upgrading, need advide, used (old)5d or new 50d + glass, or 5dMrkII, no lenses?

[nataliyacole]

<p>Hello All,<br>

I have recently started shooting weddings (I am primarily a fashion photographer, and have been shooting fashion for about 3 years now, but due to a lot of recent requests from freinds/family, have found myseld shooting weddings and enjoying quite a bit, so as a result I am slowly getting into this new market and building up a wedding portfolio.) My current equipment setup is woefully out of date and I have been saving up to upgrade. I currently shoot a 20d (yeah, i know, don't worry i've borrowed backup cameras for the weddings, so i had my ass somewhat covered) and my leses consist of a canon 24-105 and a fast 1.8f 50 prime<br>

I'm obviously salivating over the new 5d mark II, but the price tag is pretty damn steep.... so i can either splurge on the camera and not buy any glass, or get the old 5d or new 50d(being the cheepest option) and get some glass...<br>

If i get the 5d, i will be ok on the wide angle end with my current 24-105, and just get a zoom, however if i get the 50d, i will most likely be looking to get a wide angle becuase of the crop from the sensor size in addition to the zoom. So i pretty much have 3 options:</p>

<ol>

<li>5d Mark II, and keep renting lenses as i need them, with the 20d as backup</li>

<li>old 5d, and a new zoom telephoto</li>

<li>50d, a wide angle, and a prime telephoto.</li>

</ol>

<p>I am trying to keep this all under $2600, and i have not yet delved into lenses, i'm just thinking in terms of coverage, what i see mylself needing...<br>

As far as flash goes, i've been renting so far and haven't run into problems... they are pretty cheap to rent for the day ($20 at my local rental shop) compared to buying one outright... so i think i will stick to that for now.<br>

Any advice??</p>

<p> Thanks!<br>

Nataliya Cole</p>

[picturesque]

<p>5D, 35mm f2, 85mm f1.8. 135mm f2.8 if still trying to keep the cost down. The latter is an older lens design, and an SF, or soft focus option lens. Without setting the soft focus, the lens is a perfectly fine, good quality 135mm f2.8 lens. Neither the 35mm or the 135mm are up at the same level as the 35mm f1.4L or the 135mm f2L, of course, but darned good lenses 'in the meantime'. The 85mm f1.8 is about as good as the L lenses. These sleeper lenses don't have USM, so the focus is noisier, but otherwise, they are great.</p>

<p>I see no need for another zoom. The 24-105mm works fine for an all purpose zoom, and when you need wider apertures, you have the primes. Remember that at the wider angles, you can hand hold with slower shutter speeds, and the 5D is great up to ISO 1600, ISO 3200 in a pinch (shot carefully).</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Actually, I don't know why you think you have to upgrade from a 20D, unless you need a back up camera. I started digital with a 20D, and still use it as a second/back up camera. I have no problem shooting ISO 800 with it. If you stay with it, I'd either get a 17-50/55mm f2.8 zoom and an 85mm f1.8, or a wide zoom, like the Tokina/Tamron/Sigma, plus maybe the 85mm.</p>

[Marcus Ian]

<p>With a 2600 budget, I'd go for a 5d, and a used 70-200 f2.8. If you go with a Sigma, you'll have enough left over for a LNIB 40d. The 24-105 on the 5d, and the 70-200 on the 40d would complement each other nicely. slap the 50 1.8 on the 30, and you'll just need a third arm! (my understanding is that they are only a tiny smidge more expensive than new Canon eqp...)</p>

[wedding-photography-denver]

<p>Canon system considered:</p>

<p>I would get the 5D, used, and a couple primes (85/1.8 and the 135/2). I used the 5D's for two years full time and had great images from them (though admittedly some were not in focus). I like the files it produces and with decent lenses (like the L glass) can equal most cameras files even now.<br /> I had the Mk2 for a couple months (recently let that go) and had better AF with it (marginally, like 83% in focus versus 75% with the MK1) but the high iso's are not what they advertise them to be. I ended up not keeping it as it does not do as well as the Nikon's IMHO and only barely better than the Mk1. That and the files are a bit sterile somehow, which the MK1 was not.</p>

