My current gear consists of two sets of equipment. The basic, almost carry anywhere set is a Panasonic Lumix DMC LX3. This camera is compact, though I would prefer an even more compact camera, as the lens does protude a bit. But it has an outstanding lens...Leica f/2.0 to f/2.8 across the zoom range...which goes from an equivalent focal length in 35mm of 28mm to 60mm. The sensor is rather small, and this renders a rather large depth of field, even at f/2.
I use it to shoot mainly food, and evening scenes...I almost always default to widest lens, and shoot at AE of f/2. I also limit the auto ISO to a max of 400.
I used to employ a Canon EOS system...having owned a film EOS 630, to a digital EOS 300D, and a EOS 1Dmk3. These are fantastic cameras. The 1d3 in particular is quite magnificent. I had a bevy of lenses, from 17-40/f4L, 85/f2L, 100/f2.8 macro, 135/f2L, 70-200 f/2.8L IS. I have sold all the Canon system except for the body and macro lens. So if anyone is interested in a great high speed camera, this is one. Good for F1! Give me a yell, and we work out something. I also have two Canon EX580 flashes.
My main camera these days is a Hasselblad H3D-39. This is the older H3D which accepts film backs, unlike the H3D-II and the H4D, which are digital only. I have the HCD 4/28 very wide angle lens, the HC 4/120 Makro , the HC 3.5-4.5 50-110 zoom, and the HC 4/80 normal lens. For watch shots, I use either or both of two extension tubes - the 28mm and the 52mm, usually with the 120 but sometimes also with the 80. For multipanel panoramas, I use either the 28, 80 or 120, depending on needs. And I stitch them using PhotoShop CS4.
I also have two studio flashes from Profoto - the Compact 600 on umbrellas and a variety of black and white flags.
For landscape and macro shots, I utilize a Manfrotto 454 macro focussing rail, sitting on top of a Photoclam Multiflex head. Which in turn sits on top of a Gitzo 1541LS carbon fibre tripod. All components are selected carefully. I use Arca style plates between the camera and to hold the Manfrotto rail to the head.
The Photoclam head is an amazing device. It is very precise, allowing for micrometric adjustments, critical in macro. And it very well machined. Similar to the Arca Swiss The Cube.
When I can, I prefer to shoot the Hasselblad tethered via a generic Firewire 400 cable to my Dell Studio XPS16 laptop running Phocus.
The Hasselblad and its lenses are a fabulous system...the image quality is tremendous, and most of the shots can easily be printed up to 2m wide with almost no loss in image quality. I also prefer the slower working style mandated by the medium format system in comparison to the 10 frames per second style of the Canon EOS 1dmk3.
