which is more important: body or lenses?

[ngrohosky]

i'm wondering about this.. cuz i REALLY want the 35L and/or 85L (eventually i'll have both) but i'm wondering if the quality is more improved by glass on the body or the body you're shooting with.. because i'm also looking at the 5d mark ii (i just sold my 5d). does the newer processor make a bigger difference than the glass would make?

thanks so much!

[buurin]

Very few people are going to tell you to get the body.

From your sig, it sounds like you have no body now -- since you sold your 5D.

If I were you I would have kept my 5D and got the 85L since I hear such amazing things about that lens.

[ed rader]

i'm wondering about this.. cuz i REALLY want the 35L and/or 85L (eventually i'll have both) but i'm wondering if the quality is more improved by glass on the body or the body you're shooting with.. because i'm also looking at the 5d mark ii (i just sold my 5d). does the newer processor make a bigger difference than the glass would make?

thanks so much!


so are you asking if the IQ of the 5d II is better than the IQ of the 5d with the same lens?

if so, the answer is yes.

ed rader

[DarthVader]

I think I like brain than body or face :lol:

[RDKirk]

If you have no body right now, you have to get a body. Lenses with no body won't take pictures very well.

If you still had the 5D body and no lenses, I would advise you to keep that body and get the lenses.

So what's the case? Do you have any lenses right now? From your post, as far as we know, you have nothing.

[BiPolarBear]

I'll stick with the axiom, glass before bodies.
And I'd be suprised to hear anyone call your current 5D a limiting factor in producing quality images.
Although I don't know what type of stuff you shoot, get the lenses.
Greg

[CyberDyneSystems]

Well it needs to be a balance, but on the whole, you can get great images with any body, and any lens...

Moving up the food (or price) chain in either lens or body is about two factors;

1. Improving your chances to get the shot.
2. Improving the little details of image quality.

Both Bodies and lenses contribute.

The common argument is that you will see more improvement in image quality when you move to a great lens, than you will when jumping from one current model DSLR to anotehr..
Thin in terms of the Film ERA, and IQ did not enter into choice of Body,.
The differences in Body was only a matter of "features" ,. putting the body upgrade ONLY in category 1. ( "Improving your chances of getting the shot" )

This legacy is altered, but to most still holds true for the most part.
The lens upgrade alters both, as with the hopefully improvement in image quality (however slight) you will also get improvements in Category 1. via faster Autofocus, larger aperture, IS, and other advantages.


So deciding which is more important to upgrade is based on what is holding you back now.
Is it "getting the shot" or is it poor image quality when you do get the shot? or a combination.. and what specific things will help you get the shot.

[Ralph Merlino]

What is the old saying, body's come and go but glass
is forever.

[Jahled]

What is the old saying, body's come and go but glass
is forever.

Well, a limited forever ;)

The rumor mill for what's coming our way from Canon is in hyperdrive if the internet is to be noted

According to rumors I'm seeing all over the place, the 24-70 f/2.8 will finally arrive with IS, and the 70-200 f/2.8 is due a mark II, which looks fun :)

But your comment is more or less the point; bodies come and go, without extravagance you can drag glass for a much longer

[ngrohosky]

i have the 17-40L and a few lenses that i share with my boyfriend.. (50mm 1.8, a few tamron).. i've been very pleased with my 5d, but i sold it to fund the 5d mark ii because i work at a canon reseller and get a GREAT discount.. but now i'm wondering if i should just buy another 5d and get the 35L or 85L.. dunno which would be more beneficial for high quality images. i shoot families (portraits), trying to get into engagements, weddings, babies.. things like that..

[CyberDyneSystems]

IMHO, build your lens collection then, your on the right track.

[ngrohosky]

what im asking is: which will give me better quality all around? things like sharpness and color are my primary concerns.. i want outstanding color..

and duhh i need a body but now im trying to weigh the options between the 5d and 5d mark ii.. if its worth getting the mark ii, ill save to expand my lens collection.. but if not, then ill get the 5d classic and either the 35L/85L.

[Saint728]

I'd probably go for the 5D and the 85L. Then you will have a FF body and great glass. You already have the 17-40L and the 85L will be great for portraits. No use for the 35L when you have the 17-40 now.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

[DennisW1]

what im asking is: which will give me better quality all around? things like sharpness and color are my primary concerns.. i want outstanding color..

and duhh i need a body but now im trying to weigh the options between the 5d and 5d mark ii.. if its worth getting the mark ii, ill save to expand my lens collection.. but if not, then ill get the 5d classic and either the 35L/85L.


I think if you went back and read Cyber's first reply, you would know.

Your primary concern is better image quality, which means your needs would be better served with upgrading your lenses. An original 5D with good glass will give you outstanding images.

I'd suggest you stick with the original 5D body for now and select lenses that will fit your shooting needs.

[lostid]

From my experience, the 5d blows the 40d out of water with the same 17-40L. So for me the body makes a big difference. I didn't think it would before I got a 5d.

[RDKirk]

Actually, between microadjustment and focusing manually with Live View, the 5D2 has tremendously improved my overall image quality over the 5D simply because I get more consistent accurate focusing.

Since you've already sold your 5D, I'd go ahead and get the 5D2 body, then the 85mm lens and build lenses from there. If you get into weddings, though, you're going to need a second body.

[Mike-DT6]

You can take a photograph using a body with no lens, but you can't take a photograph using just a lens with no body, therefore the body is more important! :p