Which lens for these bodies and budget

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amyliz

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Hi,

Im thinking about getting either a Nikon D70, Canon 5d mark 2 or Sony A900/850

Only issue is that i only have £2100 total to spend.

It will be used for portraits so will obviously need a good lens.

What lens could i get for the following amount (which is £2100-the body cost)

  • Nikon D700 - £350 to spend
  • Canon 5d mark 2 - £400 to spend
  • Sony A850 - £550 to spend
  • Sony A900 - £400 to spend

I dont want something like a 24-70 , i want minimum 105mm long

Im thinking i could get away with a cheaper lens on the Nikon as its not as many megapixels , is this correct?

Any help appreciated

Amy
 
Amy, I think you've got your priorities wrong. You'll get better results by spending half your money on a body and half on a lens, than you will by spending 80% of it on a body and 20% on a lens.

You're really proposing to pay a very big premium in order to have a full-frame body. Do you really need one? I would suggest perhaps not, and that's the way to free up some money for a better lens.

Nikon D90 / D300 / D300s plus AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 DX would cost £1500-£2100
Canon 50D / 7D plus EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS would cost about the same
 
As Stewart says spend more on glass than you do on the body. You will keep the lenses longer than the bodies.
 
As appealling as it is to spend your money on a high end body, I agree with what's already been said. Spend your money on getting good quality glass. There is no point having a full frame body capable of capturing amaing images if you put cheaper glass on the front of it.

Either up your budget so you can afford to get a D700 and a 24-70mm lens or drop down to a D300 and a 24-70mm.
 
Hi,

I was told by a pro that aps-c give you the wrong look as to get close you have to use a wide lens and it is better on full frame.

He insisted that full frame is alot better in a studio environment.

Amy
 
amyliz said:
Hi,

I was told by a pro that aps-c give you the wrong look as to get close you have to use a wide lens and it is better on full frame.

He insisted that full frame is alot better in a studio environment.

Amy
Click to expand...

Not if you stick cheap glass on it it's not, any of those bodies will punish poor optics. If you *must* go FF then a 5d Classic might be a better option....
 
or why not find a very good second hand body and then splash out on a decent lens for portrates.

I know it is really nice to be the first to take it out of the box but sometimes when budgets do not allow then you have to compromise.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

Spike
 
Amy,
With your budget you could have a Nikon D300 and Nikon 24-70 f2.8 and a Sigma 10-20 if you brought used.
 
As Raider says, if you went Nikon then a D300 would be a good option - grip it up and for £1100 you have a great set-up that'll be awesome. Get a 24-70mm and you have your effective long zoom (times by x1.5 and the 70mm end equates to 105mm in 35mm terms). That's your budget spent....


....but FITP is talking some serious sense - a mk1 5D is an absolute steal; you can get one used for £800 these days and that gives you full-frame imaging at a fraction of the cost of the mk2 version. Something like a 24-105 f/4 would be a good buy and then you could get something like an 85mm f/1.8 with the change for really shallow DoF stuff.

Don't be fooled by the bigger MP count the better it is; there are a lot of very good photographers who use 8mp, 10mp and 12mp cropped sensor cameras to brilliant effect. Put good glass on a half-decent body like a D300 or a 50D and you have a very good tool. Put crap glass on a FF body luke a D700 and you've defeated the purpose of the body in the first place.

Used equipment, if you get a minter, is as good an investment as new and it will allow you to invest in a wider selection of kit. There's nothing bad about using something 2nd-hand and a client, unless they're a techy photographer, won't know the difference...

Have you also budgeted for lighting equipment, studio aids (reflectors etc) and triggers etc? That'll cost you a a fair bit extra to give you multiple lighting options....

What kind of stuff are you aiming for by the way and is this a commercial venture?
 
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