Choices choices.

[OllieGapper]

I NEED help deciding what to save for for when im in the US next august. My extreme budget for new gear is $3500 give or take. My current gear consists of a D90, MBD80, 18-105, SB600 and a sigma 70-300 DG macro (shi*).

I am deciding on whether to purchase a second hand Leica M8 with a voigtlander 35 1.4 or a D700 w/fast prime (85 1.4 or 50 1.4) OR a Nikon 24-70 2.8 + Nikon 14-24 2.8.

I want the Leica so i can take a camera EVERYWHERE with me, never missing a shot. Also great for candid and low light.

I want a D700 for the body size, dynamic range, colour tonality, useability in the studio(I have HUGE hands)

I want the 24-70 for general portraiture, walk around, everyday

I want the 14-24 for extreme fun and landscapes.

Would the two dream lenses be a waste on the DX D90?

Is the Leica worth it?

Can we avoid arguing over stereotypes of people who use this gear? Probably not, but no worries.

Thank you all in advance, i love you.:hug::

 

[chip]

Nikon 24-70 2.8 + Nikon 14-24 2.8 are FX lenses. I would not use them on a DX body. I would buy a d700 for $2300 new plus a Nikon 24-70 2.8 ($1600?) to get started. When you have more money later buy the 14-24 - that is the best wide angle zoom ever produced period.

The leica M8 is dirt cheap now that the M9 is out. But the lenses are not cheap and they are all manual focus.

 

[PatrickHMS]

You will have a budget of $3,500 PLUS the value of whatever you have upgraded from that you will no longer need or use, don't forget that you can sell that stuff too, like that Sigma (sh**) lens.

You might have a total of closer to $5,000 to spend on new camera gear if you also sell your DX stuff...

But you only have 10 months to plan for this.

 

[OllieGapper]

i can see where your both coming from, i dont intend on selling any gear just yet, ill use the D90 for video if nothing else. I dont mind the lenses being manual, its a rangefinder so it pretty quick to focus with. I intend to use the M8 as a, dare i say, point and shoot, by this i mean a camera i would take everywhere.

The D700 plus 24-70 sounds nice, but at 1800 for the lens it may be a bit out of reach.

Any other suggestions, apart from donating the money to save the herpe infected rhinos, would be appreciated.

Thanks for the responses, ill have to handle a D700 some more to help my thoughts out.

 

[PatrickHMS]

Ollie - don't know what cost is to purchase and process film over there in the UK, but here it can be expensive (at leasy more than I want to pay), and even a PITA when you only get 36 shots to a film roll, then you have to leave (and pay) to have it processed, maybe copied to a CD so you can load to a PC and handle it digitally from then on.

For your "point and shoot", have you ever considered just using an inexpensive digital point and shoot? They are plentiful as used gear, very affordable, many, even most of them will take a very nice photo for what you would be using a point and shoot for anyway, and are throwaway if you lose it somewhere / somehow.

Put less bucks into a P&S, then have more to spend on your DSLR.

Just a suggestion.

 

[Patrice]

There is nothing in the world stopping you from using 'FX' lenses on a crop body. They work just fine. The 70-200 is stellar on a crop body.

A manual focus pancake 35 on your d90 will result in a very nice walk around light weight set up, just leave the grip off.

Ask ten times what you should buy and get 20 answers. You decide.

Pat

 

[whattokingu]

Leica. It is a inspiration to take photos for many.

 

[usayit]

My extreme budget for new gear is $3500 give or take.

I mean no offense. If your extreme end of your budget is $3500, you are going to be hard pressed with a Leica anything. A second hand M8 is running $2500. A second hand M8.2 is running $4500 used. You will be EXTREMELY expensive if anything goes wrong and requires repair. It is a product of high quailty German Engineering.. if you know what i mean (as opposed to japanese manufacturing).

The lenses themselves are hellish expensive and decade old lenses still hold their value fairly strongly. Brand new... Low end lenses starting around $1200 to $1500... High end lenses as much as $5000 each. Yes.... I agree for the money voigtlander lenses are a very good option with good optics at reasonable prices. I have yet to find any Leica shooter 100% content on voigtlander optics alone.....

