Upgrade time, advice needed please.

Gonetae

Gonetae

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Tommy
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Hi folks, I'm currently shooting with a Canon 400D and lenses I have available are the 18-55mm kit lens, Sigma 50-500 (luvverly and sharp), Sigma 70-300 (for macro'ish) and the nifty fifty. In January I am looking to upgrade but I'm not sure whether it's time for a new body, I would like a 50D or to get another lens from my wish list either the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 or Sigma 150 macro.

I've heard folks say you need good quality glass to get decent results from the 50D which has put me off a bit although my 50-500 is absolutely outstanding even at 500mm, and the future 70-200 should be great also. Ideally I'd like to hear from someone who has used a 50D with a Sigma 50-500 and thier experiences with the lens/body combo but would like anyone to pitch in with thier thoughts also.

I mainly shoot birds and horse shows but also doing a fair bit of studio portraits and product photography through college projects. :thumbs:

Tommy.
 
Hi, dificult one to call really.

Do you feel restricted by your 400D, what are your thoughts / reasons for wanting a new body - I upgraded from a 300D to a 40D and have been very pleased with it. One of my main reason was increase in fps firing (for motorsport) and the the body itself is slightly larger, feeling more comfortable for me. (Still have the 300D, which my dauhgter uses and gets great results with).
 
I've had the 400D for a wee while now and I find myself shooting in crappy light and quite often using 800 ISO which isn't the best on the 400D but have seen results at 1600 ISO on the 50 which really surpass it, also I believe it's burst rate in fps is a wee bit faster than the 400D which would be nice for birds in flight or horses doing jumps.

Tommy.
 
A lot would say get the best glass you can, the chances are that changing up from the 400D to the 50D wont be that big a jump.

Looking at what you already have can I suggest the Canon 24-70mm f2.8L as a good start and second hand will probably cost about the same as a 50D and I bet it will live on the camera unless you need that bit of extra reach or length
 
Cheers guys, Micloi how high ISO would you say is still ok to use on the 40D and still get a very good quality pic?, I've shot some on a friends 50D and at 1600ISO it was still chucking out stunning images.

minimad, thanks for the lens suggestion but definitely not the kinda focal length I'd be looking for I'm afraid as it would get very little use on my camera for the types of shooting I do unfortunately.


Tommy.
 
ISO 1600 on my 40D was slightly cleaner than on the 50D.
ISO 3200 was usable with some noise reduction and depending on the colour of the background and the required print size.

To tell you the truth I do not find the 7D to be much better than the 40D at high ISO's even when down-sampling to match the resolution (which I also did when comparing the 40D and 50D).
 
interesting

I'd still go with 40D
better features, faster 6.3fps for wildlife, more robust and all that.
the wheel on the back is worth the price of admission alone!
 
Ive just made the switch this weekend from the 400d to 40d and WOW , it absolutly smashes the socks off the 400d by a million miles in my opinion, better build, ergonomics,better fps,metering, af, its just amazing, i now wonder why i didnt do it sooner, oh yeah i forgot (Funds) , ive actually got it sitting next to me as im typing this and carnt stop looking at it , I managed to get a good deal, i got a mint 40d body with 2100 clicks and an mint 17-85mm IS usm all boxed as new for £550 , you can pick up a good 40d body for around £400 now. Have a look on here ( www.eos-magazine.com ) there's a few availible, i was going to buy one from here but found one 4 miles down the road....... good luck
 
I use a 40D and a 400D (the Wifes) and I find that it is the lens that makes the most difference. The 400D was and still is a very capable device. I think that you will answer your own question about body or glass when you consider what it is you want to shoot.
If you are struggling with high iso (for indoor shows) then you probably need faster glass as the noise reduction firmware can only do so much and correct exposure is critical.
You could always rent a faster lens and see if it makes the difference that you are looking for before you take the plunge.
 
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