Spend $14k on a DSLR set-up

So if you had $US14,000 to spend on a DSLR system what would you get and why?

If you like try to get two camera bodies and strobes included in price.

If it helps your cause assume you have a good range of Nikon lenses, sync cords, strobe arms, etc....

(Not married to Nikon and if something worthy is on the short term horizon, 6-8mths willing to wait)

Not actually the answere to your question and maybe you don't wnt to know my opinion, but if i had 12'000$ to spend i would buy:one Canon G11/G12, Patima or maybe FIX housing, 2 D-2000 or Z240 strobes, Macro and WA wetleses and a pelicase to cary it around as carry-onA micro 4/3 rig may do the trick as well but allow the use of interchangable lenses.The rest of the sum i would travel some really nice dive spots to use my new rig.

Only if i were a famous, weel known uw-photographer and gaining lot of $$$ i would buy a DSLR rig. Why?- Because i'm tired to shlep around 50-100 lbs of photographic gear when i can archieve similar results with a much smaller and lighter rig.- Because i'm tired of being terrorized that my 12'000$ photographic gear get stolen or lost and i don't enjoy the trip.

Chris

Good answer and I get it. But lets spend the money on the best rig available. Don't mind mucking the gear along. Won't affect travel plans. Gear is insured. (Updated original post)

What do you want to be able to do with the new rig? Is video important? Do you have a preference for FF or cropped.

Steve

The question is too open ended. You need to tighten up your requirements and what you want to do with it.

Ok more details along with some "wishes"

*Currently shooting D200 in an Aquatica housing. Like Aquatica but willing to change if a good argument can be made for it, especially if changing camera brands.

*Not a pro, just a hobbiest, but thinking of entering more contests, etc....

*Not worried about drag, or possibly having some combo of strobes and video lights. But video just shows some behavior better then stills and want that option.

*Camera/s will be mainly used for underwater photography.

*I tend to lean to Wide Angle but impressed with all the interesting things people are doing with CFWA, back lighting, floro, etc...

*Live and dive in the Pacific Northwest so good low-light ISO performance is major issue.

*Yes want to shoot HD 1080 Video.

*Would like AF function for video. That said I have never shot video with a DSLR so don't really know what functions are key and others are fluff.

*To date have never shot TTL

*Use 5pin Nikonas sync cords but happy to switch to optical if "better"

*Have a pair of Subtronic Nova strobes which I like but....want a back-up smaller set and not sure I want another set of Subtronics.

*Have a set of L&M Sunray 2000 video light which I think can be adapted to a DSLR housing until someone comes out with more powerful LED solo units.

Hope that helps

My personal opinion FWIW, is that if you have a D200 system that is working well and produces good results then stick with it a little longer and wait to see what happens with HD1080 dSLRs! Speaking as a 5D2 user I'd say that its viable and it works (as I'm sure all other HD dSLRs do to varying extents) for video, but its neither elegant nor as straightforward as its likely to become in the next few years and $14k is a lot to pay for a revised system which will, I am sure, soon become superseded as manufacturers compete to supply better and better HD dSLRs. Its always tricky to know when to make a jump and this is merely my opinion. As for housings, well if you can get to handle as many as possible before deciding well so much the better, but this is rarely easy.

Big step taken, just canceled my D7000 orders. I accept there will always be something "better" on the horizon. The D7000 is a big step up from my D200 but I am willing to wait for one more round of upgrades.

Still happy to hear on what you think I should do or any rumors or thoughts of who is coming out with what in the next year.

Well if you're not in a rush but feel you want a bit more MP or ISO performance, I think Aquatica (or was it Subal?) offered D200-D300 housing backs. That and pick up a D300 and you'll have an interim system until Dx00 comes up with whatever new features.

If they don't offer it, then you may wish to remove AA filter on the D200 for a resolution increase. MaxMax does that.

Changing brands isn't as big a deal as made out to be by some, but it does need some work to sell the lenses etc.

Canon is undoubtedly the leader in video in DSLR, so if you want dual function, Canon is the one to have for the next few years. Nikon doesn't seem to know what they are doing with video and they've had 2 years to catch up.

If you want better ISO performance, then full frame is the better option. However, both the smaller FF cameras (with housings available) are in the 3rd trimester of lifecycle and only the 5D2 does 1080p.

For the Subal D200 to D300 conversion I was quoted $2,300 USD. I just can not justify that even though I have a D300 and like it. I think better to wait one more generation. I hope to see the D700Xs soon.

Big step taken, just canceled my D7000 orders. I accept there will always be something "better" on the horizon. The D7000 is a big step up from my D200 but I am willing to wait for one more round of upgrades.

 

Still happy to hear on what you think I should do or any rumors or thoughts of who is coming out with what in the next year.

Just had my D200 housing serviced and the wiring rejigged to my liking. There will always be better equipment on the horizon but I took my most financially rewarding pictures with a camera designed in the 19th Century!

Well John, it would be you who could use a Kodak that well.

Well John, it would be you who could use a Kodak that well.

In a biographical documentary made just before he died, iconic photographer Brian Duffy suggested that in the old days it took skill to get a picture but today anyone with a camera can do it...but you still can't do that with a violin.

Ok more details along with some "wishes"

 

*Currently shooting D200 in an Aquatica housing. Like Aquatica but willing to change if a good argument can be made for it, especially if changing camera brands.

