The Second Hand Solution
I try not to get bogged down about gear. What I have does the job, and I’m far more interested in places and moments in time than the equipment I’m using to make images. Generally speaking, if one of the YouTube crowd uploads a video about the latest offering from their chosen brand, it gets the swerve from me. I’ve stuck with the same manufacturer throughout, and I only went in that direction in the first place because I had some old lenses from the days when I used to dabble in film. Imagine my surprise when I was told they’d work on the shiny new digital camera I'd just ordered from the grey import zone?
But recently I’d been ruminating over a possible shift change, and only because of one thing. This summer, for the first time in a number of years we have a mildly adventurous escapade planned. North of the border and on foot, where weight becomes an issue. And what was particularly troubling me was the lack of a decent lens that didn’t weigh half a ton and that I could plonk onto the camera body and cover most of the focal lengths I might need on such a trip. It had got to the point where I was seriously considering the acquisition of a mirrorless affair by another brand, with a longer term view to shifting everything and moving lock, stock and tripod over to an entirely new system. All because I wanted something light to carry on an eighty mile hiking trip across Scotland. Usually, wherever I go I’m carrying a camera that’s built (and ever so slightly shaped) like a tank, and three equally lumpy lenses, not to mention filters, microfibre cloths, rocket blower and whatever else is lurking in the bag. And a tripod. The telephoto lens alone weighs almost two kilos, and I’m not getting any younger. I’m intent on getting to the top of a mountain or two this summer, and the thought of lugging all of that gear to a lofty highland summit without the assistance of a team of sherpas seems a bit much. So maybe I’d invest in the much lighter set up that some of you are using, and see where it went from there. I had a look at prices from my favourite second hand kit websites and prepared myself to part with a four figure sum. Only just four figures, but even so, that’s a holiday for two right there.
My fear was I’d end up torn between two systems. You see I really like what I already have, and I’m really not that keen to pack it all up and send it off to MPB, especially having seen how well second hand values for an indispensable 100-400mm lens from the other side were holding up. Still, I was in no rush. I’d wait and review the options. It was only when one of you shared a post elsewhere about the budget lens you’d just purchased (from the same place) that a light bulb exploded between my ears. I’d had that lens several years ago before selling it (to the same place again) as I upgraded from a crop body to full frame in advance of the first Iceland trip. I liked it at the time, and quickly remembered that it had been my main lens when Dave, Lee and I had once spent three highly productive winter days in Glencoe. Not long after returning to work, the guys in the reprographics department tested their new large format printer with one of the images from that trip and filled half a wall with it. It looked good enough to me. Six years later it’s still there in fact - I know because I popped in to say hello over Easter. Why on earth had I ever let that lens go? I started to keep an eye on second hand prices.
It wasn’t long before one appeared on our favourite auction site at a very agreeable price, and just a few days later the postman arrived with a small parcel at my front door. Its first test run was in the usual place, on an unexpectedly glowing evening. I still have a crop body that gets regular outings thanks to its articulating screen, but I knew that for a very reasonable second hand price I could pick up an even smaller model, which despite the size difference is pretty much the same camera. I now have a walking set up that cost me less than a third of the mirrorless assembly I was considering, which weighs under a kilo and fits comfortably well into a generously sized coat pocket. And I can use the new gear with my existing collection. Ali has yet to notice that a third camera has mysteriously arrived into our home. I've taken to leaving them around the house in separate places in the hopes that she doesn't spot the subterfuge. Ok, so I’m sure the mirrorless system wins out on sharpness if you start zooming in at the corners, but not by three times the price worth it doesn’t. This will do very nicely for me thank you. I can’t stop picking it up and marvelling at its miniscule proportions.
So I’m ready for Scotland now. Well I will be once I’ve spent some of the money I’ve managed to cling to on a cast iron midge net, six gallons of tiny flying vampire repellent (Avon Skin So Soft if you were wondering), and a suit of armour for when the other two items fail. The last of which will probably pay havoc with the weight savings.
