That last second before pressing "Buy"

[Vargen]

Hey Folks,

I hope I'm posting in the right section...
I'm just about to buy myself a new camera. I was dead set on the 5DmkII for quite a while, but then I decided to wait for the MKIII and buy the little brother 7D instead.
(I believe that would make most sense if I'm going for the MKIII later, right?)

I'm now stuck with lenses (surprise!). I'll make it simple: 75% of my work is video-focused. The only reason why I'm not buying a video camera is because I do stills as well quite regularly.

If I did not plan to buy the MKIII then I would go for the 18-135. I read that the lens is however not compatible with a full frame body, so that lens would be useless for my future MKIII, correct?

So now I'm a bit stuck on what to choose. I have a offer to get 18-55mm + 55-250mm for a decent price. Sounds like a reasonable combo to me? I'm not sure though. Some advice would be lovely!

 

[WesternGuy]

If you are planning to go full-frame in the future the stick to EF lenses, otherwise the EF-S lenses will simply become museum pieces - in your museum (I have one or two in my museum LOL). Are the 18-55 and the 55-250 not EF-S lenses ?? see here: Canon EF-S 18-55 mm IS and 55-250 mm IS: Digital Photography Review . If these are not the lenses you are asking about, then maybe I have interpreted your posting wrongly.

If you are going to buy (EF?) lenses, are you looking more for wide-angle, or telephoto...or do you just want to cover the range that they cover? What subjects do you intend to shoot - any ideas? It would also be nice to know what sort of budget you have for this purchase. I know this does not help, but sometimes the answers to a few more questions can help us give you a better answer.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

 

[iolair]

My philosophy is ... work out what lenses you need to do the photography in your style or requirements. THEN see what body would be suitable to go with them. Lenses > Body. (Yes, oversimplified a little, especially with video where there is a more significant difference between the bodies).

What gear do you currently have? What's your budget for the upgrade? What kind of stills do you need to take?

 

[tyler_h]

My understanding is most videography shot in the 24-70mm sort of range... but what does your stills include... if you like UWA you won't get UWA on crop that you can then use on FF... etc etc

iolair is right about the order you need to consider it.

 

[Vargen]

Thanks for the fast replies! It's good to know that there are friendly forums to get help from.

My budget: 2000-5000 USD. I rather spend as little as possible right now due to my future purchase (more info below)
Main use: Video, portrait-style.

I'm currently studying in a film school, and I need a camera to start practicing outside of school before getting serious with it. I get my diploma in about seven months time, and by that time I want to invest in a real good camera which I can start doing semi-professional work with. So the current "in-before" camera I need will be used for my Thesis movie project (Which is quite important for my diploma) and my stills mostly based around portrait and conceptual photography. Some of my previous work in stills.

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2009/360/b/c/Aspiration_by_AnotherTale.jpg

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/127/b/0/Envy_by_AnotherTale.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs31/i/2008/237/8/6/Hands_of_a_King_by_AnotherTale.jpg

I am highly interested in stills as well, and hence why I want a DSLR rather than video-cam.

I know the 7D is mainly used for sports or burst photography, which is quite handy to have in your toolbox but not exactly my main thing. My "main camera" will without doubt become the MKIII in the future, but for now, I believe the 7D will perform well in my thesis project (Artistic music video) and for some stills. And as mentioned, maybe the 7D will still outclass the MKIII in terms of sport photography, which can come in handy at some point.

What now confuses me is the whole lens deal. I need a lens that mainly performs well in movies with people involved (not much landscapes, it's more of a artistic dance with a lot colors) shallow depth of field will be of importance as well in certain shots. I would want my lenses to work on the MKIII as well though, which is the part that confuses me a bit. This is the deal I'm looking at:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-CANO...855?pt=AU_Digital_Cameras&hash=item23111607ef

Ps.

If you happen to know lenses decent for landscapes as well, I could take the tip for future reference!

 

[tyler_h]

Don't forget about the cost of a shoulder rig in there too. Not sure on US prices or such but could do something like:
5D II
24-70mm f/2.8
shoulder rig - don't know much on them or what would suit you

To get that wide (if you desire it (landscape... or you might like for your videos too)) on the 7D you need 15mm...
The real equivalent for 7D would be with 17-55 f/2.8 but it is an EF-S lens...

