G'day all, Jason has asked a very good question which merits some discussion that may help others:
Your camera and lens choices
Hi Barry,
I'm in a similar position to you at the moment, deciding on which camera and lenses to go with for some new purchases. I've got it down to either the 7D or the 5D MkII. Both have good and bad points, as do their respective lenses.
At the moment I have a 350D, 10-22mm, 17-55mm f/2.8 IS, and 70-200 f/4L IS, so going full-frame would mean a few new lenses.
I know you've decided on the 5D MkII, so when you've settled on your lens line-up, do you reckon you could start a thread discussing your choices?
If not, no drama, I just think people would get some benefit out of it. I know I certainly would!
Regards,
Jason.
To start, I decided on a full frame camera, 5D MK II, because I want the widest possible image, combined with the widest possible lens without too much barrel distortion. One, because I hate the fish-eye look, and two, because I will be getting into business with photography were I will be required to shoot wide but keep vertical and horizontal lines straight while not having much room to back-up in a lot of cases.
I got the Canon 16-35L f2.8 II USM for this main purpose, with my secondary agenda being for wide-field time lapses of the Milky Way Galaxy, while still being able to frame it with nice foregrounds at night. For that reason, I also needed a fast lens. I might have picked a 14mm prime and still been able to get away with it, and yes, it would be a little wider and sharper, but I would have lost the flexibility of some creative zooming and framing. I took a test shot at a dark site my first day out with it at the centre of the Milky Way, wide open at 16mm and f2.8 on ISO 1600. WOW! What a sky! Not just the centre of the MW, which I am used to getting with my old 18-55 on the 1.6 crop frame, but the whole thing! A bit of vignetting in the corners but it was only one thirty second test shot. I am stoked.
I also got the Canon 100L f2.8 II IS USM Macro for fun, (Macro) with the added bonus that it makes a beautifully sharp portrait lens. Yes, it is a prime and I have to physically change my distance to the subject for creative framing, but generally I will have the room to do that with mobile subjects. I have had a couple of Macro attempts with it on a flower, cactus and spider this week. I am a little disappointed at the shots so far, as I was getting that good with my reversed 18-55 on my old 400D, but I am sure it is just because I am inexperienced with the new gear and I will improve quickly. I have already shot an outdoor sunset portrait shoot with a family down the river and it is a beautiful portrait lens, especially with the 580 EX II flash, instead of those terrible on-camera pop-up flashes. It could still do with some diffusing or lowering of power though. Watch out, it is a BEAST and puts out a LOT of light, especially if all you have ever used is a pop-up. I also got the MT-24 EX Twin-lite macro flash for it and it is a beautiful thing. I can't wait to make some diffusers and start experimenting.
With both the 5D and 7D I like the idea of live view, but so far I have had not much go at it. I used it the other night to zoom in on a star live and focus it. Awesome. Can't wait to do a full time lapse now. I'm sure it will come in very handy but will have it's own "Watch outs". HD video capability? Well, I'm not sure how much I will employ it yet. I have seen some stunning stuff done with it.
Going from the 400D to the 5D MK II is a huge leap, but I will say I am glad I stuck with a camera brand I already know and have got used to for the last three years. The buttons have moved around a bit, but the things they do are all still there. It can do all the same things and more, plus the software transition is easy. Now to learn all the new things I can do with the awesome levels of technology now available to me.
I just have to make sure I don't put my old 18-55 EFS lens on the 5 D or SMASH!! will go the mirror!
The reasons I didn't choose the 7D is because of the cropped frame sensor. I know the frame rate is a lot faster in the 7D for sports photography, but I have absolutely no interest in sports/action stuff like that and if I do one day, well, hopefully I will be good enough with my 5D to be able to manage. I've seen the quality of image coming out of the 5D and I am just blown away with it. It's awesome.
I have just spent ten thousand dollars on getting all the equipment I have been dreaming about for the last 18 months and am on the big learning curve that comes with mastering such a state-of-the-art set of technology. In that time, I have researched, compared, asked questions, cross-referenced the answers, got quotes, gone into camera shops and played with gear, read reviews, challenged professionals and amateurs alike on their opinions and results and done my best to master the equipment I have before I move on to the next big step. It was well worth the wait because I feel I have made a completely informed decision and what I have now is different than what I first imagined as a result of all that accumulated knowledge.
The other most important thing I did was to GET OUT THERE AND TAKE PHOTOS!! If you do this a lot and for a long time, not only do you get to know your camera back-to-front, it's capabilities and limitations by simply using it, but you will also find out if you really do love it, or is it just a passing fad and you really don't have the energy. I think if you are going to spend a serious amount of money, then you need to know if you are a serious photographer, because it does take a LOT of energy and your time.
In short, the throw-away line of "shop around" or 'do your research" means so much more. Do it! There is no rush. The anticipation and excitement of ANY new thing wears off very quickly once you have it as we all know. So do the work first and KNOW FIRST what you want to achieve, THEN find out how best to achieve it. You will be surprised along the way how your original ideas will change.
I sure hope someone gets something useful out of this. I am not a technical guy so my "plain english" may be blunt to some, but at least there is no room for guessing..(I think).
Cheers,
Baz.