Well, as much as I hate to do it, I’m selling my Canons. It’s been 6 years that I’ve worked with them, but it’s time to let ’em go. These two workhorses have done an admirable job for me and I have enjoyed making images all around the world with them, but the new Nikons were expensive, and it’s time to recoup whatever is left of my original investment of $12,852 in May of 2004.

So, without further ado, here is the technical info and some images of my “legendary” Canons. If you, or anyone you know needs these, I’ll be auctioning them off with a starting bid for the whole system of just $3500 USD (plus shipping). Please note that I will not be selling individual components of this system, it goes as a package deal. If you’re interested just send me an email with your bid and when I get back from my assignment in Ecuador on May 8th, (if there are any bids) I’ll contact the winner. My email is karl@karlgrobl.com

In the case of a tie, I’ll go with the person who’s email came first. Please don’t call my house, as my wife knows nothing about these cameras. I’m really hoping that by offering them up to you guys, my friends first, that the cameras will go to a good home….if nothing happens here, then they go to an Ebay auction and will probably end up being purchased by a re-seller who will clean them up, split up the set and sell the pieces individually for more.

The complete system includes the following:

2 Canon EOS 1D Mark II bodies
1 Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS Lens (USM)
1 Canonm EF 16-35 f/2.8L Lens (USM)
1 Canon EF 2x Extender II (mint condition..never used)
1 Canon Speedlight 580EX Flash
4 batteries Canon NIMH Battery Pack f/EOS 1D (they hold about 40% of their original longevity after a full charge). In other words, when I start a day with a fully charged battery and shoot 300-400 frames per camera, they would burn through one battery each.
All original boxes, lens cases, cables, software disks,1 like-new charger and 1 “thrashed” but repaired charger.
No lens caps, no straps, no UV filters (UV filters were always protecting the lenses but now I’m transferring those filters to my Nikons).

 click on image to enlarge, then click again to see full size
 
As you can see by the pictures in this link, the bodies and lenses are pretty “rough” on the outside, but they are in excellent working order. The lenses have no scratches on the front or rear elements. My buddy Ken Rockwell tested and reviewed the 70-200 after I dropped it a few years ago, see that review here . Ken commented… “Not only does this dropped lens still work, it’s one of the best lenses I’ve tested for real-world use”.

I recently slipped and fell on wet pavement while working in Hanoi…the body with the 16-35 lens hit the ground, but it’s still working just fine. That story here.

Both bodies have over 160,000 shutter releases. One had a defective shutter which Canon replaced free of charge after about 40,000 and it’s now at 126,051, the other shutter is at 162,611. These shutters are rated for 200,000, but often work well beyond those predictions. So, even if the shutters die at 200,000 frames, you still have a combined total of over 70,000 shots left, or the equivalent of 1,944 – 36 exposure rolls of film before taking them in to Canon to have new shutters installed.

I have tried to answer any and all possible questions here but if you need to know something else about the cameras, please email me rather than leaving a comment on the blog, as I won’t be looking at comments nearly as often as checking my karl@karlgrobl.com email. And, again, I’m going to be in Ecuador until the 8th, so emails won’t necessarily be replied to quickly either. Sorry.

Again, please don’t call the house, my wife has no info on the cameras.

Anyway, I would love to see these bodies continue to be used, they would be great tools for someone who’s on a budget, and  needs or wants a professional system. I was making a living, selling the images that I was shooting with these cameras just last month, perhaps you can too.

If you are new to this blog and you would like to know a bit more about me, here’s a link to a recent interview I did about my work as a humanitarian photographer.

