Oh- you mean I have to pick a lens too?

[Derrel]

I have the 70-200 2.8 VR2. (Nikkor) It's an amazing lens, but I'll warn you... especially on a FF camera... there is NOT as much zoom there as you might expect.

That's true; on FX, a 70-200 does not have nearly as much "reach" as it does on a 1.5x body. That's part of the reason that 70-300mm lenses exist, as well as why there used to be a goodly number of 100-300mm zooms on the market in the last decade of the film era, and also why Nikon has a brand new, high-quality 80-400 AF-S lens with VR...to bring back that "zoomy-ness" that people often want.

As long as it's daylight hours, the 70-300 AF-S VR-G is my choice over either my 70-200 VR or my new 80-200 AF-S; at the beach for example, the 70-300VR stopped down to f/6.3 or 7.1 is as good as either of those lenses, on 24MP FX...so...I save weight, and size. The only time is hurts is the last hour of the day, when the light level drops way low.

 

[Mike_E]

I haven't shot the Canon but I do shoot a D800 w/70~200 Vll quite a bit.

I really like the D800 with this lens because I can go into crop mode to get the extra reach and still have good pixel density. The buffer gets up into the high twenties in DX mode as well which is cool because even though people call this camera slow 5 FPS is still a shot every 1/20th of a second. Plenty if you're only concentrating on one or two people instead of w whole team.

I also like a big, thick, Manfrotto mono-pod. Not only does it help with the camera it makes a good walking stick.

Anyway, if it turns out to be a burden to carry then just carry it three times as much and you'll get used to it.

 

[manaheim]

I haven't shot the Canon but I do shoot a D800 w/70~200 Vll quite a bit.

I really like the D800 with this lens because I can go into crop mode to get the extra reach and still have good pixel density. The buffer gets up into the high twenties in DX mode as well which is cool because even though people call this camera slow 5 FPS is still a shot every 1/20th of a second. Plenty if you're only concentrating on one or two people instead of w whole team.

I also like a big, thick, Manfrotto mono-pod. Not only does it help with the camera it makes a good walking stick.

Anyway, if it turns out to be a burden to carry then just carry it three times as much and you'll get used to it.

uhhhhhh... crop mode doesn't give you extra reach. It just crops the frame, giving the illusion of extra reach at the expense of MP.

Not that the D800 doesn't have the MP to spare... it does... but why not just take the picture normal and crop it in post.

 

[480sparky42 41]

.......... but why not just take the picture normal and crop it in post.

Higher burst rate.

 

[Solarflare]

Image stabilization on telephoto lenses is a nobrainer to me.

Its no substitute for good technique, no. But it can also not be replaced by good technique. You cant always use a tripod, and you cant always set up a makeshift tripod (leanding against a wall, standing broadly, making a tripod with your arms and head, breathing technique etc). Image stabilization on telephoto lenses make you life a lot easier.

You need them for sports, too. In fact you will prefer having an advanced image stabilization that allows you to pan.

I keep telling myself that "a good photographer can use any camera" ;-) and then I realize I'm only upgrading because I say my nex7 can't shoot sports.

Exactly. Well you probably can manage with good technique by prefocussing etc, after all the photographers of ages past have managed to shoot sports without an autofocus, too - but todays cameras dont support such things too well and techniques like panning really need AF+IS.

Start with a 24-70 2.8 if you go with a FF camera. You're outside, no need for a fast prime here, a fast, quality zoom will be far more useful.

I most strongly disagree.

Primes for the normal range, specifically for 50mm, even more than for any other focal length, are small and bright. And in that focal length range you can almost always "zoom by feet", easily.

While I find zooming in the extremes of the focal length very useful, normal zooms are mostly for laziness, in my opinion.

 

[Mike_E]

.......... but why not just take the picture normal and crop it in post.

Higher burst rate.

This plus it saves space on the cards.

 

[manaheim]

Oh my head.