Choosing the right camera for a lens.

Most of what I read here and on other sites about cameras (latest and greatest) points to what the camera does well, not-so-well, better than others, etc. And fair enough. Some of the recent 7D articles I've read about using the cam for weddings vs. FF or sports vs. 1D3 and such leave something to be desired for me.

I own a 7D, a 1D3, and now a 5D2, the latter of which I bought because of my love for the 50L. I'm in the process of selling the 7D now because (IMO) there's no point in hanging a $1400 prime off the front of a crop sensor that's only capturing a portion of what the glass is giving out. I was completely unimpressed with the 50L on the 7D.

What I've realized is that I've tailored my camera collection around my lenses instead of the other way around. Am I alone in this?

If you had one camera, then I would say yes... at least in your thought process. Having 3 cameras, all with different sensor sizes, it can make some sense to consolidate the bodies and/or lenses. At the end of the exercise, you keep what works best for you, whether it's getting rid of replacing lenses or bodies. How you get there isn't all that important.

jklewer wrote in post #10998556
What I've realized is that I've tailored my camera collection around my lenses instead of the other way around. Am I alone in this?

Needing "reach" for most of my photography, I'm here to tell you no.

The cropped sensor of the 7D gives me a little more "Reach". I'm thinking one day, when you get the right lens, you might "Reach" for the 7D and it not be there.

I used to have one body of each sensor "flavor" but I never let the tail wag the dog...

I bought the gear I have with an eye towards the specific best qualities of each item. Especially lenses. The fact is that on a crop body, lenses are actually generally better because you are only using the center-cut sweet spot and don't see the sometimes questionable IQ at the corners.

Now, I have two APS-H bodies and feel like my purchase plan is really paying off in both flexibility and quality. Not all my lenses are "L's" but my key lenses are and I'm satisfied that I can tackle just about any photographic project that comes down the pike.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #10999306
I used to have one body of each sensor "flavor" but I never let the tail wag the dog...

I bought the gear I have with an eye towards the specific best qualities of each item. Especially lenses. The fact is that on a crop body, lenses are actually generally better because you are only using the center-cut sweet spot and don't see the sometimes questionable IQ at the corners.

Now, I have two APS-H bodies and feel like my purchase plan is really paying off in both flexibility and quality. Not all my lenses are "L's" but my key lenses are and I'm satisfied that I can tackle just about any photographic project that comes down the pike.

I understand your idea, but at what point does the center of an image circle become exploited by say, 18mp? Would it take a lot more to hit the resolving limits of certain lenses? Certainly different lenses resolve to different limits...

I think my point is that I have been trying to get the best (right) camera for my 50L instead of the other way around. I love that lens.

jklewer wrote in post #11003591
I understand your idea, but at what point does the center of an image circle become exploited by say, 18mp? Would it take a lot more to hit the resolving limits of certain lenses? Certainly different lenses resolve to different limits...

I think my point is that I have been trying to get the best (right) camera for my 50L instead of the other way around. I love that lens.

It's not a quantitative thing, it's qualitative... The Bokeh will (I guess) be altered slightly due to not being able to get as shallow DOF on crop as on FF but subject separation will still be extremely significant if you shoot wide or very open.

Add to that less light fall off around the edges, less distortion around the edges, less aboration around the edges...

It's just a better looking image (IMO)...