I have used fracture for about 20 photographs. They do excellent quality at fair prices. I recommend them

I shoot video only in manual mode and manual focus. To focus I use a separate Ikan 7” monitor rigged just to the left. To get correct focus prior to a scene one zooms in tight on an eye with the cameras digital magnification system not the lens. If the scene requires adjusting focus during the shoot one really needs a “follow focus” physically attached to the lens. Sometimes it requires a 2nd person pulling focus. If two people are in the scene and each needs to go in and out of focus as the interact, the follow focus attachment has stops to make it easy to preset the focus for each location or distance from the lens in advance. Now for casual video use an STM lens from canon that quietly zooms and use an off camera mic. But this is not as accurate.

I have two “Sigma Art” lenses that are superb in every way. I consider them to be equal to my Canon L glass lenses as do most reviews. Their Art series has Sigma’s best glass, coatings, optics, and build quality. They are less costly than a Canon L series lens and a tad heavier. I especially like their Art series 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.4.

My list is:
B&H
Adorama
Beach
Sammy’s

All the others check with the mfg of the product

Years ago 47st and Abe’s were good but today others bought thir names and are not trustworthy.

The store was trying to cheat you. There are too many of theses around. They are not authorized Canon stores. The Canon website has a public list and those stores are pretty honest. This lens probably has no canon USA warranty and most likely no Europian warranty also. It’s a shame one has to due their Due Dilligence on who they buy from and find out exactly what’s included and excluded in the purchase!

Fashion shows will generally not permit flash and available light will have a range from acceptable to difficult. I suggest you use a camera that has good low light ISO and either a 70-200 2.8 or some faster primes. That said focus in low light can be a challenge - you need watch some YouTube and test in advance.

This really depends on what I have in mind because my entire kit is too Big to take. For the purpose of answering your question i have to assume that I am going out to shoot but nothing specific.

iPhone, Sony rx100 Mark iv, canon 5D mark IV, Canon SDS, Canon 16-35 2.8 , Canon 28-70 2.8, Canon 100-400 mark II, Maybe my Canon 100 2.8 macro, 1 Canon speedlight, polarizer filter with step down rings, one carbon fiber tripod (left in trunk) , one RRS table top tripod, front and rear lens caps, spare camera batteries with chargers, spare eneloop flash batteries with charger, lens cleaning pen, L brackets with wrenches, tums, eye lubricant, chapstick, sunglasses, business cards, two pens, tiny pad, small calculator.

I love that shot! Great job!

I have been using fractureme in Gainsville FL for the last 4 years. They are excellent. In addition their mounting system is superb and even their shipping box is an engineering marvel of simplicity while protecting the art.

Peak Design. First it’s realy secure and comfortable, and can be adjusted with one hand. The quick conectors are made of Spectra, which is a high modular super amazing cord stronger than steel. Theses quick conectors are also used to quickly attach or remove your camera strap. It’s a great system. https://www.peakdesign.com/product/straps/anchor-links I have no ownership or interest in Peak Design.

B&H has been 100% honorable with me. If your don’t want the lens I am sure they willl take it back. I have bought open box several times, and I asked if it’s a USA or import and asked if everything is there. Both times I was assured it’s all there, and the open box warranty is the manufacturer warranty, the same warranty had the box been unopened. I have also bought an import lens with the store warranty-which was the same 1 year as manufacturers warranty for an even bigger savings. I find it always pays to check the mfg sight to see if they have a refurbished with identical to new warranty. Typically these products are actually overstock. Open box, is a way a authorized retailer can lower their selling price without jeopardizing their agreed terms with the US distributor.

I shoot my FF cameras only in raw mode and try to adjust exposure, focus and composition in camera so the least PP will be needed and sometimes that’s acceptable. That said I almost always have PP work, not necessaily to change the image. If it’s a portrait I typically only fix what light make up would, and remove things like stray hairs., if it’s a landscape, exposure correction, lightening up specific areas, cropping, straightening, haze removal, sharpness are pretty standard PP adjustments. These are things I also did back in the days I did film while printing. It’s all in the art.

I also have a canon 5D IV as well as 5D III,5DS, and 70D, but my go to lens for the 5DIV is the *Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II, other lenses I use are:
EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro - which is greatf for macro & portraits, *canon EF 70-200mm F/4L IS great for daylight outdoors and half the weight of their 2.8 version, *canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II - indoors and landscape, canon 70-300 IS Mark II, *canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6L IS II + 1.4 & 2.0 series III converters, Sigma contemporary 150-600, Prime’s are, Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art, canon 50mm 1.8 -very light and inexpensive. What I take depends on the shoot. * travel

I only use B+W. I use step down rings to fit my 82mm polarizing filter to small lenses

Consumer reports ratings on cars are way off the mark also. I own a relatively large fleet of NYC taxicabs that run about 22 hrs a day 365 1/4 days a year. Several of the vehicles that they gave excellent reliability and cost to repair ratings to, that we tested extensively were actually way more unreliable and much more expensive than others listed as average. As to their ability to understand what makes one camera better than another, is highly questionable. As we all know it requires an understanding and experience that their testers probably don’t understand. I like to stick to Dpreview.com and other reviewers that specialize in the field.