£1500 "spare"

Amp34

Amp34

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I finally have around £1500 "spare" at the moment and I want to get something camera related. I have been thinking about getting the 100-400 but it's a bit more than I really want to pay for a long lens at the moment, and recently I have been wondering about getting a new body instead as the one I use at the moment is actually borrowed from my dad. So i'm looking for any input on what to spend some money on.

I shoot anything but mainly landscape and wildlife, and at the moment I have:

400D with kit lens (borrowed from dad)
Sigma 24-70 f2.8
Canon 75-300IS (borrowed from dad)

So with that in mind I think I really have two options.

1. I get a new body (probably a 40D) and a wide angle lens. The negatives being even though I have my own body and a 24-70 I will not have a telephoto a lot of the time, and won't get any more reach or IQ, which would cut down my options. The advantages would be I would have a camera at all times which would be very useful (i'm a uni student and I usually borrow the camera for a term or two each year and have use when I'm at home). My Dad has recently thought about buying a wide angle as well so if I didn't go this route I would still likely have use of one (which I want).

2. Keep borrowing the Body and get a telephoto. My original thought and still my favourite really. I can't really justify getting a 100-400 but I want some extra length and IQ over the 75-300 IS (as well as faster AF). With that in mind I was wondering what other options there were for something reasonably versatile but not too expensive. The options I have wondered about are a used 300mm f4, or maybe a 70-200 f/4, both a 1.4 TC for versatility.

Now the 300 f/4 isn't as versatile as the 70-200 but is a lot longer and has better IQ and with the added TC will go to about 420mm if needed. I guess another option could also be a used Sigma 300 f2.8, a faster lens but fast AF and good IQ? What other options should I maybe consider if I chose this option (in the £500-700 range I guess)?


So to summarise do I go for a new body and W/A lens, a bit more than I want to pay and means I don't really get much more length, or keep borrowing and get a decent Tele, if so which one?
 
I think the most prudent thing might be to get your own body. Seems a bit strange to collect your own lenses, but have to borrow a body.:thinking:
 
For £1500 you could get a new 40D and a secondhand 100-400 (put a wanted ad on here), that way you get the best of both worlds, and possibly a bit to spare for extra cards or something!
 
susie said:
For £1500 you could get a new 40D and a secondhand 100-400 (put a wanted ad on here), that way you get the best of both worlds, and possibly a bit to spare for extra cards or something!
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You could get a brand new 40D, 100-400 for about £1400 if you buy from Kerso
 
Damn that's tempting, I didn't really want to spend all the money on camera equipment but with that I could be persuaded.

What other options are there instead of the 100-400? I am starting to like the idea of a prime but can't quite get away from the versatility of a zoom lens. How does the 300 f4 IS stack up IQ wise?
 
Have you paid your TP fees this year, it's only £1495 - if you send me a cheque I'll make sure they get paid for you :LOL:
 
Yes of course I have, what do you take me for?!:cautious::LOL:

Now I guess the next question is, when is the next likely cashback promotion? I guess around Christmas?
 
40D + Sigma 100-300 f/4 would be about £1200, maybe less if you shop around...
 
How are you a uni student with £1500 spare? Get down the pub! :LOL:
 
susie said:
Linky to £60 cashback on the 40D until 21st Sept......
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Thanks, do you know when the main cashback period is likely to be, around christmas? The lenses I am looking at seem to usually be in the cashback promotions and saving £100 is very tempting.

pxl8 said:
40D + Sigma 100-300 f/4 would be about £1200, maybe less if you shop around...
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What is the IQ like comparitively with the 100-400 and 300IS? It's supposed to be very good isn't it but the price puts me off a little. Also what is it like with a TC?

I think the main teles i'm looking at at the moment are the 100-300 f/4, 100-400 and the 300 IS.
 
Doug said:
How are you a uni student with £1500 spare? Get down the pub! :LOL:
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I got a summer job, the other £1500 seems to have been put aside already!:eek::LOL:
 
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1010294

The 5D isn't great for wildlife, granted, but you can't do much better inside your budget for landscape work.

Only warning is that it looks like Canon are going to introduce the follow-up to the 5D pretty soon, so that price might go down when they do. I can't see it dropping by more than £150, it's already pretty low. The 2nd hand price will drop considerably though as people stick them on the market to upgrade.
 
I've been looking around a bit and am starting to think maybe the 300 f/4 is the best bet, it's sharp and reasonably light, and while I can use the 75-300 IS at the moment if I want something shorter, I could kill two birds with one stone so to speak by buying a Sigma 150mm macro in the future.

It's another lens I've been wanting for a while and with the 300 f/4 would mean I have a reasonable coverage, especially if I get an 1.4x TC and have slightly lesser quality 210mm and 420mm lengths as well. (I'm not in the least starting to wonder whether I should start to go prime exclusive... Although if I did get the 300 and like it you never know... :LOL:)

It's still all open and could easily still depend on the price and whether there are good quality second hand versions of the other lenses around.

I was also wondering, now i'm into prime territory, maybe a used Sigma 300 f/2.8, but it may be too heavy (even if there was one available).

Any suggestions? :)
 
Amp34 said:
I've been looking around a bit and am starting to think maybe the 300 f/4 is the best bet, it's sharp and reasonably light, and while I can use the 75-300 IS at the moment if I want something shorter, I could kill two birds with one stone so to speak by buying a Sigma 150mm macro in the future.

It's another lens I've been wanting for a while and with the 300 f/4 would mean I have a reasonable coverage, especially if I get an 1.4x TC and have slightly lesser quality 210mm and 420mm lengths as well. (I'm not in the least starting to wonder whether I should start to go prime exclusive... Although if I did get the 300 and like it you never know... :LOL:)

It's still all open and could easily still depend on the price and whether there are good quality second hand versions of the other lenses around.

I was also wondering, now i'm into prime territory, maybe a used Sigma 300 f/2.8, but it may be too heavy (even if there was one available).

Any suggestions? :)
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With the 100-400, if you use it at the 300/400mm end, the maximum aperture you'll get is f5.6, which means that if you add a 1.4x extender onto any Canon body other than a 1 series, you won't get AF.

Obviously with a prime, you either have to walk forwards or backwards to compose the frame, but as the lens is f4, it will take a 1.4x and still enable AF on your camera.

With a 2.8 lens like the Sigma, it will take a 2x extender, although I'm not sure how well on a Sigma, perhaps someone whose used this combo will comment on that.

The Canon 300mm f4 has IS and is a sharp lens. The results I've seen have been extremely good (y) So that's your choice.

Decisions, decisions :woot:
 
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