Upgrade to ...?

[redroanphoto]

i currently shoot with a Canon Rebel xti, im looking to move on to do more of a semi-pro type of photography. my main use for my camera is photographing horse shows, where lighting isnt always the best, yet i still need very sharp and clear photos. i want to stick with canon cameras. suggestions?

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

What lens (or lenses) do you have now?

If you don't already have some good lenses, your money will be much better spent on getting a good lens, than it would on getting a new camera.
The best part of the Rebel series of cameras, is that they can use the same lenses that the Professional Canon cameras can use.

If you still think you need to upgrade the camera, look at the 50D or the new 7D.

 

[redroanphoto]

yeah my lenses are in desprate need of an upgrade, they are off my old 35mm canon rebel (film) camera. i was most likely going to update my lens to a tamaron 28-300mm. im new at this, but its something i am seriously geting into.

 

[Big Mike]

i was most likely going to update my lens to a tamaron 28-300mm

I wouldn't really consider than much of an 'upgrade'.

Since you will be shooting is less than perfect lighting, a 'fast' lens (large maximum aperture) would really help you. Some affordable options are the 50mm F1.8 and the 85mm F1.8. They are prime (non zoom) lenses, but the large max aperture will allow you to get much faster shutter speeds, which should be really helpful when shooting indoor horse shows.

 

[redroanphoto]

heres the problem, i need to have a wide range of zoom cause most of the time im shooting pictures from across the ring (up to 300ft away)

 

[Big Mike]

The trouble with lenses that have that wide of a zoom range...is that there are compromises and the image quality is usually rather poor compared to other lenses. Also, they usually have small maximum apertures (especially at the long end of the zoom)...which makes it hard to get the shutter speeds that you need.
Have a look at the various 70-200mm F2.8 lenses from Canon, Sigma and Tamron. All are very good, and the Canon models are outstanding.

One option would be to buy a camera with very good high-ISO performance. Allowing you to turn up the ISO very high, thus giving you faster shutter speeds.
The 1 Series EOS cameras would be great for this...but they are well above most people's budget. 1DmkIV & 1DsmkIII.
Less expensive options would be the 5DmkII or maybe the 7D

 

[redroanphoto]

the largest ring 300ft, usually only gets used on sunny days and it is outside so i dont typically have an issue with the lighting. the indoors tend to be closer to 200ft and the lighting is okay, just a little dimmer than your typical house. lighting isnt the hugest issue. although it definatley does affect my clairity. my budget isnt huge so pretty much anything in the "mark" series is out of the question.

 

[Flash Harry]

Cameras need more light than "house lighting", our brain and eyes compensate for dim light a camera can not, you need faster glass as Mike suggests or a camera better suited for very hi iso performance. H

 

[redroanphoto]

how about one of these?
-Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens