Big Glass Sale and On The Fence

I own a Canon 300 2.8L IS, just purchased last year, then left my newspaper job a few months later…

I’m fairly certain I want to sell but I am on the fence. This is a call out to all photojournalists…I could potentially be asking for more sleepless nights over asking the masses for an opinion about selling big glass but alas, here it goes.

I want to buy a Canon 5D Mark II, budgetary reasons, let’s get real, equipment is out of this world expensive and I can’t keep up – the only way I can see this happening is to sell my 300 2.8L IS lens.. but getting back to why .. I want to create films and get out of daily deadline journalism business.

Please, weigh in?

by Michele AnneLouise Cohen at 2012-06-12 03:15:38 UTC | Bookmark | | Report spam→

Sure, go for it. Teh 300 is deadweight to you and you need a good video body (and a few essential accessories). Honestly I would recommend the 60D over teh 5D – sure teh 5D shoots beautiful, beautiful video, but the flip-out screen on the 60D makes life SO much easier, and the extremeely shallow DOF on the 5D makes it REALLY hard to keep things sharp, esp. at night …
T

by BignoseTW | 12 Jun 2012 03:06 | Taipei, Taiwan | | Report spam→

Or a Panasonic GH2 or a Sony NEX7… or a Canon G10… If you’re on a tight budget remember that for video you will need a much faster computer than for stills, editing software and plugins…
You need to think really hard about what kind of films you want to make: if you want to do something as apparently simple as film hand-held someone walking from A to B, you may find the DSLR route the wrong one for you. It’s important to understand that using a DSLR for video is like making cinema.

by DPC | 12 Jun 2012 14:06 | Paris, France | | Report spam→

After viewing some of your website, you don’t need the 300mm as your best photos, IMO, are normal or wide perspectives. Get a 70-200 f4 IS. That lens on a 60D body will get you pretty far.

by Joel Sackett | 12 Jun 2012 16:06 | Puget Sound, Washington, United States | | Report spam→

Thanks for all the feedback. I own other Canon prime lenses, 17-35 2.8L and 70-200 2.8L IS and will keep those. Thanks again!

by Michele AnneLouise Cohen | 15 Jun 2012 18:06 | Seattle, Washington, United States | | Report spam→

Then you’re definitely good to go :) In addition you need something like a Rode on-camera mic for ambient sound, and an MP3 recorder with lapel mic for interviews. An LED light and small reflector will help, and of course remember you need a tripod with a fluid head for video – don’t try and use your standard photo head for smooth pans and tilts. Manfrotto heads are great and last forever. Lastly a loupe that you can attach to your flip-out screen is essential for shooting and focusing in bright light. I use one from Hoodman.

by BignoseTW | 18 Jun 2012 04:06 | Taipei, Taiwan | | Report spam→