Body or lens?

[Inst!nct]

I have an xti, 18-55mm, 70-300mm IS USM by canon, my budget is 1000 but if I get a telephoto lens then I'm clearly going to sell the telephoto that I have, so budget would be like 1.4k. Right now I'm thinking of either going with 70-200mm f4 Is + 50mm 1.4 OR going with 5d classic and upgrading lens later down the line..

your opinions?

 

[Timothy]

well really it;s the lens that makes the good images, yeah the new body would be nicer, but you'd still be using the same glass....

 

[table1349]

Well lets look at it from the logical point of view. You have two consumer grade pieces of glass with an entry level camera. You have two options. New glass or new body.

Lets start with new glass. The xti has a decent sensor in it. It is an entry level camera due to construction and features or lack there of. If you add quality glass the technical quality of the images produced will be limited only by the body which already has a decent sensor in it. Where as the current consumer lenses are not capable of producing the technical quality of the lens you listed as being interested in.

New body. With a 5D classic you will be down to one lens. The 18-55 is I believe an EF-s lens and will not fit on a full frame body which the 5D is. The one lens will be a consumer piece of glass on a higher quality body. The body will be limited by that glass to producing only what the glass can achieve. Here are plenty of reviews of he 70-300. FM Reviews - EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Here are reviews of the 70-200 f. FM Reviews - EF 70-200mm f/4L USM There is a marked difference in quality. The 70-300 is one of canon's better consumer lenses however it is not quality L glass and does not produce the same quality images.

Remember, bodies will come an go, but top quality glass will last, if taken care of, for years and years.

 

[Inst!nct]

Well lets look at it from the logical point of view. You have two consumer grade pieces of glass with an entry level camera. You have two options. New glass or new body.

Lets start with new glass. The xti has a decent sensor in it. It is an entry level camera due to construction and features or lack there of. If you add quality glass the technical quality of the images produced will be limited only by the body which already has a decent sensor in it. Where as the current consumer lenses are not capable of producing the technical quality of the lens you listed as being interested in.

New body. With a 5D classic you will be down to one lens. The 18-55 is I believe an EF-s lens and will not fit on a full frame body which the 5D is. The one lens will be a consumer piece of glass on a higher quality body. The body will be limited by that glass to producing only what the glass can achieve. Here are plenty of reviews of he 70-300. FM Reviews - EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Here are reviews of the 70-200 f. FM Reviews - EF 70-200mm f/4L USM There is a marked difference in quality. The 70-300 is one of canon's better consumer lenses however it is not quality L glass and does not produce the same quality images.

Remember, bodies will come an go, but top quality glass will last, if taken care of, for years and years.

Hum well thank you very much for that, for some reason I'm really leaning towards a new body even though I've been researching for the lens for the past month.. I wouldn't sell the 70-300mm if I bought the 5d unless I was buying another lens, but I have enough money to buy a used 5d without having to sell off anything..

So youre saying xti + 70-200mm F4 IS will be better then 5d + 70-300mm is? I guess i just long for a FF camera :/, i can get a 5d + grip for about 900.. Leaving me 500 to spend on a new lens immediately if I sold the 70-300.

As soon as i got my hands on one of this ( not the DO version wich i hated ), i started leaving my 70-200L IS 2.8 at home! Why ?? the 70-300 IS USM weigths nothing comparing other wuality zooms and the results were very very identical ( in some cases the collor of this one beats the L ). The only thing i don't like is the size of it at 300mm but as they say, "there's no free lunch when your having fun". This one is allways on with my 40D wich makes it a 450mm with x1.6 crop and the IS is exactly the same and so efficient as the L models ! THIS IS A TRULY HIDDEN L LENS.

From a review.

Please note I might seem as if my mind is set on the FF, I just don't see the point of attaching an L lens on an xti atm..

 

[D-B-J]

what do YOU wanna do? does the body you currently have do everything you need? Or does it fall short in your endeavours? Its about what you want. Sure, you might think a new body is useful, but glass is where you should spend the most. Glass retains its value much better than a body does, as well. I mean, when the d200 came out it was somewhere around 1500 or more. A year and a half later when i bought it from someone, i got it and an 18-135mm lens for 600. But the nikon 80-200 af-s is over ten years old, and still sells for about a grand.

but now that i went off on that tangent, lets get back to the issue. A new body will get you a few things; improved iso sensitivity, a higher fps rate, depending on the body, newer software in the camera, and a few other bells and whistles. But me personally, i'd rather have better glass. Upgrade the body when you NEED to.

sorry for the novel!

 

[D-B-J]

Remember, bodies will come an go, but top quality glass will last, if taken care of, for years and years.

I agree with this as well

 

[Inst!nct]

what do YOU wanna do? does the body you currently have do everything you need? Or does it fall short in your endeavours? Its about what you want. Sure, you might think a new body is useful, but glass is where you should spend the most. Glass retains its value much better than a body does, as well. I mean, when the d200 came out it was somewhere around 1500 or more. A year and a half later when i bought it from someone, i got it and an 18-135mm lens for 600. But the nikon 80-200 af-s is over ten years old, and still sells for about a grand.

but now that i went off on that tangent, lets get back to the issue. A new body will get you a few things; improved iso sensitivity, a higher fps rate, depending on the body, newer software in the camera, and a few other bells and whistles. But me personally, i'd rather have better glass. Upgrade the body when you NEED to.

sorry for the novel!

