roberto1979 wrote:
Well this is just a hobby, so I really don't need any of the 3. I love both cameras, and the 200mm would mainly be for sports like the X Games. That's only a once a year deal though, but f/2 is actually used. I just have some extra money to spend, so something like that would be fun to have.
No problem with spending a large amount on your hobby, but IMO dropping the whole load of $5300 on the 200L IS would not maximize your fun for the money.
I think you will use the 200/2 less than you think. But if you only keep it a year it will be a $500 "rental". That's not too bad. I buy lenses I know I will probably only keep a year or two.
Well the 200 1.8 is 20ish years old, so I'm sure I'll use it plenty in that time to justify it. At this point in time, the only other lens I'd like to have is an 85 1.8, so that's pretty cheap.
Like you, I have both the 5D and 40D and I'm completely happy with both bodies. Regardless of whether this secret body is a 5D replacement, I still plan on sticking with my current set up. Thus, I would get the 200/2.
roberto1979 wrote:
Well this is just a hobby, so I really don't need any of the 3. I love both cameras, and the 200mm would mainly be for sports like the X Games. That's only a once a year deal though, but f/2 is actually used. I just have some extra money to spend, so something like that would be fun to have.
If you have an credit card or mortgage debt, partially funded 401K, etc I would pay first before I bought a 200/f2 for a once a year event. Operate like a pro and rent in that situation.
I beg to differ from the majority. Even though I do agree that camerabodies in general are a negative asset, because they devaluate rapidly, even though good glass adds new creative possibilities and image quality over what you already have; my vote goes to a new body, since you would not ask if you really needed the 200/2.0 So, upgrade all of your lenses and buy the new high res body (not necessarily both new cameras). Remember that the high resolution body works behind all of your glass and you will get better pictures from all of them. If you want to play with the glass, since you mentioned it is just a hobby: rent it for some weekends. This will give much more EOSfun than the all eggs in one basket solution for the money burning a hole in your pocket.
While I would normally recommend the glass over a body, in this particular case I think you should adopt a different approach.
1. 200/2.8L
2. 85/1.8
3. Whatever new body you prefer -- most likely, the 5D replacement
The new body is likely to give you 1 stop (or more) better high-ISO performance, making the f/2 aperture on the 200/2 that much less necessary. In other words, you can get that stop out of the body rather than getting it from a 1 stop faster lens. You won't get the shallower DOF, true, but I think in this particular case you'll gain a lot more with the new body than you will with the lens.
jerrykur wrote:
If you have an credit card or mortgage debt, partially funded 401K, etc I would pay first before I bought a 200/f2 for a once a year event. Operate like a pro and rent in that situation.
Thanks for that comment. I have all my investments fully funded though, and I specifically set aside money each month of the year until the end that is just "play money".
I was kind of thinking the same thing about a new camera adding that extra stop of light. The good thing is that I can see what real world results people are getting from the cameras before I decide at the end of the year.
