To hire or not to hire ???

[Nazz]

I have been asked by some aquaintances to take photos at their next live show, ( a band, and playing in basically a theatre) after them seeing what I took at one of their preivous shows. Now, I know that what I took look "great" but, they are taken on my trusty 500D, using auto mode. So being on here for the past few weeks, I have learned a lot ! I can now shoot in manual mode Woot Woot ! And what all those things like Fstop etc. mean are coming back to me from my old SLR days.

So my question is... I have done some research, and discovered that I can hire lenses ( what a great idea !) There are two I'm thinking would do the job. The EF 24 -70mm f2.8 and EF 70 - 200 mm IS II USM. What quality will these produce with my camera body ? I have asked a couple of IRL people and opinions have differed... Well I have two questions really, the other, if I hire a 5D body, would I be totally confused by it's settings? Or could I hire one in the afternoon, and get to know it well enough to get some decent photos that night? Also been told ( and I realise it's not ideal/premium) that even hiring all that gear, and shooting in full auto, would still give me amazing results ? (Provided my superb composition skills are engaged )

[Cris]

Yes, given your earlier experience and the fact you are using a 500d then using the 5d shouldn't be too hard, you will notice great improvement in noise. The lens you have mentioned will also be up to the task of the 5D with its full frame (once you go full frame you have to use the best available glass to ensure edge to edge sharpness and the least possible chance of chromatic aberrations), as you say if you can nail the composition side of things and most likely shoot in av, somewhere between f4 and f8 you should be OK, However using those lens on your 500d will also give you a vast improvement in picture quality, as everyone says-the glass is more important than the body.

[Bennymiata]

The FF camera will allow you to use a much higher ISO setting than your 500D and get good shots without too much noise.
This could be important, especially if the light is low and you don't want to use a flash.

Operationally, there's not a lot of difference in the basic settings on the 5D or 500D, so you would feel quite at home, especially if you have a couple of hours to play around with the new camera.

Hiring is a great idea but it may make you feel like you should go out and buy the same equipment as you will get spoiled.

[Nazz]

Thanks guys

Hiring is a great idea but it may make you feel like you should go out and buy the same equipment as you will get spoiled.

Haha yes Bennymiata, I am definately afraid of that scenario... or should I say my hubby is

[Seabee]

I have hired from time to time and think it is a superb idea..............you will want to buy as a result though lol.
Hire.....enjoy....start saving

Seriously though you will be tickled pink with the difference and have soooo much fun with great equipment in your hot little hands.
I recommend hiring equipment before buying to anyone that just wants to see the difference in quality of shots, plus it being another great learning curve.
Go, Go, Go

[Ms Monny]

I am thinking to hire as well. My 250mm doesn't make the grade when it comes to taking pics from the footy and I want to see how I would do if I get a longer lens. Unfort, footy season is nearly over (for my son), so it may be a bit late to try for me.

I would go ahead and hire....more fun and more to play with....plus you can have a good feel for what that lens would be like before purchasing!

[Nazz]

I think you've sold me Cindy !!!

[junqbox]

Rented lenses a few times (and yes, did eventually buy it) and had great experience.

[Nazz]

Dammit ! Looks like I have left my run slightly late I can get lenses, but not body, is the 5D mark II similar in quality ?

Or any recommedations for hire in Melbourne ?

[Seabee]

I always hire from Michaels in Melbourne!

[Nazz]

Thanks Cindy, unfortunately they are all booked out with the bodys That is who I was hoping to use.

- - - Updated - - -

Hmmm can get a 1D mk iv ?

[junqbox]

I have used Sun Studios and AU Photographer, both in Sydney, but I know AU will ship anywhere, next day.

[William W]

I don’t think anyone can answer what you can learn in an afternoon, but you should make decisions based on the fact that – depending upon WHAT operations you need / want to perform whilst shooting - there are actually quite a lot of operational differences for you to learn between the 500D and the 5D (and also the 1DMkIV).

And the physical layouts of buttons and dials which need to be accessed to make those shooting changes - are completely different.

WW

[Nazz]

Okay, thanks William. That was my concern !

But for the purpose of taking higher quality photos, for this one show, I could easily enough learn the couple of functions that I want to ? I will have probably 5 hours to play with it before the show.

[patrickv]

I remember switching from a 1100D to a 7D. Figuring out the AF system and other advanced options took a little time, but considering how little the 1100D did, I could do everything the same within minutes.

It's not like we're switching from one advanced camera to another one, it's just basics here (shutter, aperture, ISO and maybe WB). If you're only using that or one of the auto modes (full auto, Av, Tv), you can switch to just about any DSLR, particularly within a same brand, and you'll be fine within minutes.

In other words, when it comes to the camera, you'll do at least as well with the 5D as you did with your 500D.

What takes more time to get used to is different focal lengths ( = the lenses). Framing properly with a telephoto is nothing like getting close with a wide angle. If you already have a 17-55 on the 500D or something like that, then the 24-70 on the 5D will be about the same.