<p>I don't see a real need to get FF though unless you just want it. I have two FF bodies currently and four crop bodies. I use the crop bodies most of the time, with the FF used primarily for formals and low light, no flash shooting.</p>

<p>Going forward, I anticipate the crop factor bodies staying with me. I like the way they do some things better than the FF. Increased effective DOF for the same effective FL's. Lighter bodies and lenses, generally faster operations. Oh, and they cost a lot less too, so you can have a few in place of one FF body. For business, that is a great +.<br /> I use F2.8 Tokina lenses a lot on my D300's and like what they give. I could not get the same lenses to perform so well with Canon's AF though, so probably not a great option for you. The F2.8 Tamrons do pretty well on Canon though.<br /> I use a 24-70/2.8 Nikkor on the D3, but again, I really only use this for formals and the ceremony as I don't like to lug it around much. I use an 85 on the D700 and mostly use it for individul portraits and low light reception work where I want to isolate subjects. For most everything else I use the crop bodies and lenses.</p>

[William Michael]

<p><em><strong>"I am trying to keep this all under $2600, and i have not yet delved into lenses, i'm just thinking in terms of coverage, what i see mylself needing..."</strong></em><br>

<br>

IMO, you firstly need to think of the strategy for the kit.<br>

. You will leverage your lens cache if you run a dual format kit<br>

. You will leverage your lens speed, and thus your flexibility, if you bias toward Primes.<br>

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<strong><em>"as a result I am slowly getting into this new market and building up a wedding portfolio"</em></strong><br>

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Secondly, I think you need to ask what the requirements are to provided the outputs for the jobs for which you are engaged, and not just make blanket statements such as: <em>"My current equipment setup is woefully out of date and I have been saving up to upgrade",</em> nor make emotional statements such as, <em>"I'm obviously salivating over the new 5d mark II". </em><br>

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I do understand that these are only expressions of speech, so please do not take offense, I make particular note of them, to address the fact that my answer is 100% Wedding Photography <em>Business</em> focused. <br>

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***<br>

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<br />With Nadine’s indulgence please: <br>

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Irrespective of your shooting style, if you do opt for a dual format kit, then IMO the 5D is an excellent choice of camera to mate with your 20D. If you choose the 5D, then (sticking only with EF lenses), then I suggest a 24F/1.4L and the 135F/2L. And then after that a x1.4MkII. If you move to a Dual Format, I see no initial need for a longer telephoto zoom if you keep the 24 to 105L, especially if you get (either) 135 Prime.<br>

<br>

I would have made those two lens suggestions in any case; why I asked for Nadine’s indulgence was because I wanted to emphasize my different line of thinking, to the “with a budget” part in your question. If I understand Nadine’s answer correctly, she is keeping within your budget restrictions, where as I am thinking down-board and then prioritizing, what you might buy now. This prioritizing takes into account the maximum leverage using a dual format from any one lens, as a single purchase. <br>

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The mathematics of it is: A 24 + 50 with a dual format is better coverage than a 35 + 50. Similarly, with a dual format a 50 +135 is better coverage than a 50 + 85. Perhaps that better explains my "systems" approach to prioritizing a kit, and then buying the parts. <br>

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IMO, lens speed is very important for Wedding work, also I am not in the business of buying and selling lenses – my second hand market might not be as lucrative as others, so you should note those biases. <br>

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I have a 35F/2 and it is a great lens value for money lens, and a while ago I had the opportunity of using the EF135F2.8SF, and indeed it is a “sleeper”, good quality, value lens. Both will do well in a Wedding kit, I am not arguing that point at all. FWIW. I run a 20D + 5D and have a 30D as my backup in my Wedding Kit. <br>

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*** <br>

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<p>On the other hand, if you decide to base your kit on a 20D + 50D (or similar) then, your lens cache needs to be substantially rethought IMO. Just speaking about Weddings, I suggest a 17 to 55ish F2.8 zoom, my first choice would be the EF-S 17 to 50F2.8IS. Personally, I would sell the 24 to 105F4L. I would then get the EF 85F/1.8 and a wide zoom. Wide zooms made specifically for EF-S bodies are out of my range of usage, but if I were buying for that purpose, I would look closely at the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.</p>

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WW <br>

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