Moving to DSLR

[Lee Mullen]

Consider the Canon 24-105mm L which is also great for video.

[Tom Hardwick]

The trouble is Jalan that when used on a 1.6x crop SLR it's a big, heavy, not very fast, expensive lens that has a yawn-a-mile focal range of 38.5 to 168mm.

[Ben Turvey]

Buba, I've read about the heat issues, that did make me think twice about the 7D.

I have 8" HD LCD's on the horse shoe that I used with my Z1E's. I'm sure the flip screen is very handy though!

[Jeffrey Fuchs]

For video, the 60D is better for these reasons:

- Can use Magic Lantern (BIG Plus)
- Flip out screen
- Does not overheat

I had the 7D first, then picked up the 60D. Sold the 7D and picked up another 60D. Enough said?

LENSES:

I have the 70-200 2.8, great lens for photo but only use for video at the ceremony and maybe the toast at the reception. For most of the wedding I use my 17-55 Canon. For wide shot I use the Tokina 11-16mm. The Canon 50 mm 1.4 is also a wonderful lens for low light.

I would suggest the following:
1. 17-55 Canon
2 Tokina 11-16
3. Canon 1.4 50 mm
4. 70-200 (or soothing with some range for those long shots)

[Brett Sherman]

I got the f/4 70-200mm IS. Saved a lot of money over the 2.8 and it's a lot more compact. I use it all the time - handheld even with the IS. The 17-55 lens is great, however nowhere far enough reach for many situations.

[Ben Turvey]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Fuchs

I would suggest the following:
1. 17-55 Canon
2 Tokina 11-16
3. Canon 1.4 50 mm
4. 70-200 (or soothing with some range for those long shots)

The 17-55 and 11-16 seem to be a must.

1. Tokina 11-16
2. Nikon 35mm
3. Nikon 50mm
4. Nikon 85mm

This is within my budget, and seems to cover most ranges. Next month I will pick up a Canon 17-55. What do you guys think?

[Ryan Jones]

Not sure what your local pricing is like, but check out the Sigma lenses.

I've got a Sigma 17-55 f2.8, and it's great, can't imagine the Canon would be any better. It really is brilliant.

Also, don't be afraid to buy second hand. I have bought most of my lenses second hand now (except the Sigma 2.8), and they're fine. I recently went on a purge and sold all my old gear on ebay, upgrading to 2.8s. Next on the list is a Canon 70-200 2.8, then I'm done (already have 50 1.4)

One thing I'd say in the 7D's favour is that it is much better built than the 60D. I had a 50D, and it had the body from the pro models - very sturdy, robust. 60D feels a little cheap next to a 7D.

Magic Lantern would be a plus. The 7D HDMI output is rubbish, and I really wish there was something I could do to fix it. Seems like ML and equivalents fixed the 5D2.

[Ben Turvey]

So, I decided and invested:

Canon 60D
Canon EF 50mm II
Tokina 11-16mm
Scandisk 32gb SD
Battery Grip
Extra battery
UV Filter

Planned:

Canon EF-S 17-55mm IS

Hopefully this'll work out well, as my budget has been reached!

[Khoi Pham]

What are you going to use it for?

[Simon Wood]

Ben,
I recently went down the same route as you. I got a T3i to use with a set of vintage primes I already had from the ye' olde 35mm adapter dark ages.

Its easy to go on a spending spree, so bear the following in mind:

Dont:
1) Don't get a rig (shoulder rig, cage etc) unless you're actually sure you need one. Shoot with the dslr first, and if you find you can't cope then think about it.
2) Ditto with a follow focus - don't get one unless you really can't cope without one (bear in mind if you need a follow focus you'll also need a baseplate and rods, probably with the above mentioned rig).
3) Ditto with a matte box - there are easier solutions out there.

Do:
1) Look at getting a screw on variable ND filter for outdoor shoots. If your budget can't afford it then get some fixed screw on ND filters. You'll need them in the sunlight if you want to achieve a narrow dof.
2) Look at getting a rubber lens hood (instead of the matte box).

What I did was get a set of step up rings for all my lenses, so that they all terminated with a 58mm thread. I then got a Light Craft Workshop Variable ND Filter (58mm thread so it works with all the lenses and their step up rings). The LCW terminates with a 62mm thread, so I bought a 62mm Rubber lens hood to put on that.

Now when I shoot outdoors I just thread on the LCW with the lens hood (you can actually control the LCW by turning the hood which is handy) and you're ready for any lighting situations. In my opinion the variable ND with rubber lens hood is the best bang-for-buck and by the far the simplest solution for controlling light outdoors.

[Ben Turvey]

Originally Posted by Khoi Pham

What are you going to use it for?

Short films, weddings, and in the future, motor sports.

[Khoi Pham]

You will need a fast lens for reception like a F1.4 lens, and 70-200 for long distant like if are in the back of the church, I would go with T3i and ML, if you use ML, it will have everything 60D have + 3X center crop zoom, make your 200mm lens become 600mm field of view, if you use ISO 640 and less, you don't see much picture quality loss when you are using 3X center crop, but will give you the close up that you need if you are far away.

[Greg Fiske]

+1 for vintage primes. You can get a helios 50 with an adapter for $35. I also use a zeiss 50 1.4 that can see in the dark for receptions.

[Ben Turvey]

I'm going to be ordering the Tokina 11-16mm in the next couple of days. Which adaptor will I need to mount onto the 60D?

[Tom Hardwick]

Adaptor? You just buy the Canon mount version of the lens.