Gear Lineup: New direction--would like ideas please

This will likely be my last year shooting HS sports as my son graduates in May. Football almost over, I'll shoot boys basketball and probably move on.

My current lineup for shooting sports is the 7D, 70-200 f/2.8L, the 85mm f/1.8 and on occasion the 50mm f/1.4 and rarely the 135L for sideline, cheerleader and fan/parent shots. Available gear does a really fine job for shooting sports.

After this year, my focus will be more on portraits/senior pics, urban (I travel regularly for work and like to take my gear), maybe landscapes/hiking trips and I still like to shoot birds.

Use the 5Dc extensively for focus above. While the 85 f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4 are pretty good lenses, there are better choices available.

What I think I can part with after this coming basketball season is:

- 50 f/1.4 - for sure
- 85 f/1.8 - maybe
- 135L - probably the least used lens in the bag
- 7D, though it would be tough
- 70-200 2.8L ... even tougher to part with

Given a vision forward on portrait work / travel shots / landscapes, etc., what current gear can I live without and what gear would better satisfy those requirements? I'm really not emotionally attached to anything I own. Both the 7D and 5Dc can go. So can all of the lenses in lieu of others, if necessary.

Thanks. I look forward to your insights. The only other info I can share is that I'm definitely a 'less is more' guy; don't have to have everything; good at making the most of what I have; insist on quality over quantity.

dave

Sell the 135/2 (you said least used) and get 17-55/2.8 IS lens.

If I wanted to do more sports while shooting landscape/portrait style shots, I'd get a D700.

Just sayin'.

Ditch everything but the 135L and pickup a 5D2 and 35L. If you don't want to shoot that far for portraits then sell the 135L and pickup the new Sigma 85 f/1.4.

ni$mo350 wrote in post #11161595
Ditch everything but the 135L and pickup a 5D2 and 35L. If you don't want to shoot that far for portraits then sell the 135L and pickup the new Sigma 85 f/1.4.

+1 You would have the start of a very good portrait/Landscape set up.

Thanks for the direction. Appreciate it. I think when the sports shooting is done early next year, the gear lineup will look like this:

5DII; 35L, the new sigma 85mm and I'll keep the 135L.

Gone will be the 50 f/1.4, the 85 f/1.8, the 7D, 5D and maybe even my beloved 70-200 f/2.8L. It'll be the last to go and only if sale of the rest doesn't net enough to satisfy the new lineup with the 5DII.

Thanks for the push in the right direction.

dave