That leaves a lot that I do photograph: landscapes, events, people from a distance, street scapes, nature, low light. If I were out in the field I'd like to be able to go from wide to telephoto as quick as possible. I've not yet entered the world of video but with the current crop of prosumer cameras, that is an option as well.
Based on these two paragraphs, experienced photographers might know where I am heading with my selections. The prices quoted below are taken from www.camerasdirect.com.au.
- Canon 5D Mark II - $2,947: full frame sensor for landscapes and good performance at high ISO settings for low light performance. $7,053 left.
- Canon EOS 7D - $1997: Another body. This one for sporting events and nature. Eight frames per second shooting. An APS-C sensor gives a 1.6x throw to attached lenses getting a bit closer to the action. Having a second body removes the need to constantly swap lenses. $5,056 left.
- Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L - $1,689: With half the money gone the lenses will need to be zooms. The first is the 24-70 f2.8L for the 5D Mark II. On the 5D this lens gives the full 24mm at the wide end and the f2.8 should give good low light performance for nightscapes. The combination of this lens and the 5D Mk II also provides a nice combination for capturing 'atmosphere' at sporting events. $3,367 left.
- Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS - $2133: A lens for the 7D. F2.8 means fast, Image stabilised makes hand holding at the longer end is possible. On the 7D the effective length of this lens is 112-320mm. Perfect for sporting and nature closeups. $1,234 left.
What to do with that last $1,234. I'd probably get the 50f1.4 at $484 (the 50f1.2L is too expensive at $1,867), a flash, and other accessories.
Another option would be to swap the 5D Mk II and 7D for a single Canon 1D Mk IV at $6,250. I'd loose the full frame sensor of the 5D Mk II and the extra throw of the 7D for the in-between APS-H sensor. I'd also loose the benefit of two bodies instead adding the need to change lenses on the fly. But, 10fps for 120 shot bursts, to quote Homer, aarrghhhhhhh.
Posts
3 comments:
That's some excellent kit there. All very drool worthy. If I were to delve into this game, with my shooting preferences, I'd still be quite close:
5D2 Body: $2947 (that's about $500 cheaper than what I paid!)
24-70 f/2.8L: $1689
70-200 f/2.8L: $1637
50 f/1.2L: $1867
17-40 f/4L: $1067
430 EX II: $388
Total: $9595
With the remaining $405, I'd get a small diffuser for the flash and some filters (plus filter holder etc...) for landscape stuff. A couple of NDs (grads and straight), that sort of thing.
There is a LOT of fun to be had with all that kit, but I'd also pine for a nice tripod and perhaps the 100mm f/2.8L Macro. Can I have more budget please?
You can have more budget if you convert to US$ and shop at a US store (and ignore shipping costs).
What I need to research is the qualitative difference between a prime lens and a zoom lens at the equivalent focal length. While shooting at the cycling I found the fixed lens restrictive in composition and pined for a zoom (as I mentioned previously). But, had I had that zoom lens, would my photos have been of lower quality (not that my photos were great of course ... shooting sport is hard).
Thanks for your list. Interesting that you went for the non-IS 70-200. A trade off to have more money for other lenses? Flashes and filters and remote triggers and ... are a side of photography I haven't really entered and as a result didn't really know what to choose.
Primes always seem to come up nice and sharp for me, however, the good L-lenses also share that same quality. I do love all my lenses, but the sheer excellence of the photos produced by the 50 f/1.8 make me consider the 50 f/1.2. It really is an amazing little lens.
I thought about the IS, but in the end I listened to a couple of friends and found they were right: I'd rarely, if ever, use it. If I'm in a situation where I need to go hand-held with it, most likely I'm in a situation where I'd need a tripod anyway. Shooting at f/2.8 ISO800 during the night works quite well and is still very usable on the 5D2. For those few situations where I could have perhaps used IS, it's involved shooting people at night - and in the end, no amount of IS is going to make people sit still!
Post a Comment