Upgrade to full frame body or top end L lens?

jryan5646

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Hello all -

I currently have the opportunity to make a large purchase to upgrade my gear, at least significantly larger than what my budget generally allows for. I am trying to decide mainly between three pieces of gear and was hoping to get some input or suggestions.

So you know, my passion is nature and wildlife photography however I have been focusing more lately on portraiture work as that is where some direct income seems most readily available. With that in mind, I would like to make a purchase that will most help take a step towards generating more income for my business. My basic current setup is a Canon 60D, 50mm f/1.4 and 18-135mm kit lens.

The three pieces of gear I'm most interested in are:

A Canon 6D.
The 24-70 f/2.8L II lens.
The 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM lens.

I would really like to upgrade to a nice lens as I feel like I'm very weak there, however I don't know how to balance this out with the potential pros of upgrading to the 6D for full frame. Also if I were to get the 6D I would still need another lens as the 18-135 is an EF-S and will not work on the 6D. I'm very tempted to get the 70-200, but feel like the 6d or 24-70 take priority based on my current direction; and I'm not sure when I will have this kind of money to spend again.

Thank you very much for any thoughts or suggestions you all may have!

Edit: My budget maxes out at about $2400 where the 70-200 is. And that would be stretching it to be honest.
 
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I'm very interested in this. My current setup is very similar to yours, same body, 35mm 1.4 and 18-200mm kit lens and I'm looking at the exact same equipment as you are.
 
Sounds like a tough dilemma to me. Could you possibly get the 6D and add 3rd party versions of 24-70 and 70-200?
Take a look at Tamron versions.

Are you able to state how much money you have to spend?
It would help.

Used 6D, plus 3rd party lenses.
 
Not that there is anything wrong with the equipment you have listed. Considering your passion is nature and wildlife I would think you would be thinking about a long tele like a canon 400mm f5.6 or tamron 150-600.
 
I'm very interested in this. My current setup is very similar to yours, same body, 35mm 1.4 and 18-200mm kit lens and I'm looking at the exact same equipment as you are.

It's a tough decision to make! I really want try and get the best of the best with this opportunity, which makes it more difficult to decide.

Sounds like a tough dilemma to me. Could you possibly get the 6D and add 3rd party versions of 24-70 and 70-200?
Take a look at Tamron versions.

Are you able to state how much money you have to spend?
It would help.

Used 6D, plus 3rd party lenses.

This is an excellent point. I've been watching craigslist very closely for used gear as well. I'm open to 3rd party lenses, I just know very little about them. I want very much to use to opportunity to get the best of something and I don't have a lot of knowledge on how the 3rd party lenses compare to the canon official lenses. I have max $2400 to spend. Would you recommend Tamron over sigma when it comes to the 3rd party lenses?

Not that there is anything wrong with the equipment you have listed. Considering your passion is nature and wildlife I would think you would be thinking about a long tele like a canon 400mm f5.6 or tamron 150-600.

The main reason I hadn't considered lenses like this is that I feel like it would be difficult to make much financial return with a lens that would be difficult to use for portrait type situtaions. I hate to put money before my passion, but I feel like purchasing a lens I can use to make more money with to buy a lens like you have mentioned further down the road makes the most sense for my situation. However that said, you have me curious to go look up a few lenses like this and check them out more.


Thank you everyone for your input so far!
 
The tamron 24-70 and 70-200 are damn close to the Canon L glass. Really the only difference is in the build quality of the L series. That isn't to say the Tamrons are cheaply built, they just aren't as over built as the Canons.
 
Also you could get the 6d($1800) and the 85mm 1.8 ($420) and have a very decent portrait setup right there.

Throw in a 600exrt ($500) and you are golden.
 
I have one Tamron lens I use often for wildlife and birdography. Very satisfied with it's performance and build quality (150-600mm). I also have one Sigma lens (50mm 1.4 Art). It gets great reviews, but I have not used it much.

There are several TPF'ers that have the 70-200 Tamron lens that seem to be happy with it's results. Check out youtube for comparisons and you will have to make up your mind if the difference in price is worth it over the difference in image and build quality.
and

My personal opinion based mostly on reading and watching reviews, is the gap has gotten narrower and narrower ESPECIALLY considering the cost differences.
 
Hmmmm, so you are wanting to go pro. If portraits are what you are thinking, the 24-70 with your current rig will more than get the job done. Probably should think about getting some lights and backgrounds too.
 
The tamron 24-70 and 70-200 are damn close to the Canon L glass. Really the only difference is in the build quality of the L series. That isn't to say the Tamrons are cheaply built, they just aren't as over built as the Canons.
Moreover, the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 has excellent optical image stabilization, while the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II has none.
 
I have to say glass is usually the best choice but I have to say when I went full frame I felt it was a big improvement. I got the 6d also and for portraits could not be happier. For sports shooting I tried with it not so much, hence why I now own a 7D mark II. I love the 6D with the 85 f1.8 lens it takes amazing pitures. And right now you can get the 6D for crazy cheap as its and old model. But for portraits its in my opinion a hell of a camera for the money, plus it leaves room for a really nice lens. I have seen the 6D for $1200-$1400 dollars used in great shape. And a 85m f1.8 lens used for $300 dollars or new only a little over $400 dollars. So for roughly $1600-$1800 you can have a good start and room for a nice flash. Not to try and make you decision any harder but I just got the new 70-200 f2.8 II and it is an amazing lens especially paired with the 6d. Good luck with the decision.
 
There was a time when I would have said get the glass, but my transition from cropped sensor to full-frame made such a difference to my portrait photography and the way I visualise my shots that it's hard for me not to recommend that.

The 6D along with the 70-200 would be a superb portrait combination, other than ditching the zoom altogether for a 85mm or 105mm prime.

I do 95% portraits these days and have a 18-105mm from when I did nature and events, but I almost never use it any more. All my portrait work is done with an 85mm f/1.8 and a 105mm f/2.8 macro.

The 105mm macro is the best lens I've ever used for portraits. I adore it and would probably sleep with it if it got me drunk enough, and I haven't even use it for macro shots yet!
 

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