Moving from Crop to Full Frame - Lens Choices

I'm seriously considering getting a 5d mkii to either replace or supplement a 7D. My two main concerns are doing this with as little out of pocket as necessary and maintainging basically the same focal lengths (other than UWA). I am just a hobbyist and mainly shoot while traveling, but will be doing more portait work, as we're currently expecting in October. Keeping the 7D would be ideal, but I'd be willing to let it go if necessary to make everything else work out.

My current gear includes:
7D + Grip
30D + Grip
Canon 50mm 1.8 mkII
Canon 10-22 USM
Canon 17-55 IS USM
Canon 85 1.8 (plan to keep)
Canon 70-200 f4 IS (plan to keep)
Other misc items that won't amount to more than $200

I figure if I sell the first 5 items in the list, I should be able to get a new 5D mkII + 24-105 f4 kit and add a new Canon 50 1.4 with with ~$300 out of pocket. Getting everything used will save me a couple of hundred, but might not be worth it since the kit yeilds a pretty good savings and I'll get the full year warranties.

Also, since I have a few months and there are rumors of some upcoming announcements from Canon, it's possible the 5D mkII may end up back in the CLP, which could make it worth reducing the warranties to 90 days.

As excited as I am about moving to full frame, I'd really appreciate some input before selling anything. Any thoughts, suggestions, cautions?

I don't know about you...

I don't know about you but, I would feel very compromised in switching from a two camera outfit to a single camera.

I love my 7D and 40D with 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and 70-200mm f/4L IS combination...

Sounds like a decent strategy to me.
Down the road you might want to add the ancient but still great 100-400.
You've been used to seeing shots at 200 on a crop. The long end at 200 on a FF body will look different to you and you will probably end up wanting more reach. The 100-400 will give that same result as the 200 on a crop body plus more reach.

Or win the lotto and pick up the announced but not available yet 200-400 with integrated TC.

Too bad you can't keep the 7D as a crop back up to the 5DII.
Maybe you could wait till Christmas and talk to the Santa in your life???

If you're going to FF, I might consider the 17-40 instead of getting the 24-105 that comes with the kit. I say that because you'll probably miss being able to go ultra wide.

why would you want to add a prime that is within your zoom range? seems like a waste of money.

KEEP the 7D

SELL what you need to sell and add the cash to pick up the 5DII

I had two 7D's .... traded one in and bought the 5DII

7D + 5D2 = Best Combo You Can Own


I almost bought a used 1DIII, made a call to my dealer and they told me they traded in a 1D MkIV so I went down to look at it .... it was nice but they wanted $3999.

I opted for the 5DII and along with the 7D there isn't a situation I cannot cover.


LENS SELECTION?

I bought a 24-105 to used on the 7D's and liked it ...... on the 5DII it's more like I love that 24-105 !!!


.

Thanks for all the input so far. Definitely interested in more...

Just keep in mind, I don't expect this to be the end of my kit, but would have to last me at least 6 months before adding anything significant.

RPCrowe wrote in post #12531688
I don't know about you but, I would feel very compromised in switching from a two camera outfit to a single camera.

I love my 7D and 40D with 17-55mm f/2.8 IS and 70-200mm f/4L IS combination...

That is definitely a major concern; however, I have not used my 30D once since I bought the 7D. Granted, this is a totally different situation where having both would be ideal. I would potentially get my wife a 60D in the future and would have that as a backup if needed.

rang wrote in post #12531775
Sounds like a decent strategy to me.
Down the road you might want to add the ancient but still great 100-400.
You've been used to seeing shots at 200 on a crop. The long end at 200 on a FF body will look different to you and you will probably end up wanting more reach. The 100-400 will give that same result as the 200 on a crop body plus more reach.

Or win the lotto and pick up the announced but not available yet 200-400 with integrated TC.

Too bad you can't keep the 7D as a crop back up to the 5DII.
Maybe you could wait till Christmas and talk to the Santa in your life???

I know I'll be missing a lot on the long end and will probably be in shock when I actually see how much. The 200-400 would be fantastic, but don't see ever owning it. Renting? That is very likely at some point. We'll see if Santa can do anything more than leaving me a lump of coal...

