Glass or upgrade to 7D?

What would you do? Upgrade your camera or spend your money on a better lens? I have a Canon XSI and was looking at upgrading to a 7d but I also was looking at zoom 50-200 F2.8 IS. My hobby is shooting my dogs and dog sports (lure coursing) and nature and I can't swing both right now. I have had my XSI for quite a while, shortly after it came out.

Thanks,

What lens(es) do you have now?

I made the same switch a couple years ago and I found that the AF on the 7D did help with action shots.

Don't know what lenses you have, but the 7D needs good glass to get the best out of it. So I say glass first, the XSi still takes great pictures.

I have 2 kit lens that came with, nifty fifty (which I very rarely have on my camera) and the 55-250 IS F4.6.

That's a tough choice. The camera is quite old, but the glass is also quite low-level stuff. It would almost be better to wait to see the new T4i specs and see if maybe you can get some new good glass and a new body.

Well, my guess is that the XSi auto-focus isn't too bad, so I'd go with a lens or two that have fast USM focus. If you think a fixed focal length lens would work for you, then maybe an 85mm f/1.8 or 135 f/2L would do the trick. Otherwise, maybe the 70-200 f/4L IS USM would be a good choice.

What's u=your budget anyway? I'm guessing about $1000, since you're considering a 7D.

Given that you're planning on getting more serious about your photography and so will have to replace BOTH camera and lenses in the future, I think you should go with the 7D, but buy a used one. The 7D will teach you a lot about handling a much more complex body and the better sensor WILL allow better images, even with the lenses you have. Also, the autofocus system on the 7D will blow your mind for action shots.

By buying a used 7D, you made a head start saving for your first decent lens, and you will one day look back on this moment and say, "That's when my money troubles began."

Raylon wrote in post #14542526
That's a tough choice. The camera is quite old, but the glass is also quite low-level stuff. It would almost be better to wait to see the new T4i specs and see if maybe you can get some new good glass and a new body.

The 18-55 IS and 55-250 IS do not take low-level photos, they are actually quite good. A bit slow light-wise, but good IQ.

shaftmaster wrote in post #14542585
Well, my guess is that the XSi auto-focus isn't too bad, so I'd go with a lens or two that have fast USM focus. If you think a fixed focal length lens would work for you, then maybe an 85mm f/1.8 or 135 f/2L would do the trick. Otherwise, maybe the 70-200 f/4L IS USM would be a good choice.

What's u=your budget anyway? I'm guessing about $1000, since you're considering a 7D.

100 F/2 is a great compromise between the 85 1.8 and 135L, and is very fast/sharp for just over $300 used.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #14542653
The 18-55 IS and 55-250 IS do not take low-level photos, they are actually quite good. A bit slow light-wise, but good IQ.

Yes as soon as I wrote that I knew it didn't come out the way I wanted. Having used a 55-250 for a while, yes I agree it takes great photos in daylight. But build quality wise and low light capabilities are lacking once you experience something like the 70-200 series.

The answer depends on what your weakest link is. Do you find that you miss a lot of shots due to auto-focus issues (or some other camera-induced reason*)? If so, get the 7D. If not, get better glass. While some people like the 55-250, I found it inadequate (bought from Amazon and returned a week later).

* - Good glass may reduce auto-focus issues... the 70-200 (especially the MkII) will focus faster than the 55-250.