Is this a good deal?

[pgriz]

You know, there are two ways to get to pro gear. One is very expensive - you buy and learn to use the gear that is needed for the job at hand. The second way is more expensive - you buy incrementally; and for quite a while you keep fighting both the equipment and your own inexperience. And that's assuming your clients are happy enough with the results. If not, then the second way is much, much more expensive.

Before you decide to do things such as wedding photography, do yourself a favour and search the threads on TPF on "Wedding Photography" going back maybe two years. There are some threads documenting disasters, and some where disaster was averted, and some which went well. Read the equipment lists and experience of the ones that worked. Compare that to the ones that didn't. You'll start seeing some common strands in these discussions. Learn from the experiences of others - it is much easier on the pocketbook, your mental equilibrium, and your reputation when you learn from the mistakes and don't do them yourself.

Also go to the web and look up some really good wedding photographers - I don't have a resource list, but I am sure other will easily volunteer such a list. Then ponder whether you have the ability and equipment to deliver those results. I have a thread somewhere here where I described my own experiences with weddings - which "pros" worked and which didn't.

 

[sactown024]

what would you consider and "acceptable" slr body to shoot a wedding?

t3i? t4i? 60D? 7D? Mark II?

where is the line drawn from entry level to acceptable for big gigs?

 

[MLeeK]

You have one solid lens that you aren't using to it's potential yet. When you do that then it's time to upgrade. You won't be able to shoot with the 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.4 yet by far. That takes some talent and knowledge. So why not use what you have until you get to the NEED part.
As for noisy focus, no one cares in portraiture about noisy focus. You aren;t ready to shoot a wedding yet where noisy focus MIGHT matter.

You are throwing money at this hobby without learning the craft at all. You are buying something new every other day and it seems that that new gear is going to make you a professional. It's not going to give you the amazing results you anticipate until you maximize the use of the one you have.

For the type of photography you are thinking chances are you won't use your 50mm as much as you will your zooms anyway, so again you are throwing money into something you just don't know yet. You need to get out there and start mastering the craft of portraiture and utilizing the lenses you have. By doing that it will tell you what you NEED down the line. You'll discover that you like to shoot THIS way and with THIS focal length. Chances are it's probably not the 50. It's going to either be the 85 or something around 28 or 35 for a prime. Chances are even bigger for what you are talking about in terms of your goals that you will be wanting zooms most of all and you may just be happy to have just the old 50 1.8.

I have never upgraded my 50. I use it somewhat, but it's not ideal for what I do. Which, by the way is much what you are aiming for plus sports. I shoot portraits and weddings. I use the 50 SOME for portraits, but I really love my 28 on crop sensor and 85 on full frame for primes. Most of all I use my 70-200 f/2.8 for EVERYTHING. If you had told me I'd choose that lens for nearly everything 5 years ago (while I had one) I'd have laughed at you and said there's no way. It's too tight even on a full frame.

You need experience to determine your true needs and wants. You can go ahead and buy the 50 if you truly believe that is what you need. You might even get lucky and find it really is what you need. I just think it's silly for a newbie to start throwing tons of $ into gear before you develop a style and know what you need from EXPERIENCE instead of reading what others need.
None of us here shoot the same and rarely do we choose to do things the same way as another would. You will be exactly the same and do things the way YOU like to do. That's the beauty of this art. You can do it YOUR way. However, you have to figure out what your way is before you start throwing away money.

You are the one who says you don't have a grand or so just laying around. Slow down. Make your selections wisely. If you feel you are going to spend the money elsewhere and won't have it saved-buy adorama or B&H gift certificates so you can't spend it elsewhere.

 

[cgipson1]

what would you consider and "acceptable" slr body to shoot a wedding?

t3i? t4i? 60D? 7D? Mark II?

where is the line drawn from entry level to acceptable for big gigs?

an Amateur with a 1Dx wont get shots anywhere near as good as a knowledgeable hobbyist (a couple of YEARS of experience) with a entry level camera (say a T3i) would... and a PRO (more years, and specialized knowledge) would do even better.

It ain't the hardware, it is the photographer... and the top level bodies don't even have an AUTO mode, which is a problem for some people.

 

[MTVision]

I agree with everything your saying, i got this camera at a ridiculous price with tons of extras and I was on a budget. I do plan to save and start getting some better lenses but that money will be coming from shooting photos, portraits, etc... The 50mm 1.4 is only $200 more than the 1.8 so my thought is to get a solid portrait lens that will make me some money to allow me to upgrade to high end lenses.

I know i like the 50mm focal length just from shooting this last week or so with the 1.8 which is why i was thinking of upgrading to the 1.4. If i did buy it I would have the kit lens, the 50mm 1.4 and the 55-250, I would stop there until i started making enough money to upgrade to the good stuff.

I really just want one solid lens, what you said is correct, i shouldnt waste my money on junk, althought the 1.4 is junk to a pro, I thought it would be a good lens to get started with rather than the 1.8 that i have to worry about breaking just from looking at it.

thoughts?

I liked the 50 too. In fact it didn't leave my camera for over 8 months. Now I'm realizing it's not my ideal focal length and I rarely use it. My whole point is that a week isn't really enough time to determine anything.

 

[MLeeK]

what would you consider and "acceptable" slr body to shoot a wedding?

t3i? t4i? 60D? 7D? Mark II?

where is the line drawn from entry level to acceptable for big gigs?

