In your bag 493, Jeremy Krumsick
Jeremy brings us a mental street beast of a bag. Carrying around a 67 for street work is going to make you fit, and the shutter is like a thunderclap, but that doesn’t put Jeremy off. Come and have a look.
My name is Jeremy Krumsick, I live in Brooklyn, NY and I have been shooting fairly seriously for about 5 years now. The real interest in photography came when I got a camera in my hands while underwater on a scuba diving trip. After that, I couldn’t get enough… I was addicted.
I bought a whole underwater setup and started diving every chance I could get (you should have seen my bag then, it was around 40 kilos). After a few years of this, I realized that my digital gear was losing its resale value and that living in New York doesn’t allow you to get wet enough to justify the equipment so I sold it.
On a whim, my brother lent me his Voigtlander and 15mm lens and I started shooting photos on the subway. The next obsession was found – street photography… in film. What could be more organic?
Since then I moved from Voigtlanders RF’s to Nikon SLRs to my everyday camera – the Pentax 67. Moving to medium format wasn’t easy, there was a definite transition involved. And I was naive to think it would give me the same photos as a 35mm camera except in higher resolution (it won’t). You simply cannot be as fast with a MF camera as you can with a 35mm one. Perfect example – the focus throw on the Pentax lenses is crazy long (making focusing take more time) and the DOF crazy shallow (making zone focusing a no-go). This makes you take different photos – it’s as simple as that. You have to be slower, and camp out to get the good stuff. 35mm shots can be faster and therefore have a more “spontaneous” feel to them (Joel Meyerowitz anyone?).
But! MF does give you something that 35mm cannot.. huge negatives and the resulting “look”. There’s this 3D quality that you can just feel in the images. And it feels so good!
Gear:
National Geographic Walkabout Medium Rucksack. This bag is great. I have been through over 10 countries with it and it hasn’t skipped a beat. It’s comfortable, lightweight and has a nice layout. Also, the tripod holder design is really great! I haven’t found any other bag that can hold a tripod like this.
Pentax 67. Some people love them and some hate them. I happen to be in the latter camp. To keep her lightweight – go for the waist-level viewfinder. The prism viewfinders (even though beautiful) can weigh as much as the body. Also skip the giant wooden handle so many people have. I had one and it only adds weight and the hand holding is just awkward. Don’t forget the strap.
105mm, 75mm and 165mm lenses. I normally shoot with the 105mm F2.4 lens. The annoying thing about MF cameras is that the lenses don’t go down to 1.2 like 35mm lenses do. I believe the fastest MF lens out there is f2 (I could be wrong). But f2.4 is pretty fast considering what else is out there. And this lens is sturdy, great optics and nice bokeh. What’s not to love? Oh – and you can pick one up for $120. Bam.
Artista EDU 200 ISO 120 Film. This is some of the cheapest 120mm black and white film made (around $3 per roll new). I develop it myself and really like the results. A lot of guys love Tri-X and HP5… and I do too. But shooting on the street is a vice that needs to be kept cheap. This is the best way I know how. Oh yea – one thing about the Artista EDU 200 is that you can push to 400 or 800 easily. The Artista EDU 400 you strangely can’t do that with… (apparently its mis-labelled as it should really be 240 ISO). Stick with the 200 ISO version and you will be happy.
Sekonic L-308s. This is the typical hand held meter. The Pentax doesn’t come with an automatic mode or a meter (metered prism is cool but heavy). This lightweight and cheap meter does the trick very well. Maybe that’s why I’ve noticed them so often in these “In Your Bag” posts?
Other necessities – iPhone, Wallet, Keys, Air Blower and the occasion banana if I am hungry.
About my Photos: I shoot mainly street photography and update my blog twice a week here: www.stillthrill.com.
Cheers!
Jeremy
Thanks for sharing your bag with us Jeremy. It is great to see someone using the Pentax, what a great camera.
Check out the links and make sure you come and comment.
Keep them coming folks, we need more submissions, so get your bag on Japancamerahunter.com. Send me a hi resolution image of the bag (please make sure it is horizontal) and its contents, with some details about yourself and what you shoot. Oh and don’t forget your contact details (twitter, flickr, tumbler et al). Send the bag shots here.
Cheers
Japancamerahunter
Great Camera and a great description of WHY you use the equipment you do. Keep up the great blog and the work.
One of the best bag posts so far, not only is the bag interesting, it was fun reading the post. Very rewarding. Thanks for sharing.
I have seen people with the Pentax and the wodden handle. I think the wooden handle looks great – like carrying a piece of antique furniture around.
I agree on the notion about 35mm versus MF. The only medium format I have ventured in is Lomography’s Belair camera which will become somewhat useful when they manage to ship those Russian glass lenses they promised.
Other than that, I need the spontanious capabilities of smaller cameras.
Nice bag / nice camera / nice set :)
Thanks for the nice notes.
@ Steve -Yes, there is a specific reason why I use the equipment that I do. I think I have recognized the 67’s capabilities and go after shots it will take well. I like to understand my equipment and use it for what it does best.
@Tobias – I’ve had the wooden handle and while it looked cool, I don’t think it served any other real purpose besides aesthetic. Holding it was not fun… but maybe I just didn’t get used to it.
I might’ve become a snob because I enjoy using the 67 A LOT and of course I enjoy getting the photos too. But some day I think I will venture back into the world of 35mm… some day.
Best!
Jeremy
You should maybe try a fuji GS645s Jeremy, if you want a lightweight and unobtrusive medium format camera. The 60mm lens is roughly 35mm in 35mm format and smaller than a dslr.
I love mine and switch between M6’s and the GS seamlessly.
Nice to see someone doing it their own way though.
Thanks Mike. I’ve read about the GS645s and hear it’s a really great camera for an excellent price. If I didn’t want so many other cameras (Mamiya 7, LargeFormat Horseman, Hasselblad 500… and others) then I would probably go for it.