Alas poor Canon, I knew you well....

If anyone - and I mean anyone - is actually following me with this blog (and I have strong doubts that anyone is), then they will know by now that I change cameras (and systems) like some people change their underwear! Ok, maybe not that frequently, but you get the idea.

My last few posts (except the very last one before this), have been on my love affair with my Canon EOS 1D Mk3 - an amazing camera - especially for sports. In many ways it was the culmination of my G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome), and a camera that I had wanted to own for many, many years. And then I did own it, and it was amazing. But it was also massive. I mean HUGE! It really is a workhorse of a camera, and not really your 'sling it over your shoulder and take everywhere' kind of kit.

I came up against this very recently when we went away as a family on holiday. It was a week long family vacation and although photography obviously wasn't the main goal, I thought that with a week away I would at least get some photography time in? So I packed up the 1D with my 'walk around' 28-135mm IS lens and went on holiday with high hopes of taking some half-decent images.

Nelson City Panorama. Canon 1D Mk3 with 28-135mm. Stitched from 6 images

The above shot is as good as it got - a stitched panorama on the city of Nelson taken from 6 images, taken at the top of the 'Centre of New Zealand' walk. The walk only takes about 15 minutes, and is a reasonably easy walk, although a little steep in places. But lugging the Canon 1D Mk3 up to the top damn near killed me! Ok, I'm not the fittest guy in the world, but I'm also not the most out of shape either. I've lost 15kgs over the last year and am down to a reasonably trim (for me) 88kgs. I'm fitter than I've been in a very long time - but lugging the 1D around with me on holiday wasn't much fun at all. So much so, that the few dozen photos I took on that day to get my panorama were all the photos I actually took while away for the week!

My wife and I even got into a fairly serious argument on one of the days - probably stemming from my growing depression at how little photography I was actually doing! On several of the days we went driving through some beautiful scenery, where I really should have stopped and taken some photos. But I just didn't bother stopping to pull the 1D out. It didn't inspire 'holiday snapshots' and so the moments were missed. My bad.

Of course, this got me thinking. Why have the 1D Mk3 if I'm only ever going to use it for the occasional sports shoot? Is there a 'better' fit for me for both serious and occasional shooting? And what would that fit be?

So yes, I sold my Canon 1D Mk3 and 28-135mm IS lens - for a very good price, and began my search for a different camera/system. And it will be arriving soon.

What did I opt for instead of the 1D Mk3? That's the topic of my next blog post. Yes folks - a good old fashioned cliff hanger ending. Or at least it would be, if anybody was actually reading this :-)