Humm well thank you for that, the ONE thing i'm looking forward to in a body is it being FF and having lets say 50mm lens ACTUALLY being 50mm and not 80mm on a cropped frame..

For some reason I have in mind, why buy a 50mm 1.4 when it'll look like an 80 on a cropped frame . I guess i'll go with a lens unless anything changes or any new advice comes up

 

[table1349]

A 50mm is a 50mm. The image perspective does not change. If you want the same field of view with a 50mm on a crop body take two steps back. Problem solved.

 

[Inst!nct]

A 50mm is a 50mm. The image perspective does not change. If you want the same field of view with a 50mm on a crop body take two steps back. Problem solved.

Haha well thanks a lot, I'm definetly going with the lens , hopefully the 1.4 is worth it compared to the 1.8. Unless there's another lens I can get for around 200-300 that would be better?

 

[bentcountershaft]

A 50mm is a 50mm. The image perspective does not change. If you want the same field of view with a 50mm on a crop body take two steps back. Problem solved.

Haha well thanks a lot, I'm definetly going with the lens , hopefully the 1.4 is worth it compared to the 1.8. Unless there's another lens I can get for around 200-300 that would be better?

I think the 1.4 is worth the upgrade, but for myself I might look at getting a different focal length prime before replacing one I already have. Maybe an 85 1.8 or a 28 1.8. Those are in the $400 range though so you may have to save up a bit. Either way you'll probably want to upgrade the 50 at some point so it's not like it would be a mistake to do it now. I'm just thinking of variety.

 

[Inst!nct]

A 50mm is a 50mm. The image perspective does not change. If you want the same field of view with a 50mm on a crop body take two steps back. Problem solved.

Haha well thanks a lot, I'm definetly going with the lens , hopefully the 1.4 is worth it compared to the 1.8. Unless there's another lens I can get for around 200-300 that would be better?

I think the 1.4 is worth the upgrade, but for myself I might look at getting a different focal length prime before replacing one I already have. Maybe an 85 1.8 or a 28 1.8. Those are in the $400 range though so you may have to save up a bit. Either way you'll probably want to upgrade the 50 at some point so it's not like it would be a mistake to do it now. I'm just thinking of variety.

So you're saying since I already have a wide angle lens I should get an 85 so I have something in the middle? I wanted to get an 85 L F2 but its a bit out of my budget sadly :/, was willing to sell my telephoto and go without for it, loovee that lens.

 

[Overread]

Typically I say glass first body - somewhere down the bottom of the list. But I change that stance when a person is looking to change the size of sensor/film as I feel that if you are dead set upon using difference sized sensor/film its best to try and make that change early on because of the way it impacts how you use your lenses with regard to the angle of view difference.

Also if you are considering a 50mm 1.4 you might also want to consider the Sigma 50mm f1.4 which is currently one of the top 50mm f1.4s out there (It beats the canon and I think it might also beat the nikon as well).

 

[bentcountershaft]

Haha well thanks a lot, I'm definetly going with the lens , hopefully the 1.4 is worth it compared to the 1.8. Unless there's another lens I can get for around 200-300 that would be better?

I think the 1.4 is worth the upgrade, but for myself I might look at getting a different focal length prime before replacing one I already have. Maybe an 85 1.8 or a 28 1.8. Those are in the $400 range though so you may have to save up a bit. Either way you'll probably want to upgrade the 50 at some point so it's not like it would be a mistake to do it now. I'm just thinking of variety.

So you're saying since I already have a wide angle lens I should get an 85 so I have something in the middle? I wanted to get an 85 L F2 but its a bit out of my budget sadly :/, was willing to sell my telephoto and go without for it, loovee that lens.

Just depends on how you're going to use it in the long run, but I'm just going with the assumption that your getting the telephoto zoom and getting something with what you have left over. I have the 50 1.8 and plan on upgrading it too, but it's lower on my priority list than getting another fast prime or too just for the variety. I have the 85 1.8 and really like it but a lot of people may find they never use it. The 85 L is a beautiful lens but for my use I don't think it would suit me very well. It isn't known for fast focusing, especially in low light and I use primes for low lit concert shots mostly. For studio/portrait work though I would think it would be outstanding, especially if you go full frame down the road. Back to the 50s, if it were me in your shoes I would probably opt for a wider, fast prime because the only thing you currently have wider than your 50 is your kit lens which isn't very fast. Depending on what you like to shoot that may or may not be important to you. I would think it would be hard to go without a telephoto zoom after having one though so I would definitely make that the main priority or at least hang on to the one you have.

 

[prodigy2k7]

Get the 70-200 f/4 IS. You will be very happy.

 

[haring]

Lens!!!