Photo Dork or Photo Stud?

[articulate]

Okay, I'm thinking about a photography vest to wear while driving on trails . . .
http://bluequillangler.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/media/vest-loaded.jpg

Mock me all you want, but for now it's just a thought.

Here's the deal: I'm swapping lenses alot, and am playing with more filters. Plus, I still use film. I find myself ramming a second lens into my pocket just so I'd have it at ready disposal if necessary when I jump out for a few photos. I kind of look like a fool with bulging pants pockets.

This is the problem with becoming a more discriminating artiste - carry more crappola . . . depending on the tenets of artistry to which you adhere. Right now, I'm a schmuck who thinks he needs to carry equipment on his chest.
"The critical component to expedition photography is rapid execution of equipment exchange, which hinges upon wearing the proper clothing."

http://www.markdstephens.com/images/photo_vest.jpg


Confess here and now if you have one of these things, use it, don't use it, love it, hate it, sleep with it, or - of course - drive while wearing it. If I must switch to a more serious tone, what is your experience with photo vests?

[Scenic WonderRunner]

How about..........

Calling it...........Dork Lite.............?

As in not totally a dork....because we know how Kewl you really are.:rockon:

Just kinda dork......because none of us would wear that...... but we love YOU for wearing it anyway..... and we are sure it helps you share all these fantastic pics with all of us!

SO.................!

Go Dork Lite!:costumed-smiley-007

You just can't go wrong!..........:sombrero:............ :friday:




................:26_7_2:

[desertgirl66]

Hey, I have a vest almost just like that!! Hmmmm-I never thought dork! Am I missing something?? Overland Video uses something very similar to that~~~~ :bigbossHL:

[\\'anderer]

I bought one at the thrift store for .25, but haven't had the guts to wear it yet. I will someday. I have wore them in the past.

Seriously, they come in pretty handy,especially for small items like filters, multi tools, batteries, memory cards, film, 8-tracks,etc. Be careful about bending over with a flap unsecured, things can, and will fall out. Lenses may be better stored somewhere else. Living in the desert I preferr a "gasp" hip type camera bag to keep from soaking the vest while hiking. In cooler weather it's fine.

To sum it up, Function over fashion, I say go for it, you may start a new ExPo fashion phenomon.

[j_nigrelli]

if you ever fall overboard, you're going to the bottom.

carry less stuff.

[jeffryscott]

Just buy another camera body so you don't have to change lenses :exclaim:

About the vest though. I've used them, convenient in some ways, and in other ways, they aren't. They are also hot in the summer.

I'm using one of these and find it extremely nice. Never even carry a bag anymore:

http://www.newswear.com/mdocumentarydetail.htm

It carries my lenses, plus whatever accessories (strobe, batteries, etc ...) I need. The picture looks bulkier than it is.

Several folks at work are using this system - it is more versatile, but I didn't know about it when I bought the above:

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ProMod.php

this is the deluxe one with all the bells and whistles.

Both are more involved than a vest, and for the small things a vest is probably more convenient, but when you start changing lenses, moving quickly from spot to spot, I find the vests more of a challenge.

[desertgirl66]

Dang!! I appreciate all the belts and packs and stuff!! Whew, it all looks like alot of stuff to deal with. But, I think the belts are probably most adaptable to all situations, including holding a water bottle. The vests are pretty much old fashioned technology.

[jeffryscott]

Dang!! I appreciate all the belts and packs and stuff!! Whew, it all looks like alot of stuff to deal with. But, I think the belts are probably most adaptable to all situations, including holding a water bottle. The vests are pretty much old fashioned technology.

It hadn't dawned on me until I read your post Kristina ... vests are old school. But they are only old school because the lenses are so dang big now. In the old days with fixed focal length lenses, the vest pockets were sufficient. But with the size of today's lenses, to make pockets that big makes the vests so bulky.

