Home Forums Gear Photography New body or lens?

It looks like black friday special pricing is active now at the major online retailers. I am seeing a $400 rebate on the 100-400L2. Perhaps give Joel a call

I saw that price as well....Pretty tempting for a great lens

I'd second the Canon 100-400 for outdoor sports. Cookie has both the old and new models. The newer model is very crisp and a bit quicker on focus. With a crop sensor (1.6 multiplier) one would effectively be packing a 160 to 640 mm unit.

Also quite durable, as I ran over Cookie's EOS 50D last week with a Ford 350 crew cab pickup. Camera is shot, but lens handled it beautifully. My head is now shaped somewhat differently, but the doc says it should be fine in a week or so.

A backyard photo with the new 7D Mk II

Very nice. The detail in the dog's hair is outstanding.

Thanks. Still getting used to all the new settings as far as AF/shooting modes. Trying to capture photos of dogs playing in the backyard will test the camera and cameraman, it seems!

I'd not wanna suffer the body or glass cited.

Better to back up a Generation or two,procure a Pro body and stay the course with "L" glass.

Hint....................

Not as rich as you, to go all L lenses

Don't be in a hurry,to make a bad decision.

Buy smart and pass on the schit.

Hint.......................

Move the 70-300 and both 18-135, add in your gift cerftificate and get the best 70-200 you can. a non-Is 2.8 if you can manage it, IS if you can afforde it. Id always choose the bigger apperture over the IS when talking sports as your shutter speed will somewhat negate the benefit of IS. The 7d is a fine little body. Older 1D are very nice but, I think one always chooses glass over body and imho , your long glass is your weak spot.
I've seen your work and fundamentally its solid. Where there is room for improvement is isolating your subject from the clutter. You are going to achieve this three ways. The first and most important is thinking about where you stand and setting it up so the background is clean and hopefully distant. Sometimes kneeling can change everything. The Second is to crop tighter and tighter, then tighter some more. The last is that longer and bigger aperture glass. You can isolate with Bokeh shooting wide open and more length makes tighter crops possible. Equipment is important but, no panacea and you always need to use what you got, right?
Throw your long glass on the 7d and that 24 on the rebel for the jube(celebrations). Leave them there and focus on where ypu are and whats behind what you are shooting.

Buffer depth,frame rate,finite focus control,metering and the ability to pick/choose function interpolation(s) and ISO handling capabilities...are all 100% functions of the body. Hint.

The 7D is a Lemon,with nothing redeeming in it's regard.

Once you taste a killer body's resolve,it will ALL make sense. Until then,you are trying to see,what you can't picture. Pun intended.

Backing up is easy,adding "reach" is not.

Hint....................

Just perused KEH and 1D3's are under $500...though I'd slam their "Bargain" billing and buy the $373 one. Hint.

A 7D is a fhuqking buckboard wagon,pulled by a 3-legged Sloth,in comparison. With the '3,you'll be able to see where it's you or the mechanics,which is why you started the Thread. Hint.

KNOWING,trumps Guessing.

Hint............................

1D3/100-400(Version 1),isolation bokeh.



Just sayin'........................

'Nother 1D3/100-400 V1 Bokeh Burn.



Hint.......................

Oooopsie!



Same combo again.

Hint.................

Ooooopsie.



Same combo again.

Hint.................

Oooooopsie...a fhuqking 'nother.

1000 words on 1D3/100-400 V1 buffer depth/frame rate,metering and IQ poured outta camera. JPEG. Hint. laughing!


We'll save Bokeh for later. Hint.








Just sayin'.

Hint.

Laughing!.....................

Ooooooopsie!



Laughing!................

The silence will be DEAFENING.(grin)

Hint........................

I agree the 1D3 is pretty solid, and once you go there there's no going back. Only knock I'd give it is for highschool ball you go to some pretty dark places and the 7d iso range is much better in that regard. I've got a 1D3 if the OP wants to go that way. I think glass is still the low hanging fruit here and obviously something within budget is the way to go. Dude is right basically about the 1d3 v 7d thing though it's probably a horizontal move not an upgrade and not really what you were asking but, there some validity there though.
This fan boy thing for the 100-400 is just crazy though. If you want a slow, softish and small aperture zoom get a 70-200 and put a 2x teleconverter on it and then at least you can have a top shelf lens some of the time. If you need any validation on that just scan the sidelines at pro and D1 sports or the Olympics. You don't see long white lenses with black hoods, they are all white hoods, black hoods are hanging on slings. That's just reality. Anecdotally pulling a few shots out of your catalog doesn't make f5.6 2.8 somehow, that aperture has utility. Maybe on the steppe of Alaska it's not as important, maybe things are spread out over the plain and separation is easy but, the OP is shooting clusters of runners with challenging backgrounds. His needs might be different.