I took the plunge... GAS

[rpcrowe]

I had been kicking around the idea of selling my Canon 7D and my Canon 5D2 plus battery grip and purchasing a used Canon 5D iii. I have been going back and forth about selling the cameras and buying the 5D iii. A 5D iv is just too rich for my blood...

I was surfing the net and came upon this B&H offer which set my GAS in motion...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...d_mark_ii.html

This offer from B&H will give me a NEW 6D Mark ii with Battery grip, extra batteries, and a Canon Pixma Pro 100 printer for a total of $1,349 USD with free shipping and no sales tax after a mail-in rebate of $350 USD...

There are several things that I like about the 6D Mark ii which include better focusing using my 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS ii lens with my 1.4x TC as well as bluetooth capability so I can set it up for control; with my smartphone. And of course, there is more security in purchasing a new camera with manufacturers warranty than buying a used camera. I checked the price for a refurbished 5D Mark ii from Canon and it was sky high. The articulating, touch screen LCD is O.K. but, not really my favorite thing about the 6D2

I wish that the 6D2 had a CF card slot also but, I can live with a single slot and a SanDisk 64GB Extreme UHS-I SDXC Memory Card (which also comes with the camera kit).

I will then have my 7D2 as well as the 6D2 as my pair of cameras...

I presently print with a Pixma Pro 9000 Mark ii but have been wanting the Pixma Pro 100 since it came out. I can probably sell the 9000 Mark ii for a few dollars also.

All in all, I can sell enough extra equipment to pay for the $1,349 price of this kit. I also have six months interest free on Paypal credit to pay the total off so I am not in a rush to sell my other gear.

I downloaded some RAW files from an internet site and do not feel that the dynamic range is a problem.

[Tronhard]

GAS is an on-going haunting issue. You are doing better than I am - I have acquired but not sold much at all over the years, so now I have an impressive collection of bodies and lenses, that right now I am not using because they are too heavy for me to use with a gammy knee. Good luck with your purchase!

[ST1]

That looks to be a very good deal Richard, I think you made the right choice to go for new 6D rather than a second hand 5D


Sent from somewhere in Gods County using Tapatalk

[billtils]

Well that was interesting. Not the camera part, but the GAS in the title.

I had no idea what you meant so did a search and got page after page of links to energy suppliers. I was sure that your choice of camera had nothing to do with how you heat the house (if in fact you need heating in Southern CA) and kept searching. Eventually came upon the Urban Dictionary - now I understand (mind you, I did pause at this definition: "result of consuming an abundance of Taco Bell. May require the act of opening car windows").

[Tronhard]

Ha!

For the uninformed, GAS stands for Gear Acquisition Syndrome. A common condition among photographers (and other pastimes based on tech). The upshot is that simply by getting a better camera, one will become a better photographer. I think it is fairly well acknowledged that this a dubious belief at best. It is however a great means to justify buying new gear! An approach probably associated with aficionados of the DPReview.com site or similar!

In this case I would say that this is not an applicable tag to pin on Richard!

[Shadowman]

I was going to ask if were camera specs or image examples that prompted you to make the switch and saw it was part of your criteria. Were the RAW file samples a variety of ISO levels or just subject matter and was this part of the justification you used?

[DanK]

Enjoy the new gear.

I printed with a 9000II until I bought my 5DIII years ago, when I switched to the Pro-100. IMHO, the major advantages of the 100 are the newer ink formulation (which I have read now tops the dye-ink list in longevity) and the quality of grays. It has two grays in addition to black ink, and it therefore does very nice B&W. (A hint: for B&W only, let the printer control the color rather than the software, and make sure the printer's firmware is set for B&W. I had read this, but I tested it myself with the Pro 100, and it was correct. The printer's firmware, unlike some editing software, will not use any inks but the two grays and black.) the one drawback of the 100 is that the paper guides on the manual feed don't go narrow enough for the card stock I use, so I have to put those through the main feed (although one sheet at at time), even though it's thicker than the limits Canon suggests for that. It works OK. It also does wireless printing, but I have never bothered. I just plug in its USB cable when I am going to use it.

I don't recall whether the installation disk has it, but Canon has a 16-bit driver for it. I'm at the wrong computer, so I can't look, but I think the driver name ends in something like XPS.

Good luck selling your 9000II. The problem is that lots of people -- like both you and me -- get the current dye printer as part of a Canon bundle and decide they don't want them. Even unused ones still in the box are often very cheap on Craigslist. I finally got rid of mine at a flea market run by my camera club. I gave it to the club to help raise money. I think it ended up selling for $25. Maybe you will be luckier.

[rpcrowe]

If I cannot sell the 9000ii. I can always donate it and that way get a tax break - which might just equal the low price that I would get selling the printer.

I originally purchased the Canon 5D2 because I NEEDED a full frame camera when shooting portraits of my rescue dogs. I like using the 70-200mm f/4L IS lens and in the area which I photograph the dogs, I don'have enough room to back up with a crop sensor.

I bought the 5D2 to use shooting the dogs but, I found that I liked using the full frame camera and 70-200mm lens for shooting people except that the AF was a bit antiquated I felt like I was shooting with my old 40D. The 6D2 has a newer AF system (basically, the AF of the 80D put into a full frame camera.)

I also like the fact that I can control the 5D2 with my smart phone not needing any extra equipment. As much as I was lukewarm over the articulating, touch screed LCD, I can see (at my advanced age) whee I am having problems with low shots. additionally, I think that the touch screen focus might make it easier to focus stack.

What finally helped me make my decision was the great package price.....

[DanK]

If I cannot sell the 9000ii. I can always donate it and that way get a tax break - which might just equal the low price that I would get selling the printer.

Nope, not properly, anyway. The tax break is the fair market value times your marginal tax rate, and the fair market value is basically what you can get selling it.

I'd also like an articulating screen, and I think I'd appreciate it more every year . I'll be curious whether you find the touch screen helpful for stacking. I have not been interested in that feature so far, but I do stack a lot. On the other hand, I never look at more than two focus points (closest and farthest), and between those, I look at how much I am rotating the lens.

[Shadowman]

I found a 2012 flyer from a defunct camera store and the 5D mark iii sold for $4,299 with an EF 24-105mm kit lens, the 7D was about 1/3 the cost has fewer mpx but faster frame rate, I wonder which model waz more sought after?