About 3 months ago, I had my Canon AE-1Program, Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens, 80 - 200 mm zoom lens and flash (can't remember the manufacturer) stolen. Not having bought any equipment for about 20 years, I found myself having to get re-educated about equipment. I found this site and have been grateful for the information, perspectives, shared experiences and, most importantly, for the chat room to help me learn. I'm now ready to make my purchases and would welcome some final thoughts, recommendations, comments, etc. on what I'm going to buy. Many thanks to Harvey Yau for his insights and recommendations.

I am an amateur photographer who has used and will use this equipment mainly for shooting wildlife, sporting events, my children and family, etc. I live in Colorado and enjoy shooting in the mountains. I also travel the world and from time-to-time, I take my equipment with me, shooting mostly wildlife scenes. I will probably spend somewhere between $1,500 - $2,000 on new equipment. Here's what I'm planning to buy together with some information on what I considered and discarded.

Body - Canon Elan IIe (considered the Rebel 2000 but discarded. Should I have?)

Battery Pack - Canon BP-50

Lens #1 - Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 (considered the f/1.4, but was talked out of it. Right decision?)

Lens #2 - Canon EF 24 - 85 f/3.5 - 4.5 USM

Lens #3 - Sigma EX 70 - 200 mm f/2.8 APO HSM (considered the Sigma 170 - 500 f/5 - 6.3, but probably won't get. Right decision?)

Teleconverter - Sigma 2x

Flash - Quantaray QTB - 9500A with the QDA module for Canon EOS autofocus. This has TTL focusing (considered the Canon Speedlite 380 EX and the Sunpak PF4000AF. Also considered the Canon Speedlight 480 EG - but too expensive).

Monopod - Bogen 3016

I'll buy this through Cameraworld.com except for the flash which I'll buy from Ritzcamera.com.

Thanks in advance for all of your advice, comments, thoughts, etc. I'll be tackling the camcorder replacement next.

Tom

-- Tom (tomhoward@hotmail.com), November 07, 1999

Answers

Not much to add to the other posts, but I did own the quantaray flash you mention for a couple of weeks. It would be a fine flash on a manual camera or an older EOS. In addition to too much other equipment to list, I also own an Elan IIe and 380EX. For an Elan IIe, I urge you to buy an EX series Canon flash. Other than a couple of very expensive Metz flashes, no other flash can take advantage of E-TTL, that I am aware of. Even they can't take advantage of high speed sync. The 380EX is almost as powerful as the 9500, and is probably cheaper than the 9500 and module combined. The 550EX is more powerful, and is a little less than twice the price of the 9500 and module, if you buy grey market. Either would be a much better match for the Elan IIe.

-- Brad Hutcheson (bhutcheson@iname.com), November 08, 1999.

Well, looks good. Stay away from 170-500mm. It isn't sharp, 70-200mm is much better, and it's impossible to focus manually (why the hell the focusing ring is where it is?). 50mm/1.4 USM may be a good lens, but NOT worth its price. You should try to get the older model of f/1.8 - it has same optics but better build quality compared to the new one, and when doing landscapes DOF scale is important. The body and 24-85mm are great at their prices, you should get Sigma 2x EX as a teleconv (that's the version you mean?), so you'll have a very good system. I don't know the flash -not available here. I think you should get a tripod, in many cases 70-200mm with 2x will need it. I wouldn't survive without my Manfrotto 055 (Bogen xxxx) - Uni-Loc 60 - combination even a week. Using a tripod gives some kind of freedom to compose the image -and time to THINK what is doing.

-- Pentti Pdrndnen (pparnane@cc.hut.fi), November 07, 1999.

I have the Elan IIe as well as A2e, and strongly suggest you at least get the 380 EX speedlite, take advantage of the ETTL technology, the flash exposures are definitely better than tha A2e (ATTL). I would also have to second the opinion of getting a light tripod and the older 50mm lens. I have 70 -200 L , 100-300 USM, 28-105 USM in addition.

