Advice needed for next purchase

Torogoz wrote:

I am about to come into some money that I want to invest in improving the quality of my images. My budget will be about $1000, and maybe $1200 maximum. I'm not a pro, just an enthusiast that likes to take pictures.

First and foremost what I have to say will not be music to your ears. Remember you said you have to please your self.

With respect.

If you are not able to get quality images with what you have spending more money will not make you a better photographer.

None of this has to do with the camera or lens. You can take killer images with a Canon G 16 p&s, it is knowing how to use what you have to your advantage. It is also knowing that your 100 yards from the subject and not even the 100-300 at the long end is going to completely fill the frame especially at a slow f 5.6.

So I would say keep shooting you have lots of gear and their is no reason for you to do anything.

OK

With That here is what I would do IF I truly wanted to make some upgrades

First, no one shoots every single focal length all the time I know you have a certain subject matter you shoot 80% of the time and the rest you can take it or leave it. Sell those lenses to fund the upgrade, it is not like you can never buy that lens again.

Keeping with the Panasonic Theme:

My kit would look like this:

GH-3 will balance the 35-100 better than the rangefinder style body of the GX-7

So..

7-14 if you do wide

12-35 is a great main lens

35-100 if you need telephoto and portraits

45 2.8 for macro, or product photography. If you have the 35-100 2.8 You Do not need this lens as a general purpose, that 35-100 does the same job

You only need that 25 1.4 for low light stuff, the 12-35 covers this range.

In short,

Sell everything and start over to consolidate.

I currently have the following equipment:

Panasonic G5 camera

14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom

45-175mm f/4-5.6 power zoom

100-300mm f/4-5.6 long tele zoom

25mm f/1.4 PanaLeica fast prime

45mm f/2.8 PanaLeica macro (which I also use for some portraits and as a short tele).

I shoot sometimes in jpeg, sometimes in RAW, depending on how much time I want to dedicate to post-processing with Silkypix (I've never tried Lightroom). Shooting in jpeg does require more time in preparation/camera settings/pre-processing, but less time in post. The G5 allows me to preset 4 custom modes to save time, and I'm not above using some of the "scene modes" or "creative modes" that come with the camera. You can look at my gallery to see the kinds of things I shoot, but it's a bit of everything. I do about 40% of my shooting with the standard zoom, 25% with the 25mm, and about even with the rest of the lenses. I don't have another camera body.

My choices to improve my equipment would be:

1) get the Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 and replace my 14-45mm (get 2/3 of a stop better on the wide end, better OIS);

2) get the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 and replace my 45-175mm (get 2 stops better at 100mm);

3) get the GX7 to obtain IBIS for the 25mm prime, plus a better sensor (1 stop better, maybe?) better viewfinder, better processing engine, and wi-fi (don't know how much I'd use the wi-fi, honestly, and I may miss the grip and ergonomics on the G5);

4) save my money, and then get the LUMIX G7 (or whatever) when it comes out.

I will appreciate your advice and comments. Remember I'm a hobbyist, not a pro, so the only person I have to please is myself.

Cheers,

Torogoz