Upgrade lens or body??

[Inst!nct]

I'm at a crossroads, I have about 1400 to spend, no more then that, well maybe more if I get a telephoto lens, then I could sell mine for like 400 then I'd have 1800 but moving on...

Anyways, I have 1400 to spend an debating between buying a new body ==> 7d, or a new lens ==> unsure .

I think I would want an L lens, good all around wide angle, because I already have a 70-300mm IS canon lens that I like, but maybe a 70-200mm IS L could be an option..

Anyways, thanks alot for the future advice , I'm mostly looking to get nicer looking shots, as in better quality, better colors.

And if I bought a new body I wouldn't have a battery grip.. and I love my battery grip haha, but I would have the built in wireless flash in the 7d, however my lens would perhaps limit the quality I get, so i wouldn't see a difference in quality unless I got an awesome lens THEN bought the body correct?

 

[Robin Usagani]

it will be nice if you list your gear.

 

[prodigy2k7]

Would be nice if you keep to 1 topic ;p
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-equipment-products-news-reviews/219770-xti-7d.html

 

[Inst!nct]

Would be nice if you keep to 1 topic ;p
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-equipment-products-news-reviews/219770-xti-7d.html

Yea i was going to close that one, but this is kind of different, I'm asking for specifics, and IDK how to close that thread, just gonna delete it.

Right, my gear, It used to be in my sig, i forgot, I have an XTi, 70-300mm IS USM canon lens, kit lens for xti (15-55mm) and a sigma lens I hate (70-300 APO DG).

 

[Robin Usagani]

I would get 50mm f/1.4 and used 24-70mm f/2.8L.

 

[Inst!nct]

I would get 50mm f/1.4 and used 24-70mm f/2.8L.

Wow, the 24-70mm looks like a great lens, what's your reasoning behind getting the nifty fifty? My friend has it and I can't say I was too impressed with it, he does treat his camera horribly though, and his lenses too so idk.

 

[prodigy2k7]

I would get 50mm f/1.4 and used 24-70mm f/2.8L.

Wow, the 24-70mm looks like a great lens, what's your reasoning behind getting the nifty fifty? My friend has it and I can't say I was too impressed with it, he does treat his camera horribly though, and his lenses too so idk.

I have the 50mm F/1.4 and it is an excellent lens. Worth every penny! (although I got it for $300, prices have gone up).

I love it much more than my kit lens and my 75-300, maybe not my new 70-200 though lol...

I do agree with what Schwettylens said...Do you need the 7D? The XTi can take excellent pictures, especially with good glass. IMO it only really lacks with AF, ISO performance, cont' shooting, etc... I will be using it for sports. That is why I want to upgrade, to take advantage of all 3 of those.

 

[prodigy2k7]

Took this shot with XTi and 50mm F/1.4

 

[Robin Usagani]

dude.. I love my 50mm.. I use that lens very very often.

 

[Inst!nct]

Ok, so I guess a lens upgrade would be worth it, perhaps more then a body upgrade? Cause what I'm thinking is why get a 1400 dollar body with a 50 dollar lens (kit lens) you know?

 

[Robin Usagani]

if you buy a new body now, it will lose it's value quick by next year. If you buy used lenses, I am sure you can sell it the sam price next year. But really.. messing with 50mm f/1.4 really made me a better photographer. I learned a lot from using it. There is no way I would learn as much on just the kit lens.

 

[Inst!nct]

if you buy a new body now, it will lose it's value quick by next year. If you buy used lenses, I am sure you can sell it the sam price next year. But really.. messing with 50mm f/1.4 really made me a better photographer. I learned a lot from using it. There is no way I would learn as much on just the kit lens.

Humm yea I see your point, I think, atm I'm leaning towards getting a wide angle lens of some sort, because my telephoto is decent enough that it's not worth upgrading while my wide angle sucks :lmao:. Idk if I'm particularly keen on the 50mm however, I wanted to get an L lens and finally get a professional lens haha , and IS is a +.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Im pretty sure your kit lens is 18-55 not 15-55 like you listed. Really.. that is plenty wide. Most people use the kit lens for speciality shots. They dont use it very often (i.e. EF-S 10-20mm). I really think you need to upgrade other lenses first before you get a wide angle.

 

[Inst!nct]

Im pretty sure your kit lens is 18-55 not 15-55 like you listed. Really.. that is plenty wide. Most people use the kit lens for speciality shots. They dont use it very often (i.e. EF-S 10-20mm). I really think you need to upgrade other lenses first before you get a wide angle.

Yea thanks, new something was off about 15-55 but didnt bother to check . I just realized that I had counted about 300-400 of that budget for selling my camera body... Which means that I have only about 1k to work with now if I buy a lens.

I also realized that my telephoto really isn't bad right now.. And I might be leaning NOW towards getting a 7d and buying a 50mm once i have the money, most likely around december.

 

[prodigy2k7]

You need to figure out the most common focal length you use. You said "events" but what kind? EF 70-200mm F/4L non-IS is an excellent lens for $650. if you need a little wider, 17-40 F/4L is pretty cheap at $740. If you want a better range of focal length with F/4 and IS, you can get the 24-105 F/4L IS at just over $1,000.

If you need 2.8 lenses there is the 16-35L for around 1500 (pretty steep price for you i think) and the 24-70L for just over 1300.

canon rumors suggests a possible replacement for the 24-70, no word if its IS or not but lots of people want it with IS.

A good non-L lens to consider is the EF-S 17-55 2.8 IS USM at just over 1,000 USD. Its not a "L" lens, mostly because they dont make EF-S lenses "L", but it is on par with the optical quality.

You could also go 3rd party lenses but I know nothing about them... lol

First figure out what focal lengths you commonly use, then checkout the lighting you often shoot in, figure out if you need f/2.8 or is f/4 is enough, and if you need IS or not. We can work from there