Cheers,

Karl
karl@karlgrobl.com

see more photos below, click on each image to expand

 
 
 
 

10 Responses to “The Nikons Arrived, my Canons Are For Sale” Subscribe

  1. Karl Grobl May 10, 2010 at 12:33 am #

    Hi Trad
    My decision to “upgrade” is based on the improvement in picture quality at high ISO’s which I believe to be the most significant advancement in recent years, and my decision to switch from Canon to Nikon is based mostly on economic reasons….Let me explain: The way I see it, at this time, Nikon offers a full frame pro body with high ISO capability for $5000 while Canon’s full frame Mark IIIs is $6,115 and lacks high the newer, cleaner, high ISO settings. Since I have to buy two bodies, the math is simple. I can get 2 Nikon bodies, the 2 new lenses I need (the17-35 f2.8 and the new 70-200 f2.8), one extra battery and a flash (SB-400) for $14,609, while with Canon, it would cost me $12,229 for 2 full-frame 1Ds Mark III bodies, (old technology with max 1600 ISO), plus another $2499 for the new improved 70-200 2.8, for a total of $14,729 . (Replacing the 16-35 2.8 would add another $1,520, but of course, I could just keep using my existing 16-35, 2.8).
    Perhaps some would say, “but you can get the 5D Mark II for $2,500”…..I know, I know, but I need the toughness of professional bodies which can withstand the rigors and abuse that I will be subjecting them to, as well as ergonomics that don’t allow dials to be accidentally rotated when bumped (this is a problem I see with the command dial on the 5D Mark II). And then there was the option to get the new Canon Mark IV but I really wanted to get back to a full frame, for the little bit of extra wideness rather than stay with the 1.3 crop factor.

  2. Karl Grobl May 10, 2010 at 12:35 am #

    oh….forgot to add one thing….the Mark 1V still has a 1.3 crop factor and I want the extra wide view of a full frame sensor.

  3. Chuck May 10, 2010 at 12:58 am #

    Karl,
    Welcome back to NIKON. You will like your D3S.
    I only have D3, D2Xs and D2H.
    I like the extra reach of the D2Xs when using lenses such as 300mm F2.8 and 500mm F4 etc. Sports etc.

    I see that you were at ANGKOR WAT this year. Great place. I was there for 4 days in March, and found that 3 days at the temples wasn't enough. Plan to go back again this year and spend 7 days at the temples to try to photograph them properly.

    My Nikon 14-24mm lens was used extensively , plus Nikon 70-200 MKI, 135mm F2.0, and even found use for the 300mm F2.8.
    I discovered your blog yesterday, and look forward to reading it in future.

    All the best… Peter G.

  4. suneil May 12, 2010 at 9:08 am #

    Karl,
    I've been a follower of your blog and happy you joined the Nikkor camp – I have "old" technology by Nikon's definitions (D200 and D90), but am looking forward to your work with the D3s!
    The 70-200 Vr2 is a god sent for Wedding pro's, you'll LOVE every second with it – no need for primes with that VR!
    BTW, just as an aside, your pricing on your 2 pro bodies, 2 flashes, AND 2 pro lenses is nothing short of an AMAZING deal, not sure why everyone here is hating on the pricing (if I wasn't so invested in Nikon, 24-70/70-200/50 1.4 and a SB900), I would've jumped ALL over it 🙂

    Good luck and happy Shooting!

  5. Miserere May 12, 2010 at 1:53 pm #

    Karl, I'm curious as to why you don't use a 24-70mm f/2.8. Do you just fill the 35-70mm gap with your feet? I suppose you don't care much for the 50mm point-of-view 🙂

    Good luck with the sale! It's nice to see cameras that have been used in the real world and have the marks to prove it.

  6. Karl Grobl May 12, 2010 at 3:08 pm #

    Misrere,
    Thanks for the question…you're correct, I just use my feet!
    Karl

  7. Anonymous May 12, 2010 at 9:43 pm #

    could you sign each of the gear if I buy them?

    email me at

    abimanyuboentaran@yahoo.com

    love you photographs! a fan from Indonesia.

  8. Karl Grobl May 12, 2010 at 10:00 pm #

    "could you sign each of the gear if I buy them?"

    Sure, I can do that for you! Thanks for asking.

    Karl

  9. jesse May 26, 2010 at 9:13 pm #

    in wondering why you didn't get one D700 for smaller size/weight and at least one 50 1.4 to fill the gap between your zooms. this would be a nice light alternative for when you don't want to carry around a beast of a camera/lens, no?

  10. Alex August 15, 2010 at 3:57 pm #

    Hi Karl,

    Did you finally sold your stuff? What was the highest bid?

    Stay well!

    Alex.

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