If you could rebuy your gear would you change anything

[KKCFamilyman]

I recently sold all my Canon gear with the exception of my 70-200 2.8. I was hoping to downgrade some of it since I am trying to cut back to more of a hobby rather than pursue photography professionally. I just do not have the time in my life so I got a chance to get all my money I paid for my gear and even made a little. The question is I still need a body and a mid zoom like 24-70 2.8 II and a prime. I just am torn if I should wait a few weeks or take advantage of the 1dx rebates and grab a 1dx now and the 24-70 and wait for the rest till the announcement. Either way I plan on saving some for a nice vacation with the family. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[mackguyver]

I recently sold all my Canon gear with the exception of my 70-200 2.8. I was hoping to downgrade some of it since I am trying to cut back to more of a hobby rather than pursue photography professionally. I just do not have the time in my life so I got a chance to get all my money I paid for my gear and even made a little. The question is I still need a body and a mid zoom like 24-70 2.8 II and a prime. I just am torn if I should wait a few weeks or take advantage of the 1dx rebates and grab a 1dx now and the 24-70 and wait for the rest till the announcement. Either way I plan on saving some for a nice vacation with the family. Any help would be appreciated.

I'd go for the 1D X and 24-70 II while the getting is good. They're selling for insanely good prices compared to what most of us paid and unless you need lots of pixels or a smaller camera, I don't think you'll find a better camera than the 1D X. As for primes, that's a personal one, but the rebates are good on them as well.

 

[Eldar]

I recently sold all my Canon gear with the exception of my 70-200 2.8. I was hoping to downgrade some of it since I am trying to cut back to more of a hobby rather than pursue photography professionally. I just do not have the time in my life so I got a chance to get all my money I paid for my gear and even made a little. The question is I still need a body and a mid zoom like 24-70 2.8 II and a prime. I just am torn if I should wait a few weeks or take advantage of the 1dx rebates and grab a 1dx now and the 24-70 and wait for the rest till the announcement. Either way I plan on saving some for a nice vacation with the family. Any help would be appreciated.

I'd go for the 1D X and 24-70 II while the getting is good. They're selling for insanely good prices compared to what most of us paid and unless you need lots of pixels or a smaller camera, I don't think you'll find a better camera than the 1D X. As for primes, that's a personal one, but the rebates are good on them as well.

+1

 

[KKCFamilyman]

Thanks. I was thinking of the 1dx which I am seeing at $5299 after rebate from adorama and the 24-70 2.8 ii for $1649. So was thinking that combo should be great. Part of me wishes I had it in me to wait till March or whenever they launch these new cameras but I have a photography agreement for my local village that I need a camera for.. Was considering the 5d3 but its hard when you shot a 1dx. The camera is just that much better. For me the cleaner files and more accurate AF.

 

[agierke]

im confused a bit. in your signature it says you have the 1dx and the 24-70mm F2.8 II. are you saying that you sold those just recently and now you are looking to purchase them again?

not sure i understand the point of that.

 

[sanj]

It seems like you do not need the 1dx. I think a cheaper, smaller camera will be more appropriate. Am going by "need to save money for vacation."

 

[JClark]

It seems like you do not need the 1dx. I think a cheaper, smaller camera will be more appropriate. Am going by "need to save money for vacation."

Agreed. It's also a physically huge camera that kills carry-on space. Beyond that, without knowing your intended usage, it's hard to give guidance.

 

[AcutancePhotography]

In late 2013, I found myself exactly in this position. I had a "once in a lifetime" chance to redo my photography stuff. I decided to focus (pun intended) on quality over quantity. When rebuilding my lens kit, I am doing without lenses until I can afford to buy good ones. Also I am putting a lot more thought into the overall kit so that I can build a kit with the minimum number of lenses

Previously, when I was haphazardly building my kit, I bought what ever lens I could afford (which was not that much) without really any strategic thought about my overall kit. I ended up with a kit of a larger number of fair-good lenses which had considerable overlap... and gaps. Not a very efficient kit.

So this time I am slowing down when it comes to buying lenses. Wait until I can afford to buy a good quality lens and then buy only those lenses that will complement the rest of the kit as a whole.

 

[jdramirez]

Honestly, I like my path... which is described in my signature. Sure some people would have jumped feet first into full frame, but no... I sold practically everything I bought for about the same price I originally paid for it save for the 60d.

It also afforded me the opportunity to understand which are good lenses, where their strong points are, and their limitations. I'm more than happy with the struggle before bliss.

 

[davidcl0nel]

Not really.
I propably wouldn't have started with 60D now, but "all" Crop-Decisions (Tokina 11-16 and 28 1.8) are sold today anyway, so I wouldnt "loose" money to upgrade - but it wasn't such a big deal for me. I didn't invest in EF-S, only the Tokina, which I also use for 5D3 at the first time at 16mm only.
Today I am happy with my current lens setup, maybe I would add something in the future (50 IS, 85 IS)...

And I am happy with Canon, really. I wouldnt change to Nikon. They made great stuff, yes. But I like the 35 IS and 17 TS-E very very much.

