bob_wertanen Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Being that my birthday is coming up, my wife is letting me get a new piece of camera equipment. I currently have a Canon 20D with a 24-70 f2.8 L, 70-200 IS f2.8 L, 50mm f1.4, 100mm macro, & 550EX flash. As I'm an amateur photographer who dabbles in about everything, I'm not sure what to get. I was thinking of upgrading to a 5D, but is it worth the upgrade? With a $1700 budget, a new lens, flash, or Gitzo tripod would be nice as well. As I rarely get these opportunities sanctioned from my wife, I want to get the biggest bang for my buck. Any insightful recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks, ahead of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdehaan Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I had the exact same opportunity 4 days ago. Birthday coming up and a rare chance when the wife said go ahead. I was wanting a large telephoto, but couldn't milk $8000 out of her so I got the Sigma 50-500 (Bigma). If it were me, I'd go for another lens. Ever want anything more than 200mm? Derrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_wertanen Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 Derrick: A 200+ L series lens would be a dream come true...but I can't go over the $1700 budget by that much. I've heard the 135mm 2.0L is nice, but the 70-200 IS 2.8L covers it's range for the most part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah_fox Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 My advice would be to put the $1700 in the bank for your photographic fund. Wait until you need something new, and THEN spend it -- not necessarily all of it at one time. Think of it like a rain check. If I were you, I'd take a bit from the fund to take your wife out for a nice dinner to thank her for being so supportive of your hobby. I know my suggestion isn't as much fun as blowing $1700 on new toys and getting the instant gratification that comes from that, but if you don't know what you want to buy, you probably don't really need anything right now anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_clark___minnetonka_mi Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Hi Bob, I lament each time I see a post that has equipment as a (sometimes only) way of spending money and I interpret this expenditure as a major way to improve a persons' photography. Another idea for you to consider to spend the money. Perhaps a class on photography on what you have your heart and soul needing to capture. A class on light, on composition, on the various stages, from capture to viewing with digital photography. For example, if you aspire to use a software program like painter how about taking a course from Jane Conner Ziser? Check this out: http://www.janesdigitalart.com/jdas/index.php Other artists offer in-depth classes focusing on their speciality. I've found that most of the photographers I look up to and seek their advice use the simplest equipment. Just a thought to help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_gale Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Dont you shoot wide? 24mm on a DSLR gives you about 36mm film angle of view. Thats more of a "normal" than wide. I dont know anything about Canon but I'm guessing that they have similar wide angle zooms to the Nikon. Here is a page that discusses one option and many alternatives. Good luck. You are fortunate to a a wife who is generous to your hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_gale Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Sorry, i forgot to paste the link: http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/16-35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry_spade Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 How about a Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite for your 100mm macro lens. I love mine. Or a second flash like the Canon Speedlite 580EX II with a light stand or two, and a couple of Umbrellas. Then you could try some off camera flash techniques. I think you can do a master slave setup with the 550EX and the 580EX II. Of course I love my 5D. It is an amazing camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin_sibson1 Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 What do you perceive as the limitations of your present kit? You have some superb lenses, that you might add to but certainly do not need to replace. You have an elderly but very capable flash that you certainly should keep for use as a slave if you buy a 580EXII, which might be a worthwhile upgrade, and either the MR-14EX or MT-24EX would open up new possibilities in conjunction with your 100/2.8. You have a capable 1.6-factor body but its successor-but-one, the 40D is seriously much better, and a body upgrade may be worth considering. On 1.6-factor, you don't have any significant WA capability, and if you are staying with that format then the 10~22 is an obvious choice, whereas if you move to FF, 24mm, that you already have, may be wide enough. 200mm on 1.6-factor is usefully long but you may well wish to go further, and a good solution there as a next step would be the Extender 1.4x, with very little performance penalty; the Extender 2x is not generally regarded as well-suited to the 70~200/2.8IS. I am very pleased with the Gitzo 2220 / Acratech GV2 combination of tripod and ballhead - very flexible for close-up/macro work (better still with the Kirk focusing rail), and the designed-in gimbal capability of the GV2 is a boon for long-but-not-massive lenses - I use it with the 100~400. As for a move to FF, I really don't think Canon can hang on much longer before replacing the 5D. You might be content to get a bargain 5D as they come to the end of the product cycle (that's what I thought I was doing a year ago!), but unless you need to spend the money immediately or have a specific short-term need for additional kit, the advice to hang on at least until any Photokina announcements, probably late August, seems like the best choice. That'll give you time to think through your own priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_green4 Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 sounds like you've got the basics covered except for the extreme focal lengths. you need a super-wide or tele lens. a 10-22 or 300 (plus converter) would be nice. other option would be to put it away for a photo vacation or the 50D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Crowe Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Spend the $1700 before she renegs! To me your choices are Sigma 12-24 (superwide and works full frame too), Canon 16-35/2.8 L (wideangle but too much money really for the overlap with your 24-70), Canon 300mm f4 L IS, Canon EF 1.4x, or Canon 5D. You don't need another flash but a good tripod would be a good idea, but you can likely solve this for less than $300. Actually for your budget you could get a used Canon EF 300/4 L (no IS) from keh.com, a new Sigma 12-24 from B&H and a Canon EF 1.4x to go with your 70-200 and the 300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_rockwood Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 It seems to me that the suggestion by Bill Clark of some classes is a great idea. What about shoring up the wide angle side of your arsenal, either with a fixed focal length, or maybe the either the 18-55mm IS or the 17-55mm IS lens. The tripod is a great idea as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linh dinh Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 You should get a new camera, 40D for $1299, and a tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhut-nguyen Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 40D is $1139.95 on BH, currently Canon's having a $200 instant rebate so that drives the 40D to less than $950. With about $750 left, have you considered a wide angle zoom, perhaps the EF 17-40 f/4.0L for $650 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.t.ecker Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I would look for a used 1D MkII or 1D MkIIn. Should be within your budget since the MkIIIs are out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_seiz1 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I have both the 20D and 5D and I would say for now pass on the 5D because Canon will be coming out with the 5D Mark II and put the money towards that when it is released. Good luck and be patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark u Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 How about spending the money on a vacation so that you will have photo opportunities you wouldn't otherwise get, and your wife will also benefit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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