My Nikon/Canon dilemma

[toxic]

Makes sense, thanks. Wanting to avoid the flash, though -- don't want to wait 5 seconds between moments (personal preferance only -- I realize any good photographer is quite adept at effectively using a flash, and can catch the instant).

flash recharge time depends on the power source, the flash unit, and the power setting. a speedlight (hotshoe flash) will take 5 seconds to recharge if you're shooting at full power (w/o battery pack), but will you be? not likely. a good studio strobe will recharge in 3 seconds or less at full power, which is at least 2 stops more powerful than the most powerful speedlight. at lower power settings, I don't doubt any flash can keep up with 5+ fps.

I’m banking on my friend buying the 24-105 4L and borrowing it at times. Side question: does lens quality matter less or more when shooting at overly high ISO (e.g. ISO 3200 on a t2i or 1280 a 5D Mk. II)?

ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor. the lens is irrelevant.

I was going to use the cheap zoom primarily for practice. One rout would to get a another prime for outdoors (the 28mm requires that I get really close to the subject). I don't think I could control a DOF field of less than about 1 foot (about FOV of 3 ft at f/4), but I could get more in the picture at f/2 with a FOV of 4 1/2 feet at f/2 and just crop later as needed (something I can't do at high ISO without increasing noise).

cropping does the same thing as using a longer lens. DoF is not larger when you take a 28mm lens a crop to the same AoV as a 50mm lens.

1 foot of DoF is hardly small, and there's no reason for it to be an issue if you're shooting slow or still subjects.

also, referring to FoV in feet doesn't tell us anything without knowing the distance.

Given this, would the people here recommend a 50mm or 85mm (80 and 134mm equivalent) for outdoor portraiture with slightly moving subjects?

first, forget the "equivalent" focal length. unless you have experience or knowledge of film, it means nothing.

photographers often use longer telephotos outdoors than in a studio, but that is just a tendency. they choose a lens depending on the perspective or working distance they prefer. grab a zoom and see which one works better for you.

I'm leaning closer and closer to this view. I realized yesterday that I don't like the feel of either the D90 or the t2i. I want the 7D. So I’ll probably just go Canon now and upgrade after I have some experience.
Many thanks to those who mentioned handling as an important factor. The extra comfort of the 7D's larger body may make up for the added 13 oz. in my wife’s hands. I live in a smallish city where I cannot actually hold a 7D (Wolf Camera’s contract with Canon is being renegotiated or something), but from what I can tell the D300s and 7D may have similar handling – they have exactly the same dimensions, which I suspect is no coincidence on Canon’s part.

A sincere thanks to all who help on this thread. Going to get some work done, will check back in a few days.

why not a 40 or 50D?

I seriously doubt the 7D has the same dimensions as the D300s by design. either way, Nikon and Canon have different approaches to ergonomics, so dimensions don't tell you anything.

 

[Chris7]

With bigger flashes, you never have to wait 5 seconds in most situations. I can flash at least 3-5 times indoors before having to wait for my flash to recycle. Even then, a full recycle takes of the order of 3 seconds.
This means I can flash at 3 fps for a second or so.

Interesting. Will consider trying a flash like this later.

You're still in that strange contradiction where you insist on high ISO performance yet are going to be shooting with a relatively "slow" f/4 lens. If you exchanged that for a f1.4, that's 3 stops faster, meaning what you previously would need ISO6400 for you could shoot at ISO800, which is more than doable with any modern body.

Neither the 28mm f1.8 nor the 50mm f1.4 measure at all well wide open. You'd be much better off with Sigma's 30mm EX CD lens if you're looking for a fast standard prime.

...buy a good lens like the 30mmf1.4 Sigma, then just practice. You'll get much better pictures with a fast lens than the slow zooms you're considering...

OK. I realize now that if I need the added DOF, it would be better to shoot at f/1.4 at a wider FOV (such as 4 ½ feet) and crop in half in post (to get a FOV of 3 ft, for example). While cropping in half would increase the noise at image level, it would still be much less noise than shooting f/4 at ISO 6400 without cropping.

Regarding the Sigma 30mm 1.4, I read reviews of this lens and thought it was beaten by the Canon 28mm 1.8 that I bought. Regardless of which lens is “better,” I regret the choice now, as I realize I could use the extra 2/3 stop.

I held the 50D, 7D, and D300s yesterday. All feel good in my hands. The 7D and D300s, feel the best, even with the added weight. I’d get the 50D were it not so noisy. Anyway, B&H still doesn’t have in the t2i body only, so I still have time to mull it over. I think I got all the info I need for now...