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1

Lenses / 300mm F/2.8 non-IS... worth it?

« on: April 02, 2013, 08:51:03 AM »

Hello all,

I'm an 18 year old sports photographer in Dublin, Ireland and I'm trying to build up my reputation and get out there more. My main used lens at the moment is the 300mm F/4L non-IS on a 1D Mark IIN and I'm looking at getting a 300mm F/2,8 so I can work under floodlights for rugby/football.

I hear a lot of bad about this lens, because Canon will no-longer repair it and it focuses by wire (not entirely sure what that means). If I could get it for around, or a little over €1,000 ($1,200 USD or so) in reasonably good condition is it worth it? Would it be a stupid thing to do? Would going for a Sigma 120-300mm F/2.8 OS be smarter? I could probably get one of them for the same price, or maybe the first version of the Sigma.

I'm on a very tight budget, as I'm a student and still trying to be able to even afford a car and living costs, so the 300 F/2.8 IS is definitely out of the question, but I would definitely consider any third party F/2.8 alternatives if there are any.
Everything is ridiculously expensive in Ireland, I would contemplate going to the UK to get things cheaper even. I was quoted €500 for a Pelican 1510 case from the biggest camera shop in Dublin, it was €260 to order it online from the UK, inclusive of shipping...

Thanks.
Stuart

2

EOS Bodies - For Stills / 1D Mark IIN AF hesitation

« on: January 02, 2013, 05:27:49 AM »

I picked up a 1D Mark IIN a few days ago, it's my first time with a 1-Series body. I'm moving from a 40D/60D set up to a 1D IIN/40D set up as I'm shooting mainly sports and events. The previous owner was a press photographer who used the camera for years and looked after it, she never had a problem with it.

I've noticed that there's a slight hesitation before it attempts to find focus and it's noticeably slower than my 40D, it doesn't feel quite as snappy.  I've tested it on a Sigma 24-60mm F/2.8 and a Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L and the results are the same. The tests are using only the centre AF point. The 1D hunts a fair bit more in lower light than the 40D but I put that down to the age difference between the two. Could the hesitation problem due to the age as well? I wiped down the lens contacts but that didn't make a difference.

I'm considering sending it in to the local Canon service centre here in Dublin, but would just like some other opinions before I do so.