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What would you buy if you had USD 10,000 to blow? (1 Viewer)

Hanno

Hanno

Ho Ho Ho
Assuming I had just come into some money, what would you suggest I buy?

I seriously like the Canon EOS 1D III, which would set me back about 4 grand. Throw in a flash for 500, then what lens(es) should I go for?

Cheers,

Hanno
 
Canon 1D Mk III and 500mm f/4 L IS (the 600mm is, in my opinion, not an option - my 500 mm is at the very limit of hand-holding for about 30 seconds) - that would give you the current ultimate rig for bird photography. With any small change you could think about a Gitzo tripod, TC´s, etc.

Colin
 
1dmk3 and it depens on how close you can get to your subject in the UK birds are very shy and often fly off in an instance, so we need 500mm ( well it helps ) but you may get away with the 300f2.8is L both lenses with converters work great the 300 takes the 2xtc better than any imho. so 1dmk3 300 or 500 and 1.4 and 2x tc's
Rob
 
First :better lens, 500 f4 IS. With money remain: sold the old stock (400mm f5.6 lens and 30D) and buy the new MK III.
 
Hmm, I guess I'll go for the 500 f4 IS. Due to a tax return, moeny is the smaller problem, but how do I explain it to my Missus?
 
Hanno said:
Assuming I had just come into some money, what would you suggest I buy?........

Cheers, Hanno
Click to expand...

First, I'd put $1,900.00 +/- into the binoculars of your dreams, say 8x42 or 10x42 Leica Ultravids, or Zeiss Victory FLs, of Swarovski ELs. Your choice, but the point here is that unlike the fickle technology of digital camera systems, this initial binocular investment WILL last you a lifetime and you'll be done with it. Period!

Then take the remaing 8,000.00 dollars and get either of the latest big gun Canon or Nikon Digital SLRs, with, 1). a good all purpose mid range zoom (say, 35 to 200 mm) and, 2). a Tamron 200-500mm zoom (effectively +50% (=750mm) on the Nikon D2Xs).

Digital cameras are like stereos. You can pay for endless miniscule improvements that you can't detect. Bottom line, get the most megapixels for the money (minimum 12 megapixels), and the most versatile lens systems for the money. Lenses not fast enough? -- Get a good tripod.

Whatever you buy in the way of a high end digital camera system, it WILL be outdated in 2 years! So get the best binoculars your economic windfall can afford while you can (knowing they will last you a lifetime!) and use the rest of your cash for a digital system that's good enough to grow with (still magnificent by any temporary and whimsical standard), and bridges you over to the next unanticipated level of digital product advancement and availabilty in, say, 3-5 years from now. Otherwise, you're just putting your money into some company's product R&D.
 
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Given that Hanno is asking for advice on the camera section, I think it's probably fair to assume he isn't seeking binocular (or car, or hat, or puppy) buying advice...

;)

Robert / Seattle said:
Bottom line, get the most megapixels for the money (minimum 12 megapixels...)
Click to expand...
God no - I couldn't disagree more with that!

And "outdated" cameras don't suddenly stop providing great pictures just because a newer version has been released.

"More megapixels", "newest is best" - you must be a camera company marketing department's dream customer, Robert..!

;) ;) ;)
 
Robert / Seattle said:
Then take the remaing 8,000.00 dollars and get either of the latest big gun Canon or Nikon Digital SLRs, with, 1). a good all purpose mid range zoom (say, 35 to 200 mm) and, 2). a Tamron 200-500mm zoom (effectively +50% (=750mm) on the Nikon D2Xs).
Click to expand...

While the Tamron 200-500 is clearly a decent lens, but it really is not in the class of the Canon 500 f4 that is being considered. A pro lens on an entry level DSLR can give better results that the consumer garde lens on a pro DSLR.

Robert / Seattle said:
Digital cameras are like stereos. You can pay for endless miniscule improvements that you can't detect. Bottom line, get the most megapixels for the money (minimum 12 megapixels), and the most versatile lens systems for the money. Lenses not fast enough? -- Get a good tripod.
Click to expand...

Megapixels aren't the most important factor on a camera... I've seen A3 prints from an 8mp camera that look perfect, so for most people more MP aren't vital. You shouldn't assume that higher MP will mean better images, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the opposite is often true. I'd rather have a good quality 8mp camera than a poorer 12mp one.

