Originally Posted by
HiFiGuy1
Since there have been two suggestions for a backup, what about a used or refurbished 5D? It might be a great spare (or primary for this work), and it seems that everything I've read says that it just so happens that both of the lenses that I currently own certainly work better on FF than FOVCF bodies. The ISO comparisons on this site do seem to back this up. I actually bought the 17-40 back when I had a 5D, and the 28-135 was the kit lens with my 40D, so I sort of didn't pick that specifically. The kit lens certainly seems to have all the common focal lengths for portraits, and the f/stop on a FF should give fairly shallow DOF. It also keeps me from having to buy any lenses for now.
As Chase Jarvis said, the best camera is the one you have. I suggest sticking with your 40D and adding another EF-S body. Why? That safety net. If you get a 5D, you'll make it your primary body. You'll build a lens arsenal around it, such as 17-40, 24-70, and 70-200, using the longer lenses on your 40D.
When your 5D breaks, you'll now have a body that's cropped as your main unit, and you'll get caught off-guard on how big of a group shot you can take in any particular spot. My advice? Get two identical (or nearly identical, such as 40D/50D) cameras, learn them well, and then go FF on your third camera. By then, you'll be so fluent in "the crop life" that loss of a FF camera won't kill you. (I work with a 1D3 and either a 40D or XTi...it's always a challenge deciding which lens goes where. The one time I had my 1D3 and a 5D1, I really struggled with lens selection. Life was so much easier for the next event, when I rented a second 1D3.)
Originally Posted by
HiFiGuy1
Alternatively, I've been thinking already of selling my 17-40 and getting the 17-55 for the 40D, or possibly now the 15-85 which seems like a strong performer with a broader range. Of course, it may make more sense to get the excellent 24-70 which would have an effective focal range of about 38-112mm, and another 40D or 50D, which would give me consistency between the framing of the two bodies with whatever lenses I use.
Again, stick with what you know. If you have proper lighting, you can get away with shooting at f/8 or so, where most any lens works best. Don't sell anything until you have enough of a safety net.
Originally Posted by
HiFiGuy1
The lightingstuff seems reasonable, and I knew I'd need something. I also thought I should have backgrounds but hadn't looked into them yet. Thank you for the specifics. Believe it or not, I observed the need for the low light for chins,etc., when I was getting my picture at the driver's license place. I saw the first unflattering shot and I asked the girl to take the picture over after repositioning myself. It came out much better, and I learned a practical lesson.
There are lots of options. I went with a very expensive kit (if bought today, it'd be just under $4,000) that's wireless, because I'm too mobile of a shooter. Your work might be a lot easier to do while "plugged in", and that can open up some great inexpensive options that will also be a lot easier to learn lighting. Make money on it, and then you can add the fancy stuff.
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