Am I Crazy? (Lens and Camera thoughts)

After 25 or so years with 35mm, my move to digital started with a point and shoot Canon G3...I HAD to have the ability to do full manual shooting! It was a good starting point. I then went to a G5, a 30D, 60D and now 5Diii. After realizing I had too much glass, I looked at what I used and sold the rest.

I still have 4 lenses, all Ls, 3 zooms and the 135. I tried the 135 as a walkaround in Chicago a month ago but had difficulty 'getting used to' shooting with a prime. So I put the 24-105 on and the 135 in the Lowepro lens case on my belt. In retrospect, I should have shot more with the 135.

It only took me about 2 hours to figure out that for walkaround purposes, my gripped 5Diii starts getting heavy. However, as I use a handstrap with quick release neckstrap concurrently wrapped around my hand to lock it all in, my feet gave out long before my hand or shoulder did. Being of Medicare age doesn't help, either. So I'm really thinking about getting another G-series camera. Perhaps a G15. Or, maybe a mirrorless with a small lens. But if I do that, I'd want to get an EF adapter and put an L on it. Back to square one again.

Another option is to get a good strap that is ergonomically good. The Luma Cinch for example. My 7D with a 17-55, not the lightest or slimmest of combinations, rests very comfortably behind me in the small of my back. The design of the strap is such that it pulls the camera into my back, and prevents it from swaying or moving around. A simple sliding buckle in the front allows me to loosen the strap and get the camera rapidly to the front and to shooting position and when done, I can, as the product name indicates, cinch the strap down to put the camera back behind me.

Perhaps before you jettison your equipment, you could consider whether an improved carrying solution may make carrying your camera less onerous.

Bianchi wrote in post #16385189
Davio, since it sounds like you enjoy the 35 prime, sounds like you would enjoy another prime like the 135.

I'll through out another suggestion, since weight is a factor with the 70-2002.8 II, have you considered the much lighter excellent 70-200 F4 Lis

I have indeed. In fact when I originally bought the 70-200, I was torn between the F4 and F2.8 and chose the 2.8 at the time. I mainly have used my 70-200 when shooting events, weddings and/or people photo shoots though, and could easily do that still with the 135 all while getting something even faster and smaller.

Scrumhalf wrote in post #16385256
Another option is to get a good strap that is ergonomically good. The Luma Cinch for example. My 7D with a 17-55, not the lightest or slimmest of combinations, rests very comfortably behind me in the small of my back. The design of the strap is such that it pulls the camera into my back, and prevents it from swaying or moving around. A simple sliding buckle in the front allows me to loosen the strap and get the camera rapidly to the front and to shooting position and when done, I can, as the product name indicates, cinch the strap down to put the camera back behind me.

Perhaps before you jettison your equipment, you could consider whether an improved carrying solution may make carrying your camera less onerous.

Also a good suggestion, but in this case I don't think it's so much the carrying/strap and the physical aspect of my gear as much as just the annoyance and room it takes up. I have a black rapids RS3 strap that ergonomically does a good job, but I still find it annoying enough to where I just don't carry my camera around as often as I should.

one could downgrade to a I-phone! but the photography go's out the window,lighter is not always better,i tend to stay away from the bigger/larger lens because there so dam hard to lug around,and with today's dslr's the total of a say 5d-3 and the 70-200 /2.8 is a bit much to drag around all day long!even if its in a back pack,i find its better to hall one camera with a 24-105/4 and then bring two other lens in a shoulder bag,it kind of makes me get out of the house a little moor often and not haling all that big heavy gear.

Patrick n wrote in post #16384962
can you auto focus on Sony A7 with EF lenses using adaptor? If it can auto focus, I would like to get A7 for sure.

I think you even dont need an adapter but im not sure. But somehow i just think i would get that with just a 35mm or 50mm sony lens. I mean its crazy, 2500 bucks for a Fullframe mirrorless camera. Small nice to carry around and 36mp?! Im seriously looking into that one!