As for fast lenses there really is no beating them... sure a solid tripod will let you shoot at slower shutter speeds, but a faster lens will give faster shutter speeds... both things will help to counter camera shake, but only a faster shutter speed will help with motion blur. But it's not just that, these big fast primes really do give stunning images, tha ability to shoot wide open and to use TC's are also huge pluses.

Robert / Seattle said:
Whatever you buy in the way of a high end digital camera system, it WILL be outdated in 2 years!
Click to expand...

True, so it's better to invest in good glass first, a decent lens will last a lot longer than a DSLR and will keep on performing. I know which way I'd go, but then I'm a big fan of good lenses...
 
Robert / Seattle said:
First, I'd put $1,900.00 +/- into the binoculars of your dreams, say 8x42 or 10x42 Leica Ultravids, or Zeiss Victory FLs, of Swarovski ELs. Your choice, but the point here is that unlike the fickle technology of digital camera systems, this initial binocular investment WILL last you a lifetime and you'll be done with it. Period!

Then take the remaing 8,000.00 dollars and get either of the latest big gun Canon or Nikon Digital SLRs, with, 1). a good all purpose mid range zoom (say, 35 to 200 mm) and, 2). a Tamron 200-500mm zoom (effectively +50% (=750mm) on the Nikon D2Xs).

Digital cameras are like stereos. You can pay for endless miniscule improvements that you can't detect. Bottom line, get the most megapixels for the money (minimum 12 megapixels), and the most versatile lens systems for the money. Lenses not fast enough? -- Get a good tripod.


Whatever you buy in the way of a high end digital camera system, it WILL be outdated in 2 years! So get the best binoculars your economic windfall can afford while you can (knowing they will last you a lifetime!) and use the rest of your cash for a digital system that's good enough to grow with (still magnificent by any temporary and whimsical standard), and bridges you over to the next unanticipated level of digital product advancement and availabilty in, say, 3-5 years from now. Otherwise, you're just putting your money into some company's product R&D.
Click to expand...


Can't agree with anything here Robert, for exactly the same reasons given by Keith above.

Besides, once you get into DSLR bird photography, binoculars and telescopes suddenly become very boring pieces of kit! ;)

Colin
 
[QUOTE "More megapixels", "newest is best" - you must be a camera company marketing department's dream customer, Robert..! QUOTE]


Actually I'm rather critical of the industry in my real-life profession. In fact, most of my photography is done on film in a 4x5 view camera, not for birds of course, but certainly not a "newest is best" kind of guy.

The gist of my intended argument was that if I had the cash to "blow" what would "I get" -- a once in a lifetime binocular while I could afford it and a versatile camera system that I could grow with while that fledgling industry stabilized a bit more with respect to product development and availability.

But that's just me. I might even have enough leftover for a good puppy!
 
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Cool, Robert - glad you took my post in fun (I did wonder if I'd used enough smileys!)

;)

I think though that Hanno is pretty clearly looking to spend his money on something to stick on his intended(?) 1D Mk III, so the 500mm f/4 IS lens + a converter or two is a no-brainer really - for what Hanno seems to have in mind.
 
Hanno said:
Assuming I had just come into some money, what would you suggest I buy?

I seriously like the Canon EOS 1D III, which would set me back about 4 grand. Throw in a flash for 500, then what lens(es) should I go for?

Cheers,

Hanno
Click to expand...
What would I buy if I had $10,000!!!! I think I could buy my patch for that(just about).
Jos Stratfords new garden comes to mind!!!
Wishful thinking!!!
 
bobwoodcock said:
What would I buy if I had $10,000!!!! I think I could buy my patch for that(just about).
Jos Stratfords new garden comes to mind!!!
Wishful thinking!!!
Click to expand...

Land must be a darned sight cheaper in Turkey than it is in Portugal Bob. My local patch (Quinta da Rocha at the Ria da Alvor, a 200 hectare estate) is now on the market for €40 million.

Colin
 
Colin Key said:
Land must be a darned sight cheaper in Turkey than it is in Portugal Bob. My local patch (Quinta da Rocha at the Ria da Alvor, a 200 hectare estate) is now on the market for €40 million.

Colin
Click to expand...
Farmland with no building rights is a different ball game here I think,just dreaming,it's protected anyway!!
 
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