Time for new investments

Friends

I think its now time for a few major overhauls. The 40D and 400D have served me long enough and it is time for a new body (maybe within the next couple of months). I'm caught up between a 5D mark II and a 7D. I have read enough on the sensor difference and the crop factors, but am yet to make up my mind. My useage is mostly on Wildlife (Mammals and Birds) and an occassional craving for a Macros session. I am also keen on foryaing into the HD scene (bitten by the Sabyasachi bug!!)

Similarly with the glass. My 100-400 has been giving me persistent problems for years now and that was the reason i had to invest in a Sigma 150-500 as a back up. Though both work fine, I've always dreamt of a Prime and am evaluating the 300 and the 400. Will need to take a call now . . .

Budgeting around 3.5 Lakh for now, any thoughts, suggestions and guidance most welcome.

regards
Rajan

I've seen many friends use the 7D and a couple of them use a 5D mkII. Personally, I like the feel of the 7D over the 5D mkII. The grip is better and fidgeting with the menus felt a lot easier. Also, the 5D mk II shoots at a very low rate (3.7 fps, I guess). Moreover, the sensor technology of the 7D is much newer as compared to the 5D mkII and I heard that even though the latter is full frame, both cameras perform identically, with the 7D having an added advantage of a crop factor sensor.

That said, if I were you, my obvious choice would be the 7D with 300mm f2.8 L IS lens along with a 1.4x extender/2x extender. This is because 300mm on the 7D is equivalent of 480mm on a full frame sensor. The resulting 420mm after attaching the 1.4x TC is quite nice for making habitat shots of birds and you could also use the 2x TC occassionally when shooting small birds. On the other hand, even if you buy the 400 f2.8 L IS lens and 5D mkII, the effective bare focal length you get is only 400mm. Whether it performs so much better, we must wait for someone more experienced to comment. However, I'm afraid the second combination will cost more than the budget you mentioned!

thanks and hope this helps

Thanks Bhargava

Will certainly keep that in mind. However, the price of the 300mm f2.8 L IS lens is a bit confusing. There are online sites that retail it between 4100 USD right up to 7000 USD and in India, there are sites that quote it around 3.4 Lakhs. Will need to research this a bit before deciding. Thanks again for your inputs.

regards
Rajan

Rajan,

The list price of USD 4100-5000 is for the 1st generation IS lens. The 7000 USD price is for the 2nd generation lens which is still not fully available. By what I know, the 300 f2.8 L IS and 400 f2.8 L IS are canon's best lenses in terms of sharpness, details or contrast rendered. I am not sure how much more improvement canon has managed to bring to them other than extra 2 stops of IS and weight reduction (which is significant n the 400 2.8 and not so much in the 300 2.8). In that case, you could still get the 1st generation 300 f2.8 L IS lens with extenders and save some money. In grey market, it will cost just a little below 2 lakh INR.

regards

Rajan,
I am sure it is time to get a better telephoto. However, the prices of the telephoto lenses have skyrocketed and lenses are not available as well.

Canon is revamping its telephoto line up. The 300 f2.8 L IS II USM lens and the 400 f2.8 L IS II USM lenses have started appearing in small numbers. It will take some time before they are freely available. The prime reason being, the Tsunami induced devastation left the Japanese supplier base - the tier 3-4 suppliers - completely decimated.

I had got couple of our members 500mm lens from Canon India at a cheaper price. However, the price was still closer to the 4 lakh mark and now the 500 L IS USM lens is not available. The new one is yet to hit the stores.

The 300mm f2.8 L IS USM - the version which just got replaced - costs 4999 USD in B&H and is not available.

If you are going to buy the new 300mm then it is likely to consume your budget if you are going to buy from B&H. The price in B&H is 7299 USD. The India price is going to be much higher.

I will not advise you to buy second hand 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens in India. Whether it is user error or misaligned elements in the lens, the results that are produced using the 300mm f2.8 L IS lens by a majority of photographers is plain lousy. So you need to be cautious while buying 2nd hand.

The old 400 f2.8 L IS USM - which I use - costs 7999 USD. It is extremely tough to get this lens in the second hand market.
The new 400 f2.8 L IS II USM lens is priced at 11499 USD.

All these lenses are not available at the moment. However in two months time, the availability is going to increase.

I don't trust the grey market in India. Either you buy the official goods from Canon in India or do it from US or Japan. I would suggest that you don't rush and buy.

First I would suggest you to buy the lens and then go for the body. Waiting for new camera bodies from Canon in 2012.


Details about the new 300mm f2.8 L IS II USM lens:
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM - Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities

Details about the new 400 f2.8 L IS II USM lens:
Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 IS II USM - Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities

Price wise, I am not sure if spending 11-12k USD is a great idea if you are not earning money from photography. However, passion has no boundaries. Will call you sometime tomorrow if you are free.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

Dear Sabyasachi

Thanks a million for all the advice and details. Have always looked up to you for advice on Photography and photogear and with such practical advice, I have no hesitation in allowing the money to gather some more interest until 2012 :)

Please do call me when you are free.

regards
Rajan