The Second Hand Solution
I try not to get bogged down about gear. What I have does the job, and I’m far more interested in places and moments in time than the equipment I’m using to make images. Generally speaking, if one of the YouTube crowd uploads a video about the latest offering from their chosen brand, it gets the swerve from me. I’ve stuck with the same manufacturer throughout, and I only went in that direction in the first place because I had some old lenses from the days when I used to dabble in film. Imagine my surprise when I was told they’d work on the shiny new digital camera I'd just ordered from the grey import zone?
But recently I’d been ruminating over a possible shift change, and only because of one thing. This summer, for the first time in a number of years we have a mildly adventurous escapade planned. North of the border and on foot, where weight becomes an issue. And what was particularly troubling me was the lack of a decent lens that didn’t weigh half a ton and that I could plonk onto the camera body and cover most of the focal lengths I might need on such a trip. It had got to the point where I was seriously considering the acquisition of a mirrorless affair by another brand, with a longer term view to shifting everything and moving lock, stock and tripod over to an entirely new system. All because I wanted something light to carry on an eighty mile hiking trip across Scotland. Usually, wherever I go I’m carrying a camera that’s built (and ever so slightly shaped) like a tank, and three equally lumpy lenses, not to mention filters, microfibre cloths, rocket blower and whatever else is lurking in the bag. And a tripod. The telephoto lens alone weighs almost two kilos, and I’m not getting any younger. I’m intent on getting to the top of a mountain or two this summer, and the thought of lugging all of that gear to a lofty highland summit without the assistance of a team of sherpas seems a bit much. So maybe I’d invest in the much lighter set up that some of you are using, and see where it went from there. I had a look at prices from my favourite second hand kit websites and prepared myself to part with a four figure sum. Only just four figures, but even so, that’s a holiday for two right there.
My fear was I’d end up torn between two systems. You see I really like what I already have, and I’m really not that keen to pack it all up and send it off to MPB, especially having seen how well second hand values for an indispensable 100-400mm lens from the other side were holding up. Still, I was in no rush. I’d wait and review the options. It was only when one of you shared a post elsewhere about the budget lens you’d just purchased (from the same place) that a light bulb exploded between my ears. I’d had that lens several years ago before selling it (to the same place again) as I upgraded from a crop body to full frame in advance of the first Iceland trip. I liked it at the time, and quickly remembered that it had been my main lens when Dave, Lee and I had once spent three highly productive winter days in Glencoe. Not long after returning to work, the guys in the reprographics department tested their new large format printer with one of the images from that trip and filled half a wall with it. It looked good enough to me. Six years later it’s still there in fact - I know because I popped in to say hello over Easter. Why on earth had I ever let that lens go? I started to keep an eye on second hand prices.
It wasn’t long before one appeared on our favourite auction site at a very agreeable price, and just a few days later the postman arrived with a small parcel at my front door. Its first test run was in the usual place, on an unexpectedly glowing evening. I still have a crop body that gets regular outings thanks to its articulating screen, but I knew that for a very reasonable second hand price I could pick up an even smaller model, which despite the size difference is pretty much the same camera. I now have a walking set up that cost me less than a third of the mirrorless assembly I was considering, which weighs under a kilo and fits comfortably well into a generously sized coat pocket. And I can use the new gear with my existing collection. Ali has yet to notice that a third camera has mysteriously arrived into our home. I've taken to leaving them around the house in separate places in the hopes that she doesn't spot the subterfuge. Ok, so I’m sure the mirrorless system wins out on sharpness if you start zooming in at the corners, but not by three times the price worth it doesn’t. This will do very nicely for me thank you. I can’t stop picking it up and marvelling at its miniscule proportions.
So I’m ready for Scotland now. Well I will be once I’ve spent some of the money I’ve managed to cling to on a cast iron midge net, six gallons of tiny flying vampire repellent (Avon Skin So Soft if you were wondering), and a suit of armour for when the other two items fail. The last of which will probably pay havoc with the weight savings.