Going for a minimalist kit

Hey guys,

I'm kicking around the idea of going with a more minimal kit and sticking with only lenses I will use all the time. Right now, my setup is:
5D mark 1 x2
24-105 f4L
35 f2 IS
50 f1.8
85 f1.8
135 f2L

Flashes and triggers

I shoot a variety of stuff from motorsports (very rarely now) and car shows, portraits, events, weddings, food, travel.

I'm thinking of selling off everything except the 135L and buying a Canon 24-70 f2.8 v1 and a 6D body. My goal is to not spend money out of pocket to make the move.

I like my 24-105, but with low light and the 5D, it's a no go without flash. I like my 35 f2 for the low light stuff, but also miss the wider 24 focal length when space gets tight (plus the 24 seems grander in a wide sense). This makes me think that the 24-70 f2.8 would split the difference of those two lenses. I would like to minimize my kit to just 1-2 bodies (another 6D later) and 2 lenses. I know the 70-200 f2.8 makes sense instead of the 135L for max versatility, but I love the size and the images of the 135L, I will probably never sell it.

Most used lenses are the 24-105, 35, 135. I never use the 50, the 85 only comes out when an event is completely indoors.

Opinions?

14 f2.8, 35 f2, 100 f2

minimal and fairly small. Due to the size of the 100, I tend to use it a lot more than the 135. Both are fantastic lenses for sure.

Not sure if this will help you, but I recently went on a month long trip around asia and took only my 6D, 35mm F2IS, 40mm, 85mm 1.8.

I thought I would be happy with just the 35 and 85, I sort of just brought the 40mm just in case. The 40mm lived on my camera the most as its size was a huge advantage. The 85mm was rarely used. 35 was used in low light.

I am thinking of selling my 35 and 85 and getting the 16-35 f4 and 135mm f2. The 85 while nice, is still only used for portraits, I figure I might as well get the 135 for this. The 35f2IS is a great lens, but I honestly think the 40mm is good enough for me, and I wish the 35mm was wider.

I will tell you that the 6D is a great body and I personally went through 3-4 different bodies to realize how great the 6D is.

Charlie wrote in post #18079056
14 f2.8, 35 f2, 100 f2

minimal and fairly small. Due to the size of the 100, I tend to use it a lot more than the 135. Both are fantastic lenses for sure.

Thanks for the reply. Those are all great lenses, but don't fit the criteria in the post. 14 would be too wide for what I would need. 17-40 range would be the widest I would use on a regular basis.

asr10user wrote in post #18079120
Not sure if this will help you, but I recently went on a month long trip around asia and took only my 6D, 35mm F2IS, 40mm, 85mm 1.8.

I thought I would be happy with just the 35 and 85, I sort of just brought the 40mm just in case. The 40mm lived on my camera the most as its size was a huge advantage. The 85mm was rarely used. 35 was used in low light.

I am thinking of selling my 35 and 85 and getting the 16-35 f4 and 135mm f2. The 85 while nice, is still only used for portraits, I figure I might as well get the 135 for this. The 35f2IS is a great lens, but I honestly think the 40mm is good enough for me, and I wish the 35mm was wider.

I will tell you that the 6D is a great body and I personally went through 3-4 different bodies to realize how great the 6D is.

Thanks for the reply. I do think the 35/85 is a great combo indoors, but I love the 135L when I have enough light. I had a similar thought as you about the 16-35. My only reservation is that I rarely shoot super wide (24 seems to be enough for me most of the time), so the 24-70 could be a great all in one lens for indoor events with flash. I may rent a wider lens for a wedding in Oct just to give it a shot tho .

I have also thought about the Sigma 24-35 f2 as an oddball choice, but the range of the 24-70 seems more useful and I would like to keep it in the Canon family.

Ok, I'm going to throw a monkey wrench in your plans. The 7d ii has roughly the same low light performance as 5d mk 1 and in addition to giving you massive autofocus and FPS advantages over the 6D, at the expense of DoF would give you access to the EF-S line of lenses which includes the 18-135 STM which really is an all purpose lens. Also gives you access to the 18-35 1.8 art if you change your mind about third party lenses. As for UWA, you'd get access to a 16mm-29mm equivalent in the 10-18 for 200ish used.