[mountainpete]

Ok... I'm not going to comment on the dorkiness of the vest. A lot of us here are about function over fashion and I think this is one of the places that applies... if you are serious about photography. Otherwise you're a dork :p

But what I will say comes from my experience with fly fishing vests - similar principles. The biggest consideration is when you try on different vests make sure to weigh them down. You will feel quickly whether or not the vest pulls on your neck or on your shoulders. Easy way to test is to bring along a few water bottles - drop them in the pockets and walk around. (I carry a water when I fish so that's why my fishing vest is so heavy!).

I remember I bought this really nice Columbia vest once and as soon as I put some weight in the pockets it seriously bugged my neck. On top of that if the day was hot it really rubbed the back of my neck. For fishing I'm now partial to the modular vests - I use a Springbrook Ghillie Chest pack.

Make sure you look at the Tilley vest. Not cheap and not design for photography, but very well made.

Pete

[mountainpete]

Add... a Tilley vest like this: http://www.tilley.com/detail.asp?catId=13&gender=m&extractBy=CategoryId&id=9&productNo=TE51

[goodtimes]

A lot of us here are about function over fashion and I think this is one of the places that applies

Actually, there is a condition that must be applied to the "function over form" rule that so many of us subscribe to. The more complete statement goes like this:

"Function over form...unless it makes you look like a dork". In this case, function definately gets trumped by form (fashion).

[mountainpete]

http://www.garmentdistrict.com/store/popculture/napoleon/nsweet_sm.jpg

[articulate]

I can always rely on a vast array of opinions on the world wide web . . . and I salute you all for it. :)


Dave, j_nigrelli: I expected to see responses like these, and your points are well taken. No doubt that a good artist selects his tools carefully, uses them well, and likely has just a few. But I'm a young punk who has yet to discover his best allies with respect to equipment. However, I'm not thinking of using a vest so I can carry MORE stuff . . . just the stuff I already have. I use three lenses (one of which is a 50mm prime :) ), need to reload film, etc.

I like that modular bat-belt idea, Boy Wonder! I forgot about those things. The photographer at our wedding had a cool holster for a second lens on a belt like that. Clever. Good for mobility and you don't have 8 million pockets to figure out.

Okay, so I'll admit that a vest is going to be far overkill. Unless I get on board with the Overland Video staff, I might not need a vest (but I ain't going to the Arctic in winter . . .). This is a fun topic anyway. I wonder if vests are like snorkels: :snorkel:

[goodtimes]

I wonder if vests are like snorkels: :snorkel:

Only at the mall.

[pskhaat]

You know my answer. I just want to remind you of it.

[kcowyo]

You know my answer. I just want to remind you of it.
:iagree:

No experience with either but I would think while driving/bouncing off the road, it would be more comfortable to be wearing a vest than a belt, laden with heavy lenses. A 50mm prime bouncing in your lap could present certain difficulties, ya know?

But I would defer to jeffryscott, since the guy makes his living and some nice photographs with his equipment choices.

Re: Tilley - I've always wanted a Hemp Hat with its own insurance policy. Someday I'll pony up the cash for one of their legendary lids.

[DaveInDenver]

I wonder if vests are like snorkels: :snorkel:
Guess it depends on what you stuff in the pockets.

[jeffryscott]

:iagree:

No experience with either but I would think while driving/bouncing off the road, it would be more comfortable to be wearing a vest than a belt, laden with heavy lenses. A 50mm prime bouncing in your lap could present certain difficulties, ya know?

The idea of the belt is to take it off while driving silly.:coffeedrink:

The limiting factor with the vest is the lens size you want to store in it. a 50 prime fits, an 80-200 2.8 doesn't very well without being awkward, bulky and unbalanced. For film, filters, etc ... the vest may be the right approach - but get a photographer's vest - I originally tried a fly fishing vest 20-some years ago and they just don't work. Fly vests tend to be short for wading. A photographer's vest tends to hang lower so the weight is distributed better and you have easier access to the pockets (unless you have short stubby t-rex arms).

If I can make it to the event on the 28th I'll try to remember to bring a vest for you to try at camp.

[kcowyo]

The idea of the belt is to take it off while driving silly.:coffeedrink:


See what I mean? Jeffry knows stuff. :oops:

[DaktariEd]

I'm with Jeff. I tried the vest for lenses and they are just too darned big, heavy and might just fall out! I use a backpack now. Works for me... I just happenj to have an extra one I was going to sell. Basically brand new...a LowePro.