[Nazz]

Thanks Patrick. Yes, I have the 17-55. The only reason I'm hiring the 70 to 200 is because we are uncertain how far away from the stage we will be, even though sitting in the front row. And for the price it will be fun to have anyway !

Okay, so what you say makes great sense, and yes, for this one occasion, I would most definately be using one or all of those 3 functions. I might have a go a the full manual, but would mostly just depend on those other settings.

[Mark L]

Are you going to use RAW or JPEG or both?
Hope it works out well.

[Ventureoverland]

OK, so a few things come to mind:
1. If you decide to hire a 5D body, dont pick it up on the Friday for a Saturday night shoot and expect great results from every shot. Whilst the functionality is similar, it is sufficiently different in just about all areas to cause you some confusion and questioning. Give yourself plenty of time to get to know where buttons are, how they perform etc etc, otherwise you'll miss the shots you would normally capture on the 500D. I know, Im just coming out the other side of the transition!!
2. Yes, L glass will make a massive difference to image quality when compared to standard 'kit' lenses, even on your 500D and the f2.8 will allow faster shutter speeds than on the kit lenses. The 2 you have suggested are excellent lenses - I (along with many others here) own them both.
3. I dont know how big the venue is / how close you can get to the action, but dont forget if you go from a cropped sensor (500D) to a full frame (5D) your effective focal lengths will be different, hence if 200mm was barely long enough on the 500D, it wont be on the 5D. Converse works at the other end though, so you shouldnt have any issues there (around 24mm).
4. Is the theature well lit? Im assuming not, and there-in lies your dilema. As others have said, the ISO / low light performance on the 5D Mkiii is EXCELLENT, way better than you will expect coming from the 500D. To be honest, if your in low light conditions and you can afford the "play with beforehand" time then you should get the 5D and shoot in RAW.
5. If you hire a 5D, dont forget about memory cards... If your busy holding the shutter button down 16Gb doesnt go far at all. And whilst on the subject of memory cards... The 5D needs fast ones if your using CF. SD's only need to be 133x as thats as fast as it can handle.

Lastly, only you can make the call at the end of the day as any kit you hire will cost $$$. All depends on criticality of shots, budget and how much time you can invest before the event.

Hope all goes well and look forward to seeing some of the results.

HTH
Jon

[Nazz]

Thanks Jon I have secured the hire of the body and lenses... $187 the lot, and since my sister in law is going halves... not too bad. I'm digressing here... but we decided to have a night out the other night, at our local pokies venue ( I am generally NOT a gambler at all) we invested $10 each and walked out with $50 profit so we are adding that to our rental stash.

Yes, was planning on giving Jpeg + RAW a shot ? I've had a small play with RAW now and can see the benefits.

Okay, so the place I am renting from, says... it comes with 1x Sandisk Extreme 16GB CF card, 1x Sandisk Extreme 16GB SD card, can rent a 32gb one for an extra $5 ... worth the $5 I'm thinking ?

I would be happy with around 300 photos. Does that sound okay ?

Can pick it up Thursday and going to show on Friday night. I reckon combining my current obsession of watching you tube tutorials and then all day Friday to play around, I will be able to give it my best shot. Will of course also take along my 500D and if feeling flustered by the 5D body, will switch over.

Thank you all so much for your advice and opinons. I really do appreciate it

[Ventureoverland]

Im guessing the 5D will be configured to use the CF first, then resort to the SD when the CF is full.

You say youd be happy with 300 shots... do you mean end up with of take? Either way, for an additional $5 Id get the 32Gb CF. Over the course of a concert you probably wont need it, but for $5 better safe than sorry. The high-speed continuous shooting on the 5D Mkiii is rapid and (for me anyway) the shutter button felt completely different to what I was used to so I often took 2 or 3 frames when I only wanted 1. At 30Mb plus per RAW, it soon translates into a lot of wasted space!

Also, I wouldnt bother shooting RAW & JPG - waste of time and slows the camera down. Just shoot RAW (to give you maximum processing flexibility) and then export all (or just the keepers) to jpg.

With regards the 5D Mkiii functionality, Id suggest you download the manual and start reading up on the AF systems and its options. The full 61pt AF may cause you hassles and may well need changing to use 9 only. Those 9 can be moved around the frame to best suit your position. The 61pt always focus' on the closest object, which may not be where the action is.

If you plan to shoot a mixture of portrait (say 5x7) and landscape (say 7x5) orientations then there's a cool feature you can enable that will automatically move the AF points for you as you switch between landscape and portrait (ie rotate the camera through 90 degrees) - for example, assume you are taking a landscape (7x5 shot) and you have selected 9 AF points centrally along the long axis and above centre in the vertical plane. Then assume you want to take a Portrait shot, ordinerally your AF position would be left of cente in the now vertical plane and central in the horizontal plane. The 5D Mkiii can sense the 90 degree rotation and bring your AF points automatically to the same position as your landscape settings - very cool and saves heaps of time re-adjusting the settings.

have fun
J