If you could do it all over again...

[McQueen278]

...what equipment would you buy and how does it compare to what you have/had?

I would have never bought an Olympus outfit. $4k less

I wouldn't have bought a 40D either. $1.1k less

I would have bought a 135L instead of the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS $800 less

I would have bought a 14L instead of the 17-40L $400 more

Basically, I'd have two 5Ds, a 14L, 24L, 50L, 85L and a 135L.

I have one 5D and can't seem to find another, a 40D that died 15 days out of warranty, 17-40L, 50mm f/1.4, 100mm f/2.8 and a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. $900 less

I've sold a Canon 10-22, 28-135mm IS, 50mm f/1.8 $900 Less

I easily could afford my dream kit had I never wasted any money on stuff I didn't need. That is a sad realization, but at least I understand what I need much better now. I probably could have squeezed in a 400mm f/2.8 IS for not too much more money.

 

[smyth]

woulda coulda shoulda... hind sight is always 20-20, no need to dwell on mistakes so I won't go there.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I've been pretty happy so far with my purchases..

Next one is probably going to be a 50mm afs and another SB-600 with a stand/bracket.

I think 3 SB-600's and a 50mm would be a dynamite full body portrait/low light combination with my D700.


(keeps wishing Nikon made a 24mm f/1.4L)

 

[Overread]

With hindsight I would probably have not got most of my kit and gone for the 300mm f2.8 first! Course then I would never have discovered macro - so its probably a good thing I didn't do that.

Really - at the moment - the only things that I am unsure about in my setup is my tripod - 055XPROB - I still don'y like the manfrotto design for going low down and if I could go back I might have spent more on something like a Gitzo - however at the time Gitzo just seemed to cost (and still do) way too much!

 

[LuckySo-n-So]

I would have done a little more research and gotten the D90 to start. I had NO idea there were SO many different makes and models of DSLR. That being said, I think the only other not so great purchase I have made has been the Sigma 70-300. It is really soft throughout the focal range, not to mention at 300mm. I think I got one of those notorious "bad copies."

As it is, I'll have the D90 in a couple weeks; I have a great 50mm, a great 100mm, and two good kit zooms (18-55, 55-200). After making my initial purchase, joining this forum, and having nightmares where JerryPH chews me out about "research" , I've gotten a lot better at making purchases. Now if I could only apply that to my photography...

 

[mrodgers]

I wouldn't have done anything different because it's all I could have afforded at the time (or now even).

If I could have afforded more at the time, I would have gotten a dSLR, probably a D40 with my then limited knowledge.

If I had the money now and was starting, I would go with a D90

 

[Mike_E]

I would have spent that first $2k or so on lighting on a Travel-lite kit.

 

[Dao]

If I would do it all over again ...

Well ... I wish I started this hobby when I was still single. :lmao:

 

[elemental]

I just did it again. I sold all my digital equipment (K-mount) and started over with a D200 body and a 50mm f/1.8. I am now looking for cheap manual strobes, a 35mm f/1.8, and a wideangle. I got tired of asking the question and just did it.

 

[Katier]

I'd have kept my Program-A SLR and thus had gear I have effectively had to re-buy.

 

[inTempus]

If I would do it all over again ...

Well ... I wish I started this hobby when I was still single. :lmao:

Me too!

LOL, that would change everything.

 

[JerryPH]

I would not have done a single thing differently. You see, doing your homework BEFORE means never having buyer's remorse, never having what you don't need and never making a bad purchase. Therefore, you will never have to cry about something in the future.

 

[blash]

Wouldn't have bought my Tamron - that's it, and even then I probably still would've bought it because I didn't own my 24 and 50 primes and I needed *something* lol.

 

[sarahashleyphotos]

I wouldn't have done anything differently. Well Maybe I wouldn't have bought my film cameras since film is just a hobby and digital is what I use for jobs & school. If I had the money at the time I would have gotten a 5D but all I could afford was the 40D so thats what I have and I am very happy with it.

 

[schumionbike]

Nothing so far. I bought a bridge p&s camera first for 250 and manage to learn what I could from that, work pretty well, learn alot about exposure and all of that in manual mode. This was late 2006. I upgrade to a D40 recently when it was on sale at BH photo and I'm pretty happy with my purchase. Maybe in a few year, I'll upgrade to a cheap D400?