Recently published my large format (4x5) and DSLR images from a trip through northern and central Italy over this past New Years holiday. The following is a sample coming from the Canon:
5D Mark II images of Italy
I have nothing but good things to say about Canon's update to the 5D family, and I chose it for its low-noise/high ISO capabilities. It did not fail to impress me. Many of my interior and night shots were done handheld no less. The majority of images were taken with the EF24-105mm f/4L zoom, but I also included the EF100-400mm f/4.5L, TS-E24mm F/3.5L, and 85 mm f1.8 prime. Yes, it was too much.
My only regret was not understanding image stabilization fully before I left, and actually got poor results on a tripod because I failed to shut it off when mounted. Next time, right?
Places visited included Venice, Murano/Burano/San Michele, Urbino (wow), San Marino, San Leo, Assisi, Montalcino, Montepuliciano, Pienza, Siena, Tivoli, and of course, Rome.
All in all, I highly recommend this camera for travel. As long as you can contain yourself to one or two lenses tops, it makes for a fairly lightweight and small photography package.
Regards, Bruce
Reply to this Did you had the battery pack or just the standard one battery? Which len did you find yourself using most of the time? Did you had a flash unit, and a backup camera as well? I have 17-40L f/4, 24-70L f/2.8, and 70-200L IS f/2.8 do you think I should need all these?
Reply to this I just employed the standard battery which easily serviced a full day of shooting. It would have gone probably up to 3 days, but I topped it off every night back in the room. As for lens selection 2/3rds of all my shots are with the 24-105mm L zoom. The rest were with the 85, 100-400, and 24 mm, in that order. I wouldn't bring the 85 mm again as it was redundant, and would think twice about the 24 mm for same reason (I didn't use the tilt-shift that often). Brought a flash but didn't use it, and my back up cameras were a Polaroid 110B 4x5 conversion and a Canon SD880IS. It'd be hard to say who was backing whom, but I always take 2-3 cameras for different purposes.
Your lens suite covers 17-200 with no holes, so that is good. However, if you aren't using the 17-24 range, I'd suggest not taking that one. It's hard to say what's right for you without knowing your shooting style. Wide landscapes? Tight portraits? Architecture?
Regards, Bruce
Reply to this Glad you had a good experience with the 5d MkII. Its a great camera and I know a TON of pros who use it. One of my best friends decided to forgo the 1d MkIII for the 5d MkII and has always been pleased. Of course, he's a wedding photog and needs to always have two cameras in hand so that he can have multiple lenses handy at any moment.
I've been shooting with the Nikon D700 for the last year and have had similar things to say. Its definitely a huge step up from previous generations of Nikon. I would never want to go back.
I enjoyed your pics. Did you write a blog for that trip? If you want to drum up more people looking at your photography, write a blog and add some of your pics to this site. It has helped me. I even got a book cover deal off of one of my blogs.
Best of luck,
Mike Turner
Reply to this Thanks for the comments, Mike. I also appreciate the tip on blogs. I'm not exactly a prolific (or good) writer, nor do I think I have anything interesting to share, but let me poke around a bit and see what others have done. I'm new to the forum, but it looks like a great source of information. Always willing to learn.
I have not tried the D700, but I have similarly heard great things about it. This is my first serious foray into digital photography as I've always shot large- and medium-format film. I still do, but they are not practical in low light situations where tripods aren't allowed.
Regards, Bruce
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