Which cameras do war photographers use?
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What sort of cameras and gear do embedded journalists and war photographers use these days? Which cameras can handle the abuse required? How do they deal with problems like power, memory, and multiple lenses? Any information would be greatly appreciated; thanks, MeFi!
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Answer:
A few quick things - I'm a Canon guy and so are 99% of my colleagues , so that's where my experience lies. The 1 and 5 series cameras are the go-to bodies. I'm sure Nikon has and equivalent, but I don't know what it is. That said, there are other takes on it. I know people who've packed several lower end (think 40D-7D, depending on the era we're talking about) bodies with the intent on them being essentially disposable. That's more Iraq than Afghanistan though. And more and more, we're seeing people shooting with an iPhone and Hipstamatic/Instagram. Personally, I'd go with the 1 Series body and L-glass because its so well sealed. I'd pack a couple Fuji XPro-1 bodies as well, depending on where we're talking about. The discreet from of those Fujis will be a welcome feature in some situations. If you search http://www.sportsshooter.com/ you'll find even more info, including "what to take" guides written over the last decade regarding war/disaster. I recall a few lengthy articles about packing for covering Katrina and also Haiti.
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Other answers
Just a http://www.petapixel.com/2011/12/22/a-glimpse-inside-the-camera-bag-of-a-war-photographer/ into an embedded photographer's camera bag. There's another photographer whose name eludes me who operated in rough areas of Africa. He carried multiple cheap Olympus cameras around his neck, switching between them to max out their frame rate and gaining the advantage of redundancy.
Mercaptan
Just gonna reiterate what is listed in Ben Lowy's interview. For a lot of Canon shooters it's a few 5D's and some prime lenses or the 1D series workhorse cameras. No reason to bring flashes or lenses longer than a 70-200. You are going to be doing a lot of walking with all your gear, so less is better. When out shooting, a 50 on one body and something wider on the other body, and maybe a bag for an extra lens or two. This photo from Libya give you an idea: http://www.aphotoeditor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/hicks-addario.jpg
WickedPissah
I'll also add that a friend of mine packs medium format film gear and a http://microsites.lomography.com/sprocketrocket/ on a regular basis for this sort of work.
blaneyphoto
Amateur photographer here. My rather educated guess is that they use the flagship workhorses of the premier brands. These are the oversized highly water resistant ruggedized bodies such as the Nikon D4 and the Canon 1DX (or its predecessor the 1D Mark IV). These bodies have high frame rates and room for very large batteries. My guess is that they have multiple batteries with them, and are probably carrying two or three identical bodies, each with a different lens attached. Probably a wide angle prime (a 15mm), a midrange zoom (24-70), and a moderate tele (70-200). I suspect you could pretty easily find a pro's blog who details his/her gear.
dave*p
Also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Photographer (Canon 1 series film bodies) And http://www.amazon.com/Shutterbabe-Adventures-Deborah-Copaken-Kogan/dp/0375758682 (Leica film bodies)
blaneyphoto
Although I assume you're looking for current info, a very interesting take on the topic is presented in this book: http://www.amazon.com/War-Reporting-Cowards-Chris-Ayres/dp/0871138956
blaneyphoto
You definitely get people who shoot with less usual and more specialised gear, but the standard is 2 x Canon 1-series/Nikon D3 or 4, plus a 16-35, 24-70, 70-200, and probably a 50mm and maybe a macro. A few batteries, buckets of few memory cards. Probably a Canon 580EX or two (or the Nikon equivalent), plus an off-camera cable and Pocket Wizards.
Magnakai
http://www.zoriah.net/blog/2009/05/camera-corner-the-best-camera-for-photojournalism-and-documentary-photography.html is a pretty good run-down from Zoriah. Ben Lowly also touches on it in http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2011/12/look-life-conflict-photographer-ben-lowy.
dave*p
For the budget minded, like those in the armed forces and many pros, the answer you are looking for is the Pentax K-5, K-7 (old) or K-30 (not yet released). Many of the Pentax lenses are sealed, the body is smaller than the comparable mid sized slr* Nikon, Canon or Sony, and costs much less to gear up. And the pictures are as good as the others, and fans of it really love it. For example, it is as well rated as the Canon D5 over at dpreview.com. There has been a big isse with the K-5 called 'mirror flop' when the model came out that has generally been well handled by warrrnty (~50$ in shipping). * folks with cash go full sized. Thats the likes of Nikon D3 and D4 line, and the aformentioned Canon 1D
zenon
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