Riding and taking great photos has always been a challenge. First, you want a camera that is light and compact. Second you want both a wide angle to catch those great vistas — and a long telephoto to get in tight. Third, you want a camera that is instant on and can shoot photos in rapid succession.
All of that rules out most point-and-shoot cameras.
My old standard outfit was to carry a 18-70mm short zoom plus a 80-200mm long zoom lens. But this was an incredible hassle. The short zoom and camera, a Nikon D100, would fit great in the tank bag. But the longer lens had to be stowed away in the saddle bags.
So it completely ruled out shooting tight, fast shots from the saddle during quick stops.
But all of that changed this summer. I bought Nikon's new 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 G ED. All of the photos from the Colorado trip were taken with this lens. This is one of Nikon's latest lens with vibration reduction; Nikon says that makes it good for about four f-stops faster.
Basically that means you shoot in lower light, with less blur.
The equivalent 35mm focal length for the new lens is 27-300mm. Which covers everything from wide angle to long telephoto. So it fits great into the KISS principle (keep it simple, son): one lens, one body.
Plus the whole shebang slips right into a tank bag, where it is available for quick shots, secure, padded storage, and instant removal.
One other equipment suggestion for budding moto-photojournalists: A flip helmet.
Flip up the helmet, flip open the tank bag, and you're shooting.
No more stopping to take off your helmet to compose a nice shot, or catch that fleeting moment.
Here are a couple of examples that show the versatility of the new lens. Both of these were taken from the same spot. In the photo of the bike you can just make out Todd on the top of the rock.
Shot at the 27mm.
Shot at 270mm setting.
This lens just really gets the job done!
Some stats on the lens can be found here.
Ken Rockwell has an in-depth review here.
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