Easy, Tiger

Finally the end of a rather tough work week!

I've been keeping things to myself lately. Aside from the 1st year anniversary of this blog not much has happened photography-wise. My day job has been eating a lot of my time. But it hasn't kept me from making another change of heart :-)

So a few days ago I called my camera dealer and preordered a Canon EOS 5D Mark III!

Ok, let's all calm down for a moment. I've written several posts about using the money I have saved up to buy a smaller camera instead. A MFT camera with a complete set of lenses. For about the same amount of money as the cost of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III or the Nikon D800 body. More cost effective. A weight that won't break my back. And yet here I am with a preorder of another, rather heavy, full frame DSLR.

It has to do with a bit of peer pressure, and a lot of common sense.

It's not common sense to spend so much money for a camera, one might think. But photography, for me, is a passion. It's one of the reasons why I enjoy life so much. The ability to capture those great, once in a lifetime moments. The acknowledgement I get from my peers that I am a good photographer. Creative. An artist. To be able to see the world and capture it, this is my raison d'être.

My photographer friends happily reminded me of how much I am going to miss "handling" a DSLR  in the field. Sure it's heavy around the neck. But I had a heavy lens back then (the EF 24-70 F2.8 L USM, the best lens I've ever worked with). The camera itself is not really that heavy. Couple it with a 50mm prime lens and carrying around a full frame DSLR suddenly becomes tolerable at the very least. Ditch the strap that came with the camera, they say, and get a more ergonomic one.

I guess they were right. My best photographs were made with a DSLR. Carefully composed, metered, exposed and processed. I will miss that kind of detailed work.

And the other reason for the change of heart: opportunity. I have for the first time in my life the opportunity to get some of the very best equipment there is. I have saved up for many months, been exceptionally frugal with my expenses, with one goal: to get the very best camera money can buy. I have worked day and night to earn the extra cash. And now that I have it, why spend it on something else other than what I was saving it for in the first place?

I was being too hasty. Too impatient. Had the Nikon D800 arrived two weeks ago I would be clutching it in my hands right now, and not bat an eyelid over other cameras.

I need to take it easy. And wait. Soon my turn will arrive and I, too will have the camera of my dreams. Now I can actually choose between two of them (I will get the one that ships first, my camera dealer believes it will be the Canon). These are very best high-end cameras from the two most trusted brands in the photography industry. Life is good!

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is, of course, more expensive than the Nikon D800. But it also has its benefits. Faster frame rates, higher ISO capabilities, faster AF. It's 22 megapixel resolution means that I won't have to spend money to upgrade my computer. My Macbook Pro has worked with EOS 5D Mark II files before with ease, so working with the Mark III files should not be that much of a challenge.

And lenses. Canon has more lens choices. And cheaper too. One thing that got me alarmed about the micro four thirds cameras was the cost of their lenses. Since they do not sell as many of them as Canon or Nikon do, price has to be increased to make a profit. I totally respect that. But Canon and Nikon make better lenses for just a fraction of the price. They can afford to sell them for less since they sell them by the bucketload.

So now I have to re-think my lens lineup all over again. A 50mm prime is a must. I'll have to start with that.