If could do it all over again...

Imagine you had $6500 to spend on equipment. Okay then...

Which 'digital' brand would get the nod and which lenses would you go for, right off the bat? (Remember, no exceeding the budget. Use B&H for reference pricing)

Ready... go! :lmao:

 

Canon 5D - $2600
35mm/f2.0 - $200
50mm/f1.4 - $300
85mm/1.2 II - $2100 <- would be on my camera 95% of the time
135mm/f2.0 - $900
The rest on vertical grip, flash cards, batteries, etc.

I'd go with Canon again, because that's what I know, and I know I like them. I picked Canon over Nikon only by chance. I knew either would have made me happy, I just got a better deal on the used Elan I was looking at than the 6006.

 

Canon

5D - 2,579.95
35mm f1.4 - 1,099.95
50mm f1.4 - 289.95
85mm f1.2 II - 2,099.00
Rest for the cards, vertical grip, batteries etc.

Like Mark said, I picked C over N by chance. My cousin who was using a 10D then, pointed me to Canon. Content with the choice thus far.

 

Now this is the benefit of living in the same house as another TPF member :mrgreen: I currently shoot with a Canon 10D. I like the camera, but having also shot Nikon I have to say if I had the money I would convert.

Alison
Nikon
D2X $ 3,799.95
50mm 1.4 $ 279.95
70-200 VR 2.8 $ 1,599.95
SB800 Speedlite w/Quantum Turbo battery & Charger $714.95
Rest would be on CF cards and batteries, etc

Hobbes28:
Nikon
D2X $ 3,799.95
50mm 1.8 $ 119.95
14mm 2.8 $ 1,229.95
24-85 2.8 $ 469.95
Nikon wireless R1C1 flash $ 659.95
Remaining on CF cards, batteries, etc

That was fun....now who is going to give us $13,000 to go and buy all that? :mrgreen:

 

I used Amazon for Reference Pricing - Too lazy to go back and compare against B&H.

Nikon:

Nikon D200: $1700
12-24 f/4G: $950
28-70 f/2.8: $1400
70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR: $1600
SB-800 Speedlight: $330

That leaves about $500 to spend on cases/tripods/memory.

 

I considered what would be a "perfect bag" for the beginning pro or serious hobbyist (non-pro)... who wasn't concerned with having all "L"-glass in his sack, but just wanted to cover the spread from Ultra-wide to high telephoto for a Canon APS-C digital body (350D/20D/30D) with quality semi-pro glass & w/ thin, trouble-free filters (reducing chance vignetting while zooming).

I did the homework and came up with this little list. The "Alternate" lenses are simply listed as budgetary variations to maintain minimum quality levels.

Item Specific Item (Price) rebate B&H part #

Lens 1 (UW) Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4 AT-X 124AF Pro DX ($499.00) TO122440CAF
Lens 1 - Alternate Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM ($689.95) CA102235EF
Lens 2 (Portrait Prime) Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM ($314.00) $25.00CA5014EF
Lens 2 - Alternate Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM ($339.95) $25.00CA8518EF
Lens 3 (Standard) Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) ($379.00) $30.00 TA287528CAF
Lens 3 - Alternate Tamron SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) ($449.00) TA175028CAF
Lens 4 (Telephoto) Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM ($1,699.00) $50.00 CA7020028LIS
Lens 4 - Alternate A Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8L EX DG APO Macro HSM ($889.00) SI7020028DMC
Lens 4 - Alternate B Tamron SP AF70-210mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Asperical (IF) (~$900.00) TA7020028CAF (Currently not yet announced)
Lens 5 (Super telephoto) Tamron SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF ($879.00) $30.00 TA20050056C
Lens 5 - Alternate Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM ($1,399.95) $50.00 CA10040045LE
Lens 5 - Alternate B Sigma 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG APO OS ($999.95) SI8040045DGC

Fltr for lens 1, 4 &5 Alt. Hoya 77mm CP/UV Haze (HMC) ($172.50) HOUVCPU77
Fltr for lens 2 Hoya 58mm CP/UV Haze (HMC) ($77.95) HOUVCPU58
Fltr for lens 3 Hoya 67mm CP/UV Haze (HMC) ($95.95) HOUVCPU67
Fltr for lens 5 B+W 86mm Kaesemann CP ($214.95) BWKCP86

T/C Tamron 1.4x SP AF Pro Teleconverter for Canon EOS ($179.95) TA14XPCAF

Bag Lowepro Nature Trekker AW II Camera Backpack ($189.95) LONTAW2B

Flash 1 Canon 580EX Speedlite E-TTL II ($379.95) $20.00 CA580EX
Flash 2 Canon 430EX Speedlite E-TTL II ($239.95) $15.00 CA430EX

Tripod Bogen / Manfrotto 3011BN Tripod Legs (Black) ($109.95) BO3011BN
Ballhead [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bogen / Manfrotto 484RC2 Mini Ballhead with Rapid Connect 2 (Quick Release) ($54.95) BO484RC2[/FONT]


Remember: f/2.8... or you may be late.

The reason there are no 70-300mm lenses in this list is for the fact that there are none currently capable of f/2.8... and the minimum focus for such a lens is 5 feet. These two aspects eliminate this type of lens from the "low-light" or "indoor" bag. If we only consider only outdoor or sports shooting, then this becomes an entirely different discussion. I would, for the sake of argument, concede the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 as an "optional" lens... but not as a desired primary. Giving up f/2.8 between the range of 70 and 200mm seems to be a serious concession, indeed.

For those who just can not live without this range, here is the back-ordered "option" to add:
Optional Lens (Telephoto) Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM ($559.00) $25.00 CA7030045ISQ
Fltr for Optional Lens Hoya 58mm CP/UV Haze (HMC) ($77.95) HOUVCPU58

 

Well, this is what I have - the D2X, but if that was your budget, I would go for...

Nikon D200
Nikon lenses: 50 mm/1.4 (around $300), 85mm/1.8 (around $300), 28-70/2.8 (around $1,400) and 70-200/2.8 (around $1,400)

Now I have all these lenses with the D2X, so I can honestly say, they rock! I also have the Sigma 105/2.8 macro and Sigma 10-20 super wide angle, but even though I think they are great to have for my nature stuff, I don't use them as often as the others.

I don't use flash, I don't use filters, I do use a monopod though with the 70-200 when I shoot sports

 

is it really that inexpensive? i know the 1.8 is somewhere around $300-$400...

 

My "sources" say wait until AFTER "Fotokina", in Cologne, Germany, this September... BEFORE you make any more purchases this year.

The word is... some important and stunning new introductions are going to be made. Since this is an every OTHER year event... this advice could be dead on.

Let's all wait and see... enjoy your summer.

 

Ooops... that was a typo... it's the 85mm/1.8 I was talking about... fingers got to typing too fast! The 1.4 is somewhere around a grand I believe... I tend to use the 1.8 in some low light once in a while, but I prefer the bokeh on the 70-200 in that range, so I have not gone with the 1.4.

 

If I had $6500, I'd keep saving until I had around $60 - $70 K, and then entertain buying a Mamiya 645 AFD, a 4x5 monorail setup, and a Phase 1 P45 digital back for each.

 

disposable.....