Am I dreaming or did I really spend 8 grand on gear?

[JeffBP23]

For the last few months I've been reading the Canon reviews on this
website, read the forums here and had written down a wish list of
things I wanted but would never afford...


Well, I guess the question in subject line was purely rhetorical because I did. A rich "uncle" took his time to give me some money and when I did receive the dough it included a lot of back pay, then I got on EBAY and went Nuckin Futz Crazy.


Cut to the chase, I bought: A Canon 7d, EF-S 10-22m, EF-S 17-55mm IS, EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS, EF 100-400mm L IS, Canon Extender 1.4x II, Battery grip, spare battery, Manfrotto 694 Carbon fiber Monopod, Manfrotto 190CX3 Carbon Fiber tripod, Manfrotto 488RC2 Ball Head, Sandisk 32gb extreme III CF card, A Gary Fong Lightsphere kit, Tamrac Expedition 6x backpack, Tamrac Velocity 9 Slingpack, La Cross BC-700 battery charger & 8 eneloops, and Hoya HMC UV, Cir-Polarizer, ND 2,4,8 filters.


I would have gotten a flash, but I already have a 580 EX II.


I probably went a little over kill.


After I graduate from CAL next year I plan on taking a many months long Major cities/ National Parks road/backpacking trip circling the US. I'm 26, single, no kids, relatively young and don't think I'll ever have this opportunity again. I'm pretty good at composing pictures but I've never dived into any of the technical aspects of photography. Usually, or closer to almost always, I would set my 30D to one of the presets and shoot my photos.


A question for the experienced, pro, or knowledgeable: what would be the best way to learn the technical aspects of photography? What are the rules of thumb that you use for specific instances? I plan on doing landscape, city scape, candids, portraits, whatever, so don't hesitate. Was there a particular source that you learned a lot from? A book, magazine, video of some sort, or etc?


I included a couple of pics of Half Dome in Yosemite I took this past August to show my skill level but my problem is, well, if photography was like a shooting game, I'm a run and gunner who is trying to learn how to snipe. I want to be prepared because I've never taken any photography courses and don't want to lose any once in a lifetime shots when I go on my road trip due to ignorance. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks! And sorry for the long post.

[Todd Ovick]

Per your quote....





"A question for the experienced, pro, or knowledgeable: what would be
the best way to learn the technical aspects of photography? What are
the rules of thumb that you use for specific instances? I plan on doing
landscape, city scape, candids, portraits, whatever, so don't hesitate.
Was there a particular source that you learned a lot from? A book,
magazine, video of some sort, or etc?"





A great book to start with,...."Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson

[JeffBP23]

A great book to start with,...."Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson
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Thanks for the book suggestion, Todd. I looked up a couple of reviews for it and it seems like just the right book I need. Ordered. I can't wait to read it over winter break!


As for the Prime lens... uh...you got me, that was something I was unsure about. I have the EF-S 60mm macro but I couldn't decide on a better prime I wanted. I was hoping the zoom lenses would suffice until I found my niche in photography. I was seriously considering the 85mm L lens but I don't know what I'd do with it. argh!

[Todd Ovick]

As for the Prime lens... uh...you got me, that was something I was unsure about. I have the EF-S 60mm macro but I couldn't decide on a better prime I wanted. I was hoping the zoom lenses would suffice until I found my niche in photography. I was seriously considering the 85mm L lens but I don't know what I'd do with it. argh!

Hey Jeff,....a great "L" prime for you would be the Canon 35mm f/1.4L. it would be 56mm on your 7D (1.6x crop body) and would be close to what the human eye perceives (50mm). Primes are noted for their extra sharpness and with this lens, great in low light (f/1.4). also a great portrait lens. please read Bryan Carnathan's review. you should make your decision on a prime, fixed focal length lens after shooting a bit with your current lens'. IMHO.....

[bob williams]

Bryan Peterson's "Learning to See Creatively" is also a great book.

[elmo_2006]

[H]

[JJphoto]

I didn't see any fast prime lens on the list after you spent 8 grand , this is really crazy![8-)]

[wickerprints]

Without knowing what kind of subjects you are interested in shooting, there's no way to recommend a first prime lens.


If you like shooting landscape (judging from the images you elected to post), a wide angle prime would be ideal. Something like the EF 14/2.8L II would be impressive, but expensive and not necessarily the most cost-effective lens for an APS-C sensor. All the wide-angle primes are best used on 35mm sensors. You would also be unable to use any front filters except perhaps for ND grads handheld. The EF-S 10-22 that you got is probably best suited for landscape on a crop body.


If you like shooting fast action and/or low light, then the 50/1.2L or 85/1.2L II are the widest aperture lenses in production for the EF lineup. They are also very nice portrait lenses. But IMO, the 85/1.2 is the better of the two lenses.


If you like portraiture, in addition to the above f/1.2 lenses, you could get the 135/2L. Headshots are even possible with a 200/2.8 or 300/4. Some photographers like using telephoto lenses for portraiture.


If you like sports or event photography, then the 200/2L IS, 300/2.8L IS, and 400/2.8L IS are the appropriate lenses, but they are all extremely expensive.


And if you like wildlife, then prepare to sign all future earnings away to Canon because then we're talking about the 500/4L, 600/4L, and 800/5.6L (all IS). If you want to photograph birds in flight, or get that elusive nature shot, it is not a question of "if" you will buy one of these, but when. The 500/4 seems to be the most popular, as it is the lightest and most affordable of the group by far.


That's my quick overview of most of the L primes. There are some that I haven't mentioned, such as some of the wide-angles, macros, and smaller-aperture superteles. They too have their purpose! Personally, I find there's something very "zen" about macrophotography. The 100/2.8L macro IS works beautifully.


Now, there are situations where you buy a lens that opens up a whole new subject for you--for example, I was not particularly interested in wildlife until I got my 70-200/2.8L IS and discovered I kept using it @ 200mm. But for the most part, I think you have to explore and think about what subjects interest you most, then find the appropriate prime to suit that style of shooting. The zooms are there to facilitate that kind of exploration.

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

The best way to learn about the technical aspect of photography is to shoot a lot, recognize your mistakes and figure out how to fix those mistakes. You are set for every type of photography with the line up of gears you listed, so I suggest you hold on to buying anymore gears and concentrate on shooting and finding out a specific discipline. Good luck!

[JeffBP23]

I say I want to do portraits but I have antisocial tendencies and become too insecure to photograph other people sometimes unless I really hype myself. Part of that insecurity links back to not being comfortable with the technical aspects. I don't want to make somebody wait while I twiddle my thumbs, how embarrassing! Hopefully that changes after I go through some books and self-training. I'll keep the suggested primes in mind when I go out on shooting trips. A fast prime sounds very tempting but I only have enough for one more...


Another Bryan Peterson book?! I'll look into that book. Thanks for the suggestion.