Tuesday, October 21, 2014

What's next for my photography equipment?

Being a highly successful sports photographer for GamefaceMedia.com (ahem!), I have some money I need to spend on camera equipment (business expense = tax deduction).  I am considering:

Item
Cost
Comments
Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM
$1100-1500
Great for sidelines sports (Used price is $1100 or maybe less)
Canon 7D Mark II
$1800
Ultimate APS-C sports camera; released next week
Sony a6000 kit
$600

16-50mm kit lens
$200
A tiny walkaround lens.  Could alternately opt for a fast prime.
$400
To fit all my old Canon FD lenses to this body, see below
Metabones Leica-E adapter
$100
Mechanically fit my Leica lenses to this body
Total
$1300


The Sony Kit does not help much for sports, although it would be a good backup camera (and may be quite adequate given that it can do 11 frames per second, although the AF at this speed is not nearly as good as the 7D-II).  It would be great for travelling and for day-to-day use (I like to have my camera with me all the time--I have never taken a good picture without my camera.)

The Metabones Speed Booster allows me to put my old Canon FD (manual) lenses on the Sony and it boosts their aperture by one stop!  Here are the lenses I own and how they get transformed by the Speed Booster:
·         24mm f/2.8 à 17mm f/2.0
·         50mm f/1.4 à 36mm f/1.0 (!!)
·         200mm f/4.0 à 142mm f/2.8

(The idea of the speed booster is that reduces the image circle of a lens by a factor of 1.4 (which fits the APS-C sensor but not a 35mm ("full frame") sensor) and increases the amount of light in that circle by a factor of 1.4, which is one stop.)

Note also
  •  This opens up the possibility for me to buy some inexpensive FD lenses, e.g. this 500mm f/8 telescope lens for $40 (which would become a 312mm f/5.6)
  • the Sony and its kit lens are very highly regarded and very small;
    •  Small is really important, I think--it is so much easier to carry smaller equipment every day.
  •  I can also use my Leica lenses, although there is not a Speed Booster (just a mechanical adapter)

Obviously, I am enamored with the idea of getting the Sony kit.

Comments are welcome.

No comments:

Post a Comment