I'm going shopping....

[JamesMartin]

OK, so I need to upgrade some of my stuff, but money is my biggest problem (anyone got spares for me??)

I have a Canon EOS 20D with a 17-85mm and the standard pop-up flash, and a nice big tripod.

I am starting to freelance more and more and finding alot of little problems. Battery life and card storage are the first, but that is ok for now. What I would like some help/advice on is :

I am shooting sports shots alot. So they are far away and fast. So I need a lense that will zoom better than I have (which nearly anything will ) but will also be fast enough with the focusing etc.. also a 'speed light' that will charge faster than the built in Canon light and will light up further.

I have started looking into model photography, so I am thinking about what lense and lighting to use for that.

I love to shoot nature, bugs and flowers are the best so this is best done with a macro lense and maybe a 'ring flash?'. I am not worring about wide angle lenses yet, as I am just trying to get some money for my work, then I will branch into more..

Pfft. Anyone got ideas? I am really stuck with what to get first, if I can use the same thing for 2 of the above options, ways to save money (eg: no-name brands, things made in asia, etc..).
Any help would be really.... ummm helpful...

Thanx in advance

- James

 

[usayit]

Zoom lens, with a long enough focal length, and fast enough for sports photography... thats an equation thats going to cost money.. there's really no inexpensive way.

Macro photography, with macro lens, and ring speedlight.. Thats also an equation thats going to cost money... The ring lite flash alone will cost between 350-650 bucks.

Model photography. Well, I started out with the 85mm f1.8 canon lens with a 550ex and 420ex slave... all of which was purchased used at various camera shows. Again... even used its going to cost some money although not as expensive as a zoom for sports.

Are you picky about going with non-Canon equipment like Sigma, tamron, and tokina?? How about used?? It might be slightly cheaper but still going to cost money.

A good start would be the tried and true Canon 70-200mm f2.8L ( non IS ) with a 550ex speed light. 200mm is still a little short for sports photography ( like football ) so look into also getting a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter ( which is going to be another 250 ). That canon lens is a bit heavy but it is very sharp, good bokeh, good portraits, and fast. Again... this is going to cost money. Look for equivalents in the Sigma and Tamron line for more bang for buck.

What you describe can potentially be an entire bag full of lenses and flashes. Simply put... its going to cost money. You say money is an issue? How much of a budget do you have allocated?

 

[ksmattfish]

Check out these batteries. I've been using them, and they seem to work just like the $50 Canon labeled ones.

http://store.yahoo.com/sterlingtek/ln03-canon-bp-511-dlc511.html

 

[thebeginning]

yeah, usayit is right. you cant do all three cheaply. i would suggest getting a semi-long semi-fast prime for the sports photography, like a canon 200 2.8L or 300 f4L (none of canon's long primes are basic lenses, i'm pretty sure they are all L's, so that's good). the 200 is about 700 and the 300 is about 1100 (that's a rough average). if you can get close enough, you can pull it off with a slower zoom (especially if you plan on using a flash, which isnt really necessary unless it's really dark and you dont like using high ISOs on the 20d) like canon's 70-200 f4L, which is a fantastic lens and only about 600 bucks. and you could use that for portraits as well, actually. i know some people that have put macro extensions on their 70-200 f4 and had great results, so you might want to try that out. the 70-200 2.8L is around 1400, so that might be too pricey. if not, go with what usayit said, try that with teleconverters.