 

[KKCFamilyman]

im confused a bit. in your signature it says you have the 1dx and the 24-70mm F2.8 II. are you saying that you sold those just recently and now you are looking to purchase them again?

not sure i understand the point of that.

Sorry to not be very clear. I had someone interested in one body and some lenses but they made a good offer for all of it and since I can replace the 1dx for what I sold it for and got all my original investment with no loss I took the chance to decide. I wanted to wait till they announce the new cameras but realized I cannot live with a camera. So am torn on whether to reinvest it back with the 1d or a 5d till they announce and save some of the money. The situation came so fast that I really did not have time to think in detail.

 

[KKCFamilyman]

It seems like you do not need the 1dx. I think a cheaper, smaller camera will be more appropriate. Am going by "need to save money for vacation."

Agreed. It's also a physically huge camera that kills carry-on space. Beyond that, without knowing your intended usage, it's hard to give guidance.

My intended usage is pics of the family and all family events thru the year. I also am hoping canon will announce a mirrorless camera for travel so I can go on vactions with less. Either way I feel like I will probably just get the 24-70 and keep my 70-200 for now since that covers 90% of my shots and get another 600ex speedlite.

 

[photo212]

I had purchased the 70-200mm f/2.8L without IS. I regretted it instantly, and swapped for the IS version.

I was in the debate between the 24-70mm f/2.8L and the 24-105mm f/4L IS. I went for the latter because a small camera shop had it for less than the big on-line retailers. Looking back on how I use that lens, I probably should have got the 24-70mm f/4L.

I purchased the 50mm f/1.2L since at that time I had all cropped sensor bodies. Had I realized I would be getting a 5D Mk II so soon afterwards, I would have gotten the 85mm f/1.2L.

I probably won't get either the 24-70mm f/4L or the 85mm f/1.2L anytime soon. My regrets are not that great. But should the situation arise, I would seek to replace for those two lenses.

 

[verysimplejason]

It seems like you do not need the 1dx. I think a cheaper, smaller camera will be more appropriate. Am going by "need to save money for vacation."

Agreed. It's also a physically huge camera that kills carry-on space. Beyond that, without knowing your intended usage, it's hard to give guidance.

My intended usage is pics of the family and all family events thru the year. I also am hoping canon will announce a mirrorless camera for travel so I can go on vactions with less. Either way I feel like I will probably just get the 24-70 and keep my 70-200 for now since that covers 90% of my shots and get another 600ex speedlite.

A 7D2 or 5D3 should be more than enough for those intended usage of yours. Depending on what kind of family events, even a 6D should be sufficient. Even a 24-70 II should not be warranted. A 24-105 F4L should be more than sufficient. It should be also lighter so that you can bring your DSLR more than a mirrorless. I'm using a 6D with 24-105L and a G11 with underwater housing (thinking of replacing this with a GOPRO) for most of my vacation (with family) and most of the time, they are sufficient enough. I bring a 70-300 if I foresee any need for a longer focal length. You can see my sample pics here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/10307637@N08/.

 

[verysimplejason]

.
I went back to the dawn of digital photography...a 2mp sensor in a little $10 LG phone. What more could you need!

I don't know if your LG phone can take something like this though where a wider DR is needed.

 

[Mitch.Conner]

I would not have bought the 5D3 as a lens plus body kit. I'd have just gotten the body. I thought I'd love the range and IS of the 24-105L but I don't.

Also, I'd have spent more for my tripod. A lot more. I guess it will work out as once I replace my tripod, I'll use my current el cheapo discontinued Manfrotto (with knobs rather than levers to lock the legs) tripod and head to eventually to hold an AFMA target.

Honestly, I think that's it.

 

[Pookie]

It seems like you do not need the 1dx. I think a cheaper, smaller camera will be more appropriate. Am going by "need to save money for vacation."

I'd agree, look at his site, for his work... 1DX is not needed at all.

 

[nc0b]

I only have one EF-S lens, and I wouldn't buy it again, but it was useful until I got my first FF body. It sits around most of the time, but its resale value isn't high enough to warrant selling it. I don't understand the complaint about the 24-105mm, as I use it a lot with my 6D. I cannot see me buying a very large and expensive 300mm or 400mm lens, as my f/4 versions do what I need. So no I wouldn't change much, and while I have 4 bodies they are spread between two homes. On a road trip I take them all, but on a plane, I take the 6D and 60D.

 

[toodamnice]

When I bought my EF 16-35 f2.8L the f4 version was not available. Today I would buy the f4 version instead. I hate how soft my f2.8 version is on the edges. I even sent it to Canon thinking there was something wrong with it.

 

[jcarapet]

I would have waited a few months until t5i with included stm lenses was as cheap as when I got my t4i +non stm lenses. Always regretted not having them for when I wanted to do video work.

Everything else has gone exactly through the progression I planned (minus lengthened timetable). Next on the list is on camera flash + radio trigger, second tripod with ball head, and wide-angle lens.