Qestion for Vest Wearers: feedback please...

Got a question for those photographers wearing "safari/photographer" vests...

i know you can carry many gear in your bags and whatnot, but strictly vest wearing scenario, i would appreciate if you guys can chime in and let me know...

1) how many lenses do you carry in your vest?

2) what are the lenses you usually carry in your vest pockets?

3) what are the most important, non-lens item you carry in your vest?

4) what are some of the brief advantages of wearing a vest?

5) what are some of the disadvantages of wearing a vest?

thank you in advance for taking time to let me know.
from a brief overview of the vests out there, it seems that there are fishing vest or safari vest that are not specifically geared towards photographers, especially in design... just that it provides the utility of many easily accessible pockets...

anywhoo, thanks again.

The fishing vests usually don't have large enough pockets

lannes wrote in post #10723066
The fishing vests usually don't have large enough pockets

yep, i'm aware of that...
i was over at the fabric market in Korea and was itching to sew together a vest... just wanted to get some feedbacks from the vest-wearers...

any/all replies would be greatly appreciated.

I use a fishing vest from Walmart ($15) with $5 Canon patch from eBay. I am too cheap to spend money on a $50 "photo vest".

kinghong1970 wrote in post #10722909
Got a question for those photographers wearing "safari/photographer" vests...

i know you can carry many gear in your bags and whatnot, but strictly vest wearing scenario, i would appreciate if you guys can chime in and let me know...

1) how many lenses do you carry in your vest?

Usually Two beyond what I have on the two bodies I usually carry.

70-200 or 24-70 in one and 17-40 or 135 f/2 in the other.

At airshows I'll generally have one body + 500mm f/4 on one shoulder and a second Body + 300mm f/2.8 .. 70-200 .. 24-70 .. 17-40 or 135 on the other depending on whether it's flight line time or walking around shooting statics time.

- Flash (Sometimes Two*)
- Canon Curly Cable or Skyport Tx and 2 Rx + Cables*
- Bottle of Water
- CF Cards
- Rocket Blower + Lens Pen
- Choclate Fudge Pop Tarts
- Notebook and Pen
- Nicorette
- CPL and GND (without filter holder .. I prefer to hand hold it over the lens)*
- Sometimes I'll carry a very small and light folding camp stool from REI*
- WhiBal Grey Card*
- Sekonic Meter*

(Optional for really hard core shooting days...)

- Easier to grab stuff quickly than when wearing a bag of some sort.
- I can find things without looking.
- Most Chicks Dig It...!

- Weight... You don't usually set your vest down like you can a bag (although if your somewhere where you can have a folding chair, you can hang it over the back.)
- Heat... Decent vests that will wear like iron are usually canvas and they get a little toasty in the AZ heat sometimes between May and October.
- The other handful of Chicks think you look like a Dork (not worth my time anyways!)

My vest of choice is a Domke btw...

Domke jacket or POTN vest -
I usually don't have lenses in the vest; they're in my Domke bag. What's in the vest are typically

• binoculars
  
• lens pen
  
• microfiber cloth
  
• water bottle
  
• audio recorder
  
• flash card wallet
  
• battery
  
• filter wallet
  
• nature guide(s) if doing wildlife shoots
  
• snacks
  
• disposable poncho
  
• pen & paper
  
• sunglasses (or the empty case)
  
• reading glasses
  

I used to carry my glasses with me but I discovered I like getting home and being surprised!

would you be more comfortable in carrying lenses in your pockets if it were "better fitting" and offers more protection?

it seems that basically, there is no "photog" specific utility in design and function of the vest, it's just a vest with a lot of pockets one can utilize...

thank you for those detailed responses...

any more/additional responses welcomed...

The Domke that I wear has some elastic along the top of the kidney pockets which keeps the top of the pocket a little bit drawn in.

Even my 100-400 rides deep enough that unless I kneel down and actually push the lens out of the pocket, it won't fall out under normal conditions.

I've seen some shooters use the lower front pockets for lenses but I find with a large prime hanging off both sides of me, that gets in the way.

has the material and fit ever been an issue?

cotton is cheap... and it can get heavy when humidity or perspiration kicks up a notch...
cotton is also notorious for providing an endless supply of lint/dust... even the cotton/poly or poly/cotton (pilling factory) fabric variations that is widely used due to their low price and somewhat rugged nature.

as for fit, the looser fit of the vest, and i think that 99% of the wearers wears the vest loose, the more "swing" your items in pocket will have and more susceptible to dings...
but then again, a more form fitting vest may not be quite comfortable as it'll hug to your body better... but on the other hand, it will keep the items in place and essentially become an extension of your body...

and thanks Jay for the detailed info on the Domke vest... i think i will go pick one up to review one.

It really depends on the shoot as to what goes in the vest. Shooting an event requires different supplies than shooting nature.

• batteries
  
• lens pen
  
• microfiber cloth
  
• water bottle
  
• plastic trash bags and ziplock bags for those rainy moments
  
• memory cards in a waterproof case
  
• notebook, pencil and credentials
  
• filters if warranted
  
• 50 f/1.4
  
• 85 f/1.8
  
• small rocket blower
  
• 1.4x TC
  
• sunglasses (or regular glasses)
  
• extension tubes
  
• sunscreen
  

No - I don't like the size/shape of lenses in the pockets. But then the smallest lens I usually use is the 24-70. And a lens would, like Jay says, get in the way of the cameras on each side, as well as when I kneel down.

Yesterday i needed to carry a spare lens, bottle of water, and teleconverters and didnt have a little bag to chuck it in, so i grabbed my Aquatech rain jacket, zipped the sleeves and hood off, and stuck the gear in its pockets.

it worked pretty well for the job i needed it for, and it is something i will remember next time i need to drag extra gear around with me

kinghong1970 wrote in post #10723479
has the material ever been an issue?

cotton is cheap... and it can get heavy when humidity or perspiration kicks up a notch...

cotton is also notorious for providing an endless supply of lint/dust... even the cotton/poly fabric variations...

I generally keep a flash in the inside left thigh pocket and it does get a little fuzz on it from time to time but I've never noticed a major issue with lenses (and mine usually ride with the front cap off...)

Quick swish with the lens pen or a couple squirts of Rocket Blower and any accumualted stuff is gone.

I guess I should post a shot of me modeling mine (I'm the tall, handsome devil in the middle...):

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FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10723492
I generally keep a flash in the inside left thigh pocket and it does get a little fuzz on it from time to time but I've never noticed a major issue with lenses (and mine usually ride with the front cap off...)

yes, it does get quite dusty... and the longer you wear cotton, the more fibers you'll see... the fabric does degrade over time more than some synthetics...

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10723492
Quick swish with the lens pen or a couple squirts of Rocket Blower and any accumualted stuff is gone.

true...

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10723492
I guess I should post a shot of me modeling mine (I'm the tall, handsome devil in the middle...):

hahaha... at least you weren't modeling the "chic" hawaiian printed shirt...

btw, are you wearing the vest oversized? about a size bigger? or do they just come that long?