*Not a pro, just a hobbiest, but thinking of entering more contests, etc....

*Not worried about drag, or possibly having some combo of strobes and video lights. But video just shows some behavior better then stills and want that option.

*Camera/s will be mainly used for underwater photography.

*I tend to lean to Wide Angle but impressed with all the interesting things people are doing with CFWA, back lighting, floro, etc...

*Live and dive in the Pacific Northwest so good low-light ISO performance is major issue.

*Yes want to shoot HD 1080 Video.

*Would like AF function for video. That said I have never shot video with a DSLR so don't really know what functions are key and others are fluff.

*To date have never shot TTL

*Use 5pin Nikonas sync cords but happy to switch to optical if "better"

*Have a pair of Subtronic Nova strobes which I like but....want a back-up smaller set and not sure I want another set of Subtronics.

*Have a set of L&M Sunray 2000 video light which I think can be adapted to a DSLR housing until someone comes out with more powerful LED solo units.

 

Hope that helps

I am upgrading from my Nikon D90 in Aquatica housing to the new Nikon D7000 (when I can get my hands on it) also to be housed in an Aquatica Housing. I like the idea of the Nikon D7000 with its improved iso range from the D90, D300/s. It has 1080HD (not a good as the canon with their higher frame rate but still hollywood quality) and it also has AF.

I currently have Ikelite DS161 strobes which have LED lights built in and also using a Light and motion Sola600. I love the sola600 as its a very powerful light in a small body. My plans are to use the Sola600 as my primary video light on the D7000 with the Ikelite Stobe LED as a background lighting as they arnt powerful enough.

I also have the Nauticam viewfinder which I prefer over the Aquatica as it has better eye relief. This is an awesome bit of kit which I highly recommend especially for macro work.

This setup might not be a $14,000 setup but I think it has alot of the features your looking for. I think you could sell the D200 and housing and recieve good money for it to go towards something like the D7000/Aquatica setup and still have several thousand dollars up your sleeve to spend on diving and dive trips.

Regards Mark

... today anyone with a camera can do it...

And I do!!

I think that is a really silly thread: the equipment is task-specific, but over a system cost of $5-6,000 the generic improvement becomes marginal and depends on how well a particular housing fits your hands and your style of shooting. Other factors include the need for high-ISO performance, the need to handle sunbursts (high-power strobes for balanced illumination at high f-stops), the use of wide-angle zooms (big glass domes with FX sensors), battery life, a desire to do super-macro photography...

... you can spend a fortune to cover all the bases, but never master one method, or buy the best for a specific photographic target, yet still restrict the overall cost.

Tim

in the old days it took skill to get a picture but today anyone with a camera can do it

Well. To some extent I'd actually disagree with this. I would say that it is now quite difficult to actually use a high end, high MPixel camera to its full potential. These cameras' performance is on the edge of lenses' capabilities; at small apertures diffraction become problematic, use too many filters and the image suffers, put them behind a port and flaws show up, so there's a lot to think about. But I suppose that its right to say that anyone can get a 'picture'. Depend on your criteria.

I did expect someone to say that this thread was "silly", "tacky", etc... But in the end when anybody asks about buying a system the first thing everyone asks is "budget???" Yes I have more budget than skill but I am working on both. Everyone knows what everything costs so why play coy?

I agree in part that even minimal skill, weekend shooters, like myself can get a luck shot now and then. But what I have seen over the last 5-6 years is a MASSIVE elevation in what the photog community now considers a "great shot". Photos people would have given high praise 6yrs ago don't even get a comment today. Same for videos, especially for those of us still doing "put your dinner guest to sleep videos".

I did expect someone to say that this thread was "silly", "tacky", etc... But in the end when anybody asks about buying a system the first thing everyone asks is "budget???" Yes I have more budget than skill but I am working on both. Everyone knows what everything costs so why play coy?

 

I agree in part that even minimal skill, weekend shooters, like myself can get a luck shot now and then. But what I have seen over the last 5-6 years is a MASSIVE elevation in what the photog community now considers a "great shot". Photos people would have given high praise 6yrs ago don't even get a comment today. Same for videos, especially for those of us still doing "put your dinner guest to sleep videos".

Actually, I don't think it is silly but maybe most other folks are just jealous of having $15K to spend. If it were me and I had some Nikon glass, I would take a look at the D7000. A lot smaller and more maneuverable than many full frame cameras. Supposedly great video with autofocus (still not as good as a dedicated HD video rig) but probably good enough. Look at the Nauticam housing when/if it arrives (I am sure it will be there). Given that you have many of the other bits, the camera will be $1k or so and the housing another $3500. That gives you more than $10K to travel/dive take some classes with Martin Edge, Shannon Conway etc and it will be current for at least 2 to 3 years.

Bill

it might be more satisfying to build your kit up as you go along. you're the best person to judge what gaps in equipment you have, what else you would like to try next - that sort of thing.

i went through that and now my gear really feels like my own, because when somebody asks "why did you choose this over that?" i have a clear opinion on things rather than say "oh, because it's the best and highly recommended by the guys at WP!"

now that i've gotten my WA kit sorted out, and using a 100mm macro, i'm looking to go into super-macro. so i'm researching diopters, teleconverters, etc etc to see what fits my style, and also what subjects i'll most probably be shooting. it's pretty fun in a way for a weekend diver like me.

of course, if i had 14 grand to splurge i'd be at a loss on what to do with it...