All my equipment to date - What next?

[jdsfighter]

So I figured it's time for me to start really investing in some more equipment. I'm looking at paying off my current credit card purchases and buying more about christmas time, but for the time being, here's everything I have currently. For anyone who's followed me at all. June 1, 2013 marked my first anniversary of having a DSLR. What should I get next? What should I sell, keep, buy, etc?



Body(s)
Canon Rebel T3i

Lenses
Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Canon 50mm f/1.8
Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6
Canon 75-300mm f/4-5.6
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Flashes
2xYongnuo yn-560exII
Yongnuo yn-565ex

Accessories
7 x Canon T3i Battery
Meike T3i Battery Grip
Meike Dual Battery Charger
Canon Battery Charger
Canon Wireless Shutter Release
4 Wireless Receivers
2 Wireless Transmitters
7 SD Cards - (1x32gb, 3x16gb, 2x8gb)
2 x UV Filters (58mm,77mm)
2 x Circular Polarizer (58mm,77mm)
1 x Diffusion Filter (58mm)
Set of CTO Gels
Lens Pen
Blower
Dynex 60" Tripod
2 x Miniature flash softbox
3 x Impact air cushioned light stand
2 x Cowboy studio 24" softbox
2 x impact convertible umbrella

 

[tirediron]

What do you NEED? What is that you want to do that your current equipment-set won't allow you to do?

 

[jdsfighter]

I have no decent quality wide angle lenses. Portraits in enclosed locations are so so. As for lighting, if it isn't superb, my camera leaves me with quite a bit of noise. So I practically have to shoot at ISO200 or less.


I'd also like to be able to do more wildlife photography, and 200mm isn't quite close enough for many shots. And I often find myself in need of reflectors/ND filters, but have none yet.

 

[Overread]

If I were you I'd:

1) Sell both the Canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6 and Canon 75-300mm f/4-5.6 -- you've a 70-200mm f2.8 MII to cover those ranges.

2) Buy yourself a 2*Teleconverter in Canon Mount. A MII is perfectly suitable - a MIII is a little better (on crop you might not see much since corners is where it improves more so) the AF chip isn't supposed to work with the 70-200mm (from what I recall) although you might see AF speed improvements. But honestly MII or MIII will work

That will give you a 140-400mm f5.6 IS L lens that is pretty much as good as the 100-400mm L in side by side tests (tests I saw were done with the 2*TC MII and whilst the 100-400mm had an edge in un-edited results, editing basically makes it nearly impossible to tell them apart).

That gives you something that will certainly work well for wildlife and works with what you've already got. You can also get a 1.4TC (MII or MIII) and get a good quality 280mm lens which will perform very well indeed and should easily replace the 70-300mm type uses.

 

[kundalini]

I don't see...
Remote shutter release
Tripod
Reflectors / Diffusers
Boom / Reflector arm

How tall are your lightstands? I would suggest at least one 10' to 13' tall and heavy duty rated. Plus counterweights of some sort.

 

[goodguy]

I see you a Canon boy.

So what next ?

Time to join the Big Boys Club, sell the T3i get the Canon 6D!!!

 

[jdsfighter]

I forgot to list, I do have a remote shutter release, a 60" tripod, and the light stands are 10'.
No boom or reflector arm yet. Heck, no reflectors yet.

I'm also caught in the epic debate between the 5DMkIII/5DMkII/6D.

 

[ronlane]

Well looking at that set, that 70-200 mk II is out of place and you probably don't need it. Tell you what I'll do. I'll meet you at the Mcd's on the turnpike between OKC-Tulsa and I'll pay your gas and you give it to me

Oh and what's the debate, either the 5d mark II or III.

 

[jdsfighter]

Well looking at that set, that 70-200 mk II is out of place and you probably don't need it. Tell you what I'll do. I'll meet you at the Mcd's on the turnpike between OKC-Tulsa and I'll pay your gas and you give it to me

Oh and what's the debate, either the 5d mark II or III.