CMDPhotography wrote in post #12531788
If you're going to FF, I might consider the 17-40 instead of getting the 24-105 that comes with the kit. I say that because you'll probably miss being able to go ultra wide.

That was something to consider also, but the 10-22 really hasn't spent that much time on the 7D. The 24 on FF is roughly 15 on the 7D, which should cover most cases. Perhaps down the road...

jeppoy wrote in post #12531818
why would you want to add a prime that is within your zoom range? seems like a waste of money.

For the larger aperture... low light and DOF.

harcosparky wrote in post #12531839
KEEP the 7D

SELL what you need to sell and add the cash to pick up the 5DII

I had two 7D's .... traded one in and bought the 5DII

7D + 5D2 = Best Combo You Can Own

I almost bought a used 1DIII, made a call to my dealer and they told me they traded in a 1D MkIV so I went down to look at it .... it was nice but they wanted $3999.

I opted for the 5DII and along with the 7D there isn't a situation I cannot cover.

LENS SELECTION?

I bought a 24-105 to used on the 7D's and liked it ...... on the 5DII it's more like I love that 24-105 !!!
.

Again, that would be ideal, but not feasible right now. Down the road that is a possibility.

135L!

zacm7 wrote in post #12531924
135L!

MAGIC!

Having a crop and a FF doesn't really give you more options if you shoot with 2 cameras. All you end up is a lot of overlapping (effective) focal lengths from a set of lenses. It annoys me to no end which is one reason I am getting rid of my 7D and picking up a second 5DII.

Bodank, I disagree with you this one (rarely would I disagree with someone who's opinion I respect on this board). I shoot a 5D and 50D and find that lenses use to hate now are go to. I hated the 70-200 on a cro pand still do for the most part. However, on my 5D, it almost never comes off. Completely different perspective in my opinion. Yes, ranges overlap, but 100 on a crop isn't the same as 100 on FF.

To the OP: I recently did something similiar. I picked up a used 5D (to make sure I would like FF) and sold my 7d for a 50d. I was never fond of the files form the 7d (yes, there is much debate on this - pick a side and go with it). If you are gonna keep a crop, why not keep the 10-22 also - almost same FOV as a 17-40 on a 5DII. You'll fill your gap with the 24-105 from the kit. Keep the 85 and 70-200.

zacm7 wrote in post #12531924
135L!

Then I'd have nothing shorter than 70 mm, which doesn't sound like a great option for chasing around a baby/toddler. Or am I missing something?

bohdank wrote in post #12532680
Having a crop and a FF doesn't really give you more options if you shoot with 2 cameras. All you end up is a lot of overlapping (effective) focal lengths from a set of lenses. It annoys me to no end which is one reason I am getting rid of my 7D and picking up a second 5DII.

The main benefits to keeping the crop, especially the 7D, would be the extra range and the AF/fps speed when I do shoot wildlife.

huntersdad wrote in post #12532761
Bodank, I disagree with you this one (rarely would I disagree with someone who's opinion I respect on this board). I shoot a 5D and 50D and find that lenses use to hate now are go to. I hated the 70-200 on a cro pand still do for the most part. However, on my 5D, it almost never comes off. Completely different perspective in my opinion. Yes, ranges overlap, but 100 on a crop isn't the same as 100 on FF.

To the OP: I recently did something similiar. I picked up a used 5D (to make sure I would like FF) and sold my 7d for a 50d. I was never fond of the files form the 7d (yes, there is much debate on this - pick a side and go with it). If you are gonna keep a crop, why not keep the 10-22 also - almost same FOV as a 17-40 on a 5DII. You'll fill your gap with the 24-105 from the kit. Keep the 85 and 70-200.

My thoughts exactly. I just didn't get much use out of the 10-22, so I'm not too concerned about the wide end. I owned one before the 17-55 and might get one again later if I felt the need.

moeronn wrote in post #12531651
I'm seriously considering getting a 5d mkii to either replace or supplement a 7D. My two main concerns are doing this with as little out of pocket as necessary and maintainging basically the same focal lengths (other than UWA). I am just a hobbyist and mainly shoot while traveling, but will be doing more portait work, as we're currently expecting in October. Keeping the 7D would be ideal, but I'd be willing to let it go if necessary to make everything else work out.

