What's In The Bag w/Chris Weeks, Freelance Photographer Part 1

This guy is from my home town. stoked.

I don't use UV filters unless I expect to protect them from the elements. Plus, think about it. He's doing mainly indoor shoots. As one Leica engineer put it, "If we thought our lenses needed a flat piece of glass in front of the outer element, we would have made them that way."

say chris,

about 2.5 minutes into this video, you show a lens with an outer ring attached to it. is this a focusing ring of some sort? where can i find one? thanks.

It is a follow-focus ring like the ones you see on video cameras that, when equipped with the rest of the setup, turns the left-right focus movement into forward-and-backwards movement. Having gearing, it can make the relatively-short throw of a large, awkward barrel into a fine, long throw on a knob which is much easier on the wrists, is more accurate and keeps camera shake to a minimum. Check his part 2 and part 3 videos for more info.

Simply, he likes to shoot wide open. Like some photographers like to shoot with with a narrow aperture, or use a flash, or use a certain lens. Like painters want to use watercolours or oil paints, matte finish compared to gloss finish!

just personal taste, like every thing else that's art based! Not sure if you have experienced shooting pictures in terrible locations, but shallow depth of field is an excellent way of blurring out the background, so it's not a horrible messy distraction.

I think the OP meant covered by a lens cover (to protect them). I guess the answer is: he doesn't want to waste time fiddling with them when he puts them on his camera; he trusts that bag to protect them; he has UV filters on all the lenses (although I didn't notice this, and a lot of people don't do that)

If he wants more light in the camera why is he using a filter. That's the context of my question. I know why you'd use a wide aperture, but I'd close it down a little rather than reach for a filter if it was too bright. He must really like the shallow DOF (plus all the other problems you get when you don't lower the aperture a few stops down from wide open).

He used ND filters so he can REDUCE the light in so can remain aperture wide open

Well he's using ND filters so he can retain the wide aperture in bright sun light, so then yes - It is to achieve shallow depth of field - he explains that! If you look at his work it proves it too! That's exactly why he chooses the kit he has and how he uses it!. I'm pretty sure most professional photographers understand the theory of aperture.

What you consider "problems" are what other people might consider "character." Both the Leica lenses he's using (24mm, 35mm) and the Zeiss glass are highly corrected and designed to be used at their widest apertures. Like he said, if he wants to shoot wide open in full sunlight, the only way is to reduce that light. ND's are nothing new. If you think that's something check out Galen Rowell's use of split-gradient ND filters. It's all a means to an end.