July 2013

For those looking to photograph wildlife, sports or other action without breaking the bank, you can’t do better than the Nikon D7100 DSLR coupled with the new Nikon 70-200mm f/4 lens. After shooting with them for two weeks in Alaska (as my second body & flight lens) I was thoroughly happy with both their performance and the resulting images. Sure, they are not going to deliver the same results as a Nikon D4 coupled with the new Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 OS HSM Lens or Nikon 200-400mm f/4 Lens, but they are a fraction of the cost and much smaller and lighter.

I've spent the last two weeks in the field everyday with the new Think Tank Sling-O-Matic 20 Sling Camera Bag. Moving through marshes and meadows, as well as across streams, the bag was put through its paces as the home for my second camera body and lenses as I led two photo trips in Alaska's Lake Clark Park. My need for something like the Sling Bag was the need to switch cameras and lenses coupled with the impossibility of setting a traditional backpack down in the water and mud we were often dealing with.

In the continuing quest to get lighter & smaller I’ve written about taking the plunge to a mirrorless camera, but what if you want to stick with good-old DSLR technology? I’ve assembled the lightest and smallest bag I can think of that will do serious professional quality work on a wildlife safari – so of course I want to share it with you.