Need help deciding what to sell

[KKCFamilyman]

I have the following
Canon 1dx
16-35 f4
24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8
100-400 vii
85 1.2
50mm 1.8 stm
600 exrt

I have done very little with most of my gear this year as my career has been busy. I just recently took a position where I will be moving across the country and taking the family with. I will be working on my new job and finding a home for the first 6 months. I know many camera's will be announced. I am hoping for a smaller 6d size body updated with better af and dual pixel sensor for video. I have a chance to sell all of this for most of my investment. I am curious if anyone has any suggestions on how I can still have a camera but not so much gear. Other thoughts are getting a 6d and 24-70 f4 for the time being.

 

[Aglet]

sounds like you're too busy to play with yer toys
sell it all while you can get a good return on it.
get something small, light and versatile that you'll enjoy using
maybe a G5X for now is all you really need, or something similar.
Try an inexpensive ML like the Oly EM10

I leave all my FF gear, and even most of my crop equipment, in lockup most of the time unless I'm on a purposeful shoot. I carry an old G11 everywhere and an Olympus EM10 with kit zoom when I can pack a little more and those lightweights can deliver enough IQ in most conditions that I can still pull big prints from them if needed.
Biggest surprise.. I LOVE using the little EM10 (with a grip). Once you get familiar with all its tricks it's a very capable and FUN camera to use. The cheap kit lens (not the Z) delivers good optical performance, the IBIS is impressive. The longer kit zooms are also decent.

The best camera is the one you'll use. Even if it can't do everything fabulously it'll provide you with memories and usable files.

 

[unfocused]

It is impossible to answer that without knowing what you shoot.

For my personal photography and for travel the 24-105 and 5D or the 15-85 and 7D, with either one coupled with the 70-300 L covers 95% of my needs. For my work I can do it with the 5D/24-105 and the 70-200 2.8 IS II. (I use other lenses but only about 5% of the time.)

Take a hard look at what you shoot and let that guide your decision.

 

[axtstern]

Do you use LIGHTROOM?

I can't rmemeber the link but if you Google it you can find this online tool which analyses your catalog file and Shows you which camera, which lens and which Settings you use most often. Helps me from time to time to Abandon the useless stuff to make room for better things

 

[KKCFamilyman]

It is impossible to answer that without knowing what you shoot.

For my personal photography and for travel the 24-105 and 5D or the 15-85 and 7D, with either one coupled with the 70-300 L covers 95% of my needs. For my work I can do it with the 5D/24-105 and the 70-200 2.8 IS II. (I use other lenses but only about 5% of the time.)

Take a hard look at what you shoot and let that guide your decision.

Sorry for not including that. I plan on shooting my active 8yr olds as my son plays hockey and football. My daughter is getting into Soccer. I like landscape and take family portraits. So photography my family and of course travel. This also has been a long decision coming since a most recent trip I took a 6d with 24-70 f4 and flash.

 

[Monchoon]

It is impossible to answer that without knowing what you shoot.

For my personal photography and for travel the 24-105 and 5D or the 15-85 and 7D, with either one coupled with the 70-300 L covers 95% of my needs. For my work I can do it with the 5D/24-105 and the 70-200 2.8 IS II. (I use other lenses but only about 5% of the time.)

Take a hard look at what you shoot and let that guide your decision.

Sorry for not including that. I plan on shooting my active 8yr olds as my son plays hockey and football. My daughter is getting into Soccer. I like landscape and take family portraits. So photography my family and of course travel. This also has been a long decision coming since a most recent trip I took a 6d with 24-70 f4 and flash.

Maybe a 7DII and the 70-200 2.8 would cover those activities.

 

[sunnyVan]

It is impossible to answer that without knowing what you shoot.

For my personal photography and for travel the 24-105 and 5D or the 15-85 and 7D, with either one coupled with the 70-300 L covers 95% of my needs. For my work I can do it with the 5D/24-105 and the 70-200 2.8 IS II. (I use other lenses but only about 5% of the time.)

Take a hard look at what you shoot and let that guide your decision.

Sorry for not including that. I plan on shooting my active 8yr olds as my son plays hockey and football. My daughter is getting into Soccer. I like landscape and take family portraits. So photography my family and of course travel. This also has been a long decision coming since a most recent trip I took a 6d with 24-70 f4 and flash.

You didn't mention whether you're happy with the 6d. I'm assuming that you were or else you would reject this idea outright.

