Best use of budget?

EMA747

EMA747

Messages
2,070
Name
Andy
Edit My Images
Yes
I need some advice here. I sold my 1DmkIV and 70-200 f.28 IS mkII after getting a but frustrated with my photography and struggling to find out how to break into the world of making some money from it. The photography bug has bitten again as I feared it might and I would like to get back in and try and make a proper go of it this time. The money from the above sales is now invested in some serious video cameras and equipment as that will be the main focus of my business, but with photography as a second income if it's possible.

So here is the problem. At present I have an ABSOLUTE max budget of around £3000 but could maybe push to £3500 (when I say max I really mean it).
However I still have my 24-70 L and 17-40 L sat at home looking sad because I can't use them without a body.
What would be the best use of the money would you say? I see it as a few options but I don't know which is best. Ideally I would want to end up with the "holy trinity" of lenses I had before - 17-40, 24-70, 70-200 (or their equivalents on FF or 1.6x sensors).
I would maybe be looking more in invest in something that would stand me in good stead if I ended up making a partial career out of this rather than something that will need upgrading soon.

1) Get another mkIV
Pros - Would be sorted with body. I loved the one I had.
Cons - Blows all budget and no long lens for now (but could save between now and Christmas for another 70-200).

2) Get a 5DmkII
Pros - Less that mkIV so more cash to invest in longer lens.
Cons - AF is a concern. Two areas of interest are aviation an sports. Only 5 fps might be too slow. Going FF means 24-70 might be too short and would need over 200mm on long end.

3) Get a 7D
Pros - Better AF than 5D
Cons - 1.6x crop also makes currents lenses a bit tricky. 24-70 I think I would find too long for general use. Not such good hight ISO for sports etc. Not a dedicated "pro" body.

4) Get a Nikon D700.
Pros - Better AF than 5D plus 8 fps with grip.
Cons - Would have to change all lenses and learn Nikons way of operating.


Any advice on this very much appreciated.
 
A Very Good package suggestion by Micloi

I would add:

- The Canon 17-55mm F/2.8 IS or if funds are then tight something like the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8
- A 1.4 or 2x Extender III to use with the 70-200mm for that extra reach.

You could always raise additional cash by selling the 2 L lenses you have as you would not be using them to their full potential on a crop frame camera.

Regards
 
oops I just reread my thread above and noticed I put £3000-3500 when it should be £2000-2500. (maybe I should NOT go into business :bonk:)
The £3000 would be if I sold the lenses I have now.
If I did sell all the lenses then I would be starting from scratch so either a 7D or Nikon would be in the picture then.

The D700 is tempting because it seems like the 5D2 but with much better AF.
 
Get a used 1d mk3. They are not mkiv but still incredibly amazing. There will be plenty left for 70-200mm, particularly when f/4 non-IS are so affordable. You can get tokina 12-24 or 11-16 if you want to go stupidly wide. 10MP = plenty for great A3 and beyond, and very decent ISO noise performance.
 
My suggestion would go for a used Mklll and your choice of a 70-200mm. Its a great combination, but you already know that.

Ian
 
On a crop body the two shorter lenses just don't make sense to me so in your position I'd sell them and make do with the 70-200m and a used Tamron 17-50mm f2.8.

For a crop body I'd go for a xxxD or 60D, no sense in paying a lot for a 7D when identical image quality is available at a cheaper price unless the 7D's weather sealing and focus system are essential.

If going for a full frame I'd consider a 5D as it'll make good use of the lenses and keep costs under control.
 
I think the biggest quesiton is what do you see yourself making money from, i.e will it be sports, weddings, aviation etc? The 7D would seem to be the 'jack of all trades, master of none' camera that fits your budget nicely too.
 
shabba said:
I think the biggest quesiton is what do you see yourself making money from, i.e will it be sports, weddings, aviation etc? The 7D would seem to be the 'jack of all trades, master of none' camera that fits your budget nicely too.
Click to expand...
Probably a bit of sports, a a bit of transport (aviation and the like) and a bit of travel/landscape. So a bit of a mixed bag really which makes it harder to choose a good body. The mkIV did all I need in one package but I can't realyl afford one now.
The more I read the more I feel the Nikon D700 fits the bill as the all rounder with better image quality than the 7D (apparently).

I should have put in the first post that I am very happy to buy used, especially from this forum. Seems there is a D700 for around £1300 and a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 for £900 at the moment.

Andy S
 
I'm another one in the 1Dmk3 camp, as 1.3x is the best of both worlds and it has the better AF. 7D would be compromised for travel/landscape, unless you invest in new lenses and 5D will be compromised for sports/transport.

However if you are running it as a business, you need to look at what will pay, rather than what you want to shoot.
 
I'm still favouring a used D700 for a best all rounder. Well actually a 1DmkIV and 70-200 mkII would be the best but that would set me back around £5000. A used D700 would be about £1300 and a used 70-200 f2.8 about £950. The Canon to Nikon 24-70 would not lose me any cash at all. That's a much cheaper option than the mkIV and 70-200.
If I went with a D700 I would probably have to add a converter for aviation and a grip to get the 8 fps.

Any thoughts?

I should have said before that I need good high ISO as I intend to shoot quite a bit of indoor sports, mainly badminton.

Edit - I am not sure about a 1DmkIII because I didn't feel the one I owned for a while gave massively better results than the 7D imo. I also am a bit wary of the dodgy AF examples floating around. Finally I really hated the low res LCD screen.
 
Last edited:
what work do you want to shoot commercially?

this is a business decision, not a decision of what you want to shoot with.

personally, for just over £2k... that'll get you two D300 bodies, a nikon 70-200vr and a tamron 17-50 2.8, and that's the only professional entry setup that you can get on that budget.

If you want to stick with canon (by no means a bad plan, and the only plan if you want to be able to shoot some video) then pick up a couple of 7D's, or one 7D one 5dmk1, or one 7D one 1Dmk3, and be done with it
 
Last edited:
Canon Bob said:
That's the exact reason that I don't have a MkIII anymore and you don't have a MkIV anymore.

Bob
Click to expand...
It's such a small detail but after going 7D-1D3-1D4 I just find the low res screen annoying. Same with my iPhone 4 when I look at my bro's lower res ipod screen it just looks, well, older I guess. :)
 
itsdavedotnet said:
what work do you want to shoot commercially?

this is a business decision, not a decision of what you want to shoot with.
Click to expand...
Ideally or realistically? :D

Ideally - Sports, travel, documentary/editorial.

Realistically - Anything I can get, barring weddings. :lol:

At the moment I have a very lose/laid back agreement to shoot some events, magazine work, general shots for a local wildlife organisation. Since not having a camera I have had to put it on the back burner for the time being but they are fine with that for now.

I would ideally like something that is fine in all those areas and I am finding the 5D2 and 7D don't really fit the bill for some but do for others.
 
Last edited:
EMA747 said:
...I would ideally like something that is fine in all those areas and I am finding the 5D2 and 7D don't really fit the bill for some but do for others.
Click to expand...

Sounds like D700 territory for me, my mate has one and he absolutely loves it! If I had the spare cash I'd definately go down that route also, the D700, 24-70 and 70-200 makes an ideal go anywhere setup.

Cheers

Aled
 
EMA747 i think the important thing for you to do is to not sell your gear as soon as you get frustrated again. You must have lost money overall in selling and then buying again yes?

Try and stick with it or just take a break if you get frustrated.
 
A used D700/D3 would seem to be a viable choice for your requirements, but won't you be needing at least one back-up body? Have you budgeted for any back-up kit?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top