the Gear

#1 Cameras and e.t.c.:

• Two brands that come to mind in the Digital SLR arena today are Canon and Nikon.
• For video cameras, Sony, Panasonic and Canon are in the mix.
• laptops: Mac or PC (running Mac OSX or Windows Vista) wireless Internet and plenty of hard drive space.
  

The main differences between Canon and Nikon Digital SLR's are:

1. Price and value
   
2. Image Sensor Size (resolution, mega pixels, etc)
   
3. Image Color and Exposure
4. Nighttime flash color and exposure
   
5. Technical Support and warranty
   

#2 Transportation:

This varies a lot from Paparazzo to paparazzo or Agency to agency.
Most prefer compact, mid-size to full-sized SUV's and some cars including:

• Chevrolet Suburban's old and new
• GMC Tahoe's new
• Cadillac Escalades old and new
  
• Range Rovers and Land Rovers, LR3, etc.
• Toyota 4runners and Sequoia
• Old Ford Bronco's
• Old and new Ford Mustangs
• Subaru Impreza sedan or Wagon
• Ford Explorer's and Expeditions
• Mercedes Benz C, E, SL or M class
• Audi A4's, A6's and Q7
• Honda Elements
• Toyota Minivans
  
• basically anything with enough power to keep up with celebrities driving habits.

Very few paparazzo use motorcycles or mopeds/scooters.


#3 Essentials:

• a nice pair of binoculars (Canon, Nikon, Leica or Minox)
  
• pocket knife toolkit (Swiss Army, Gerber or Leatherman) should be plenty.
• bright and durable flash light.(Surefire, Maglight, etc)
• water (in your car)
• Portable/in-dash GPS or a city keymap (Thomas Guide for LA)
  
• smartphone, cellphone, Nextel, pair of walkie-talkies, police scanner
• messenger bag, backpack
  
• buisness cards
• windex
  

(more on the subject will be added later)