I’ve made a grave mistake in visiting the following product pages:

http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/eos1dm2/swf/flash.html http://www.manfrotto.com/neotec/default.htm

God knows how fragile I am when it comes to geeky cool stuff, why does He toy with my emotions… =)

Canon EOS 1D MarkII

At $4,500 (body only), The Canon 1D MarkII is just a wet-dream for now. I’m still at a hobbyist level. I know my limits. I’ll probably get it when I’m a more accomplished photgrapher who can recover costs with projects. Of course that doesnt erase the possibility of just having the extra cash lying around (AS IF!!!) – or someone giving it to me as a gift.

There’s been a lot of talk on how to balance your needs in photography – considering the prices of the gear. The popular compromise is to get a good lens with a decent body. Because ultimately it’s the lens that dictates the sharpness (unless you really have a lousy body) and the skill of the photographer which makes the shots great.

Very true, especially if you’re comparing camera bodies like the 300D and the 10D, since both have very little difference (especially after the russian firmware hack) So the price difference makes it a no brainer for some people (including myself)

However comparing features of the 300D (or any other camera as of the moment) and the MarkII, you can’t help but notice a whole lot that you’re missing. There’s a difference between working around stuff to achieve the results you want, to having full control. And that’s what the MarkII gives its users.

But again, thank God for the ridiculous price – as it prevents me obliterating my 300D with a sledgehammer. The Rebel is indeed the best bang for buck, but God help me if/when the MarkII gets into the sub 2kUSD pricepoint.

There’s also the issue of some features I’ve yet to see. I’ve always wanted eye-calibrated AF-point selection. The older analog SLRs have it. But the wise people at Canon decided to take them out of the newer (or digital) models. They say it’s because a lot of people complain that the tracking mechanism is faulty – which is fair enough. But at least have it as an option that can be disabled. I for one never had problems using my brothers eye-calibrated cam. So a considerable number of us have use for the feature.

Anyways, even the newest MarkII doesn’t have it yet. But rumors have it that the successors of even the 300D might incorporate it again. So I’ll be patient for now.

Bogen/Manfrotto Neotec Monopod/Tripods

Unfortunately (or fortunately – depends how you look at it really), I can help myself with these babies. Quite steep on the price, but very useful nonetheless. I’m discerning wether it’s worth the investment as I type this. I’ll probably have a decision by the week’s end.

You know how I love efficiency, and these support systems are a perfect example of such. Anyone who has used tripods/monopods know the frustration of wasting valuable time while we set up our sticks/legs.

I’ve been meaning to get both, but after Nono was arguing wether $500 was worth the investment. I’ll probably just get the tripod for now (if I decide to get it). I have my monopod here, which still has its hassles (noisy NOISY), but a monopod nonetheless.

UPDATE After a healthy debate with Nono, I’m now leaning towards a Neotec monopod. It’s much cheaper, plus I get to test the feature of the Neotec series either way. If I feel that the feature is something worth investing on, then I could get the tripod too.