... switching yet again

Jeremy Winterberg · October 17, 2010

ok, I have serious issues. I seem to switch cameras consistently every 6 months or so.

For those that dont know my background I've been shooting Nikon since November 2009, before that I shot Canon since Oct 2008. Holy crap! I just realized I bought my first DSLR two years ago on the 12th! Crazy how time flies!

Anyways, I'm selling my Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, Nikkor 105mm f/2DC and am getting a 5DMKII.. I know.. someone needs to cancel my Fred Miranda account.. cause this is getting ridiculous! haha

I'm trying to think of a good lens line-up to go with it for portraits/weddings which is what I do. The budget for lenses would be around $1150 to start out, I will add more lenses when there is room in the budget for it.

I have an idea as to what I want, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I will be using the video features of it quite often (which is a main reason why I'm going with the 5DMKII) , so what lenses work best for video? Meaning quality, distortion, focusing ease (the video is 100% manual focus right? autofocus doesn't work?), etc..

To be honest.. one thing that has been driving me nuts about Nikon is the lens mount.. Every time I switch lenses I try to turn to the left to take it off and to the right to put it on. WHY IS NIKON BACKWARDS!?? LEFTY LOOSY RIGHTY TIGHTY!

trevorb · October 17, 2010

I like primes… So if it were me… a Sigma 50 1.4 at $500 or Canon 50 1.4 at $349 and a Canon 85 1.8 at $360 total= $709-$860. You can auto focus on the 5D Mark II during video but it is slow and will get picked up in the recording.

Dan7312 · October 17, 2010

Check out http://cinema5d.com. It's devoted to 5D/7D video and has lots of discussion of the issues of using the 5D for video.

Yes, it is manual focus. A lot of people use special rigs that make it easier to pull the image into focus and keep the camera steady. You'll find a lot of discussion about this on cinema5d.

Jeremy Winterberg wrote: »

I will be using the video features of it quite often (which is a main reason why I'm going with the 5DMKII) , so what lenses work best for video? Meaning quality, distortion, focusing ease (the video is 100% manual focus right? autofocus doesn't work?), etc..

tjstrider · October 17, 2010

or there is the possibility of getting the D300s doesn't that one do Video? and then you have Video body and a shooting body...

Jeremy Winterberg · October 17, 2010

This isn't a discussion on camera bodies. I dont want the 5DMKII ONLY for video, I'm a photographer... I just am getting that vs like.. a 1D series because of full sensor, the MP, ergonomics, selection of lenses, and a few other things.. video is just an extra bonus toy that I want to do.

That being said I need the autofocus in the lenses.. and I'm not losing any money selling my gear and buying new gear because I sold the nikon gear above what I payed for it to begin with.

tjstrider, hahaha... I am not going back to a crop sensor body. just saying...

Please, only suggest lenses in the future.

Qarik · October 17, 2010

have you held a 5dmk2 in your hands? have you looked through the viewfinder? you may be quite surprised.

Moogle Pepper · October 17, 2010

Welcome back to the side of all things holy and good in the universe!!

Lens. The holy trinity. 35L, 85L/50L, and the 135L.

(but dude you are wasting money left and right with the switch. Get the D7000 if you want to add video.)

senorjax · October 17, 2010

That being said I need the autofocus in the lenses.. and I'm not losing any money selling my gear and buying new gear because I sold the nikon gear above what I payed for it to begin with.

You say you sold your nikon gear for more than you paid for it yet it just showed up, for sale by you, in the classifieds. Huh?

Jeremy Winterberg · October 17, 2010

Qarik wrote: »

have you held a 5dmk2 in your hands? have you looked through the viewfinder? you may be quite surprised.

Yes I have played with one and I like it.

Moogle Pepper wrote: »

Welcome back to the side of all things holy and good in the universe!!

Lens. The holy trinity. 35L, 85L/50L, and the 135L.

(but dude you are wasting money left and right with the switch. Get the D7000 if you want to add video.)

Thank you for the suggestions

senorjax wrote: »

You say you sold your nikon gear for more than you paid for it yet it just showed up, for sale by you, in the classifieds. Huh?

When I said I had it sold I had buyers lined up for everything.. and today they all backed out on me. At the moment idk if I'm switching back to Canon or not. If nothing sells, I'm not switching.

Matthew Saville · October 18, 2010

Jeremy Winterberg wrote: »

ok, I have serious issues. I seem to switch cameras consistently every 6 months or so.

For those that dont know my background I've been shooting Nikon since November 2009, before that I shot Canon since Oct 2008. Holy crap! I just realized I bought my first DSLR two years ago on the 12th! Crazy how time flies!

