One of the questions asked over and over again by curious amateurs is “What gear is in your camera bag?”.

I shoot Canon and simply love it.  Canon equipment is reliable, (but expensive) and creates spectacular images.

My main camera is the Canon 5D.  It is a 12.7mp, full-frame camera with a CMOS sensor and ISO options 100-1600.  Announced in August 2005, the 4 1/2 year old camera is durable and simply superb.   The camera was purchased from Henry’s in Toronto along with the $450.00 extended warranty.  The warranty came in handy last year when my shutter malfunctioned.  My 5D was fixed under warranty within 3 weeks (would have cost $785.00 in repairs!).

The Canon 20D is my back-up camera (8.2 mp) and a little digital rebel travels with me too, just in case!  Soon I hope to purchase the new Canon 5D Mark II, but that’s on my wishlist along with many other pieces of equipment.

Canon 580EX and 430EX Flashes

I own 2 Canon 580II flashes and an old 420EX.  Surprisingly, the 420EX works perfectly on my 5D or 20D.  The 580II has much more power than the 400 series flashes and also recycle more quickly.  There is also a beaten up manual Vivitar 285 still used on my Bronica 6×6 Medium Format film camera.   You can attach external battery packs to your Canon flashes for better recycling time, but this has caused my flashes to blow and malfunction (which is a common problem among photographers!).

Canon 24-105mm L

I have many Canon and Sigma lenses.  My favourites are the Canon 24-105mmL, the Canon 20mm 2.8, the Canon 50mm 1.8 (I have given up on the better Canon 1.4 50mm, which has been fixed twice and is now broken again argh!!  Happened to my brother’s 1.4 too).  Also, the Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 is super sharp and half the price of the Canon 70-200mm (but quite a bit heavier).