Well, until I can afford 1600.00 for the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, 1300.00 for the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM and more money to upgrade my equipment, then this will be my configuration for the next bit. I just hope what I have will work good. Test specs on the Sigma will be forthcoming.
1 - Canon 300D Body
1 - BG-E1 Battery Grip
2 - BP-511 batteries
2 - POS High Speed 256 meg CF Cards
1 - Canon EFS 18-55 f3.5-5.6
1 - Sigma 28-105 f2.8-4
1 - Canon EF 100-300 f4.0-5.6 HSM w/ET-65 III lense hood
1 - Sekonic l-328 DigiliteF Flash Meter
1 - Gosson Luna Pro
1 - Bogen 3051 tripod
1 - Bogan 3047 head
5 - 9' light stands
3 - umbrellas 2 black back 1 white
2 - 28" reflectors/defusers (white)
2 - HD light stands 9' on wheels
1 - Sunpack 511 flash
2 - Smaller flashes
1 - Drone flash
Misc other lights, clips, backgrounds and thingies in a couple of boxes.
I would comment but I have no idea, AT ALL, what this is about. Well, I get the wanting cash to get a better cam & equipment, but I dont get what the list is about.
all i have is a camera, batteries, 32mb memory stick, tripod, and some filters. i don't even have a lens cap yet :[ (bought it used, came without one and have been on vacation without it since i received it). thought about the 300d, but didn't have the money to afford all the lens upgrades and everything else. settled for the cheaper 717 for now (esp since i still have much to learn)
To be honest, I have no clue what some of that stuff on your list is! It's quite a list, though.
$1,600 for a lens? What is the average cost of lenses? I mentioned in another thread that I'm interested in the Rebel or 10d so I guess I should be checking into lenses, too! Let's say I could only own one or two lenses from the start. Which two would you recommend that would give me the most versatility?
$1,600 for a lens? What is the average cost of lenses? I mentioned in another thread that I'm interested in the Rebel or 10d so I guess I should be checking into lenses, too! Let's say I could only own one or two lenses from the start. Which two would you recommend that would give me the most versatility?
I've compromised on extreme quality for price, as you see from the list above. The high price lenses are the best, Pro, if you will that I will eventually own. The ones listed are the ones I will settle for now and do the best I can with. The camera body is usually the cheapest investment. Quality lenses, the glass is the real investment.
Money for lenses:
You are better of with the cheaper EF17-40L instead of the much more expensive 16-35L. Unless you need that extra stop of light that bad.
I've compromised on extreme quality for price, as you see from the list above. The high price lenses are the best, Pro, if you will that I will eventually own. The ones listed are the ones I will settle for now and do the best I can with. The camera body is usually the cheapest investment. Quality lenses, the glass is the real investment.
Thanks deafwolf. I see what you're saying. Is there a site somewhere that has sample images taken with the different lenses? I would like to see how to see just how much better they are with a more expensive lens versus an inexpensive lens.
Jen,
You can find folks who will post photos taken with a lens they either have tested or purchased; the trick is finding someone who has posted good quality shots, and at full resolution, and explained how the shots were made. Even a mediocre lens can usually do some good work within its "sweet spot", it's when you shoot "wide open" (and at the extremes of zoom range with zoom lenses) that things get interesting. Testing for flare, CA (chromatic aberration) and quality of bokeh are other areas that require specific shooting technique and subject matter. Rarely do you see a really complete test posted.
If at some point you have a particular lens in mind, try asking here at DPC, you will most likely get some great feedback. Check out this thread, there is a ton of useful info on various choices for the Canon EOS digitals.
In general on pricing, any Canon lens with "L" as part of the designation will be expensive, it's Canon's "Pro" lens line. Good, fast telephotos are always expensive, and even more so when they include IS, or "Image Stabilization".
Many of the "L" lenses are $1000+, there are a few notable exceptions, and there are also a few non-"L" lenses that give every bit the optical quality of the "L" glass. When buying lenses, do a ton of reaearch. The 10D and 300D have very high resolution and will show up the defects in mediocre glass! Realize ahead of time that good lenses will be a bigger investment than the body, but will carry forward to your next body.
BTW, I just received my copy of the "$1600 lens" mentioned above, played with it today, it was worth it!
kirbic makes an excellent point about the 300D and the 10D having amazing resolving power. Canon's 11MP 1Ds, which has bigger pixels than the 10D/300D already resolves more detail than the best lenses available. Quoting from this Luminous Landscape article:
they won't be able to get around the fact that the Canon 1Ds, for example, with its 8.8 micron pixels, is already capable of greater resolution that almost any 35mm format lens ... The Canon 1Ds can actually out-resolve the best lenses that Canon makes — and some of these are among the best there are.
So scrimping on lens optics with a high-end DSLR is definitely something to think twice about...
kirbic makes an excellent point about the 300D and the 10D having amazing resolving power. Canon's 11MP 1Ds, which has bigger pixels than the 10D/300D already resolves more detail than the best lenses available. Quoting from this Luminous Landscape article:
they won't be able to get around the fact that the Canon 1Ds, for example, with its 8.8 micron pixels, is already capable of greater resolution that almost any 35mm format lens ... The Canon 1Ds can actually out-resolve the best lenses that Canon makes — and some of these are among the best there are.
So scrimping on lens optics with a high-end DSLR is definitely something to think twice about...
Now if they could only fix this damn problem with dust...it's bad!
Like you JC, I have to save to buy. Oh, I make plenty of money, but I also have three educations to pay for for my kids, so my personal spending is normally putting a little back here and there to afford better stuff. Also, why does it cost almost 400 bucks for the lense hood for the Canon EF300mm f2.8L IS USM? I know the lens is 3900.00, but why so much for just a hood?
Like you JC, I have to save to buy. Oh, I make plenty of money, but I also have three educations to pay for for my kids, so my personal spending is normally putting a little back here and there to afford better stuff. Also, why does it cost almost 400 bucks for the lense hood for the Canon EF300mm f2.8L IS USM? I know the lens is 3900.00, but why so much for just a hood?
Doesn't the lens hood come with the lens? I know all mine did...