The other one; the 18-55 + 55-250 are cheap and hence have poor focus rings; its fairly important to have smooth, usable focus ring and same for a zoom ring...


Landscape lenses for FF:
Cheaper zoom: 17-40mm f/4L
Expensive zoom: 16-35mm f/2.8L
Fast Prime: 24mm f/1.4L II
Superb corner to corner: TS-E 24mm f/3.5L (manual focus only)
And a little wide but no conventional filters: TS-E 17mm f/4L

Landscape for Crop, tend to not be useful for FF as well. The Canon offering is the EF-S 10-22 f/3.5-4.5

 

[Vargen]

Aye, the 5DmkII is without doubt what I in reality should get, but I'm aiming to get the mkIII as soon it hits the market. With that in mind, it feels like getting the MKII is a bit overkill seeing as we might hear news of the MKIII in less than a year from now. That's the main reason why I'm looking at a cheaper option, the whole EF-S lens dilemma is highly irksome though.

Seems the best choice would be 17-55 but it's indeed a EF-S.
How would it be to buy the 24-105mm that is usually used on the MKII? I know quite a lot of movie makers use it as a all-around lens.

 

[tyler_h]

24-105 is a great lens too. You lose a stop but you can make up for that with the IS.
I thought it was around the same price point as the 24-70; only marginally cheaper. In my experience it's easier to find as well. It get bundled as kit too so might be able to make some more savings there.

There is always the problem of buy now or wait for a new model. But if you wait a year for the new one, but then you may as well wait for the next and so on...
The question to ask yourself is what doesn't the 5D II lack that you'd be looking for in the 5D III - and then there is the next problem of if that feature will be on the 5D III or not.

Generally, the biggest complaint is the AF, which if you are doing a lot more movies its not so relevant.


Another point; the 17-55 costs around the same as the 24-105 or 24-70 anyway.

 

[Vargen]

There is always the problem of buy now or wait for a new model. But if you wait a year for the new one, but then you may as well wait for the next and so on..

True, the difference is that the MKII has been out for quite some time now. If it was a recent release I would not blink to buy it, but in this case I feel the next model might hit the market within 12 months. There is a few things I miss in the MKII, especially the ability to shoot 60fps.
Generally I feel that if I aim to buy the MKIII, I'll be better off with having a 7D in my toolkit rather than a MKII.

This deal does not seem so bad.
A1160 Canon EOS 7D+24-105mm+UV Filter+8G CF+Bat+Gif+2Wt | eBay

 

[tyler_h]

There is always the problem of buy now or wait for a new model. But if you wait a year for the new one, but then you may as well wait for the next and so on..

True, the difference is that the MKII has been out for quite some time now. If it was a recent release I would not blink to buy it, but in this case I feel the next model might hit the market within 12 months. There is a few things I miss in the MKII, especially the ability to shoot 60fps.
Generally I feel that if I aim to buy the MKIII, I'll be better off with having a 7D in my toolkit rather than a MKII.

This deal does not seem so bad.
A1160 Canon EOS 7D+24-105mm+UV Filter+8G CF+Bat+Gif+2Wt | eBay

Yeah, that's the main point but with no actual final specs or anything, and with recent events in Japan it could be close to a year for a Mk III. If you got the II you could sell it when you get the III later.

On the kit; as a setup it looks fine. I'd ditch the UV filter; if you must have one get a good quality one. I'd be looking for a better bag too, and be aware that a lot of the generic batteries are much lower mAh's than the genuine. Some comment for them lasting half as long as the genuine counterparts. I'd check separate purchases for pricing if you decide not all of what they are bundling is worthwhile to you.

 

[Vargen]

You raise a good point there. I think I might loose quite a % by selling the MKII once the upgrade is out though. Nevertheless, it's worth giving it a think-over.

For now I'll look more into 7D deals with the 24-105mm lens, while also peaking a bit on the 5D bundles. Thanks a lot for your help Tyler!

 

[tyler_h]

Yeah, the market will probably get a small flood of used 5D II's when the III is released. If you keep it in mint and your shutter actuation will be relatively low so you might come out ok still.

And no worries. It's always hard when trying to decide on new equipment. Good luck.