I do have a "travel" vest...but it's not a dork vest. No sirree...It's very cool!:luxhello:

When traveling overseas it keeps my passport and valuable papers tucked inside in a zippered pocket, secure. I keep other essentials in the pockets so I don't have to get from my seat into the overhead compartments for odds & ends. Doesn't matter to me if some poor unfortunate misguided cheeseball thinks it looks dorky. That's his (or her) problem! ;)

[bigreen505]

Stick with a backpack or see if there is a way to integrate something into the Frontier. For example, a Domke F1 bag could hold (not gracefully) two bodies, three L-series lenses and a flash and would fit in the center console of a Suburban -- perfect for grab shots or easy to pull out and walk a short distance.

Vests (Domke and the like) are nice if you are going to be standing around a lot or need quick access to light weight gear, but I would not drive with one and they are not easy to put on and take off when loaded.

I like belt systems if I am moving fast, but mine is too big so if anyone wants a size large Kinesis system let's talk. If you go the belt route I really like Kinesis -- it is a mom and pop shop and they are great people.

At the end of the day I use LowePro bags -- Mini Trekker if it is just the camera and Photo Trekker if the laptop is coming too. To be honest I really don't have a lot to recommend either of these bags, but for car transportation they protect the gear well. I would seriously suggest checking into LowePro's Omni series. They are padded, have straps and fit inside a Pelican case.

What I do, which I would never advocate, is have most of the gear in my bag of choice accessible in the back seat area. One or two bodies and two or three lenses in the front seat -- either my lap or passenger floor. Despite how hard I try otherwise, meter, film and/or cards and polarizer go in pockets of my shorts (meter usually around my neck), one body with mid range zoom, one body with 180, wide angle lens in pouch on floor or easily accessible in bag, tripod as extended as possible across back seat floor.

And for the record, a vest makes you a dork (or a nature or travel photographer, which are subsets of dork), a belt system makes you paparazzi, and either one with a telephoto lens -- let's say any lens longer than 8" with a hood -- makes you a stalker. Poorly designed bags (like LowePro) make you a naturalists, because as soon as you put the bag down and back on, whatever the bag was resting on (mud, pine needles, dog poop) will be ground into your clothing.

[gjackson]

Dude, go digital!

That'll give you enough to deal with for a while!

cheers

[XXXpedition]

we've had one of those for years (so i guess we are beyond dork light...) but we just were it occasionally - or better one of us does (since we have just one:-)))

[articulate]

Hmmmm. . .

Backpack, bat belt, pants with bigger pockets, more bodies, or just leave the stuff on the floor board (Bill, nice way to not advocate something by describing it in full detail). :beer:


Dude, go digital!
No kidding. I've dropped enough on lab processing this year to purchase a nice D body. But I like the fancy click-wheeee sound a film camera makes after each shutter release. And slides are neato. So it stands to reason that perhaps I ought to be wearing an old school vest to go along with my use of film.

Interesting conversation, fellas.

[DaveInDenver]

No kidding. I've dropped enough on lab processing this year to purchase a nice D body. But I like the fancy click-wheeee sound a film camera makes after each shutter release. And slides are neato. So it stands to reason that perhaps I ought to be wearing an old school vest to go along with my use of film.

I rather enjoy slides shows. Getting people together, pulling out the gear, sharing beers and throwing bottles at the screen. Well, that might only be at my screenings. Do you get heckled to 'Focus!', too? :-)

[bigreen505]

(Bill, nice way to not advocate something by describing it in full detail). :beer:



Hey, if you're dumb enough to try it, I'm dumb enough to tell you how. :)

Vests are great, I guess it just depends what you do with them. Putting 40 lb. of lenses on it and driving technical or washboard terrain doesn't sound like a very good idea. A couple small lenses or filters are not a problem.

I'm hoping most people here know me well enough to know that most of my post was in jest. Well some of it, sort of. Well not really, at least the part about watching where you put your backpack. :sport_box

The most important thing for me is having a consistent depository for spent film and cards.