As a dad myself I'd suggest 5dmk3. Children move fast. You need good AF. You may also take quite a lot of low light indoor pictures so full frame is beneficial.

If i were you I'd trade away the camera first. Lenses can wait. Take it slow and reevaluate.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

To meet your need with children running and playing, I suggest 7D Mark II. Only you can tell which lenses are being underused, but 100-400mm seems too bulky to travel constantly with the family.

 

[Mr1Dx]

I would keep the gear, UNLESS funding is an issue of course. Your current gear fit quite well with your current shooting.

Best wishes to your new job, place and home.

 

[KKCFamilyman]

It is impossible to answer that without knowing what you shoot.

For my personal photography and for travel the 24-105 and 5D or the 15-85 and 7D, with either one coupled with the 70-300 L covers 95% of my needs. For my work I can do it with the 5D/24-105 and the 70-200 2.8 IS II. (I use other lenses but only about 5% of the time.)

Take a hard look at what you shoot and let that guide your decision.

Sorry for not including that. I plan on shooting my active 8yr olds as my son plays hockey and football. My daughter is getting into Soccer. I like landscape and take family portraits. So photography my family and of course travel. This also has been a long decision coming since a most recent trip I took a 6d with 24-70 f4 and flash.

You didn't mention whether you're happy with the 6d. I'm assuming that you were or else you would reject this idea outright.

As a dad myself I'd suggest 5dmk3. Children move fast. You need good AF. You may also take quite a lot of low light indoor pictures so full frame is beneficial.

If i were you I'd trade away the camera first. Lenses can wait. Take it slow and reevaluate.

I am happy with the 6d but have a hard time spending double when I could almost get a 7d2 and 6d body for close to that price. Really want to see what the 6d2 or 5d4 ends up with..

 

[KKCFamilyman]

I would keep the gear, UNLESS funding is an issue of course. Your current gear fit quite well with your current shooting.

Best wishes to your new job, place and home.

Yes Funding is the issue that is why I am looking to really downsize. I shoot 24-70 90% of the time. For special engagements I use the 85mm for portraits of the kids or other family. I use the 2 tele photo's for indoor activities and the outdoor wildlife or kids sports. I was thinking of getting the 70-300L maybe toward next summer when they become active and just focusing on the body and standard zoom lens.

 

[Nelu]

I hear you but this is my advice for you: sell nothing and that will save you money.
Your current kit is great as it is and it will be hard for you to go back to anything lower. If you go on the road of changing stuff now, you might end up spending even more money.
Enjoy what you have and look for more opportunities to actually take photos.

You have the gear but the flame is dying and new hardware will not bring it back to life...

Good luck!

Nelu

 

[sunnyVan]

The way i approach buying/keeping gear is ask myself how many times i will use it in a year. If less than 3 times, don't buy/keep it. I've always loved the look of the 85L but i also know that it's not as practical or versatile as the 70-200 2.8. Same thing with 100-400ii. Great reviews. But i can't justify using it for just a couple of times a year and it's too heavy. Slowly i realized that the best gear is the ones that are practical and can be brought along on most occasions. I don't want specialty gear. Not suggesting what you should sell. You'll reach your conclusion.

As for the new camera models, i think you should focus on what's best in your financial situation and what's best for the family. New models will have better IQ and greater features and will cost a fortune. 5dmk4 and 6dmk2 are not on the horizon yet. And when they're announced they'll cost at least 50% more than the current price of the old model. I too am very interested to see what the 6dmk2 will offer but I'm absolutely not paying the launch price, which means I will buy it until at least 2017.

 

[FTb-n]

If funding is an issue, it's incredibly difficult to offer specific advice. I can't grasp that specific balance between how much funding you need versus the value that you will put on capturing future images.

For me, with two active kids who continue to grow in their sports and in school activities, it would be difficult to part with any of the following:

Canon 1Dx
24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8
100-400 vii

The 1Dx/100-400 is the ideal kit for kid's field sports. The 1Dx/70-200 2.8 is great for indoor sports and events. As you noted the 24-70 is a great "standard" lens. For me, these three lenses, in particular, are long term investments.

So, the 16-35 f4, the 85 1.2, and the 600 exrt would be on the chopping block. The flash is an interesting choice here. Makes a lot of sense to keep it, but a $100 Yonguo works quite well. I would keep the 600 EXT, unless I was desperate for funds.