You'll be fine with what you have for starting out. However you WILL feel the pinch of it eventually too. I shoot now with a 5d2 and a 7D. I feel a little pinch here and there even on my 7D and a lot of pinch on my 5d2 for certain things. I can see a difference in the more precise exposure between the two and I wish I could use the 5d2 in those situations that I can't because of it. Penny definitely felt a huge pinch from her T2i to my 5D2. And a good pinch with my 7D
You will create great images with what you have, but down the line you WILL find the NEED to upgrade. Until then you are just fine with what you have and that's really the point with the lenses too. Until you FEEL what you need, why do you want to throw money into them like a crap shoot?

If it were a matter of an acceptable level I'd never have accepted Pen shooting with her T2i. She's got great knowledge and skill with it, so it's just fine.

 

[sactown024]

I am throwing money at the hobby because I am learning so much and I feel my equipment is minimizing my ability to go tot he next step. Maybe i havnt mastered each peice of photography but I am the type of person with any hobby to learn it all at once slowly rather than master one thing at a time. Flash for instance, everyone says master NL first then worry about flash. To me, thats dumb, why master something if you know you will be using something else months down the road. To someone else that may be a better way to learn but no one can judge someone's way of learning.

 

[sactown024]

once again the thread is getting way off subject.

I appreciate all of your input, maybe ill stick with the 50mm 1.8 for a month or so and see if i want to upgrade.

 

[MLeeK]

You have yet to master anything. You've yet to post one good portrait without major BASIC issues. Believe me, you are not using the lenses you have in any way to their fullest potential and buying more lenses is just not the answer, but hey! I've only been around the block for about 20 years now.

Flash changes everything and if you don't know how to do the basics flash will be sacrificing you knowledge big time. Your future weddings-you won't be able to use flash in churches and you have to know those basics.

My final answer to you? Buy whatever you want. We don't have a clue what we are talking about because you have learned it all this past month that you've owned your camera.

 

[sactown024]

You have yet to master anything. You've yet to post one good portrait without major BASIC issues. Believe me, you are not using the lenses you have in any way to their fullest potential and buying more lenses is just not the answer, but hey! I've only been around the block for about 20 years now.

Flash changes everything and if you don't know how to do the basics flash will be sacrificing you knowledge big time. Your future weddings-you won't be able to use flash in churches and you have to know those basics.

My final answer to you? Buy whatever you want. We don't have a clue what we are talking about because you have learned it all this past month that you've owned your camera.

i guess the internet puts across the wrong vide because i feel like your taking me the wrong way.

 

[MLeeK]

I just can't help you. That's it. You are going to charge forth without any thought to really learning FIRST. If that's the way you need to go, then go for it. The way you are insisting that these lenses are limiting to you is pure BS at this point and you don't even know it yet, nor do you want to even bother to learn what you don't know. I can't help you.

 

[IByte]

Yeah I wasn't thinking a 1k lens. For me, I wouldnt invest in a 1k lens at this point either - I have another baby on the way and they are expensive!

Is there a reason you want to get rid of the 50mm? The only other prime I can think of would be like an 85mm or maybe the 50mm 1.4 - not sure of the price of either of those.

My nifty 50 1.4 was around $440. new and a little extra for 2 day delivery. If anything I would recommend that lens as previously stated 85 1.8. It's not that sweet krispy creme bokeh 1.4 but for a price 495.00 it's a great deal OP.

 

[MTVision]

My nifty 50 1.4 was around $440. new and a little extra for 2 day delivery. If anything I would recommend that lens as previously stated 85 1.8. It's not that sweet krispy creme bokeh 1.4 but for a price 495.00 it's a great deal OP.

But that's Nikon your talking about right?? Op shoots canon

 

[Tee]

In reply to the original question: no, it's not a good deal. Your 50 1.8 is perfectly acceptable. Secondly, if you're not familiar with Zack Arias and his minimalist and one light approach, I recommend looking at his YouTube stuff (I'll look for a few links when I get home). Basically, he does an awesome job of dispelling the latest and greatest mindset (which, admittedly, I fell into). It's definitely a great way to approach photography in this "gotta have it" age.

 

[tirediron]

once again the thread is getting way off subject.

I appreciate all of your input, maybe ill stick with the 50mm 1.8 for a month or so and see if i want to upgrade.

That is the most sensible statement yet! Don't buy ANYTHING until you know what you NEED! The 50mm 1.4 is going to get you NOTHING at this stage except an emptier wallet. You've said you don't want to spend a thousand or more dollars on a lens. I hate to break it to you, but good glass costs! The plus side is that $1-2000 lens will last you many years.

Having said that, let me re-emphasize the points made earlier. From your posts and the images you've put up, it seems to me that most of your problems relate to a basic lack of understanding of the principles involved, DoF, exposure/metering, etc. Do you know what the inverse square law relates to? What am I talking about when I use the term "Golden mean"? What is Zone VII? These are all part of the basic knowledge package that you need.

My suggestion would be to join up with a local camera club where you can go out on shoots and learn baby, learn! There are usually some retired pros and/or very, very skilled amateurs who can actually show you how to improve (rather than just tell you as is all we can do). You can do it, but first you have to learn how much you yet don't know!