Upgrade? Downgrade? Help me choose.

[leogomez2]

I travel for work, and take pictures for fun when I travel. Currently I have two 5d mark IV cameras, and I walk around with a double camera harness.

One camera with a 70-200 2.8 

Second camera with a 24-70 2.8

I usually carry two more lenses, the 85 1.2 and the 16-35 2.8.

At the end of a full day... my back HURTS.  I do not want to sacrifice quality (at least, not a lot...), and if at all possible, I do not want to sacrifice the flexibility of the 24-200 2.8 range that the lenses give me (16-200 if you count the third lens)

So... I have considered several options.

1. Move to APS-C (I LOVE the photos I take but honestly... I do not print them) Equivalent APS-C lenses seem to be lighter (if at all possible, I do not want to move away from 2.8 aperture...)

2. Move to the RF lenses (especially the 70-200 which is a lot lighter than the EF) Now... EOS R seems... less solid than it should be. I thought of getting the lower end RP while waiting for the mark IV equivalent of the series, which we know is coming.

Should I downgrade to the EOS 7?

Should I get the EOS R´s with the RF lenses?

Should I get the RF lenses, but with the temporary RP bodies?

If budget was not an issue (but the back pain was), what would you do?

Thanks in advance!

Leo.

[Tronhard]

Think Tank has a system based on a very robust belt to which one attaches holsters and other devices for attachment.  The belt takes the weight of the system, but the shoulder straps help stabilize the system.   It has worked fine for me and I have used 5D systems with heavy L metal telephotos without issue.   I personally do not have the cameras secured with any straps, so they would fall if I dropped them, something (tough wood) that I have not done in almost 40 years.

If you really need to have the security of a tether for your cameras on top of the holsters, then you could use the Black Rapid Double Breathe system that has adjustable tethers so thaty you can dock you cameras, but if they fall any further then the straps will secure them.

[wq9nsc]

Tronhard,

Thanks and that looks like their holster series could work because it doesn't rely upon aligning a plate with its mate on the belt. I will take a very close look at it when I have time next week.  I really appreciate the info because my google search in the past didn't bring up that possibility.

Rodger

[Waddizzle]

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@wq9nsc wrote:

Tronhard,

Thanks and that looks like their holster series could work because it doesn't rely upon aligning a plate with its mate on the belt. I will take a very close look at it when I have time next week.  I really appreciate the info because my google search in the past didn't bring up that possibility.

Rodger

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For hikes in the woods and weedsI have used the Black Rapid Sport with a tripod strap that I had laying around to keep the camera from swinging around...until I bought a Lowepro Top Loader Holster.  The Lowepro comes with a waist strap.

[wq9nsc]

Wadizzle,

Lowepro makes some nice stuff.  I have a couple of their midsize AW (all weather) cases with the integrated rain hoods and they have saved my gear from a lot of rain.  I often still use one of them along with a Pelican waterproof case for soccer and football.  I bought Lowepro's full frame camera backpack close to 15 years ago and it is wonderfully comfortable for carrying cameras for full day hikes in rough terrain.

For sports shooting, speed of handling cameras and camera safety are both prime considerations for me.  I think one of the holster systems with back up safety straps is the way to go.  The Sun Sniper dual camera harness I own is workable but I would prefer to have the camera weight down low and it is a little awkward, especially for basketball, where there is a need to switch camera orientation fairly often.

Thanks for making me aware of the Lowepro system.  I hopefully will make a change to some other holding system prior to soccer season but definitely by the time football rolls around again in the Fall.

Rodger

[Waddizzle]

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@wq9nsc wrote:

Wadizzle,

For sports shooting, speed of handling cameras and camera safety are both prime considerations for me.  I think one of the holster systems with back up safety straps is the way to go.  The Sun Sniper dual camera harness I own is workable but I would prefer to have the camera weight down low and it is a little awkward, especially for basketball, where there is a need to switch camera orientation fairly often.

Thanks for making me aware of the Lowepro system.  I hopefully will make a change to some other holding system prior to soccer season but definitely by the time football rolls around again in the Fall.

Rodger

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You're Welcome!

As an amateur sports photographer, I am not using any of the Canon Great Whites.  I am using the 70-200mm on a full frame body and the 100-400mm on a crop body like a 7D2, which replaced the loud shutter of the 1D4.

Depending upon the venue and sport, I will carry a Lowepro Mangum 200AW, and either a Black Rapid Sport or a monopod.  The above photo was taken with an iPhone 5, BTW.

No matter what, I always seem to carry the Lowepro shoulder bag and a photo vest.  Not many bags can carry two pro size bodies with 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses attached at the same time, not without being the size of a sideline Gatorade cooler.

[wq9nsc]

My standard setup for football and soccer fits primarily in a Pelican case.  I use a 1DX with a 70-200 2.8 and the 1DX 2 usually has a 300 2.8 on it.  I have found that the 300 works better than the much heavier 400 2.8 for my preferred handheld shooting and because I am generally following the action instead of a specific player, the 300 is easier to keep things framed.  With the 1DX 2, significant cropping is available even at higher ISO given its noise/detail performance and the 1DX 3 will be even better.  The results from the 300 plus 1.4X aren't as sharp (or quite as fast at focusing) as the 400 2.8 by itself but I still use that combo some for daytime soccer because of its lesser weight.  For basketball and volleyball I use a EF 200 F2 instead of the 300 2.8.

The bodies and lenses fit in the Pelican case along with the matching Canon lens raincoats and a pair of spare batteries (for peace of mind, I have never needed them even shooting three soccer games in a row).  The Lowepro bag usually has a couple of additional lens, a rain poncho for me,  and recently a 5DS R body. 

Looking at the Lowepro lineup, I don't think their pouches are quite big enough.  Think Tank does have pouches that will accommodate the 1 series and great white primes.  They are somewhat pricey but cheap compared to our backs!

Rodger

[Waddizzle]

Rodger,

Those beasts deserve a Pelican case.  I know the big Think Tank can hold a 150-600mm, but I am not so sure about the great white primes.  I thought they came with their own travel case, anyway.

[wq9nsc]

Canon includes really nice protective suitcases for the big primes but the wheeled Pelican makes it really easy to transport the gear from the parking lot to the field and a place to stand or sit when needed.  The downside is the Pelican case itself is very heavy so if going across terrain its wheels can't handle it is a load.

The Think Tank largest holster is large enough to hold the 300 F2.8 according to their specified measurement but maybe not a 400 F2.8.  But I ended up shooting every HS football game with the 300 F2.8 and 70-200 F2.8 combo last year.  With soccer I would be more inclined to put the 400 on my tripod because I am not constantly going up and down field in soccer.  With football, most of the time I can predict roughly where I need and depend upon cropping when the unexpected happens but with soccer the action goes from end to end very quickly and the 400 becomes more useful but it is much harder to follow action that moves in closer and leaves a big gap between itself and the 70-200. 

Canon's 200-400 F4 extender is probably the ultimate soccer lens but the one time I rented it I found it didn't have "the look" of the 300 and 400 primes. I will rent one again sometime this soccer season because maybe the rental one wasn't a great example. AF was fine and required only a very slight camera calibration but it was more different from the prime glass than what I expected and it is a lot of money for a lens.

Rodger