Furthermore, Leica is not an electronics giant. The M8 is their first entry into the digital rangefinder market. Most of their previous digital products heavily relied on the Panasonic partnership. In capable hands, the IQ and details in the files are outstanding. On the other hand, there has been much R&D thrown into low ISO performance by the Big Two and huge steps in that technology realm have been accomplished. This is painfully obvious when comparing the M8 to the likes of Canon and Nikon for ISO performance. Leica (privately owned 95% by a single wealthy individual) just doesn't have the R&D budget for such an undertaking.

Also, are you a rangefinder shooter? Have you shot with one? Shooting with a rangefinder is fairly different than a DSLR... some like it.. some hate it. It fits me well... an extension of my eye that can be quickly repositioned at a quick moment. You shoot with a rangefinder with the "The Moment" in mind.

With that said, I am a Leica shooter with an M8 and an Epson R-D1 as a backup. I absolutely love it. I had a very large collection of high end canon gear that got sold off to fund my purchases. I have no regrets... My remaining Canon gear doesn't see much use much unless for shots that are not really appropriate for rangefinder.

So in short..... Buy the Leica M8 if you are an avid rangefinder shooter and want a path into the digital realm. it won't disappoint. Don't jump into it if you are looking for a P&S or a smaller version of your DSLR. Don't jump into it unless you fully understand that Leica means a sizable investment.

note.. Just realized you are in the UK. Prices above are USD.

 

[usayit]

If you are looking for a P&S, I recommend the Panasonic LX3 or G-series (whatever is the latest) canon. Not as a replacement for your DSLR but as a compliment with something to take with you all the time.

 

[DScience]

My extreme budget for new gear is $3500 give or take.

I mean no offense. If your extreme end of your budget is $3500, you are going to be hard pressed with a Leica anything. A second hand M8 is running $2500. A second hand M8.2 is running $4500 used. You will be EXTREMELY expensive if anything goes wrong and requires repair. It is a product of high quailty German Engineering.. if you know what i mean (as opposed to japanese manufacturing).

The lenses themselves are hellish expensive and decade old lenses still hold their value fairly strongly. Brand new... Low end lenses starting around $1200 to $1500... High end lenses as much as $5000 each. Yes.... I agree for the money voigtlander lenses are a very good option with good optics at reasonable prices. I have yet to find any Leica shooter 100% content on voigtlander optics alone.....

Furthermore, Leica is not an electronics giant. The M8 is their first entry into the digital rangefinder market. Most of their previous digital products heavily relied on the Panasonic partnership. In capable hands, the IQ and details in the files are outstanding. On the other hand, there has been much R&D thrown into low ISO performance by the Big Two and huge steps in that technology realm have been accomplished. This is painfully obvious when comparing the M8 to the likes of Canon and Nikon for ISO performance. Leica (privately owned 95% by a single wealthy individual) just doesn't have the R&D budget for such an undertaking.

Also, are you a rangefinder shooter? Have you shot with one? Shooting with a rangefinder is fairly different than a DSLR... some like it.. some hate it. It fits me well... an extension of my eye that can be quickly repositioned at a quick moment. You shoot with a rangefinder with the "The Moment" in mind.

With that said, I am a Leica shooter with an M8 and an Epson R-D1 as a backup. I absolutely love it. I had a very large collection of high end canon gear that got sold off to fund my purchases. I have no regrets... My remaining Canon gear doesn't see much use much unless for shots that are not really appropriate for rangefinder.

So in short..... Buy the Leica M8 if you are an avid rangefinder shooter and want a path into the digital realm. it won't disappoint. Don't jump into it if you are looking for a P&S or a smaller version of your DSLR. Don't jump into it unless you fully understand that Leica means a sizable investment.

note.. Just realized you are in the UK. Prices above are USD.

I would love to see some of your work. Anywhere I can peep it?