Photography Gear

In this section we will show some of the gear we use to photograph birds. We use a lot big heavy gear to photograph these small birds. Wild bird photography in the Philippines is quite challenging. Even the process of building a rig is not easy. We found it very difficult trying to decide which pieces of kit to purchase from the many choices available. There is always a trade-off, weight, portability, price, quality, and performance. With new items always entering the market its not an easy task filtering all the information.

In this page we will talk about the gear we use, our favorite bits of kit, what we like and what we don't like. Hopefully this will be helpful for those who are thinking about similar gear and are looking for some field reviews. Our experience is based on our trips in the Philippines which has its own unique challenges to the wild bird photographer. We have a nation of 7,107 islands, rainforests, mountains, rivers and dirt trails, sun, rain, moisture, extreme heat and some cold weather. Its not easy to prepare for every situation, so its nice to have gear can handle the varied outdoor conditions.

Unique to the Philippines is the challenge of taking pictures of birds that are very wary of humans. We have visited a few other countries and bird photography is usually easier in other countries because the birds are friendlier. The habitat destruction, the hunting by humans and the general lack of infrastructure make Philippine Bird photography more difficult. I think these challenges are sometimes reflected in the kind of gear we choose.

We will keep updating entries to keep track of the performance, reliability, and durability of these products.

Kiboku Bag by Gura Gear<br />
<br />
This bag is best soft bag I have come across for carrying big lenses. It is purpose built for outdoor photography. <br />
<br />
It is ultra light. It is less than four pounds empty. Made with a very durable high tech sail cloth. The light weight is helpful especially on a long trek and when carrying the bag in the airport. <br />
<br />
It is supposed to be water resistant, not water proof. I usually put my gear in dry bags inside the bag if I expect really bad weather. And it has a rain cover if the rain starts to really pour. I've not had a problem with the water resistance of this product. But the zippers are not the sealed waterproof type so I expect that this would be the weak point if you were in a torrential downpour for a long time. If that were the case it would be good to have everything inside in dry bags just to make sure. <br />
<br />
It has the biggest capacity of any airline legal carry on bag I have seen. It can fit two complete 500mm f4 rigs side by side. Complete with 1.4x tc. In the picture on the left the Canon 300mm f2.8 is connected to a Canon 2x and mated to a 5dMk2. The whole rig fits loosely in the left main compartment. On the right main compartment is a 500mm f4, Canon 1.4x, and a 7d. On left compartment of the bag there is still space for another body or a lens. I would recommend it to birders who have a lot of camera gear. Bird photographers who carry spotting scopes and super telephoto lenses will find that everything can fit in this one bag.<br />
<br />
My usual kit in this bag is a Canon 5dmk2, Canon 7D, 500mm f4, 100-400mm f.5.6, 24-70mm, 1.4x tc, flash, flash bracket, better beemer, extra batteries, CF cards, cables, chargers, flashlight. <br />
<br />
The picture on the right is the bag zipped up with two big camera rigs comfortably inside. It has enormous space. There are straps for the tripod and side pockets for a water bottle. <br />
<br />
The only limitation is the amount you can carry on your back. There is a temptation to pack everything in your dry box into this bag. Don't do it! You will kill your back before you run out of space.<br />
<br />
The straps provide adequate support and have a nice adjustable belt strap to help distribute the weight. If you want to streamline the bag the straps can be hidden inside the bag. <br />
<br />
The main issue with this bag is the cost. It is around $400.00. But for carrying big lenses I have not seen a better bag yet. I saw an article in the web, on one safari in Botswana a person noticed that 8 of the 10 bags were Kiboku bags. <br />
<br />
This bag is easy to clean and after washing the straps dry very fast.

10 / 13

Kiboku Bag by Gura Gear

This bag is best soft bag I have come across for carrying big lenses. It is purpose built for outdoor photography.

It is ultra light. It is less than four pounds empty. Made with a very durable high tech sail cloth. The light weight is helpful especially on a long trek and when carrying the bag in the airport.

It is supposed to be water resistant, not water proof. I usually put my gear in dry bags inside the bag if I expect really bad weather. And it has a rain cover if the rain starts to really pour. I've not had a problem with the water resistance of this product. But the zippers are not the sealed waterproof type so I expect that this would be the weak point if you were in a torrential downpour for a long time. If that were the case it would be good to have everything inside in dry bags just to make sure.

It has the biggest capacity of any airline legal carry on bag I have seen. It can fit two complete 500mm f4 rigs side by side. Complete with 1.4x tc. In the picture on the left the Canon 300mm f2.8 is connected to a Canon 2x and mated to a 5dMk2. The whole rig fits loosely in the left main compartment. On the right main compartment is a 500mm f4, Canon 1.4x, and a 7d. On left compartment of the bag there is still space for another body or a lens. I would recommend it to birders who have a lot of camera gear. Bird photographers who carry spotting scopes and super telephoto lenses will find that everything can fit in this one bag.

My usual kit in this bag is a Canon 5dmk2, Canon 7D, 500mm f4, 100-400mm f.5.6, 24-70mm, 1.4x tc, flash, flash bracket, better beemer, extra batteries, CF cards, cables, chargers, flashlight.

The picture on the right is the bag zipped up with two big camera rigs comfortably inside. It has enormous space. There are straps for the tripod and side pockets for a water bottle.

The only limitation is the amount you can carry on your back. There is a temptation to pack everything in your dry box into this bag. Don't do it! You will kill your back before you run out of space.

The straps provide adequate support and have a nice adjustable belt strap to help distribute the weight. If you want to streamline the bag the straps can be hidden inside the bag.

The main issue with this bag is the cost. It is around $400.00. But for carrying big lenses I have not seen a better bag yet. I saw an article in the web, on one safari in Botswana a person noticed that 8 of the 10 bags were Kiboku bags.

This bag is easy to clean and after washing the straps dry very fast.

gura2 Tonji Ramos photography gear bird Canon

Birds of the Philippines

Photos and videos of wild birds found in the Philippines. We travel all over the Philippines to document and take pictures of birds. Our goal is to make this site a resource of information and images about wild birds of the Philippines.

Photography Gear