Sorry, but I'm sticking with full frame. I had the 7D mark 1 and sold it for a 5D. I don't need the expanded autofocus really (would shoot center point for motorsports with the 5D) and would prefer the cleaner look from the 6D at higher ISO's. If I was shooting mostly motorsports, I would agree the 7DII would make more sense.

i've thought a lot about the difference between a 24-70 I/II and the 24-105 that I own along with a 6D. It is pretty rare that I am limited by f/4 and the IS does come in handy from time to time, especially at the long end of the lens. The MkII is definitely a sharper lens all around, but one stop is not a deal breaker unless you are already shooting at 6400 on the 6D.

the 24-70 is bigger and heavier than the 24-105, and the 24-105 prices have again dropped quite a bit in anticipation of a MkII. I suspect focusing of the 6D vs 5D classic is a pretty big improvement too.

If I were you, I'd sell off the two bodies you have and grab a 6D before making a decision on any lens change.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18080075
i've thought a lot about the difference between a 24-70 I/II and the 24-105 that I own along with a 6D. It is pretty rare that I am limited by f/4 and the IS does come in handy from time to time, especially at the long end of the lens. The MkII is definitely a sharper lens all around, but one stop is not a deal breaker unless you are already shooting at 6400 on the 6D.

the 24-70 is bigger and heavier than the 24-105, and the 24-105 prices have again dropped quite a bit in anticipation of a MkII. I suspect focusing of the 6D vs 5D classic is a pretty big improvement too.

If I were you, I'd sell off the two bodies you have and grab a 6D before making a decision on any lens change.

fwiw, the 24-70ii doesnt feel that much bigger than the 24-105. I kept both for the longest time, hardly use either. Got rid of the 24-105 eventually, the value is undeniable for that lens, kept the 24-70ii though for ultimate IQ since I'm shooting fairly high MP now. I still hardly use the 24-70 but it's comforting to know I have an all in one lens if I need/want, however I find it easier to carry 3 lenses (12,35,100) than one zoom, even if I'm out with all of my kids.

Yeah that's good advice too. I will probably hold off on this plan for a while, but just brainstorming a little. I will probably wait until the 6DII comes out and then buy a couple of used 6D's. I really do like my 24-105, but would like to have the extra stop. IS is not a deal breaker for me since I shoot mostly primes without IS. Like I said in the original post, I think the 24-70 f2.8 would be like the 35 f2 and 24-105 f4 making a baby. I like both of those lenses a lot, but I feel like with the expanded ISO of the 6D, the one stop wouldn't be a huge loss from the 35 to the 24-70. Not really worried about the weight. I'm used to carrying the 24-105L and the 135L around and they are about 75% of the weight each.

In the meantime, I have a well rounded kit that gets me the shots I need, so no worries here, just kicking around some ideas .

I'm planning on having just the 35 F2 IS coupled with the 135L to go with my 6D.

I can't envisage the need for any other lens for stuff I do.

quickben wrote in post #18080208
I'm planning on having just the 35 F2 IS coupled with the 135L to go with my 6D.

I can't envisage the need for any other lens for stuff I do.

lol, this was what I thought when going "minimalistic", but it's really a "minimalistic" wedding kit TS is after. 24-70ii + 70-200ii + pair of strobes.

Minimalist kit is a canon xsi with the standard 18-55 kit lens. I had this for over 4 years and I created some of my favorite photos with it.


Now that I have a bit more variety in my equipment, I find it that the drive is gone and I struggle to create photos that I really really love.

PJmak wrote in post #18080243
Minimalist kit is a canon xsi with the standard 18-55 kit lens. I had this for over 4 years and I created some of my favorite photos with it.


Now that I have a bit more variety in my equipment, I find it that the drive is gone and I struggle to create photos that I really really love.

Yep I started there too. Rebel XS and 18-55. I am pretty logical with each step up in gear and haven't really been disappointed as I progressed.

quickben wrote in post #18080208
I'm planning on having just the 35 F2 IS coupled with the 135L to go with my 6D.

I can't envisage the need for any other lens for stuff I do.

Charlie wrote in post #18080216
lol, this was what I thought when going "minimalistic", but it's really a "minimalistic" wedding kit TS is after. 24-70ii + 70-200ii + pair of strobes.

Yeah, both of those lenses are great. I will see if I end up giving up the 35 for the 24-70. The 135 is a bit too long indoors most times, so the 70 end of 24-70 would be good. For me, the 24-70 would pretty much replace the 35/85 combo indoors.

My minimalist can't-get-by-with-less kit would be:

1DIV
24-105 (I use the STM version.)
35IS
135L
70-200 f/4L IS

That leaves me wide-less, but if minimum is the goal, I'd cut out the wide end.

Yeah that's pretty similar to what I have. Used to have the 70-200 f4 IS, sold it for the 135L.