Anyways, I'm selling my Nikon D700, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, Nikkor 105mm f/2DC and am getting a 5DMKII.. I know.. someone needs to cancel my Fred Miranda account.. cause this is getting ridiculous! haha

I'm trying to think of a good lens line-up to go with it for portraits/weddings which is what I do. The budget for lenses would be around $1150 to start out, I will add more lenses when there is room in the budget for it.

I have an idea as to what I want, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I will be using the video features of it quite often (which is a main reason why I'm going with the 5DMKII) , so what lenses work best for video? Meaning quality, distortion, focusing ease (the video is 100% manual focus right? autofocus doesn't work?), etc..

To be honest.. one thing that has been driving me nuts about Nikon is the lens mount.. Every time I switch lenses I try to turn to the left to take it off and to the right to put it on. WHY IS NIKON BACKWARDS!?? LEFTY LOOSY RIGHTY TIGHTY!

As long as you're smart enough to know that it isn't going to make a difference in your artistic style or business' success, good luck with the switch! :-\

=Matt=

Jeremy Winterberg · October 18, 2010

Matthew Saville wrote: »

As long as you're smart enough to know that it isn't going to make a difference in your artistic style or business' success, good luck with the switch! :-\

=Matt=

obviously.. the camera has nothing to do with either of those. however.. being able to offer video as an option could be good for business.

Pindy · October 18, 2010

Jeremy Winterberg wrote: »

ok, I have serious issues. I seem to switch cameras consistently every 6 months or so.

I used to suffer from this. I hope you find something you can make a career out of. It's a wonderful thing to find the tool that makes you not care about the next big camera announcement.

Manfr3d · October 18, 2010

Jeremy Winterberg wrote: »

The budget for lenses would be around $1150 to start out, I will add more lenses when there is room in the budget for it.

I have an idea as to what I want, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Your budget is really tight if you have to go shoot a wedding tomorrow.
In this case I would probably go with something like this:

Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 + used 70-200mm 2.8-ish zoom

Obviously the long zoom is the expensive part here. If you can live without
it you can buy a 100mm 2.x or 85mm 1.8 instead. The key point here is
that you buy the lenses that enable you to get the shot you want. If you
want to shoot video in a professional way (subejective) you will most likely
need some kind of steadycam setup to eleminate shake and allow for easy
manual focussing. This will easily set you back another 1000 bucks.

In my opinion the ultimate setup would be:

16-35, 24-70, 70-200 IS and 24mm 1.4, 50mm 1.x, 85mm 1.x and a 100mm IS Macro for detail shots.
Obviously, everyone else will favor a somewhat different setup

NikonsandVstroms · October 18, 2010

Jeremy Winterberg wrote: »

obviously.. the camera has nothing to do with either of those. however.. being able to offer video as an option could be good for business.

From your comments here I take it you only have 1 body?

If you are doing lots of weddings/events a back up would be high on my list, as for video the D7000 seems to be the cream of the Nikon crop as of now, plus with the metal body and AF seems to be a decent camera for your uses. I understand the wish to go full frame, but in my experience having the DX body has been great as it has added more functionality per lens.

Qarik · October 18, 2010

personally I couldn't go backwards on the AF. As for the video? I don't see it as much of marketing tool for wedding work if you intend to do stills as well. It seems to me you need dedicated video equipment and personel if you are attempeting to do both..otherwise you miss important events one way or the other.

Matthew Saville · October 18, 2010

NikonsandVstroms wrote: »

From your comments here I take it you only have 1 body?

If you are doing lots of weddings/events a back up would be high on my list, as for video the D7000 seems to be the cream of the Nikon crop as of now, plus with the metal body and AF seems to be a decent camera for your uses. I understand the wish to go full frame, but in my experience having the DX body has been great as it has added more functionality per lens.

What he said.

Jeremy, I honestly just don't think switching to Canon for video is a good reason, not anymore. It's just a matter of months before Nikon has 1080p in every single one of their cameras, and the D7000 is already an amazing body and as stated, the crop is hardly an issue. Just buy a Tokina 11-16 2.8 DX for the ultra-wide stuff if you need it, and you'll be fine. (Just as sharp as even the Canon 16-35 mk2, and insanely cheaper!)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to you switching, I just think Nikon is a better system. And also as stated, if you're shooting weddings with just *one* professional (or reliable) body, then shame on you! :-P

Bottom line for me, personally: I simply prefer (by far) Nikon's lineup and even moreso their controls, and I have no interest in offering video (nor fusion) as a professional service. I know tons of photographers who have jumped ship from Nikon to the 5D mk2 and none of them (who are as you say, photographers not videographers) ever make much more than a dime on offering such a service. Those who DO succeed in making money with DSLR video are either already successful videographers, or jumping headlong into the fusion thing with a prodigy / genius-like talent that magically springs forth when they pick up the camera. I am neither of those things, so I keep doing what I do best.

