Is it still available and would you shi to US. Thanks!
You would not want to go to the 5D Mark II for wildlife. The 7D is much faster regarding focusing and frame rate. The Mark III would be understandable with it's top notch new focus system and 6 frames a second, but not the II. Haven't used the 6D so don't have an opinion on that. The 7D is fantastic for wildlife and sports so I'm unclear why you'd be wanting to switch. Just my thoughts!
Sometimes the most dramatic shot is not of the action on the floor/field, rather it is of the players or coach on the bench or someone in the stands. Being a former athlete one of the hardest things for me to do when shooting an sporting event is to "turn around." Kind of like getting the shot of the winning shot or the shot of that players parents hugging! So many shots, so little time!
With a $5000 budget you are in excellent shape. The cameras you have are also quite nice. Glass might be where it is at if you are already comfortable with the frame rate of your gear. Personally I'm shooting sports with both a Canon 7D and 5D Mark III. The speed of the focus and focus points can also be a discriminating factor. Since you're a Canon guy already you might want to see what the final specs are for the new 7D Mark II. If you do the research, 5G's will set you up very nicely. Good luck, and isn't it fun shooting in less than ideal lighting conditions in most high schools?
Agree completely with Country's Mama - it is gorgeous and the owner would likely love a frameable or framed print. What can happen? They can say no, so what, there are many other shots out there. Might say yes with conditions, then you either agree or disagree. Finally they might not have any problem at all, you give them a print and all is well in the world. At the very least you have a beautiful shot for your personal use. Congratulations on a breathtaking image!
As long as you could get some good strobes for the formal shots, you could use any of the above. Reception and ceremony shots (no flash) would be much harder as bumping the ISO very high on those cameras would likely yield poor results. Also, that's why wedding photographers have a backup unit or two. IMHO
Just curious, what shutter speed on that shot, looks to be maybe 3-400? You should be able to go 3200 ISO on the 7D. That would likely get you to 500 or more.
I have shot tons of basketball games and that experience and that of many others leads me to say --- light in most high school gyms and many small college gyms is at best, bad. There in lies the problem. You need a fast lens, 2.8 or better. As discussed elsewhere the 70-200 2.8 (also mentioned it wouldn't need to be the IS version) is an excellent choice and used by newspaper people quite often. You don't need the IS version of any lens really because you really need to be at least at a shutter speed of 500 or even higher. The players are not just moving but moving rather quickly. To get to that speed you likely will need to have an ISO of 3200. I regularly shoot at ISO 6400. Now of course that is a problem for most as they can't get good image quality at that high of an ISO. Next choice, also mentioned elsewhere is to get a 50 or 85mm lens, probably 1.8 and shoot from under the basket or from the corner, right on the floor, not from the stands. The 1.8 might allow you to be around ISO 1600 at about 320 to 500 shutter speed. If you time your shot at the height of the play (when things almost come to a stop - for example at the top of a jump shot) 320 will work. Otherwise, 500 is most likely needed. Also, remember to look away from the action for shots - you'll find that everyone is watching the play except you which can lead to some great shots. Just keep shooting and adjusting the best you can. High school gyms are a major challenge, that's why you see the photographers with those huge lenses attached to their cameras, simply trying to capture as much light as possible so they can shoot at high shutter speeds. Good luck.
I've used both Canon and Epson printers and find the Epson's quality significantly better. It is really hard to beat the quality of their prints. Currently am using the Epson Pro 1400 (not sure if that is exactly the model name, but Epson 1400 at any rate). Can print 13x19's relatively fast but when printing I am not concerned about speed, just want a quality print. Ink isn't cheap as we all know, though I've been experimenting with some 3rd party suppliers to see if I can find a good ink at substantially lower cost. Good luck!
I've shot a lot of basketball games. Unless you are in an unusually bright high school gym (most have lighting that is not real conducive to photography - rather dim, yellowish cast) you will need to open the lens up as wide as she goes, usually 2.8, as mentioned elsewhere. To freeze the action you really want to be at 500 or more. Might be able to get by at say 400 if you time your shot well ie. at the peak of a jump shot etc. I usually error on the side of the shot being sharp and adjust the light later in post, meaning I shoot shutter priority at approx. 500. Also, closer is better than farther. Get under the basket if possible. If not, along the baseline to the corner works well. I always shoot with either a 70-200 2.8 or a 50-150 2.8. Hope that helps. Others have made good suggestions as well. Good luck.
I also am finding Dropbox to be an extremely versatile tool to send/show photos. Easily interfaces between phone, Ipad, computer. You have access to any of the photos you've put in Dropbox, from any of your devices or anybody's device if you log in. Also across platforms PC/Mac. I sound like a salesman for Dropbox. I'm not, but it is a product that really seems to work well. Good luck!
The program I use most often is ACDsee Pro 6. It is a bit of a cross between the more complicated softwares and the basic ones. It is a good organizational tool. It is a fairly sophisticated editor, but perhaps a more user friendly, less of a learning curve. Besides the basic editing functions I appreciate that you can select specific areas and adjust sharpness, exposure, color etc...without impacting the image as a whole. Just a few thoughts! I think you can get a 30 day free version, or at least you used to be able to. Good luck.
Yikes, post photos from this lens? I'm guessing there are tens or hundreds of thousands photos taken with this lens by members of this forum. The original and now the new version is considered one of the all-time great pieces of glass, regardless of manufacturer. For all the weddings, sports and portraits shot with this lens every day, picking out a few of the best would be a daunting task. Having said that, I'm anxious to see what folks post, just don't think I'm going to do any digging.
You're welcome. I'm a Canon guy so I like that focus of the mag.
I read several, most are from England. Do it all on line now, a service called Zinio. It is much cheaper to go for the digital as they are quite expensive at the news stand. If you're a Canon shooter the "PhotoPlus" magazine is strictly Canon stuff, though they are independent so are also critical of gear as needed. I view my mags on an Ipad, they look great and have a very nice interface. Just a thought!