There are several people here who sold their 70-200 f/2.8 II and replaced it with a 70-300L for the weight reduction and the longer length. If you check out the 70-300L thread, you'll see their comments:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=922576

Phoenixkh wrote in post #16385794
There are several people here who sold their 70-200 f/2.8 II and replaced it with a 70-300L for the weight reduction and the longer length. If you check out the 70-300L thread, you'll see their comments:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=922576

Jap, one of the best lenses i had..

No, you are not crazy. Fully understandable IMO

I too really enjoy the 35mm focal length, but if what you love about your Sigma 35mm is its shallow DOF at medium subject distances, the X100S isn't a substitute. I still longed for a fast 35mm on FF, and perhaps would have purchased a Sony RX-1 if it had a built in EVF. I the X100S for about six months and loved shooting with the camera, but also wasn't crazy about the way the files looked from the X-Trans sensor for the type of subjects I shoot. Unless you need the high ISO performance of the X100S or the PDAF (which honestly is only fast in really good light) you might also consider a used X100 as Fuji just released yet another firmware update for it which speeds up the AF yet again as well as improves on some of the cameras other shortcomings.

How about an SL-1 with 40mm pancake. Light, small, optical viewfinder, etc. A win-win combination. forgot to mention, it will take all of your current AF lenses.

ean10775 wrote in post #16387284
I too really enjoy the 35mm focal length, but if what you love about your Sigma 35mm is its shallow DOF at medium subject distances, the X100S isn't a substitute. I still longed for a fast 35mm on FF, and perhaps would have purchased a Sony RX-1 if it had a built in EVF. I the X100S for about six months and loved shooting with the camera, but also wasn't crazy about the way the files looked from the X-Trans sensor for the type of subjects I shoot. Unless you need the high ISO performance of the X100S or the PDAF (which honestly is only fast in really good light) you might also consider a used X100 as Fuji just released yet another firmware update for it which speeds up the AF yet again as well as improves on some of the cameras other shortcomings.

Hmm, you raise some interesting points. The bokeh/blur is certainly one of the key aspects I love about the 5D3/Siggy combo, and if I can't replicate it (or close) with the Fuji then that might not be exactly what I want.

When I think about selling the 70-200 a part of me cringes as the image quality is amazing, and my copy is absolutely spot on perfect in every regard. I would say at this moment I'm actually leaning towards selling my 50/1.4, and picking up the pancake as a compromise.

eddieb1 wrote in post #16387373
How about an SL-1 with 40mm pancake. Light, small, optical viewfinder, etc. A win-win combination. forgot to mention, it will take all of your current AF lenses.

Only problem is the SL-1 is a crop sensor, so the field of view for that 40mm pancake becomes more like 64mm. The OP stated he likes the 35mm focal length on his full frame, so the pancake would be too narrow on a crop.

This is the same thing that keeps me from considering a SL-1 as a light weight solution. It would be great if Canon would offer an EFS 22mm pancake similar to the one offered for their M.

Scrumhalf wrote in post #16385256
Another option is to get a good strap that is ergonomically good. The Luma Cinch for example. My 7D with a 17-55, not the lightest or slimmest of combinations, rests very comfortably behind me in the small of my back. The design of the strap is such that it pulls the camera into my back, and prevents it from swaying or moving around. A simple sliding buckle in the front allows me to loosen the strap and get the camera rapidly to the front and to shooting position and when done, I can, as the product name indicates, cinch the strap down to put the camera back behind me.

Perhaps before you jettison your equipment, you could consider whether an improved carrying solution may make carrying your camera less onerous.

This is exactly what I was going to suggest, except that I use a BlackRapid strap. Before I got it, my neck and my back used to hurt a lot, after a couple of hours of walking with the camera I was ready to stick it all back in the backpack and be done with that. Now I can walk all day long without thinking about the weight at all, and that at being almost at the Medicare age. What a difference!

My wife, who used to hate to carry her T2i with a big lens, now walks with me shooting happily all day.

EDIT: Sorry, just noticed that you already replied to that suggestion!

eddieb1 wrote in post #16387373
How about an SL-1 with 40mm pancake. Light, small, optical viewfinder, etc. A win-win combination. forgot to mention, it will take all of your current AF lenses.

How about a EOS M w/ a 22mm then? It is mirror-less, but can't beat the size.