Gear upgrade recommendations

[Ross Dinsdale]

Hi, First time listener, long time caller,

I am expecting my yearly tax refund to be deposited any day now and have been scouring the internets for gear upgrades to what I already shoot.  I'll have around 1200$ to play with.

This is what is currently in my bag.

Canon Rebel t2i
Canon 1Ds Mark II

Canon 18-55
Canon 55-250
Yungnou 50 1.8

I am trying to get the most bang for my buck either in one item or to spread it out across multiple items.

I have floated this topic by a few of you already while we've been shooting. So I have narrowed my search down, but am open to any and all recommendations.

I'd like to upgrade to a newer body that does a little better in low light than what I have now.  Jay had recommended the looking into a 60d, which I have and will be going to look at one of Craigslist this afternoon. 

I'd also like to get a big boy lens.  Thinking a 100-400.  A nice dedicated wide angle be nice to.

Anyways, I am just looking for thoughts or recommendations.  I like to do my research before placing a big purchase of any kind.

Thank you and I'll take your comments off the air.

[John S]

Ross, also check Amazon, you can do trade ins. I traded in a Nikon 80-400 lens that I really wasn't using, they gave me $400 for it (took a beating what I paid for it, but that was about 8-9 years ago) and I kicked in $200 to upgrade from a Nikon D200 to a D7100.  The D7100 is a refurbished camera and is like brand new.  I took the 80-400 to Tempe Camera to try and trade in but he already had 3 of them and didn't want another, my other lenses I took there were too old for them to take.  Just an idea to check out.

John

[Jay Beckman]

Selling your gear to any retail operation will usually result in you getting a bad beat...  Remember that they have to "flip" that gear and profit so you're already in the hole by their margin right off the bat. 

Private deals through photo-related sites or groups are usually the best option and sales to people who want to get their kid a "First Camera / Extra Lens" will often get you pretty good bang for your buck.

If I were you Ross, I'd be inclined to try and offload the 1Ds2, but like my 1D3, the tech is getting quite long in the tooth and the current bleeding edge is now four or five generations down the road.  You might consider donating it to a HS photo program and taking a charity deduction against next year's taxes.

From nearly everything I've read / seen, the 100-400 MkII is an excellent lens and a worthwhile investment that should work well for quite some time to come.

[Mike Margolis]

The 100-400 MkI is wonderful, and the 100-400 MkII is simply amazing - for it's relatively "affordable" price point.