For some reasons I’m addicted to buying second hand gadgets lately. I still can’t break the psychological barrier to buy/sell second hand Apple products though – after all part of the Apple experience is the unpacking process itself – but for other stuff, like camera, lens, etc. second hand ones are good enough.
Many “professional” users in the second hand market tend to keep their products in excellent shape, even better than how I keep my own stuff. Perhaps that’s because they’ve anticipated that one day they’d sell their products. So if you know what you’re looking for, you’ll for sure find great stuff at a reasonable price.
So, what’s my story? I need a DSLR for taking decent clinical photos lately. In that case, I’ll need 1) a macro lens, 2) a DSLR body for that macro lens, and 3) a ring flash. The old-day K.Chan will opt for the best in class — 5D Mark III, first-hand macro lens, preferably a Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro, and Canon first party ring flash. But then I thought: if I’m dedicating the set-up to taking clinical photos only, I don’t really need to get a beast/beasts for that. So my set-up changed a bit:
| “Ideal” set-up | Cheapo 2nd hand set-up |
| Canon 5D Mark III $21500 | Canon 450D $1200 |
| Canon 100mm f2.8 L macro $6300 | Canon 60mm f2.8 macro $2000 |
| Canon Macro Ring MR-14EX $4300 | Apliu Cheapo Ring Flash $500 |
| Total: $32100 | Total: $3700 |
Provided that the second hand goods are in good shape, they’ll be enough for taking decent photos. In fact, I got some to share:
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That’s not the end of the story, though. You know, I’m going to Osaka/Kyoto at the end of March, hoping to see some cherry blossom. My initial plan was to take both my m43 and my cheapo clinical set-up so that I have a wider range of focal lengths. On second thought: instead of bringing a heavy DSLR with a prime lens, wouldn’t it be great if I got an extra mirrorless body and fit my lenses onto it, so that I don’t have switch lens from time to time? That’s why I finally decided I’d get a second-hand m43 body, GF1. In that case, we’re talking about a $650 body. $650. I could have just dump it at Kansai Airport right after the trip.
[This made me think of the American astronauts who went to the moon. It was reported that they brought fancy (at that time) Hasselblad film cameras to the moon, but left them on the lunar surface due to weight concerns. Well, I’m not going to do that, but I’d definitely want to try the way “Pro Togs” shoot.]
Btw, this year Anzyme has passed its 11th anniversary without me saying anything. Well, let’s just say, Happy Birthday. And I’d like to thank you all.