I recently came into some money so I was looking to upgrade my current gear to pro. I have been shooting pro for 6 years with consumer models. Man do I get some glares from other pros in the field sometimes. What is the best body and lenses? I am looking at the 20D currently. I am not up on the current lenses either. Also what should I watch out for when buying on Ebay?

Thanks so much!

Hannah
www.starbrightdesigns.net

I really like the Canon 20D although it's only a semi-pro model. 8 megapixels should be plenty for prints up to 16X20 and possibly larger. It depends on the quality of lens that you buy. I'm not sure what types of photographs that you take but L lens are the best glass and the 24-70 2.8L is a fine lens and does cover a range from semi wide to short telephoto. This camera almost shoots like a film SLR with instant on and there is hardly any pause when shooting. Good luck with your choice. Steve

I recently came into some money so I was looking to upgrade my current gear to pro. I have been shooting pro for 6 years with consumer models. Man do I get some glares from other pros in the field sometimes. What is the best body and lenses? I am looking at the 20D currently. I am not up on the current lenses either. Also what should I watch out for when buying on Ebay?I'm just a humble nikon shooter, but I have tried out and seen several canons in action.
Depending on what you can afford and the size of camera you're looking at, I'd suggest the EOS 5D or 1D Mk II (N) if your budget is big enough, though if you can't afford those then the 20D would be fine.
All are great cameras...IMO the 5D is the best canon 'bang for the buck' and has the best ergonomics of the bunch...just my opinion though. And FF 12.8MP is very nice :)

The best pro model for sports is the Canon 1D MKII N, fastest at 8.5 fps up to 48 frames on L jpg, 137 frames on S jpg and 20 frames RAW. It also has the fastest AF available. Also it has both CF and SD cards slots able to write raw to one and jpg to the other. That and a couple lenses (70-200 a must for sports) and your set.

JS

The 20D is a prosumer model, half way between pro and consumer.
It's served me pretty well for motorsport, with a 70-200 L IS f2.8 lens as the main lens.
After having used the 1DmkIIN ang seen inside that viewfinder, it's hard ot go back to the 20D.
The 1D is so much better, better shutter (longer life), huge viewfinder image, flash exposure bar, weatherproof, long battery life.

But on a budget, the 20D with battery grip and two batteries lasts me for a day's shooting, like the 1D does.
The 20D takes the same professional "L" series lenses (costing more than the body!) that the 1D does.
The 20D takes the same flash (I use 580EX, a miniature sun-on-a-stick) that the 1D does.
They both have 8MP sensor, but the 20D is smaller.
Noise in the image is very similar in low light/higth ISO, the 20D is very good.


Buying from eBay?
I wouldn't except in the UK from Canon's official outlet store !
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet
They only ship in the UK and I don't know if there is a US equivalent.

I do general editorial and weddings from time to time. I would love to do hockey but I am not looking to move into sports anytime soon. My budget is big for me but not too big, this is why I was looking at the 20D. It's good to know that the 20D will hold up. I salivate over the L glass lenses but I don't think I'll be getting any soon. What's a good flash to get? My stuff is all really old so I am looking for new lenses and a flash system as well.

Ah there is a flash recommendation. The 580EX, got it. Anyone else have any ebay stories? I have no problem buying from a Canadian source since I'm right over the border. I wish the exchange rate was better like in the old days though...

I recently purchased the 5D - LOVE IT. I shoot stock, so I don't need high fps or a lot of weather proofing. My main concern is image quality, and the 5D delivers. The raw file (12 MB on the card) decodes to a 37 MB tiff without any kind of interpolation, so the file size is adequate for most applications. I have the battery grip too, which includes the vertical shutter release. The only beef I have with this camera so far is that the mirror is quite clunky, so you need the steadiest of hands in low light if you're not using a tripod (I haven't purchased a cable release yet - that's next on my list). My main lens is the EF 100 mm 2.8 macro, which was reviewed by many as a lens that should be L series, and it hasn't let me down. So far so good!! I highly recommend the 5D if you have the money.

>> The only beef I have with this camera so far is that the mirror is quite clunky
That's one thing I immediately noticed with the 1DmkIIN over the 20D, apart from the amazingly huge viewfinder image compared to the 20D keyhole.
The shutter on the 1D is longer life too, reated at hundreds of thousands of operation instead of tens.
It's far quieter, and smoother, in operation than the 20D.

I think from your description the 5D and 20D are quite comparable in build/design then, possibly even the same body with different sensors?

I recently purchased the 5D - LOVE IT. I shoot stock, so I don't need high fps or a lot of weather proofing. My main concern is image quality, and the 5D delivers. The raw file (12 MB on the card) decodes to a 37 MB tiff without any kind of interpolation, so the file size is adequate for most applications. I have the battery grip too, which includes the vertical shutter release. The only beef I have with this camera so far is that the mirror is quite clunky, so you need the steadiest of hands in low light if you're not using a tripod (I haven't purchased a cable release yet - that's next on my list). My main lens is the EF 100 mm 2.8 macro, which was reviewed by many as a lens that should be L series, and it hasn't let me down. So far so good!! I highly recommend the 5D if you have the money.

