Since I bought my first DSLR almost 2 years ago, I had a constant yearning for better gear - A constant feeling that once I get that certain lens/camera body/flash, I could REALLY start making great images. I started out with the 400D kit with the 18-55. After almost two years of constant upgrading, I found myself with a kit bag containing a 40D, 16-35L, 50mm F/1.4 and 24-70L plus a 580EX II. Great kit, but I still wasn't happy. Still that nagging feeling that something was right...
So I took the plunge and went all-primes. I only shoot for my own amusement and for the family album, so I can pretty much do as I damn well please. The move resulted in the following lineup:
- Canon 40D
- Canon EF 24mm F/1.4L USM
- Canon EF 50mm F/1.5 USM
- Canon EF 85mm F/1.8 USM
- Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 Macro USM
- Canon EF 135mm F/2.0 L USM
- Canon Speedlite 580EX II
Shooting primes have really helped me develop my "eye" - I now work much harder to get the right vantage point and the right composition. More often than not, I don't have to crop my shots. When I was shooting zooms, I was much more casual, just pointing, zooming and shooting. Guess I needed the primes because of a lack of discipline
But now I have this odd feeling: I'm content and confident with my gear. I know that any bad images on my card are entirely MY fault and I use them to improve my skills. I no longer prowl the buy & sell forums looking for that magical piece of kit I need to substitute talent. I even like my 40D much better now! It is the size of a 5D, but with great AF performance! Sure, the 1D has better AF, but it's friggin huge! I tried it for a weekend and the only thing I really loved about it was the spot-metering-on-selected-af-point-feature that Noink throws in with most of their models. A nice feature, but nothing that would justify an upgrade - for me anyways.
Damn, this ended up taking way more space than planned - Am I the only gear hound that has suddenly found THE kit?
