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Canon EOS 5D Mark II + BG-E6
After waiting a long time for a new full frame camera which has also a fast and versatile autofocus, this camera eventually is not coming out so I decided to upgrade my old 5D on December 2009.
So far so good :) It has the same old autofocus as 5D, plus increased detail, lower noise at higher iso, live view, video: worth the expense:)
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Canon EOS 5D + BG-E4
I bought the 5D second hand in 2008, and later on I had the vertical grip as a gift for a wedding service I did. It's full frame, not the newest technology but it has arguably the best image quality (for its 12 Mpixels) and lower noise on the dSLR market, with the exception of the newer and more expensive Nikon D3 / D700
and its younger, higher resolution sibling 5D MkII - which has taken a while to me completely. It's been my all around camera since I've bought the EF 24-105mm f4L USM IS lens, surpassing the (yet good) 40D+17-55 setup.
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Canon EOS 40D + BG-E2N
I bought it one month after release (october 2007) in Tokyo (it's nice to be an Euro tourist lately ;). No big differences with 20D in terms of image quality, but I like the live view, the bigger display and the sensor self-cleaning is also effective. It tends to underexpose a bit.
I use it now as a second camera, or a lighter option instead of the bulkier 5D + 24-105mm.
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Canon EF 24-105mm
f/4L USM IS
Bought it second hand for my 5D, I have finally my "perfect" walkaround setup with it. Stabilized, sharp, beautiful colors and contrast, it has only some visible barrel distorion at the wide end and some vignetting (easily fixable). It's not a f2.8, but still very good bokeh and very useful range. And it's an L class, after all.
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Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6
Nothing but the widest aspherical wide angle lens on Earth when mounted on a full frame camera like the 5D. It's not on par with the L class Canon wide angles, but the image quality is nevertheless good, very sturdy build, silent and fast autofocus, and it's much cheaper, and also wider - and I am a big fan of extreme wide angle! I received it as a gift together with the BG-E4 grip, for the wedding mentioned before.
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L
USM IS
I bought this beast in early 2005 after, during a wedding, I realized that.. I miss some long focal lengths. This is the most "pro" lens in all the bunch. It's super on any aspect (sharpness, color, bokeh, low distortion, robustness), and you pay (and weight...) for what you get.
I used it a lot with the 20D-40D, and it might become a good portrait lens for the 5D.
Sometimes it's just.. too heavy though, and especially when you wanna have a long trip somewhere you might think of something else. That's why before I went to thailand I got the...
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Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6
USM IS
Not f2.8, L-class like the one above but still a great lens. Stabilized, yes (someone still thinking that it's better to walk around with a monopod?). Much lighter than the big white brother, it has also a bonus of 100 more mm (at the expense of a slight softness though).
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Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3
Di LD (IF)
This is my super-tele, and it's actually the lens I've used the least (some examples in the Rudesheim and Happy Family Fest 2006 albums), very long and clumsy to bring for a walkaround session. Not stabilized either. Good build quality, good image quality, good value for the money. Sooner or later I will go around with a tripod to do some bird shooting...
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Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
I haven't used too much this sharp little beast, but it comes handy when I want nice bokeh (blurred background), especially on the cropped cameras it's a good portrait lens. It's also very convenient to bring around for its tiny size and weight.
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Canon EF-S 10-22mm
f/3.5-4.5 USM
This is one of the best wide angle lenses for crop cameras (20D,40D), it was at least when I bought it in december 2004. Now it has a good match with the Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX, which has a fancy constant f2.8 aperture, but more limited focal range.
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Canon EF-S 17-55mm
f/2.8 USM IS
This is the best walkaround lens for crop cameras (20D,40D). Sharp, nice colors, constant f2.8 aperture, fast and quiet USM autofocus, and image stabilization. I have become addicted to the latter, I am still waiting for the release of a stabilized f2.8 walkaround lens for the 5D...
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Loreo 3D Lens In a Cap
Despite it's the crappiest lens in the bunch regarding features, build and image quality (all plastic including the camera plug, no electronic, all manual, two aperture settings - f11 or f22 :-S - unsharp), I had some fun in the past shooting my first 3D pictures. You can see some examples in Heidelberg album and a few also in Frankfurt. Lately I discovered that I can use my other lenses for that, by simply making two different shots with left and right eye - with the only disadvantage that moving subjects are not allowed.
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Canon Speedlite 580EX + 430EX II
The 580EX is he most powerful and featured flash unit for a Canon camera. What else should have I got? :) I use it mostly as fill flash (very good with the omnibouncer) or when the environment is not too dark. Otherwise (i.e. inside a church/museum) I prefer steady hand, high ISO and more diffused environment light (and Photoshop saves me from the yellow-reddish tone of it..). Later on I expanded my set up for a studio setting, and I got a second 580EX and a 430EX II, a bit tinier but more modern - it can be controlled in-camera with the 40D and the other newer cameras.
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Sony Cybershot T10
That's when I felt like not being able to shoot anywhere, at any time (including videos)... so I bought this pocket camera which fits into a shirt pocket. Quality is good as long as you stay below ISO 400. Now replaced by the Canon G9,
it proved very useful in Japan for shooting videos and some beach and underwater shots in Thailand. Underwater, yes. I have an underwater case for it and it's gonna remain my only underwater-ready camera for a while.
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Canon Powershot G9
Being not too satisfied with the Sony T-10 tiny-sensor-jpeg-only image quality and needing also to shoot Raw, I switched back to Canon again for my "everyday/emergency" camera. The G9 is built like a tank (metal body) so it's heavy. The lens moving inside the body when off makes it barely fit in the "pocket camera" class (despite we're talking about jackets, not shirts or trousers).
I really appreciate the possibility of shooting at ISO 400 with no concerns. I also love the dedicated ISO selection wheel, that should be a must on every dSLR!
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Canon Powershot S90
Being again not too satisfied with higher iso capabilities of the G9, I couldn't resist to this new jewel which brought Canon back into the race for the king of lowest noise with higher iso.
It's a pocket sized camera with a big brain inside, image quality is an improvement compared to the G9 whereas it doesn't lack too much controls thanks also to the control ring around the lens. Not too worried now of shooting at iso 1600 with a pocket camera, thanks Canon! :)
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Canon Powershot G5
My first step was a Canon Powershot S10 in year 2000, since when I realized how cool is to shoot digital during holiday - saw a friend with a digital compact camera.
Three years later I decided to become a bit more serious, and I started to read about the photography basics. At that time I didn't have much money so I bought the G5, a good compromise between price (lens and body all-inclusive!), features and quality.
In that one year I used it a bit, but since meanwhile I got a lot of money :) I felt like the G5 was too restrictive for my needs (slow focus, not so good quality at high ISO). Yet after I got the 20D, I still used the G5 in Sicily (2005) and few other occasions.
It's still hard to find a compact camera with a fancy f2.0 aperture...
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Slik 613 carbon fiber tripod + Giotto's MH-1302/MH-655 Pro Series II head/camera plate |
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Manfrotto 190CLB tripod + 488RC2 head |
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Tamrac Velocity 9 +
Expedition 7 |
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Canon EOS 20D
I bought it in Germany in november 2004. This was my first dSLR, I have learned almost everything I know with it and it served me with honor for three years. Its image quality and low noise are still amongst the best in its category.
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Tamron SP
AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD
Aspherical (IF)
Sharp, nice colors, constant f2.8 aperture, excellent value for the money. No silent USM autofocus and a bit soft at f2.8, but no big deal. It was my first lens with the 20D, I switched then to the EF-s 17-55 because of the more convenient focal range.
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