Hi all! Looks like a great forum here. I am currently an amateur (intermediate/advanced?) with some aspirations towards semi-pro status, mostly to fund future gear purchases. I have no intention of leaving my day job to pursue this full-time.
After a couple years away from photography I have gotten back into things in the last few months, starting from scratch with my gear. My interests are somewhat general-- people, landscapes, traveling, etc. I would like to be well-armed for anything between 14-200mm. While I have a tripod I find that I prefer shooting without it because I like to move around a lot.
Current Gear:
Body: Canon 6d
--> May look into a 5d III when the 5d IV comes out and prices fall a little more
Current lenses:
Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4
Canon 85mm f/1.8
Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS
Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 (Manual only)
I love all of the above and feel that they have all been excellent purchases. I have about ~$2000 in my photography budget that I would like to round out this list with.
The obvious gap is the 35mm-85mm which I have noticed mostly when we were taking family/friends group portraits over the holidays. I would also like to start doing some events (or more shooting for fun at friends' weddings that I attend) and a good 70-200 2.8 would be very nice for this. I feel like the 100mm Macro makes a reasonable substitute for the wider end of that range but obviously not on the longer.
Two options I have come up with are the following:
(1) Track down a used Magic Drainpipe (80-200 2.8L) in good shape, invest the savings in 24-70 II or primes.
(2) Take the plunge on the 70-200 2.8 II and get the 50 1.8 as a bandaid lens for the 35-85 gap.
I guess the question is, is the MDP close enough that the MDP + 100mm IS combo would make a good substitute for the 70-200 II?
Or is it so good that it remains a good value at its' current price and I shouldn't fool with the MDP?
Thanks for any suggestions!
