Implications of Upgrading

Last week, I mentioned the inevitable fact that I'd need to upgrade my camera body for a decent fisheye lens. I wondered what would happen to my other lenses. Well, the news is fairly good:

1) My kit lens, a Canon EF-S 18-55 mm lens, would not survive the transition. I'd likely purchase a Canon EF 24-70 mm f/2.8 USM lens. Retail price: Almost enough to buy a Prada bag.

2) My wide-angle lens, a Tokina SD 12-24 F4 (IF) DX - quite the mouthful - would not work with a full-frame camera, either. I'd need a new one - perhaps the terrific Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens. Retail price: Enough to buy a Prada bag.

3) My telephoto lens, a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens, was a worthy purchase. I'll be able to use it after I upgrade.

4) My macro lens, a Canon 100mm EF f/2.8 macro USM, will also survive the transition.

So what camera do I want? Perhaps the Mark II - at a cost of around $2,500.

Total required expenditure - MULTIPLE mortgage payments. It's enough to frighten me. However, I do feel ready to consider this step this year. I have a new job, and if I do well, who knows? I REALLY want to take more amazing pictures that are even better than the ones that made my top 30 (some pictured here):



Till tomorrow!

What I'm Packing

I'm going on a trip tomorrow! More on that later, but since I'm driving, I'm taking all of my gear. As promised, here's my list of what I own and use:

MacBook Pro - the 17 inch version, and the best machine in the entire universe. My photography-related software that I've installed is:

Photoshop Elements - I rarely use it these days, but it's useful for image editing, and applying my watermarks (copyright info).

Aperture - I spend all of my time here, post-processing. I use Aperture to store and catalog my photos, as well as apply enhancements (if needed). Example include modifying the hue/saturation, changing the exposure, using the horizon tool (to adjust my picture if it's more tilted than it should be), and making other related adjustments.

Flick Uploadr - to upload my photos to Flickr, my photo-sharing website of choice. I love it, because you can post your photos to different groups, and it's very interactive.

As far as my camera and accessories, I am part of the Canon camp, not Nikon. I have the Digital Rebel XTi. I bought it a few years ago, and it does everything that I need it to do.

I have several lenses, and here are the generic descriptions, so that I don't have to engage in the philosophical discussion of Canon vs. Nikon. I like my Canon, but you don't have to. :)

Macro with lens hood (to block the harsh sun, when desired) - for close-up shots of birds, butterflies, and flowers.

Wide-angle with polarizing filter - for wide shots. Have you ever tried to take a picture, but couldn't get enough of it in your frame? A wide-angle lens can help solve this problem. Here's an example:



Had I only brought a regular lens/camera, I wouldn't have been able to capture this entire building in the frame while standing so close. This was a busy area, so I didn't have the luxury of backing up or moving around.

Telephoto - I rarely use this lens, which is sad, because it's so expensive (around $1,000, but I paid $500). It's great if you're trying to shoot anything that is far off in the distance. Here's a shot:



I was on a mountain, and I can assure you that I was nowhere near the houses in the foreground. Without this lens, I wouldn't have been able to capture any of this detail.

Kit lens - it came with my camera. I don't use it much, but I take it with me just in case I need a basic picture (not common with me).

Tripod - I almost never use it, because I'm not particularly interested in being forced to stay still in order to take a non-blurry picture. I tend to avoid the type of photography that would require a tripod, anyway.

I have two camera bags, but all of this will go in the larger of the two bags.

So, where am I going? I'll give you a clue tomorrow. :)