Lens or body?

pauluk · Sep 7, 2007

Hi,

Ive just enrolled on a 'people photography' course and will also be doing a 'landscape photography' course soon, what set up too buy?

Canon 30D with EF-S 17-85mm IS Lens

or

Pentax K10D with APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC HSM

so I guess the question is...

Is the lens more important than the body?

thanks
Paul

Big Mike · Sep 7, 2007

That's not an easy question. With film, it was easy...the lens is much more important...and it's no less important with digital. However, the digital body itself has a lot more to do with the image than a film body.

Either camera is a good tool for just about any type of photography that you would want to do. It's up to you.

I would consider the system. If you get the 30D, you are buying into the Canon system and the K10D is the Pentax system. Either one is great, although Canon is the leader in this market.

Also, the fit & feel of the camera is important. Get your hands on both of them and see which one feels best to you. You might as well throw in a Sony and a Nikon while you are at it.

WDodd · Sep 7, 2007

I would say that the 17-85 is a better range than the 50-150 for landscape photography. The former is also a pretty nice range for portrait photography.

I would say the lens is more important than the body. It will also hold its value much better.

sabbath999 · Sep 7, 2007

Lens is more important than specific a camera body... bodies will be outdated quickly, lenses (unless you buy lenses specific to cropped digital sensors -- like the Nikon DX series) will last for many years.

You will go through a lot of digital camera bodies over the years if you are serious about your craft, but lenses will serve you for a very long time. Buy the lens first, body second.

IMHO.

Don Simon · Sep 7, 2007

pauluk said:
Is the lens more important than the body?

Yes, but... as Mike said, the body is very important, specifically the sensor and the image processing. In this case you are looking at two excellent bodies, and which is better really depends on your priorities. The Canon will perform better at higher ISOs, while I personally prefer the overall 'look' of images from the Pentax. As Mike says, also consider the system... Canon have a larger selection of lenses, but I like Pentax glass and it meets nearly all my needs (third-parties filling in if necessary). Fortunately whatever you choose, the lenses (as WDodd and sabbath999 said) will retain their value... unfortunately the bodies will not.

Whatever system you choose (and I would also consider Nikon, Sony and Olympus and their respective merits if you haven't already), put just as much thought into the lenses as to the body. For example, it would be difficult to say which of the two camera/lens combinations you picked would be better for you, because one has a wide to telephoto 'walkaround' zoom, while the other has a fast telephoto zoom; either would be suitable for both landscape and 'people' photography to varying degrees. Personally I would be inclined to go for a general zoom (like the 17-85) first and a tele zoom later (if not buying both at the same time)... and if going for the Pentax I would choose their own 50-135mm f/2.8 instead of the Sigma, because then you have faster SDM autofocus.