Recent Camera Gear Purchases

I’ve recently made some camera gear purchases.

I upgraded my Rebel XT to a Canon 60D a few weeks ago. I also got a Canon 60D battery grip with Canon EW78D Lens Hood. Overall, I’m very happy with these purchases. I love the 60D, it’s such a great step up from the Rebel XT, which I purchased 5 years ago. It feels good to use, and the pictures are also great, as expected from Canon. I really love the LCD swivel. Most important, it’s just a fun camera to use.

The battery grip is a great add-on to the 60D. It does add quite a bit of size and weight to the camera, but the battery life it gives is amazing! I still have yet to drain the dual batteries– I think I can literally take photos in the thousands before a recharge. The hood is an official one from Canon. I’ve had other hoods before, but getting a real one makes a big difference. The quality is there, and I love how the hood can be reversed to save space.

Canon 60D size versus Rebel XT

60D with grip versus Rebel XT

The lens hood works on my Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens

I also supported the Capture Camera Clip System on Kickstarter. I like the idea behind this, but I must confess that I haven’t really used it that much yet. It doesn’t see to quite work well with my 60D with battery grip, as the camera is just too big to comfortably hook to my side. Don’t get me wrong, it holds, it’s strong enough to, but it’s just not convenient. I still prefer my camera strap from Black Rapid.

With all this new gear, I had to replace my old backpack with a new one to fit everything in it. I went with the Lowepro Fastpack 350 (Black). So far I’ve been very pleased with it. It fits my 15" Macbook Pro, my 60D with grip and hood (inversed), and all my lenses! I have yet to take it with me on a faraway trip, but I hope to soon.

And last but not least, I got a new Android smartphone. I replaced my Google Nexus One with the HTC Sensation 4G. I personally consider this my most important device, as I have it on me at all times. It has my Gmail and Google App emails, my contacts, it’s my camera, phone, GPS.. everything. I may not always have my DSLR on me, but I will most definitely always have my Android smartphone with me.