anthony_thornborough1 Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 My 16-17 yr old daughter is studying photojournalism and I was thinking of giving her an old EOS 3 (with/without PBE2 booster) and 24-70 f/2.8 L. She’s quite petite. Is this too much camera for her to handle? Answers from Dads (and Moms) only please! Tony T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_pierlot Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 The EOS-3 is a bit bulky, but it's quite light in weight. It's the lens I'd be more worried about. The 24-70/2.8 L is very heavy for a lens of its range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_thornborough1 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 She drops it once, and that's that. Should I consider just giving her the 50 f/1.4 ? But that would severely limit her range. I'd rather she had a range of focal lenths, and a decent aperture to start with Dilemma! Tony T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gertle Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 If this is her first full-frame 35mm camera, even assuming some previous experience, same advice I would give anybody. Put a 50mm lens on it and leave it there for a long time. Learn how the camera and lens work and their limitations. And also learn to see what the lens sees, not what your eyes see. Once the functions of the camera become second nature, the rest is easier to learn. The over all package would be small and light. Not to mention that if USM is not critical the 1.8 can be had for less that 10 percent of the cost of the 24-70 and less than 30 percent of the 50f1.4. My $.02, fwiw I am actually a grandfather and have passed film equipment to younger siblings as well as my own children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkpix Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 I vote for the eos3 + the 50/1.4 (if you already own one) and the 50/1.8 (if you don't). Excellent, tough camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthijs Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Dear Anthony, I don't want to fire off a big discussion but I do wonder why you won't start her of with digital. (It might be a school/university rule or something like that. But I'd guess that current newspapers all shoot digital not in the least because of the ease of transferring images and the advantages of changable ISO.) That said I agree with previous posters that the 24-70/2.8 might be a handfull. Does she really need the 2.8? And if she does; is 2.8 really enough? If she doesn't the 24-205/4 IS might be more versatile, if she does one of the faster prime suggestions above could be better. Kind regards, Matthijs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 I'd probably be inclined to give her a Digital Rebel XSi. I'm not sure about the wisdom of "learning with film" since it's highly unlikely that any working photojournalist will be shooting a great deal of film in the future. Yes, I know some will and some do, but the vast majority will be shooting digital and will need to know digital techniques. The EOS-3 is a great film camera, but film as a working medium for photojournalism has certainly seen it's best days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_thornborough1 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 My EOS 3 is now sadly redundant as I use a DSLR but my daughter needs a film camera because the study module is broader than just current photography per se - and she has a Canon digital compact already. The EOS 3 + 50 f/1.4, which I can spare, seems like the best option to me. Thanks for your answers everyone, Tony T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert lee Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 "She’s quite petite. Is this too much camera for her to handle?" The EOS-5 can be a good choice as well. It is quite capable, but much lighter. For either the EOS-3 or EOS-5, I would suggest adding the vertical grip with shutter release. This really improves handling. However, the EOS-3 with PB-E2 is probably too heavy for extended carry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
znabal Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 My daughter is the same age and under 5ft. She shoots with the XT, but has also used my EOS-3 and 5D a ton. She has never complained about the size/weight of either camera, but she really seems to prefer her 50 f1.8 over my L zooms. Both the 24-70 and the 70-200 she thinks are way too heavy to lug around for long periods of time. She used the 5D and the 70-200 for a project at school a couple years ago, along with a tripod....she was carrying a lot of stuff back and forth each day. One side note about the EOS-3....it is LOUD good luck -jeffl<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbp Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 My guess is that your daughter could handle the weight of the EOS 3 with the zoom. That said, i agree with Gary. If she is starting out with photo journalism, mount a fast 50mm, and let her learn to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry_smith2 Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 Have a look at some of the first generation EOS zoom lenses. There are some quite good ones like the 28-70/3.5-4.5 II, the 35-105/3.5-4.5, and the 70-210/4. Not L lenses (the 28-70 comes fairly close), but good consumer zooms that were built better and had higher optical quality (except for the 70-210, where it was a draw) than the USM lenses that replaced them. You could get one of each plus the 50/1.8 and the latest Sigma 70-300/4-5.6 APO Macro for less than the 24-70 L. She would have a lot more flexibility with a package like this than with just the 24-70 or with the 50 or with the pair together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_thornborough1 Posted November 30, 2008 Author Share Posted November 30, 2008 I gave away my old EOS 5 / VG10 combo to an art student friend of my current partner, so my daughter is getting the EOS 3, 380EX, Canon 50 f/1/.4, Sigma 24 f/1.8 EX and Canon 85 f/1.8 - the wide and portrait following any initial enthusiasm with the standard prime. I've decided to keep the 24-70L! Cheers Tony T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuppyDigs Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 The EOS 3, sans PB-E2, and a small prime is a petite and light package compared to a typical pro camera. Add the 24-70 2.8 and it's gettin' kinda heavy. A 35 2.0 or small zoom (24-85 USM) would prove an easier package to grip. Sometimes the light’s all shining on me. Other times I can barely see. - Robert Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albert lui Posted November 30, 2008 Share Posted November 30, 2008 I'd take any camera mounted to the luxury 24-70L lens. If I had to hike with this rig, I'd definitely use a photo backpack for balanced weight distribution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_campbell1 Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Find an old RB67 kit; make her use it for a few days. All possible complaints about the EOS will evaporate! Seriously, an EOS-3 weighs ~780g, slightly less than my 'tank' T-90. Unless she's significantly malnourished, she won't have any trouble with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_thornborough1 Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 If she keeps it up she's in for Mamiya 645 Pro TL, with 45 f/2.8, 50 f/4 Shift, 80 f/1.9 and 150 f/3.5, though that's more of a dad's collector item now! I wish I used it more often, but never do...! Tony T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_smith6 Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Why don't you just ask your daughter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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