14 DIGITAL CAMERA^ DECEMBER 2019Inside Dan Tidswell’s kit bag
What this leading pro packs for location photography around the world1 Sony
Alpha 7R III
Dan switched to the Sony Alpha
system in 2015 and now shoots
full-time with the A7R III. Its 42.4MP
resolution gives his images the
detail he needs, and the tilting rear
screen rules out having to shoot
while lying down. Dan is also
a big fan of Sony’s Eye AF
feature (see box, opposite).2 Sony FE 24-
70mm f/2.8 GM
Dan loves this lens with a passion.
The focal range covers much ofwhat he uses the most, and he says
the image quality is as close to a
prime lens as he’s ever seen in a
zoom: “It’s extremely sharp, with
beautiful bokeh at the long end.”3
Samyang 14mm
f/2.8 IF ED UMC
A recent acquisition, Dan uses this
affordable wide-angle prime for
some distinctive creative effects.4 Canon EF 85mm^
f/1.2L II USM
Possibly Dan’s favourite lens of all
time, thanks to its pleasing optical
distortion and dreamy bokeh.5
ژSigma
MC-
This converter allows Canon
EF lenses to be used on Sony’s
E-Mount, and brings the added
benefit of Alpha series camera
features, including Eye AF.13542Feedback on test
shots helps put
the model at ease.Two tracks run north from Uptown’s 86th Street,
carrying express and local services respectively.
Setting up on the local platform, and firing off
a couple of test shots, Dan got the best results
when the train was leaving the station and
accelerating away. Positioned just in front of a
pillar, Erin assumed the relevé position. Shooting
almost wide-open with the train picking up speed,
Dan’s choice of shutter speed froze Erin against
the moving backdrop, creating another ‘keeper’
image. The aluminium sides of the train created
pleasing streaks and the blurred stars and stripes
flag at the end of every carriage combined to
provide a colourful abstract effect.
Dan tried a couple of other compositions before
we broke for lunch to discuss the plan for the
evening’s shoot. With the rain forecast to have
passed by 6pm, Dan wanted to shoot some
Manhattan street scenes for his stock library.
Starting in the area around 42nd Street as day
turned to night, Dan captured some images of
a pedestrian crossing overlooked by the moon,
which was making a fleeting appearance through
a break in the clouds. Removing his 24-70mm
Sony lens, he switched to his Canon EF 85mm
f/1.2, usable on the E-mount via an adaptor.
“This is probably my favourite lens of all time,”
Dan enthused. “You do get distortion when using
it but also a unique character, which I’ve yet to
see in any other lens.” This particular lens – now
discontinued – has an interesting backstory: it is
actually a rebuild, combining innards from two
life-expired donor lenses of the same type. Used
wide open at f/1.2, the bokeh it produces is very
pleasing, as Dan proved by shooting the tail lights
of various vehicles corraled at a junction.
Times Square was our next stop, but it was too
early to grab any images free enough of crowds.
So for these two Englishmen in New York, our
street fashion and stock shoot was coming to an
end. We’d be flying back to the UK in the morning- hopefully leaving the bad weather in the US...
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