dilema, ain't no nelly
on the eve (cusp really) of my biggest photography purchase, i'm doubting myself. is $4k+ really going to make any difference in my final product? i'm wondering if i should just completely dive into the lighting, cuz the d50 is more than adequate for 'studio' shooting.. i was at chapters (it's a wicked place to just chill and read mags and other books) that time i picked up the DAM book... and was 'memorizing' the fashion/beauty lighting cookbook.. lots of good stuff in there... also want to get some backgrounds, foamcore and basic reflectors (gold esp).. anyhoo. blah!
wongs, i heard you bit the bullet and got the d200.. any word :)?
i'm thinkin (basically):
d200+18-70 kit (for normal shooting/dad+sis)
70-200mm f/2.8 vr
sb800
CF cards, etc.
that list in itself is pretty ridiculous to me $ wise. hmm. i guess my major concern is that i don't really need to own the 70-200.. i'm wondering if i should just get a d200 + 17-55mm f/2.8 + sb800 and just leave it at that? anyone? bueller.. bueller?
wongs, i heard you bit the bullet and got the d200.. any word :)?
i'm thinkin (basically):
d200+18-70 kit (for normal shooting/dad+sis)
70-200mm f/2.8 vr
sb800
CF cards, etc.
that list in itself is pretty ridiculous to me $ wise. hmm. i guess my major concern is that i don't really need to own the 70-200.. i'm wondering if i should just get a d200 + 17-55mm f/2.8 + sb800 and just leave it at that? anyone? bueller.. bueller?
posted by Matt at 10:08 PM
6 Comments:
One thing I've come to embrace is that there's a fine balance between learning and being able to shoot 'industry standard', and also being willing to just shoot your own style and to take risks regardless of what camera you hold in your hand.
You can give a person the top of the line, the most envied cookware and it doesn't ensure the food that comes from it will be any better. Likewise, you could purchase all the finest photo equipment you want but it's what the person does with it. I mean, the movie Born into Brothels is such a prime example of this. 35mm point-and-shoots; stunning images.
There's a point where the actual impact of upgrades in equipment becomes less significant. For instance, 35mm point-and-shoot to a Hasselblad w/ a Phase One P45 is significant; natural lighting to studio lighting is significant. But let's say, from studio lighting to better studio lighting, I think the difference is much less drastic.
Matt, stick with what you have. Your setup right now is envied by many; learn to be satisfied :)
-claudia
hey,
thanks for responding.. i completely agree with all your points.. i agree, i don't think the gear will improve my shooting necessarily at all...the only thing, is that i have no autofocus or zoom lenses.. rent every time? i guess i don't shoot weddings THAT often nor sports (tho i'd like to for sure)
i guess i've been waiting for a 20dish/d200 camera ever since i've been thinking about getting a camera.. the d50 was like a cheap hold-me-over backup type of thing.
i guess i gotta decide what the heck i'm trying to do and then respond accordingly (like start really jumping into meeting mua/stylist/model ppl or marketing wedding gigs, etc).. and keep picking up modifiers and learning the light (for studio/otherwise)...
what do you think claud?
any other takers?
in terms of final image quality, i would say 80% comes from the lens, 15% from the photographer, and 5% from the body. Any sensor you get now is pretty amazing.
Who is your market for these images? Get whatever megapixels they require, or else you'll be frustrated.
After that... one freakin amazing lens is probably all you'll end up using MOST of the time... rent for the rest...
duuuude....
just buy it...
stop wasting time overthinking this. you have been waiting for this camera for a long time, and now its here. if you buy it, you wont regret it.
as for the 70-200vr, is it on sale? if you don't think you'll need it right now as your primary lense, then holdout til there is a rebate sale, or til you have some time to get together some more cash.
just buy it. but really, you'll like the 5D better...haha
hey euge and larry, thanks for responding..
i'm not sure if i agree with your pie scale =) i guess i factor more into the lighting than anything else.. which can be thrown in with the photographer =)
about the 5d, i can't disagree :P
but yeah, more to come, gotta go back to work =)
yo, sorry i haven't commented earlier... i have to admit i just don't check anyone's blogs anymore, not even my bro's... maybe like, once every couple months?
anyways, yeah, bit the bullet on the d200. i love that i can reuse my nikkor glass, but now, i'm still wishing i had a better lens set. my 17-35 is obviously still kickass, but with the 1.5x crop factor, it's like a 26-54, which is a pretty crappy range to have. i find myself wishing for the 17-55, plus the 12-24, since i don't have a wide-angle anymore...
i'm definitely going to get rid of my 80-200... it's not AFS, it's not VR, heck, it's not even the best version of the 80-200 in the first place. it's not my range either, though if money were no object, i'd still pick up a 70-200 VR anyways. but at this point, i'm pretty good with my 105 DC as my longest lens. that's still almost 160, after crop...
as for the d200 itself... sweet. really good handling, just like my f100. lots of little settings, which i haven't gotten into, plus the whole post-process workflow, i'm still a complete newbie... but i'm not complaining. just need new glass. :P
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