

Then on the shelf below it (and on the cupboard ground area) are my spare batteries, tripod, bags, filters, etc - again all 'laid out' ready to put what I need to in either one of my Lowepro bags (both bags have spare CF cards already in them). I also have a Canon 350D as my back up body with battery and CF card inserted (and its spare batteries ready too)

That's the way I like to have my gear ready... as if I need to do some quick / spontaneous photography inside my home, or in my garden - then I don't need to unzip any bag first. I'll be getting married in the near future - so that might mean it will be laid out a bit differently... though I expect my gracious fiancee (then to be wife) will allow me to keep 1 shelf with my camera gear 'at the ready' if we have enough cupboard space

 

[J.R.]

I'm usually ready with my gear in 2-5 minutes. I would have it always ready but I live in a rather humid environment and almost all the gear is stored in a dry-box.

 

[dstppy]

Where's the option for "I'm currently holding it" :