What to do.....

pc185 · 17 Dec 2007 at 21:52

I'm currently running a Canon 20d with 70-200L f4 and use it mostly for when I visit the Nurburgring in Germany to shoot motorsport and also in the uk shooting for www.takemypic.co.uk

Next year we are planning to take more photos in Germany on the tourist days and I've been umming and arring about what to upgrade.

I've thought about changing to a 1 series camera (1dmk1 or mk2) or do i invest in glass (a prime) or a tc 1.4x for the 70-200L...

WHat would you do..

Heres some photos of my last little outing..

http://pc185.co.uk/pics/index.php?imgdir=nurburg8thdec

VapourTrail · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:03

Glass for me is the best way forward as you already have a decent camera. Faster telephoto than your current F4 would be worth considering plus something in the 18-70mm range to give you a much wider range of focal lengths to shoot with.

gt_junkie · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:21

I agree - the 20D's a great camera. You won't get that much extra performance for what will be a major extra outlay.

If i were you i'd consider faster glass.

My sigma 70-200mm f2.8 has been nothing short of fantastic and is a very decent upgrade from canon's f4 equivalent. I'd possibly consider that and maybe add a 1.4x TC to increase your range.

I got mine for only £30 more than i sold my f4 - absolute deal.

You could also look at canon's excellent 300mm f4 IS although it is fairly expensive and slightly limited by it's fixed focal length.

As VapourTrail suggests something wide may fit into your plans too.

gt

Messiah Khan · 18 Dec 2007 at 09:05

Id vote for a 300mm f2.8.

V-Spec · 18 Dec 2007 at 09:29

pc185 said:
I've thought about changing to a 1 series camera (1dmk1 or mk2) or do i invest in glass (a prime) or a tc 1.4x for the 70-200L...

I don't think you'd be very impressed with a 1.4x on the front of that lens, as it'll soften it up and you might lose autofocus, as converters were only really made for fast primes.. I know the 70-200 F2.8 retains centrepoint AF with converters but I think the F4 loses it, <you'd have to check>
It depends on whether you really require more reach or not, if you find yourself struggling to fill a frame at 200mm you might want to go for a 300F4 or a 400mm F5.6.. If your main subject is cars on the ring you'll be panning with lowish shutter speeds so you'll be shooting at around F8-F11 most of the time anyway so you might not need to spend money on an F2.8 lens.
The canon 400mm F5.6 is one of the best lenses they made, insanely sharp and lightweight, ok it doesn't have IS, but if your panning and doing moving shots IS doesn't make that much of a difference, or you could get the 300mm F4 which does have IS but less reach, it depends on what you want.. Both are around £800 which isn't that much money when you look at the quality of the images they produce.

http://www.pbase.com/jody_melanson/bluejays

^ He takes most of his shots on the 400 5.6, sharp as hell for birds in flight..

Messiah Khan · 18 Dec 2007 at 10:25

V-Spec said:
Both are around £800 which isn't that much money when you look at the quality of the images they produce.

I got my 300mm f2.8 for considerably less than that, so its still worth considering.

V-Spec · 18 Dec 2007 at 10:58

If you can get a 300 2.8 for that price then you'd be a halfwit not to, but I have to say that I doubt they pop up very often for that price..

Attu90 · 18 Dec 2007 at 11:08

Id go for a 1DmkII and then save up for a 70-200 f2.8 and/or a 300 f2.8.
The auto focus on the 1DmkII is much better than the 20D, faster and more precise and you will find you get more "keepers".
I also found the 1DmkII easier to use and more comfortable than the 20D I had but like I said the autofocus is much better than the 20D and its not as though the 70-200 youve already got is a bad lens so id keep that for a while longer and get the camera body.
Like V-Spec said I dont think you will be impressed with a 1.4x on a 70-200 f4.

iGiDK · 18 Dec 2007 at 11:17

What factors are making you consider upgrading your 20d?
- do you need better build quality?
- do you shoot in the rain?
- do you find your 20d is lacking quality AF?
- do you need more FPS?

If your 70-200 is lacking reach I'd consider upgrading this before anything else. Maybe try the 1.4x TC and see how you get on?

Or, I'd have a look at the sigma 300mm 2.8, canon 300mm f/4 IS, or canon 400mm f/5.6 (all recommended already)

I own a canon 300mm, and it works well with the 1.4x TC - it is an older generation of IS (gives you about 2 stops), unfortunately I've not used it as much as I should have!