D30

[jcwphoto]

Hi Rick,

If I had to do it all over again, using your list, this is what I'd go with:

From Delta International:
D30 Body, 1G MD, Grip, Battery: $2550.00 (grey)

From BHPhoto:
EF 50/1.8: $84.95 (US)
EF 28-135: $469.95 (US) - $30 Rebate = $439.95
EF 100-400 IS: $1519.95 (US) - $50 Rebate = $1469.95
Total package: $4544.85

Or, get the EF 50/1.4 instead: $364.95 (US)
Total package: $4824.85

Under $5000 still, and if you add the Sigma 17-35mm from Delta International (not on their site, but call them, they should have it or can get it for you): $400

That'll put you at $5224.85, plus shipping, but you'd have QUITE the range.

Just some thoughts, you don't have to do it this way, and as always, check out the merchants, both by searching this forum as well as looking at photo.net.

Jason

 

[Jeff Wong]

You might wanna check out this outfit below, this is the best price I've seen D30 advertise for, also I've read positive comments about this place in this forum.

http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com

USA D30 - $2529
Battery grip $169

I also highly recommend BHPhoto, I believe they are selling the D30 for $2650 now.

JeffW

Thank you for the kind words... especially appreciated when I have
seen the caliber of your work. Feel free to poke around the other
albums too if you like - being a nature photographer you will enjoy
the Idaho Autumn albums.

You're quite welcome; I am not a pro, nor a critic; I just call 'em
like I see 'em...

Canon D30
Camera Body $2,895.00
1 GB Microdrive $499.99
Battery Grip $199.95
EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens (equiv. 80mm) $89.00

Typo - you mean the 50/1.8, which is certainly a good bargain lens.

EF 28-135mm IS USM f/35.-5.6 lens (equiv. 45-216) $479.00
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lens (equiv. 160-640) $1,544.95
Total Package -- $5,707.89

Alternate - sub EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM $514.95
(equiv. 120-480mm) Total Package -- $4,677.89

Looks pretty good overall, Rick. I would think/hope you could do
better on the prices, but haven't checked recently. The 28-135
does have decent macro capabilities - around 1:5. One cheap option
to decrease minimum focus distance and increase magnification is
extension tubes. You can get a set of 3 Kenko extension tubes for
around $120. They can be used with any lens, but might come in
handy with the 28-135 and 100-400. With the 50, you're working
distances will be pretty tight which can be a problem. And the
Kenko is of equivalent quality to the Canon (no glass involved) and
considerably cheaper.

Some have opted for the Sigma 17-35 instead of the Canon, to save
some bucks. You can search this forum and see a lot of discussion
on this topic.

The 340 mb drive would probably be sufficient - obviously it all
depends on what your particular needs are, if you have a laptop
available in the field to download shots to, etc. The 1 gb would
be nice, but if you need those bucks for lenses, that might be a
reasonable trade-off.

As for where to get them, B&H and Adorama have gotten the majority
of my business, and I believe are about as reputable as they get. I
got my D30 itself at Arlington Camera
( http://www.arlingtoncamera.com ) and they still have it at $2699,
which is what I paid for it. Adorama matched any other prices I
found, and so I got the majority of my lenses there.

Let me know what you decide/get, and definitely post shots once you
get in the groove! Feel free to email me should other
issues/questions come up.

Don

http://www.dlcphotography.net

 

[Al Goldis]

I would go with the 17-35/2.8L and the 70-200/4L, and possibly add the 50/1.8, but that's just me personally. Let me mention that the 17-35 at an effective 27-56mm will be the closest thing to the 28-70 you're used to on the Pro 70. Also, I would avoid the 75-300--I don't think you will be happy with it.

Don...

Thank you for the kind words... especially appreciated when I have
seen the caliber of your work. Feel free to poke around the other
albums too if you like - being a nature photographer you will enjoy
the Idaho Autumn albums.

As for the D30 package, here's what I'm preparing to present to my
supervisor. I'd hoped to stay under the $5K mark, but why not
shoot a little high? You'll note I've also offered a substitute
that keeps the total under $5K. I’d like to add the 17-35
f/2.8 too, but there’s just not enough wiggle room here. I
think I’d use the long-lens more. Are there wide-angle
attachments, macro filters, etc. that would increase the
versatility of what’s here at a lesser cost? I know
I’m hurting a bit at the wide-end with what’s here
– the D30 1.6x multiplier makes it kinda tough.

I could back out the 1 GB Microdrive, but only have about 64MB now
in CF cards now and didn't figure that would be nearly enough with
the D30 images. (I do understand Canon is offering a free 340MB
microdrive right now as a promotion and an extra battery too).

So whatja think? (Prices shown are from one website - likely will
vary a bit)

Canon D30
Camera Body $2,895.00
1 GB Microdrive $499.99
Battery Grip $199.95
EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens (equiv. 80mm) $89.00
EF 28-135mm IS USM f/35.-5.6 lens (equiv. 45-216) $479.00
EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lens (equiv. 160-640) $1,544.95
Total Package -- $5,707.89

Alternate - sub EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM $514.95
(equiv. 120-480mm) Total Package -- $4,677.89

 

[Truelight]

Yeah, I know this proposal is a little shy on the -wide- end of the scale, but that 17-35/2.8 is a spendy little bugger that will pretty much shoot my lens budget if I add it in. Besides, the drawback to the Pro-70 is that I don't (and can't) have the long-lens reach I seem to frequently need. I'd rather put my $$ into the EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6. With the 1.6 multipler, that gives me a max of 640mm! Now with that, I can really 'reach out and touch someone!' I'll have to add a wider lens in a second go-round. I can always drag out the Pro-70 in a pinch... I'm not intending to get rid of it.

• Rick

 

[Lin Evans]

Yeah, I know this proposal is a little shy on the -wide- end of the
scale, but that 17-35/2.8 is a spendy little bugger that will
pretty much shoot my lens budget if I add it in. Besides, the
drawback to the Pro-70 is that I don't (and can't) have the
long-lens reach I seem to frequently need. I'd rather put my $$
into the EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6. With the 1.6 multipler, that gives
me a max of 640mm! Now with that, I can really 'reach out and
touch someone!' I'll have to add a wider lens in a second
go-round. I can always drag out the Pro-70 in a pinch... I'm not
intending to get rid of it.

• Rick

Rick,

Also consider getting Canon's 1.4x tele. It's the highest quality, and though it does force manual focus on the telephoto end of the 100-400 IS, it's definitely worth having because there is no penalty in sharpness.

Lin

 

[Matthew Stutzenberger]

Truelight,

It's often forgotten on this site; but make sure you get a basic filter for each size of lens you get. A basic skylight filter costs about $20. And buy a circular polarizing filter for your outdoor photography. I'm sure you know this; but just reminding to you to protect your thousands spent on lenses for about a hundred bucks. Whom ever you order from will probably cut you a deal for some filters if you don't already have the sizes you need.

,Matthew