I don't want to be too negative about this, but I honestly believe that if you get a 5D mk2, and nothing else to aide in your low-light wedding and action situations, (Like the 1D mk3, or at least a 7D) ...you will quickly regret the decision. The wisest thing I think would be to at least wait until PMA 2011 and see how much Nikon charges for their D700 replacement. Work hard between now and then, book a few more jobs, and surely you'll be able to afford one. Actually scratch that, the wisest thing would be to just buy a D7000 as your backup camera, play around with video and start offering it to clients to see if they'll bite, ...and if they don't, no problem.

BTW, I shoot with both Canon and Nikon all the time. You just tend to get used to the different zoom / focus / lens directions after a while. I don't even realize which direction which goes anymore, I just do it. *shrug*

Take care! Sorry about all the tough love...
=Matt=

Jeremy Winterberg · October 18, 2010

I only have one body. I only need one body right now. I dont have any more weddings booked, I'm working on it. But right now one body is all I need. When I shot my weddings this summer I rented an extra body and I rented the lenses didn't have. I would rather rent something I dont need than spend money I dont have to buy it.

I wouldn't be using the video for wedding work. It would be more for personal projects or small jobs. Yes, a steadycam setup would be required if doing hand held work, but like I said.. the video would be more for personal projects at this point.

I'm trying to change my business into more of a boutique portrait studio instead of shooting everything with the title photography after it. I enjoy weddings, but I'm not gonna worry about it if I never book another one. And for a portrait session.. if my camera breaks I can always reschedule the session. The chances of that happening? slim to none.

At this point I probably wont be switching, (since all my buyers backed out within an hour of eachother) but I am keeping my for sale posts listed in case someone wants it down the road.

Matthew Saville · October 18, 2010

Jeremy Winterberg wrote: »

I only have one body. I only need one body right now. I dont have any more weddings booked, I'm working on it. But right now one body is all I need. When I shot my weddings this summer I rented an extra body and I rented the lenses didn't have.

...if my camera breaks I can always reschedule the session...

Good man! I'm the same way- always bring 2-3 bodies to a wedding, but for an engagement or other portrait session, ehh it's no problem to re-schedule.

If I were you Jeremy I'd rent a 5D mk2 once or twice for a few portrait sessions. Or just find a friend on the school or Facebook who will let you borrow theirs. See how you like it. Who knows, you might love it! Just don't jump before you check for sharp rocks... ;-)

Moogle Pepper · October 18, 2010

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Good man! I'm the same way- always bring 2-3 bodies to a wedding, but for an engagement or other portrait session, ehh it's no problem to re-schedule.

If I were you Jeremy I'd rent a 5D mk2 once or twice for a few portrait sessions. Or just find a friend on the school or Facebook who will let you borrow theirs. See how you like it. Who knows, you might love it! Just don't jump before you check for sharp rocks... ;-)

What he said. Bum off one of your friends with the 5.

Brett1000 · October 18, 2010

Moogle Pepper wrote: »

What he said. Bum off one of your friends with the 5.

wish I could bum a 5DmkII !

Funny, you go to a Canon forum like www.photography-on-the.net/forum and see where people switched from Nikon to Canon because of image quality, video, cheaper lens, etc. I suppose it's similar if you go to a Nikon forum where people switch to Nikon.

billythek · October 18, 2010

How did you come up with that budget? You can't do anything professional for that. BTW, do you know you can get a 5D2 for $1600 plus tax on the Canon Loyalty Program? Might give you more latitude for lenses if you weren't counting on that.

I'm not really a Canon fan boy, but welcome back to the light.

Jeremy Winterberg · October 18, 2010

billythek wrote: »

How did you come up with that budget? You can't do anything professional for that. BTW, do you know you can get a 5D2 for $1600 plus tax on the Canon Loyalty Program? Might give you more latitude for lenses if you weren't counting on that.

I'm not really a Canon fan boy, but welcome back to the light.

The 1150 is how much I will be getting for my lenses I potentially will be selling. I dont think the Canon Loyalty Program applies to this. I thought its only for people that have broken canon cameras.

As for the professional lenses.. yes I can. Canon 135L is about $800 used. 80-200 2.8L is $600. The 200L is also $600.. all pro glass.. I dont need to buy every lens in the world right away. I'm probably gonna go with the 50 1.4 and 135L to start out. which is more than enough to get me by. If I ever need anything else I can always rent.

Moogle Pepper · October 18, 2010

well if you do decide to go with a 5D2, get the 35L. And work your way up. You can pretty much just shoot nearly anything with just the 35L. At least wedding related. As 35mm is a standard length, I hear, for video that should be perfect for your uses if you really want to use it for video.

