I have GAS!

[dhr90]

Like most of us I lust for many photographic things pretty much constantly. My current kit is listed below, I mainly shoot motorsport, aircraft and landscapes, but will dabble with the odd macro or portrait now and again (after forgetting my previous attempts). I've got a sizeable tax refund coming my way which doesn't help my GAS at all ;D

Currently I'm considering an upgraded Polarising filter (current one is a Hoya Pro, would look at a B&W MRC), EF 40mm pancake and a carbon fibre monopod.

Or sell my 7D and put the money from that and what I have coming in to get a 7DII which would require a small top up of funds. Wondering whether its worth it though? My 7D is barely broken in at a 12k shutter count over 2 years. The main reason for looking at a 7DII is better ISO and AF performance (and of course, who doesn't like shiny new cameras to play with ).

The final much less realistic option would be a 5DIII, by selling the 7D, 24 pancake and the Tokina wide angle. But this by my estimation still leaves me needing to find £800 or so, which is more than I'd like to spend really.

Any thoughts, or alternatives? I should say that the only thing that I dislike about my 7D is the ISO performance on blue skies. It really shows up harshly on some aircraft and landscape shots I've noticed, but not so much that it annoys me or stops me shooting. I am just an amateur so I don't currently or plan to earn anything from my shooting in the future, although I have day dreamed about that more than once ;D

 

[bluemoon]

something wide, 17-40 is not getting much love here, but I use it and like it and it's going for about $450 on the second hand market. Also something to think about is getting a cheaper full frame body. You could pick up a 6D and have the both the reach and speed with one body and all the benefits of FF on the other body.

pierre

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

When I seriously started acquiring gear, I looked at a few thousand existing photos using the stastics in lightroom, and determined which focal lengths I used most, which ISO settings and apertures, and where I was limited by my gear.

Then, I wrote out a plan for which bodies and lenses and accessories to get. I had a digital rebel at the time, but planned to buy a FF camera in the future when the 5D MK II arrived.

So my list included lenses that were 1.6 times the focal length of those I used for my crop body. In many cases, the lenses I wanted were focal lengths that worked out well for a crop body, so I tried to buy dual use lenses first.

I started acquiring the lenses on my list when a good deal popped up. By the time the 5D MK II arrived, I had my lenses pretty well in hand. The first was a new white box 24-105mm L that a local photographer had received with his 5D classic. I used it for years until the 24-70mm MK II finally provided better IQ.

I've owned probably 80 or more percent of the lenses Canon has made over the years, and find that my usage also changes, so I'm still buying and selling.

A new body will need to bring some capability that I want and need, or I just hold off. I've passed up a 7D MK II, and 5Ds series merely because they do not fit my needs, even though I'd kinda like to have them. I plan to consider a 7D MK II once the price falls below $1000, and that may be later this summer.

 

[dhr90]

something wide, 17-40 is not getting much love here, but I use it and like it and it's going for about $450 on the second hand market. Also something to think about is getting a cheaper full frame body. You could pick up a 6D and have the both the reach and speed with one body and all the benefits of FF on the other body.

pierre

I did try the 17-40 out before I got the 24-105 and I just didn't like that choice of focal length, neither wide nor long enough. Now whilst it would make a better walk around landscape lens, there is just too much overlap with not enough positives to make that particular purchase worth while.

6D has been tempting, but everything I have read about the AF puts me off it for motorsport and aircraft. Budget wise I would probably need to sell my 7D to get a 6D or a used 5DII.

When I seriously started acquiring gear, I looked at a few thousand existing photos using the stastics in lightroom, and determined which focal lengths I used most, which ISO settings and apertures, and where I was limited by my gear.

Then, I wrote out a plan for which bodies and lenses and accessories to get. I had a digital rebel at the time, but planned to buy a FF camera in the future when the 5D MK II arrived.

So my list included lenses that were 1.6 times the focal length of those I used for my crop body. In many cases, the lenses I wanted were focal lengths that worked out well for a crop body, so I tried to buy dual use lenses first.

I started acquiring the lenses on my list when a good deal popped up. By the time the 5D MK II arrived, I had my lenses pretty well in hand. The first was a new white box 24-105mm L that a local photographer had received with his 5D classic. I used it for years until the 24-70mm MK II finally provided better IQ.

I've owned probably 80 or more percent of the lenses Canon has made over the years, and find that my usage also changes, so I'm still buying and selling.

A new body will need to bring some capability that I want and need, or I just hold off. I've passed up a 7D MK II, and 5Ds series merely because they do not fit my needs, even though I'd kinda like to have them. I plan to consider a 7D MK II once the price falls below $1000, and that may be later this summer.

That is a good plan! Thanks. I do know that a FF upgrade will leave me wanting more reach given the 1.6 factor involved, and from my current kit, I suspect it will have to be one of the big whites, and I just could not justify that price right now or in the next few years, new or used. Likewise at the wider end, 24mm just wouldn't quite be enough at times I think.

Final option is to just bank the money until I have a plan and maybe spend some of it on trips to see some racing, airshows or a short break to shoot some landscapes enjoying the kit I have. Seeing the Vulcan display in its final year is a must for me for instance.

 

[NancyP]

Monopod, if you shoot sports with a long lens and are shooting from a cramped space.
Tripod, if you have room to spread out - and the tripod is good for landscapes as well.
Tripod head.
Quick release clamp for the head - Arca-Swiss standard is best, many many manufacturers use A-S standard; Manfrotto is proprietary, no third party clamps or lens/camera plates.
L bracket for the camera, lens plate for any long lenses with lens collars.
Strap or closed bag for tripod and head.
Wired shutter release, with or without intervalometer.

Advantages to shooting on a tripod:
You can use base ISO for landscapes, even at dawn or dusk, and get best quality.
You can do star shots.
Macro is easier.
Supertelephotos are easier, especially with gimbal mount base.

Then again, I am a tripo-holic. Have 3, plus a monopod, all used in different situations.