The more I look at the 5D the more I want it... I have a question though. How important is the battery grip?

>> How important is the battery grip?
How important are portrait format images to you?
The extra controls on the grip are there to give you control while shooting portrait format.

How many shots do you take a day?
The extra battery grip will double (at best) your number of shots.
I can take over 1000/day on my 20D with the battery grip.

BUT there's a downside.
If you're working in an environment with vibration - like with the camera clamped to a car, then the way they fit together with the tripod screw is a weak point.
I found after 3/4 hour lapping Spa Francorchamps the 20D was begining to come loose from the battery pack. Which was quite scary as it was the battery pack that was on the ball head clamped to the car !

The symptoms were not pleasant, I though the camera was broken :(
It wasn't until I put the battery door back on the body, and used a single battery that it worked again.

[QUOTE=SmartWombat]>> How important is the battery grip?
How important are portrait format images to you?
The extra controls on the grip are there to give you control while shooting portrait format.

Actual button controls or just control in general?

How many shots do you take a day?
The extra battery grip will double (at best) your number of shots.
I can take over 1000/day on my 20D with the battery grip.

I like that, if I do move into wedding photography I will be shooting this sort of volume.

Hey StarBright...

Yes, the 1DsMarkII is the King... however, unless you have several thousand dollars just for the body.... you will soon find yourself out of cash for good lenses.... and that is what makes your photos.... I personally shoot with 2- 20D's at weddings, portraits and news events. I've even seen a trend at news events with professional press photogs coming out with 20D's rather than the 1Ds's The 20D shoots at 5 frames per sec....fast enough for most applications... and autofocus with "L" series lenses is blazing fast.

My two-cents: If you can afford a 20D, get it, then invest heavily into solid lenses like the 24-70 f/2.8L (about $1400) and the 70-200 f/2.8L (about $1550). Buy from a store that you can trust and can return the lenses to should there be an issue..... Canon lenses, while awesome when they are good, has turned out a lot of bad copies.... but they will make good on them so long as it is a reputable dealer and a USA version... do not buy imported if you live in the US.

Good luck

Hey StarBright...

My two-cents: If you can afford a 20D, get it, then invest heavily into solid lenses like the 24-70 f/2.8L (about $1400) and the 70-200 f/2.8L (about $1550). Buy from a store that you can trust and can return the lenses to should there be an issue..... Canon lenses, while awesome when they are good, has turned out a lot of bad copies.... but they will make good on them so long as it is a reputable dealer and a USA version... do not buy imported if you live in the US.

Good luck

I have a question, what is bad about imported equiptment? Esp. if it's from a reputable dealer in Canada. Because that's another option for me if the exchange rate gets better. Right now it's nearly at par. We are about 1 1/2 hrs. from Toronto. Having to mail back to a place in Canada for repairs is also not an issue, there is a post office in Canada about 5 mins from my house, I look out my living room window at Canada. Also another good thing about buying in Canada is that you get the tax refunded to you at the border. As you can probably tell I am a huge bargin shopper, even when it comes to big important purchases.

Thanks for any help anyone can give me!

The only beef I have with this camera so far is that the mirror is quite clunky, so you need the steadiest of hands in low light if you're not using a tripod....

Welcome to the site. Regarding your comment, I have two words for you: mirror lockup...

If mirror movement is the only thing preventing you from getting sharp shots at slower shutter speeds, mirror lockup is the easiest solution. With the 5D, you need to enable the feature using custom function C.Fn-12.

See pages 97 and 154 of your instruction manual for details... :cool:

I have a question, what is bad about imported equiptment? Esp. if it's from a reputable dealer in Canada. Because that's another option for me if the exchange rate gets better. Right now it's nearly at par. We are about 1 1/2 hrs. from Toronto. Having to mail back to a place in Canada for repairs is also not an issue, there is a post office in Canada about 5 mins from my house, I look out my living room window at Canada. Also another good thing about buying in Canada is that you get the tax refunded to you at the border. As you can probably tell I am a huge bargin shopper, even when it comes to big important purchases.

Thanks for any help anyone can give me!

Canada & US warranties are the same. The grey market gear comes from the same factory, same lines, quality, etc. they just do not have the same warranty. When you purchase an item with US warranty you also purchase warranty insurance for Canon USA or Canada. When you purchase grey market it doesn't have this insurance, so when you get it repaired Canon US or Canada lose money as they cannot claim the insurance on it. In turn that will drive up the cost for those of us who do buy the non-grey market gear.

JS