whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Once again, a post here has produced a learning experience. Thanks one and all. What a positive and helpful group!

For the present at least, I have decided NOT to switch from a Canon crop sensor format to full frame. I may in the future, but that's an ever-shortening time frame, so who knows. But I do like open doors. I do intend to keep the Lumix, and hope to add at least one wide, fast prime, and MAYBE a converter to increase the reach of the 100-300...but maybe not.

In the not-to-distant future, I may even upgrade the 60D, but stay with the same format. Perhaps as PHRubin tempt...I mean suggested, an 80D. That'll take some study yet, but a quick look teases. Maybe someone wants to toss in a thought about that before this tread dies?

Thanks again!!

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

New at $759? Most likely it is a grey market one. When reconditioned or used ones are going for $800, a new one for less is VERY suspicious.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Read again. I owned two of these, one Canon, one Nikon. Both were fine on full frame bodies.

The 17-55 is a Di II lens (APS-C). The 28-75 is a Di lens (FF).

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Oh, good point, PHRubin! As much as I've read here about that issue, I should have suspected.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Ah, while MT Shooter already caught this, what had not been highlighted was the difference between "Di" and "Di II." I had seen both labels while scanning various sites about the Tamrons, but didn't recognize the differentiation. Thanks.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

At the now-defunct Herff Jones Photography Division, we were a Tamron dealer. We had around 50 company territories with 330 photographers doing school portraits with Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lenses in Canon mount. We had around 100 more lenses in the hands of some of our larger wholesale customers who also used them for school portraits.

Those are great lenses for the price. They perform reasonably well wide open, but between f/4 and f/8, they are really sharp on APS-C. They are quite usable at f/11 on full frame. By f/16, there is noticeable diffraction on both formats.

At f/32, the image is severely degraded by diffraction. But I don't know many lenses that perform well on formats smaller than 6x6 when used at f/32. (Hey lens manufacturers: Stop putting tiny apertures on lenses made for small, high resolution sensors!) This was a huge issue for us, because we had a group of old timers who had used 8x10 view cameras for large panoramic group portraits. When we switched them to 5D and 5D Mark II bodies for those groups, they insisted they needed f/32, despite the fact that they had enough depth of field at f/8 to handle any group they photographed.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Interesting history, Burkphoto! Whatever the endeavor, many of us old guys are slow to grasp new paradigms.

On a side note, I was able to pick up a nice used Rebel T5i today equipped with another Tamron for $300 total! A DiII 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 w/ Piezo Drive (B008). I wasn't after the camera, just the lens to alternate with my Tamron 28-75 F-2.8 on my old second-hand 60D for now (maybe an 80D eventually, PHRubin!). The lens even came with 2 good filters. Alas, no hood, though.

But after reading up on the T5i, I think I've decided to sell the T6 I'd bought and was preparing for my granddaughter to use in high school yearbook and switch her to the T5i. It seems like a good launchpad to higher end cameras, should that turn out to be a continued interest for her.

The Canon Zoom EF-S 18-200 1:3.5-5.6 IS I had on the T6 is now on the T5i, a spare kit 18-55mm is on the T6 and about to go up for sale. In all this used Canon buying/selling I've been doing in the last two months has left me with a decent EF-S 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS II hanging loose too. If I put it up for sale too, I'm likely to luck out and will have ended up with 3 nice -- not Canon L nice, but nice -- zoom lens, 2 especially meant for crop sensor cameras such as mine. 2 Tamrons and 1 Canon. Not bad at all!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Oh, we saw it coming. Corporate fathers didn’t care. Lifetouch bought us in 2011. They closed our lab in 2015. Shutterfly bought Lifetouch a short while later.

The Internet, smartphones, and social media sites killed demand for paper portraits.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Yep, and digital equipment transformed local giant Kodak into a pipsqueek. Or at least into something very, very different.

User ID

I've got both 6D and 5DII. IQ is rather equal.

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whlsdn Loc: Colorado

I find myself still watching the local market for used ff cameras that pop up - both a 5D Mark iii and a 6D recently. Approx $1K each. A crazy good deal on one in excellent shape might turn my head, but I'm still holding back.

I'm open to upgrading the 60D in an improved crop sensor, though, if the right thing came along at the right price...Passed up an 80D for $1K recently. There are a couple of 70D cameras available right now that both "sound" very nice - one body only for $400 and one with 17-85 EF-S lens etc for $735. Not the big changes of the 80D (some of you suggested) vs 60D, but improvements of the 70D don't look shabby: 11% increase in pixels, WiFi, double ISO max, touch screen, 2 fps faster shooting, 10 more focus points, 50% increase in shutter life expectancy, smart phone remote... Am I seeing this right?

I've even looked at the newer Panasonic four-thirds and brand new ff models like Burkphoto here earlier suggested - and I can see why. The latter means not just replacing the Lumix GX85, of course, but the lenses too, one of which is a near $1K item. Looks like the camera's second-hand value may be about $440 now. Even the used G9s - while not requiring lens changes - can be triple that value. Probably won't be going either of these directions.

I know: Be happy. Go shoot. I've been doing that, and I'm enjoying going off auto and both failing and succeeding. And hopefully learning. But I've finally hit a stage in life where I can afford to buy and sell my tools a little, and having moved up this far without actually laying anything out that hasn't come back to me, I figure why not enjoy this side of it too. Anyone else afflicted with this fever? There seem to be a lot of hobbyists getting out altogether these days, and some are willing to accept depreciation without having actually put a lot of miles on equipment. Some of those hobbyists have had some nice stuff too.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I saw a used 80D body for $818.95 at B&H, another at $849.49. The DPAF is not to be missed.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Aha! Dual Pixal Auto Focus! It took me a little while, but I got it. (Well, a little bit of WAG there, actually.) Learning, learning. Ignorance is more embarrassing when one tries to hide it.

Thanks, again, PHRubin! Oh, and I've found what appears to be a very lightly used 80D with two basic lenses (18-55 & 55-250), power grip, bag, array of filters, original pkg., etc for an even $1K. Putting the two standard Canon lenses with my 60D should help me sell it, if I choose this path. Could be worth the dif between this one and the prices you've seen online. Options, options.

whlsdn Loc: Colorado

Along this line, though, PHRubin, looking a little further, it appears the 70D was Canon's first with DPAF. Are the other improvements between it and the 80D worth an additional $400 (approx used pricing dif today) in your mind? I know, that's a real personal point of view thing, but worth knowing anyway.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I am not familiar in detail with the 70D so I can't really compare. The 80D has an 45 phase detection focusing points, articulated touch screen, 24 MP sensor, an interval timer, good low light performance (f/8 auto focus) DPAF and more. While I wasn't looking for a touch screen, it is great used with the "Q" function to easily change most settings from the screen.