Taking my kit to the next level, £5000 Budget?

Mahone

Mahone

Suspended / Banned
Messages
346
Name
John
Edit My Images
Yes
I am going to spend up to £5000 on some new camera gear, I am not a pro but have started selling a few landscape prints locally and have been getting quite a lot of requests for my services, stuff like indoor dance, sports, family portraits etc....

I am not sure I am heading towards becoming a pro as I am enjoying my photography and might just keep it as a hobby/bit of extra cash.

I currently have an X100 which I love but I am in a fortunate position where I have a few quid to spare and would like to get some good quality gear that will last.

Partly this is due to the photography itself and partly because, like many of us here, I love my toys and gadgets.

Not being brand loyal, even though I did start with Nikon, what are your thoughts on this?

I have discounted the Nikon D600 as I tried it in a shop and it felt too small in my large hands.

I liked the feel of both the 5D Mark III and Nikon D800 so it is going to be out of those two.

What I am struggling with is lens choice. I was thinking 3 lens. For instance; a wide angle zoom, 50mm prime and tele zoom. Both systems offer different options in this regard so looking for thoughts on this too.

On the other hand I really like primes so would love some opinions on a setup with that in mind too.

I look forward to your responses

Kind regards

John
 
Good lens choices. You'll have wide, low light and long range covered.

You could get 5D III with a 16-35mm f2.8 L, 50mm 1.2 L and a 70-200mm 2.8 L for that if you buy from the right places! Primes could be 24mm 1.4 L, 50mm 1.2 L and 135mm f2 L.

Or D800 with 14-24mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4 G and 70-200mm 2.8. Primes: 24mm 1.4 G, 50mm 1.4 G, uh probs the 85mm 1.4 G.

Those combos should be within you price range or there abouts. I've found Nikon's cheaper stuff is generally better than Canons, however, Canon's premium stuff is just as good as Nikon's but generally cheaper.
 
Last edited:
Selling landscape images, like primes and love toys - the 24m TSE has to be up for consideration :D

Also - remember to put a fair slice of cash aside for a decent tripod, tripod head, a set of top quality filters, and something to carry it all in!
 
I owuld have thought a D700 would be a more than good enough, get all those lenses, and have cash left over for some lights/flashes and of course all the ancills people forget about.
 
I was in the same situation a few months back. I'm no pro, just love photography and make some money here and there on the side shooting gigs and family portraits.

I bought the D800, a 50mm, the 24-70 and a bit later grabbed a 70-200 VRII online, found it for a great price through amazon. Along with new bags, memory cards, a sturdy tripod, a couple of flashes and other bits and bobs, it wasn't long before I broke the €8000 mark [about £6500] - though I did make about €1000 back selling my old DX gear.

The extras really do add up quick! You may not need flashes, being more into landscape, but you will want a sturdy, reliable tripod - preferably carbon fibre, you'll want decent bags to protect your new gear, you'll want filters to fit your new lenses etc ... just bear it all in mind before splashing out.

Keep an eye on here in classified section, I got a bit of gear through there, inc 2 x sb900 units and a teleconvertor - all mint and good prices.
 
You could buy alot more if you bought 2nd hand from here or one of the better shops around.
Ok maybe buy the camera body new but there are some cracking lens that have been really looked after out there too.
 
I have only ever used Nikons, and the D800 is a lovely camera in my view. I also tried the D600, but did not like the feel of it in my hands.

For landscapes I would suggest the 16-35 2.8. The 12-24 is a beast but the inability to use filters off the bat would put me off.

For a zoom the 70-200 2.8?

Cheaper but I have heard good things about the 50mm 1.8g.

As a prime setup I might consider as said above the 24 1.4, 50 1.4 or 1.8 and 85 1.4 Nikons (or even the Samyang 85 if manual focus is not an issue).

No idea on Canon but the 5D Mark III seems like a lovely camera too.
 
Nikon D800 + 16-35 + 24-70 + 70-200 should get most jobs done! but slightly over your budget - £5700 at Amazon (£5200 ish at Panamoz - Grey import)

Don't forget that the massive files from the D800 may take your computer to it's limits, so factor in the posibility of a new one of them too...
 
Would the 5D mkII interest you at all? Can be had for a really good price these days. From Panamoz, you can get quite a bit for £5K.

Canon 5D mkII
Canon 35 1.4 L
Canon 85 1.2 L
Canon 135 2 L
Canon 24-105 4 L IS
Canon 70-200 4 L IS

£5124.00, even cheaper if you decide to pay by bank transfer (about £4867.80)
 
Nikon D800 + 16-35mm f/4 + 24-70mm f/2.8 for general landscape shooting + 50mm f/1.4 for a walkabout/portrait prime here
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the recommendations, pretty much where I have been thinking.

I have decided to go with what 42zx said:

Canon 5D3, 16-35mm f2.8, 50mm f1.2 and 70-200mmf2.8, extra battery and new 90 MB/sec CF card (already got a few fast SD cards)...

That is slightly over budget even with the bank transfer discount but I am OK with that.

I have recently upgraded computer to a 27" iMac specced up, 16gb Ram etc and not long ago I got a nice Redsnapper tripod so apart from filters I should be OK for a while.

Regarding actually buying all this; would you be happy paying all that to one of these grey importers, i.e. Panamoz?


Thanks again
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top