Canon 7D body or new Lens

[Etienne Erasmus]

I own a 450D Canon, 18-200 Sigma, 10-20 Sigma, 50mm1.8 MK II Canon and the 18-55 Canon kit lens. I mostly use the 18-200 Sigma and are very happy with my results. I would like to extend my kit with another lens OR to upgrade my Canon body to a 7D Canon. The lenses I'm thinking of is the 100-400 Canon for wildlife or 90mm Tamron macro or 24-105 Canon. I need help to logically think through this. I have R15,000 to spend on my kit. Can someone please help to get me out of this "knot" !

[Chris F]

Ettiene my recommendation is to go for the 7D body.


Even if you spend a fortune now on the best lenses, the 450D is still an entry level body. As such you will upgrade that later to get the best results. (I started with the 500D, and am glad I got the 7D)

[Thndr_strck]

What about a 60D and some change ?

[koosdup]

For wildlife; 7D and 100-400 Canon. You must just decide which one first, if it was me I would go for the lens. With a new body you cannot do more than what you are doing at the moment.
If you are not into wildlife; drop the 18-55 and 18-200 and get the 24-105 with the 60D

[Phillip.Grobler]

If you are patient and don't mind buying secondhand you can sell the 450D for R2000 and get a 60D for R7500 and a 100-400 for R11000, which is only R1500 more than your budget

I loved my 60D - the only people that don't like them are the ones that dont have them

[camerasaurusrex]

I went from 350D to 7D. I upgraded my lenses first, with a 100mm macro followed by a 400mm f5.6 for birding and then a 50mm f1.4. I'm glad I did it that way.

If you get the lenses, it opens a world of oppertunities, and you can do cool stuff like wildlike and macro and portraits etc.

If you get the 7D it will give you a professional body, with great metering, customs functions and the best autofocus you can buy within your budget. Essentially with more frames and better AF it will increase you keeper rate.

In car terms, the 450D is like a citi golf, and the 7D is a BMW. They both get you from A-B, but the Beamer will get you there faster, safer and more comfortably.

However with good glass, its like buying new roads to drive on.

[Gavin van Dam]

I've got a 7D with battery grip, and a few lenses (24-70 2.8 and 8-15 fisheye) sitting on a wishlist, awaiting funding

[Morkel Erasmus]

If you are patient and don't mind buying secondhand you can sell the 450D for R2000 and get a 60D for R7500 and a 100-400 for R11000, which is only R1500 more than your budget

I loved my 60D - the only people that don't like them are the ones that dont have them

Sound advice.
The best advice I got when I started was to invest in glass first as it lasts longer (no refresh of the model every 2 years as with cameras).
If you cannot do what PF Grobler said above - buy the 100-400mm lens. That was my first 'proper' lens purchase too.

[Thndr_strck]

Check how many pictures ataken with a 450d on http://www.airliners.net/search/phot...rs.net%2F&ref=

Get a good lens first

[Etienne Erasmus]

Thank you VERY much for the advice. I think I will go for the 100-400 Canon lens (not sure why not the 50-500 Sigma) and then be on the lookout for a 2nd hand 60D. Thanks again !

[Yogotta B. Kidding]

My upgrade process is different. I sell everything, at once. Then buy at once.
I would buy the 7D body, used for 10K, and a 100-400 also used for 11K. It covers most things. After that look at the 24-105, which allows a little more.
Flogg the 450D for 3K, the 18-200Sigma for 2.5K, but keep the nifty fifty as to supplement the 100-400.

[koosdup]

My upgrade process is different. I sell everything, at once. Then buy at once.
I would buy the 7D body, used for 10K, and a 100-400 also used for 11K. It covers most things. After that look at the 24-105, which allows a little more.
Flogg the 450D for 3K, the 18-200Sigma for 2.5K, but keep the nifty fifty as to supplement the 100-400.

This is good advice! I did just that but went for the EF-S 17-55 F2.8 instead of the 24-105 (unfortunately) . Now looking at selling the 17-55F2.8 to get L series for FF.

[Richard Sloman]

Whilst I play in a league way below most of the people on this forum, the best advice I got was to change my smallest lens from the 18 - 55 kit lens to the 18 - 135 instead of going for the 60D to replace the 400D (Yes there are still some of us that have SLR dinosaurs, fortunately this one is weathering the photography ice-age very well...) and am very pleased I went that route (the money saved went towards a MacBook which has made my pics look even better...)

[Chris F]

My upgrade process is different. I sell everything, at once. Then buy at once.
I would buy the 7D body, used for 10K, and a 100-400 also used for 11K. It covers most things. After that look at the 24-105, which allows a little more.
Flogg the 450D for 3K, the 18-200Sigma for 2.5K, but keep the nifty fifty as to supplement the 100-400.

seems we think alike.

[Phillip.Grobler]

Whilst I play in a league way below most of the people on this forum, the best advice I got was to change my smallest lens from the 18 - 55 kit lens to the 18 - 135 instead of going for the 60D to replace the 400D (Yes there are still some of us that have SLR dinosaurs, fortunately this one is weathering the photography ice-age very well...) and am very pleased I went that route (the money saved went towards a MacBook which has made my pics look even better...)

Until last year I shot jpg because
my pc just did not cope with raw images, I upgraded my pc and got lightroom and now shoot raw. I have to agree with soloman that made a fairly big diference to my photos. I just find it dificult to recomend it.

Beter lens/camera gives x% improvement moving from jpg to raw gives y%, Im not sure which % is bigger .

It gives some of the benefit of a new camera body:
- better noise
- better dynamic range
- able to fix some exposure errors afterwards

some of new lens benifits:
- able to more sharpning
- able to do fix some lens faults

[Mike Wrankmore]

Lens first....body afterwards......Lenses will outlast bodies any day of the week......by the time you are ready for a new body.....prices second hand will have dropped dramaticly....Lenses retain more of their value.
You won't be dissapointed with the 100-400mm.

[Etienne Erasmus]

Thanks again everyone, I learned a lot !!

[Thinus155]

I have always had the belief that good glass first! But the 7d will not disappoint you, you have a bit of a catch 22 situation!

[Etienne Erasmus]

I was brave and started from scratch - I bought the 5D + 24-105 ! This is a very special experience. Thanks again for your advice. The 100 - 400 will be next !?

[Phillip.Grobler]

mk1 2 or 3 ? enjoy

You'll be happy nomatter which one you chose