I'm not sure that the 50 STM is worth the hassle of selling it. It's a good, sharp, low-light lens.

Bottom line, the size and weight of the 1Dx and with the three zooms is not an issue for me and I would need to be desperate for funds to consider selling them. For me it wouldn't be worth the hassle and the let-down if my plan was to replace them with cheaper gear.

 

[StudentOfLight]

Rebuying anything as new in the future will be more expensive. So prioritize the lenses which you like.

This is what I would choose for my shooting:
Buy 7D Mark-II (definitely lighter and close to 1D-X in terms of speed)
Buy Sigma 18-35/1.8 (EFL 28-55mm)
Buy 24 STM (EFL 40mm)
Buy 40 STM (EFL 65mm) EDIT: I see now that you already have the 50 STM, so I'd keep that instead of buying the 40 STM.
Keep 70-200L II (EFL 110-320mm)
Keep 100-400L II (EFL 160-640mm)
Keep the 600 EX-RT (It is indispensable for indoor bounce flash)

With this setup you have as close as possible to a 1D-X speed with lenses fast enough for indoor sports and low-light events. This makes up for the APS-C noise. The 7D-II has DPAF and the STM lenses can take advantage of this for 1080/60p.

 

[neuroanatomist]

In your shoes, I'd sell the 16-35 and the 85L, and consider selling the 100-400 II and getting a used 2x TC to use with the 70-200 II.

Of course, if it's a choice between taking pics of your kids and feeding them....

 

[Random Orbits]

If this is a money issue, then raising the most cash will determine which lenses are sold (highest resale value).

If this is not a money issue, and you only want to minimize the amount of equipment you have, then I'd consider selling the 85L. The 50 STM has a low price/low value that selling it doesn't makes sense. After selling the 85, then the 70-200 will have greater value as a portrait lens. If you plan on shooting hockey, then the 70-200 is the lens to use because lighting is usually pretty dim. I also use it for indoor school events. The 100-400 is perfect for soccer. The 70-200 will limit your reach to a much smaller portion of the field. Before the 100-400 II, I used the 70-200 for soccer exclusively, but the IQ from the 100-400 II is fantastic so that is what I use on the larger fields. If I had to choose between the 70-200 and the 100-400, I'd have to choose keeping the 70-200 but I'd be kicking myself for getting rid of the 100-400 if I didn't have to. I like the 16-35 for travel, and of course, the 24-70 gets a lot of use as a general purpose lens.

The lens prices have pretty much stabilized so there is no value in selling them now and rebuying them later. If you plan on getting a newly released camera next year, use the one you have now. It has already lost a lot of its value and the amount it loses between now and then will be less than buying another existing camera and selling it again to get the camera that isn't out yet.

 

[Mr1Dx]

I would keep the gear, UNLESS funding is an issue of course. Your current gear fit quite well with your current shooting.

Best wishes to your new job, place and home.

Yes Funding is the issue that is why I am looking to really downsize. I shoot 24-70 90% of the time. For special engagements I use the 85mm for portraits of the kids or other family. I use the 2 tele photo's for indoor activities and the outdoor wildlife or kids sports. I was thinking of getting the 70-300L maybe toward next summer when they become active and just focusing on the body and standard zoom lens.

Family always first. Good family memories can be captured through 1/8" sensor P&S. Your current gear is considered as Pro/luxury level. I think you know what to do best.

Take care,

 

[distant.star]

.
I'd think long and hard about selling off such a collection. You will work a long time to get back to that position relative to equipment.

But, if you're selling everything and want to cover a 24-70 range, I'd simply go with this...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1159879-REG/sony_dsc_rx100_mark_4_digital.html

Best of luck with the life changes!

 

[danski0224]

Yes Funding is the issue that is why I am looking to really downsize. I shoot 24-70 90% of the time. For special engagements I use the 85mm for portraits of the kids or other family. I use the 2 tele photo's for indoor activities and the outdoor wildlife or kids sports. I was thinking of getting the 70-300L maybe toward next summer when they become active and just focusing on the body and standard zoom lens.

I think you have your answer here.

If you want to sell the 1DX, I'd do it now as the resale value is only getting lower. Maybe get a 5DIII and still have half of the 1DX funds left over.

If only 10% of your pictures are taken with the lenses besides the 24-70, and if you really need the funds, then sell them all but the 24-70. Maybe get the 70-300 when the other stuff is sold.

Re-evaluate in the future as time/funds allow.