What gear should I buy - huge budget

morgan20

I want to set myself up as a pro sports photographer and I need some good gear. I have $35,000 but I also have to buy a car and rent an office.

I am looking at a Canon pro camera - which sort should I buy?

I want a basic lens like 18-35, 70-300, and a telephoto for sports action - what do you suggest and price?

I need a very good flash which won't run out of batteries uickly
and probably a external battery pack for camera/flash - recommended makes & models????

I have a manfrotto tripod and monopod already

What else should I buy?

Thanks
Morgan20

ziggy53

Morgan20, welcome to the Digital Grin.

What is your background in photography?

Specifically what sports do you wish to cover?

Do you have field access to the sports?

Just what portion of the budget is for the photography equipment?

I am not familiar with a Canon 18-35mm lens and none of the 70-300mm lenses are really appropriate for professional sports photography. Where did you get information about those items?

For the flash, what distances do you anticipate you need to cover?

PineapplePhoto

:tough if you do not know what gear it takes to become a pro sports photographer, you probably will not become one... buy yourself some time to think about this and do some research.

Richard

Hello Morgan and welcome to Dgrin .

As Ziggy said, we would need to know more about your background and specific interests before recommending gear. I hope you understand that there's more to becoming a pro photographer than having the right equipment. More important is having a solid grounding in technique and a sound business plan. Tell us more and maybe we can help.

8zil

This topic saddens me, you can't just say "tee hee, I will be a pro for the lulz", if you have no grasp of what equipent is required to make photography for a living, I think you should buy some books, take a course or two and learn the basics first....

ian408

I think you should take a deep breath and learn a bit about the task at hand.

But since you asked...

2x Canon 1D MkIII, Canon 300/f2.8, Canon 500/f4, Canon 70-200/f.2.8, Canon 15mm (for the odd cool shot) and Canon 24-105/f4. Get a couple of 580EXIIs for flash and a pot load of batteries.

That should do it for now. But really, if you are asking these questions, you really need to spend some time and learn what it is you want to do.

Or are you just trolling

Moogle Pepper

I know you said you want to do Canon, but have you thought about Nikon? The D3 might be a better choice...

Tango

my consulting fees are 5k an hour....lets talk.:D

aktse

ian408 wrote:

2x Canon 1D MkIII, Canon 300/f2.8, Canon 500/f4, Canon 70-200/f.2.8, Canon 15mm (for the odd cool shot) and Canon 24-105/f4. Get a couple of 580EXIIs for flash and a pot load of batteries.

Don't forget to save some $$$ for software for your workflow.

I suggest a combo of stuff like PM, LR2 and CS3.

And don't forget a smuggy pro account!

AfterImage

$35K for gear, a car and an office.... Yikes, I'm not sure that is enough unless you really cut corners on the vehicle (used Mini Van?) and live in a low rent area. Sadly $35K isn't that huge when you are starting from (what sounds like) nothing.

As stated above, do some homework on the subject and figure out exactly what you'll have left for gear. Maybe picking up used equipment all around will be a way to get what you need. A mentor might be useful as well.

If you are serious the folks here will help but it sounds like you are ready to go cliff diving without swimming lessons... at low tide.

Moogle Pepper

Now that I think about it, the 35k will only cover gear and a used car. An office can run as low as $2000 a month [ballpark].

MT Stringer

If you set up a Pro account and sell your photos on line here at Smugmug, you don't really need to rent an office. Right? Cell phone and a computer table/corner of a bedroom and your set.

A used vehicle might be the ticket. I've been looking at a Chevy HHR panel truck. Good mileage and room to tote gear.

Good luck.
Mike

Scott_Quier

Hey folks, I'm starting to wonder if this isn't some sort of phishing expedition - looking to spin a bunch of folks up over nothing?

Cameron

Scott_Quier wrote:

Hey folks, I'm starting to wonder if this isn't some sort of phishing expedition - looking to spin a bunch of folks up over nothing?

Yeah, smells a bit like a troll to me... 24 hours now and no replies from Morgan20.

Tango

i agree, my fees are now doubled

ziggy53

Now folks, "morgan20" joined almost a year ago and this is their first post. Let's not be too hasty in judgement.

Morgan, what did you decide relating to my questions?

Tango

your right z

morgan, i +1 IAN408's advice

morgan20

Brutal
I have been on my death bed (terrible virus) for a week and not much chance of using my computer. Thanks Ian408 I will start my search with your suggestions

Scott_Quier

morgan20 wrote:

I have been on my death bed (terrible virus) for a week and not much chance of using my computer. Thanks Ian408 I will start my search with your suggestions

You're forgiven - I hope you can ignore/forgive my hasty judgement.:cry Also - get to feeling better soon!

Cameron

morgan20 wrote:

I have been on my death bed (terrible virus) for a week and not much chance of using my computer. Thanks Ian408 I will start my search with your suggestions

:hurt

Hope you feel better! I too am sorry for the hasty judgment... I need to spend less time over on DPR....

Awais Yaqub

CSwinton wrote:

:hurt

I need to spend less time over on DPR....

Moogle Pepper

Morgan,

Before you edited your post you mentioned that you have/had a Nikon D1. As a Canon user, I am not entirely familiar with Nikon, but I do read much reviews and specs. Why not just opt for Nikon's D3 if you already use Nikon instead of switching to Canon? If you are gonna do sports photography, the Nikon D3 might be a great choice for it.

ian408

morgan20 wrote:

I have been on my death bed (terrible virus) for a week and not much chance of using my computer. Thanks Ian408 I will start my search with your suggestions

You're welcome. But since you'd mentioned Nikon, do have a look at the D3. It's a very nice camera (I have one) and comparable to the 1D series in weight and performance. Where the D3 kicks Canon ass is in low light.

morgan20

thanks
thanks to all those who provided helpful comments. I did a day of research around the pro camera shops and thought I would buy an EOS 1D MIII but then I found that the Nikon D300 could do the same job I need without having to pay an extra $7000. So now I can spend the money I saved on extra lens, and accessories. Morgan

ziggy53

morgan20 wrote:

thanks to all those who provided helpful comments. I did a day of research around the pro camera shops and thought I would buy an EOS 1D MIII but then I found that the Nikon D300 could do the same job I need without having to pay an extra $7000. So now I can spend the money I saved on extra lens, and accessories. Morgan

I think you are confusing the 1Ds MK III and the 1D MK III. The Canon 1D MK III is more costly than the Nikon D300 to be sure, but not as much as the 1Ds MK III.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518204-REG/Canon_2011B002_EOS_1Ds_Mark_III_SLR.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/484813-REG/Canon_1888B002_EOS_1D_Mark_III_Digital.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518489-REG/Nikon_25432_D300_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

The Nikon D300 is a fine camera, but the Canon 1D MK III would be considered an upgrade and is the camera most preferred by Sports Illustrated shooters (just to drop a name. )

Moogle Pepper

You should totally check out Andy's thread about Vincent LaForet's gear he is taking covering the Beijing Olympics!

Totally .... jawdrop