Don't forget to pick up steady cam or things like that, as I am sure no one wants shakey videos.

Dude, do what I am doing. Buy a busted canon on ebay!

Jeremy Winterberg · October 18, 2010

Moogle Pepper wrote: »

well if you do decide to go with a 5D2, get the 35L. And work your way up. You can pretty much just shoot nearly anything with just the 35L. At least wedding related. As 35mm is a standard length, I hear, for video that should be perfect for your uses if you really want to use it for video.

Don't forget to pick up steady cam or things like that, as I am sure no one wants shakey videos.

Dude, do what I am doing. Buy a busted canon on ebay!

I'll have to think about the 35L.. interesting suggestion.. but I dont think it will do well for portraits, too wide.

A busted canon on ebay? explain.

billythek · October 18, 2010

Jeremy Winterberg wrote: »

I'll have to think about the 35L.. interesting suggestion.. but I dont think it will do well for portraits, too wide.

A busted canon on ebay? explain.

buy a busted canon p&s for $20 on craigslist, and use it for the canon loyalty program to get your 5D2 for $1600.

InsuredDisaster · October 19, 2010

You've surely gotta be loosing something with all the switching you do. I don't know about you, but I think the Nikon and Canon cameras feel very different. I don't think I'd want to swtich to the way Canon lays out their stuff. I'm sure some people who shoot Canon feel the same way about Nikon though. How do you really get used to your camera layouts after you switch all the time?

Jeremy Winterberg · October 19, 2010

InsuredDisaster wrote: »

How do you really get used to your camera layouts after you switch all the time?

Practice? The first thing I do when I get a new camera is I read the manual to figure out all the different functions. And I memorize where all the buttons are and what they do. Takes me about a day to get it down, but after that I can do anything with the camera without looking at the menus or buttons.

Also, I used to work at a Canon Dealer, so I got to play around with all of the Canon cameras, including the 5DMKII, 7D, 50D, etc.. And pretty much every L glass but the tilt shifts. So, obviously, in order for me to sell the cameras I needed to know them inside out.

Matthew Saville · October 19, 2010

No matter which system you use, definitely cover the wide angles with something sharp, for group portraits / formals etc. The 35 L is great if you get a copy with a flat plane of focus. For either Nikon or Canon, my lenses of choice would be a wide prime, a portrait prime, and a zoom that covers whichever range you use most.

So for Canon, for wide angle either the 28 1.8, 35 f/2, or 35 1.4 depending on how important the range is to you. Then for telephoto, either the Canon 85 1.8 or 100 f/2, or the Sigma 85 1.4, or the Canon 135 f/2, of course! Or the new Sigma 150 2.8 OS Macro, if you shoot extra tele.

And then either the 16-35, 17-40, 24-70, 24-105, 80-200, 70-200...

Then for Nikon, I'd say maybe the 24 or 28 2.8, the 35 f/2, or the 35 1.4... would cover the wide angle. Telephoto is covered by the 85 1.8, 85 1.4, (Sigma or Nikon, old or new...) or the 105 f/2, 135 f/2, or the new Sigma 150 2.8 OS Macro.

And of course the 14-24, 16-35, 17-35, 24-70, 80-200, 70-200...

Practically the same set of lenses, now that Nikon has finally got it's prime line nearly complete. Either way, that's my opinion on professional lens choice. Notice that I left out 50mm, but that's just my style, I see very little need for the range. But depending on the work or the style, it might be a good lens to have. I know plenty of photographers get most all their images at 50...

billythek · October 21, 2010

Some more info on the Canon Loyalty program. There seem to be quite a few people buying up cheap broken P&S cameras and using them to trade up to a 5D2 for $1600 + tax. I wish I had known about this when I bought mine last spring. Don't need another now, but tempted to pick up a 7D.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=937525&page=14

Jeremy Winterberg · October 21, 2010

billythek wrote: »

Some more info on the Canon Loyalty program. There seem to be quite a few people buying up cheap broken P&S cameras and using them to trade up to a 5D2 for $1600 + tax. I wish I had known about this when I bought mine last spring. Don't need another now, but tempted to pick up a 7D.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=937525&page=14

Thanks, I'm definitely gonna try to do this. Now to find a broken Canon PnS for under $10 on Ebay.. And I guess I still need to sell all my gear still.. crap.

NikonsandVstroms · October 21, 2010

billythek wrote: »

Some more info on the Canon Loyalty program. There seem to be quite a few people buying up cheap broken P&S cameras and using them to trade up to a 5D2 for $1600 + tax. I wish I had known about this when I bought mine last spring. Don't need another now, but tempted to pick up a 7D.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=937525&page=14

Is it for any Canon...I have an A75 somewhere and have been thinking of something higher resolution for studio work than the D700.

... switching yet again

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