-- Harold Cordner (gassdoc@aol.com), November 07, 1999.

I'd serioulsy reconsider the Sigma zoom lens. From reading the posts on photo.net and other forums the quality control is spotty at best. And third-party lens are notorius for not working with Canon EOS bodies because Canon does not release the engineering specs to third parties, which mean they have to reverse engineer the spes. This lens may work fine with your Elan IIe, but not work at all in two years when you decide to buy a new body and relegate the IIe to backup duty. If the Canon 80-200 is out of your price range you should consider getting a fixed lens instead, either the 135/2.8 or the 200/2.8 (better for sports).

Other than that, I'd suggest getting the 50/1.4 lens. It costs more because it is built better and has better glass than the cheap 50/1.8.

-- Darron Spohn (sspohn@concentric.net), November 09, 1999.

I must disagree about the 50mm F1.4, As far as I know, and I'm not very into the canon system but usually it's the other way around. As I see it the 1.8 actually has a very symmetrical and very good glass design, no for nothing its the most open aperture there is I know that canon once had a F1:1 lens for a very specific camera, Its the cheapest lens there is but the best optically design. AT 1:1.8. BUT.... when its forced to 1:1.4 or wider there is more glass and that has to be carefully design t correct aberrations due to the more glass you need for a wider lens (barrel) and more light traveling through it than the optimal design (1.8), therefore A 1:1.4 would be better only at one aperture: 1:1.4 since the other doesn't have it But at other apertures the 1.8 will out perform it. So unless you NEED the 1.4 (theatre work, or poorly lit scenarios where you need the speed) I would stay with the 1.8, Lately I rediscovered this lens, last summer was in Mallorca and took only my Nikon FE its MD11, 50mm 1:1.8 and a B+W polarizer.

If I'm wrong and Canon actually did the 1.4 better please tell me to shut up, since what I said is... well what I have seen and what fellow photographers tell me, (I had a friend that worked in the theater and did pics for the companies).

Good luck with your choice Diego K.

-- Diego K. (Heuristica@mailcity.com), November 10, 1999.

The Elan IIE is probably the most camera for the money currently on the market and the fact that a number of "pro's" carry an extra IIE body should tell you something.

The BP50 is a marvelous tool...I'd pay twice as much for it!

I'd agree with other posters about the 50 1.8 in that you should try to find the Model I as the build quality is much better. I bought one through Photo.net classified's for $75.

Having had experience with the Sigma, I would strongly urge you to seek an alternative. If you really need a 2.8, consider a used Canon 80-200 ;which can be picked up used for less than a new Sigma, although its construction elimanates the option for a converter...small price to pay!

-- Chuck Bettis (cbettis@triax.com), November 10, 1999.

Diego,

Typically the faster lenses work better, even stopped down. They normally perform worse at wide open than the other lenses also wide open. In other words, the f1.4 lens typically works better at f.4.0 than the f1.8 version. But at f1.4 it may not perform as well as the f1.8 at 1.8, but it probably outperforms the f.1.8 when both are at f1.8. I do not know if this holds true for the EF lenses, but it does for the Canon FD lenses.

WRT very fast lenses, Canon made an f0.95 lens in the early 60s. They also offered several f1.2 50mm lenses in the FD mount, the L series being a very nice lens.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), November 12, 1999.

Hello all -

Many thanks for your contributions. I'm going to suggest that the moderator close out this thread. I ordered my equipment from cameraworld.com this morning and I'll post a report on their performance after I experience it.

I ended up changing a few of the items above. I got the Elan IIe with the 1.8 and the 24 - 85 lenses as reported. I also got the BP-50 battery pack. Instead of getting the Sigma lens, I got the Canon 70 - 200 mm f/2.8 together with the Canon 2x teleconverter. I also bought the Canon 380EX flash and the Bogen 3231 monopod. Probably enough gear to last me the next 20 years!!

Thanks again one and all.

-- Tom Howard (tomhoward@hotmail.com), November 13, 1999.