My current gear includes:
7D + Grip
30D + Grip
Canon 50mm 1.8 mkII
Canon 10-22 USM
Canon 17-55 IS USM
Canon 85 1.8 (plan to keep)
Canon 70-200 f4 IS (plan to keep)
Other misc items that won't amount to more than $200

I figure if I sell the first 5 items in the list, I should be able to get a new 5D mkII + 24-105 f4 kit and add a new Canon 50 1.4 with with ~$300 out of pocket. Getting everything used will save me a couple of hundred, but might not be worth it since the kit yeilds a pretty good savings and I'll get the full year warranties.

First off, congrats on your upcoming arrival. I think you will find that your skills and equipment needs can change considerably when you photograph children.

I made the switch to FF shortly after our second child was born, but kept my 40D for occasional outdoor use (sports, wildlife, etc.). I still might replace the 40D with a 7D but for now I just don't have a real need to do so.

A couple things to think about:
1) young children are small so you'll need more reach than you would for adults. I use my 85mm and 135mm much more than my 50mm, so I'd consider skipping the 50mm f/1.4 for now.
2) do you have an external flash? if not, you MUST get one. fast primes and high ISO won't always do the job for indoor children's shots.
3) why not consider a used 5D classic? you can pick one up for $900 or so before you commit to selling off so much of your existing gear.
4) if you need to sell so many items to fund your FF switch, you may end up having nothing to shoot with for several weeks if it takes time to find buyers for each item. selling the 10-22mm by itself will get you close to a used 5d classic.
5) I'd be concerned having f/4 zooms as your only zoom lenses. I think you should consider the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 as an option and skip the 24-105L for now.

I like my current gear, but I rarely use my 70-200 f/4L IS. I might use it more if it was f/2.8. I prefer the 135L, but the 70-200 f/2.8 mk2 would be really nice too.

shaftmaster wrote in post #12533107
First off, congrats on your upcoming arrival. I think you will find that your skills and equipment needs can change considerably when you photograph children.

I made the switch to FF shortly after our second child was born, but kept my 40D for occasional outdoor use (sports, wildlife, etc.). I still might replace the 40D with a 7D but for now I just don't have a real need to do so.

A couple things to think about:
1) young children are small so you'll need more reach than you would for adults. I use my 85mm and 135mm much more than my 50mm, so I'd consider skipping the 50mm f/1.4 for now.
2) do you have an external flash? if not, you MUST get one. fast primes and high ISO won't always do the job for indoor children's shots.
3) why not consider a used 5D classic? you can pick one up for $900 or so before you commit to selling off so much of your existing gear.
4) if you need to sell so many items to fund your FF switch, you may end up having nothing to shoot with for several weeks if it takes time to find buyers for each item. selling the 10-22mm by itself will get you close to a used 5d classic.
5) I'd be concerned having f/4 zooms as your only zoom lenses. I think you should consider the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 as an option and skip the 24-105L for now.

I like my current gear, but I rarely use my 70-200 f/4L IS. I might use it more if it was f/2.8. I prefer the 135L, but the 70-200 f/2.8 mk2 would be really nice too.

Thank you for the congrats and thank you for the feedback based on similar circumstances. I do have some experience shooting my nephews, but only on occassion.

1. Our house is pretty small, so reach shouldn't be an issue for at least 6+ months, but I'll keep that in mind.
2. I have both a 430 EX and a 580 EXII and am considering getting 1 or 2 YN560 and a few Cactus V5s for "studio" type shots
3. A 5Dc is definitely something to consider. I need to look into this more.
4. Unfortunately, I don't shoot daily or even weekly now, so I could do without for a little while. Plus I could make sure to stagger the sales of the 30D and 7D if I go that route.
5. I was hoping that the better high ISO performance of the 5D mkII would make shooting at f4 about the same as shooting the 7D at 2.8. Is that too optomistic?

i love 50mm on my 5D