Haha, Ron I managed to get that lens by sheer luck. No way I can get rid of it . By the way, my truck only gets 4mpg, so gas alone would be quite costly

 

[ghache]

the question is, can you use it ?


id sell those 2 cheaper zoom lens and get a good long prime

 

[ronlane]

Wow JD, my 2001 Jeep gets better mpg than that And I would have to fill up at the midway when we met, lol

 

[jdsfighter]

the question is, can you use it ?


id sell those 2 cheaper zoom lens and get a good long prime

Ghache, I'd say to a decent extent I can. I like to say that I try to push everything I have to the limits, and when I feel something isn't adequate, I try to figure out what I'm doing wrong to make it work. Often, that leads to buying more equipment. Is it necessary? No probably not, but when it makes my life easier, I find it easier to justify.

Wow JD, my 2001 Jeep gets better mpg than that And I would have to fill up at the midway when we met, lol

I probably should spend less on camera equipment and more on my truck. It's a 98 Chevy Silverado, 5.7L v8 vortec. There's a hole in the top of the gas tank that I've filled in with JB weld, but it was about a 3in hole, so it still leaks considerably. The cracked distributor doesn't really help. And a crappy salvage engine that the shop threw into it doesn't help either.

 

[Light Guru]

So I figured it's time for me to start really investing in some more equipment. I'm looking at paying off my current credit card purchases and buying more about christmas time, but for the time being, here's everything I have currently. For anyone who's followed me at all. June 1, 2013 marked my first anniversary of having a DSLR. What should I get next? What should I sell, keep, buy, etc?

Sounds like you just WANT more stuff. Unless you can actually express what you need a new peace of photography gear for then YOU DON'T NEED IT.

The whole just wanting more gear is why you have a pile of credit card debt.

 

[jdsfighter]

So I figured it's time for me to start really investing in some more equipment. I'm looking at paying off my current credit card purchases and buying more about christmas time, but for the time being, here's everything I have currently. For anyone who's followed me at all. June 1, 2013 marked my first anniversary of having a DSLR. What should I get next? What should I sell, keep, buy, etc?

Sounds like you just WANT more stuff. Unless you can actually express what you need a new peace of photography gear for then YOU DON'T NEED IT.

The whole just wanting more gear is why you have a pile of credit card debt.

To be fair, I'm 20, I started building credit in January, and while I have plenty of cash to cover any and all my purchases, I place them on my cards (which have meager a $500 and $800 limit respectively). I pay each card off within two months using the no interest financing that's available. I used my amazon card a couple months back to buy my lights, and I just use it now to buy batteries, filters, etc. My best buy card I used the other day to pay a portion of my 70-200mm because I didn't want to pull the full $1600 out of the account when I could easily justify pulling $1000 and putting the rest on the card, and paying it off completely on pay day.

I feel I expressed above why I wanted what I wanted. I don't have any decent glass to get wider angles. It really hampers me when it comes to weddings, senior portraits, baby shoots, etc. Anything that is an enclosed space, especially indoors, I'm really limited. I really would like something super wide angle ~8-16mm to be more able to capture some more creative shots, and use it for interior advertising shots (realestate). I also am feeling some limitations of my crop body (not true focal length on lenses, high iso noise, slow continuous speed, less fine tuning, lower quality images).

I do little jobs here and there, and I'd like to turn it into a productive business, but I'm tired of turning down certain shoots due to feeling inadequate for the job.

 

[Light Guru]

You can "build credit" by simply buying on the card and then paying off said card IMMEDIATELY. The last thing I'm going to say about money is listen to Dave Ramsey.

I do little jobs here and there, and I'd like to turn it into a productive business, but I'm tired of turning down certain shoots due to feeling inadequate for the job.

So just build into your prices the cost of renting good glass.

If you want to turn photography into a business, then investing in business classes in school will do you MUCH more good then investing in gear.