magicaxeman
An Idiot
- Messages
- 3,097
- Edit My Images
- No
So many have said time and time again upgrade the glass forgets about the body, but I think there are benefits to be had by upgrading a body.
There are obvious benefits when moving from a crop sensor to full frame sensor IF this suits your photographic needs, but the benefits of upgrading consumer bodies are often glossed over or completely overlooked in favour of the move to prosumer or pro.
I am ignoring video completely, for some it may be a selling point but I’m a bit old school on that issue preferring a separate camera for each job, not one for both.
Now this doesn’t mean I advocate buying the latest model as and when it comes out, but using a little intelligence you can see there are benefits to be had by skipping a model or two.
So what are those benefits?
The main one for me is noise handling and low light shooting capabilities.
For me personally a body that only had an ISO range of up to ISO800 or ISO 1600 would not be enough, I work on the premise that the useable level producing tolerable results will be below the stated maximum as I have often found this the case.
Just as I don’t expect a lens to produce outstanding results wide open, I don’t expect a body to produce outstanding results when pushed to its limit.
For me the benefit in this case of moving from say a 400D/450D to a 500D would be this extended ISO range whilst retaining very similar noise handling capabilities.
Processor upgrades can give benefits as well, better and faster handling of the recorded data is always a plus point, and this can also lead to better frame rates and buffer handling for continuous shooting.
Even with the 450D V 500D you get an extra 3 raw frames before the buffer is full.
Firmware features – There are notable differences even between the 450D and 500D,auto illumination correction and noise reduction both get 4 levels of adjustment over the standard on/off and peripheral illumination appears as an option with adjustable levels.
Advances in rear screen technology, this can be a resolution increase giving crisper images on the screen or as in the case of some a flexi mount to allow multi positioning of the screen.
Better build quality and sealing speaks for itself really and it’s up to you whether or not it provides a worthwhile upgrade feature for you.
Lastly there is the increase in resolution of the sensor, I put this last as a couple of MP’s doesn’t make that much difference, i.e. going from 12 to 15mp, going from 10-15mp or 12-18mp could be a worthwhile upgrade feature, though unless you’re a pixel peeper or do a lot of heavy cropping like me it doesn’t affect things so much.
So now if we look at it in real terms as it would affect me for instance:
I currently have a 500D and am happy with it.
Possible upgrades would be including the pros and cons:
550D
Pro: Better noise handling at higher ISO’s
Con: not enough potential benefits to outweigh the cost of upgrade.
50D
Pro: Better frame rate, 10 times increase in buffer size for continuous shooting, 2 user defined modes, micro AF adjustment
Con: weight up by 100 grams, could be too heavy to use easily.
(Ignoring the 60D as I can see no major benefits and a few cons compared to the 50D)
As you can see, the 550D offers little that I don’t have, oh there’s a few more MP’s as well but at the end of the day this really is a case of better glass is the best option.
However if I had a 400D the potential upgrades available with the 550D would make it worthy of consideration over replacing lenses, especially if you already had a faster lens or two.
The 50D is clearly a worthwhile upgrade the single con is only one that personally affects me, for others it would be a clear case of the benefits outweighing the initial cost, especially if you are happy with the lenses you have.
I guess what I’m saying here is we shouldn’t always discount a body upgrade as being somehow a lesser solution than a lens upgrade, as though the lens gives us the light to record it can’t be taken full advantage off if the body cannot do as good a job of recording it.
There are obvious benefits when moving from a crop sensor to full frame sensor IF this suits your photographic needs, but the benefits of upgrading consumer bodies are often glossed over or completely overlooked in favour of the move to prosumer or pro.
I am ignoring video completely, for some it may be a selling point but I’m a bit old school on that issue preferring a separate camera for each job, not one for both.
Now this doesn’t mean I advocate buying the latest model as and when it comes out, but using a little intelligence you can see there are benefits to be had by skipping a model or two.
So what are those benefits?
The main one for me is noise handling and low light shooting capabilities.
For me personally a body that only had an ISO range of up to ISO800 or ISO 1600 would not be enough, I work on the premise that the useable level producing tolerable results will be below the stated maximum as I have often found this the case.
Just as I don’t expect a lens to produce outstanding results wide open, I don’t expect a body to produce outstanding results when pushed to its limit.
For me the benefit in this case of moving from say a 400D/450D to a 500D would be this extended ISO range whilst retaining very similar noise handling capabilities.
Processor upgrades can give benefits as well, better and faster handling of the recorded data is always a plus point, and this can also lead to better frame rates and buffer handling for continuous shooting.
Even with the 450D V 500D you get an extra 3 raw frames before the buffer is full.
Firmware features – There are notable differences even between the 450D and 500D,auto illumination correction and noise reduction both get 4 levels of adjustment over the standard on/off and peripheral illumination appears as an option with adjustable levels.
Advances in rear screen technology, this can be a resolution increase giving crisper images on the screen or as in the case of some a flexi mount to allow multi positioning of the screen.
Better build quality and sealing speaks for itself really and it’s up to you whether or not it provides a worthwhile upgrade feature for you.
Lastly there is the increase in resolution of the sensor, I put this last as a couple of MP’s doesn’t make that much difference, i.e. going from 12 to 15mp, going from 10-15mp or 12-18mp could be a worthwhile upgrade feature, though unless you’re a pixel peeper or do a lot of heavy cropping like me it doesn’t affect things so much.
So now if we look at it in real terms as it would affect me for instance:
I currently have a 500D and am happy with it.
Possible upgrades would be including the pros and cons:
550D
Pro: Better noise handling at higher ISO’s
Con: not enough potential benefits to outweigh the cost of upgrade.
50D
Pro: Better frame rate, 10 times increase in buffer size for continuous shooting, 2 user defined modes, micro AF adjustment
Con: weight up by 100 grams, could be too heavy to use easily.
(Ignoring the 60D as I can see no major benefits and a few cons compared to the 50D)
As you can see, the 550D offers little that I don’t have, oh there’s a few more MP’s as well but at the end of the day this really is a case of better glass is the best option.
However if I had a 400D the potential upgrades available with the 550D would make it worthy of consideration over replacing lenses, especially if you already had a faster lens or two.
The 50D is clearly a worthwhile upgrade the single con is only one that personally affects me, for others it would be a clear case of the benefits outweighing the initial cost, especially if you are happy with the lenses you have.
I guess what I’m saying here is we shouldn’t always discount a body upgrade as being somehow a lesser solution than a lens upgrade, as though the lens gives us the light to record it can’t be taken full advantage off if the body cannot do as good a job of recording it.
Last edited:
