Lens + Camera Upgrade Plan - Smart or Dumb?

[NorthbyNorthwest]

I have been shooting DSLR for 6 months, and I am focusing on Portraits. So far I have offered free sessions for families and a few seniors at my church and ended up shooting 7 different shoots in the month of November. I have realized already that I have a passion for portrait photography and plan to continue as a hobbyest and maybe eventual professional. I have gotten great feedback from everyone I have shot so far. I currently own a T2i and the 50mm 1.8 is my only lens and I love the length on a Crop Sensor (80ish).

I have already ran into some limitations of the camera body and lens. Primarily, I could use more focus points as I tend to be very selective if possible (mostly with seniors rather than kiddos). The 1.8 is great for the price but the pentagonal "bokeh" is distracting and feels cheap to me. So there is the background info. I shoot natural light (though I am picking up a flash+diffusers today) and could use better ISO performance. ISO 800 on the T2i is so noisy I reserve it for black and white with grain as an artistic choice only.

Anyway, people always say glass first. I hate buying things twice and I prefer the wallet to hurt once rather than twice. Since I love primes, my plan was to pick up the 50mm 1.2L and continue to shoot with my T2i while I continue to work on my skills at (near) to the classic portrait length. Then upgrade to the 5Dmkii or iii body. At that point I would have a 50mm option with the 5D body and 80ish on the backup T2i body. Then get the 85mm L to get back to that classic portrait length on full frame. I don't foresee needing more than these two lenses for my style and preferences down the line. Does this seem smart or dumb? Obviously money is tight and this will probably take two years. Thanks.
-Jake

 

[Pharaoh41282]

I just watched a great video of cheap body/good lens vs. good body/cheap lens. Good lens was clearly the better choice. I like your plan to get the lens first, because you could use it when you buy your second or third great body (staying with same brand, I suppose). I'm new to photography, but I wanted to share my thoughts. Good luck!

 

[John27]

See if a local camera shop rents lenses. Sometimes it can be really affordable. Why don't you rent a great, L class lens for your next session. It'll cost you a little money, but it will give you an excellent idea of the limitations of your camera. Perhaps grab the 135L f/2 for portrait work. The "L" lenses are the cream of the crop for Canon. Getting one of those on your camera for a day will really flex your cameras muscles. If you can accomplish your goals with the rented lens, then you'll know that the glass is the path you need to go first. If you still find yourself frustrated and limited, (And assuming you are confident in your skills and abilities, learning more is cheap!), then chances are it's time to move up to another camera body.

I strongly suspect, once you get the L lens on your camera for a day, you'll choose the lens upgrades first. Also, a real, significant camera body upgrade is going to cost quite a bit, you could get some great glass for the price of the 5DIII or even a 7D.

 

[gw2424]

If I were you I would look into the 5d mark i. It is still a solid full frame camera on a budget. For Portraits I would look at the 85mm f1.8 and the 50mm f1.4. This is a great portrait setup for just over $1000. One thing I want to mention is something that I heard in the past week or two. Grain is usually considered a bad quality in a photo. Grain is grain, grain is not bad.

5d $600
85mm $320
50mm $300

Good Luck!
GW

 

[Tony S]

I always say go for the quality glass before changing the body you are using.

On another note, go to a single focus point so "you" control the focus, not the camera. The center focus point is your fastest and more accurate because it uses both verticals and horizontals to establish focus. If you are being very selective, then you select the point the camera is focusing on and then recompose the shot. Once you get used to controlling your focus like this it is only an after thought in your mind and you will do it automatically.