equipment upgrade help

What does your 500D lack that makes you think you need a new camera body?

dandelionlover wrote in post #14831949
Hello everyone, I'm sorry I'm creating yet another thread about the same question, but it I tried asking before and it didn't work out in the existing threads.

I need your help. I am a photography student and I have a 500D now with kit lens 18-55 and an old Canon 70-210 f/4. It's been great for the past year, but now I feel like I need something greater. I do have a budget and I can either upgrade to the 7D or 5D MKii. Also, I will buy the Canon 50mm f/1.4 for either one of them.

You say you feel like you need something greater.

The only question that matters is this: why do you feel like you need something greater?


The answer to that should steer you in the right direction (which might actually wind up being to do nothing on the body front and to get more suitable glass).

I was away on holiday and before I went I ordered the 5D and 50mm 1.4.

I used to use my 500D+kit for club photography and it is a little used up. I am still keeping it. But I did my research and I think I am happy that I went with the 5D, because of the full frame and better quality in low light/high iso. You guys made me a little nervous that I made a wrong decision but if I was to upgrade only lens I would be able to buy only one (probably 50mm 1.2 L ). And I thought that 5D+50mm would be a good combination for the next 3 years of Uni. Did I make the wrong choice after all? I think I will be able to get new, better lens around christmas...
Also, what do you think about buying used L lens?

Thank you and I really appreciate all your help.
Cheers

Concentrate on your craft rather than your equipment and avoid the the slippery slope... i know i was caught up there once also. For fun go and and check out some of the artistically uninspiring images taken with 30K worth of equipment that you'll readily find on here (come on guys - present company excluded of course : )

Street and portraits? Why to buy second cropper for it with almost the same sensor you have now?
Get cheap 28mm MF lens, put it on 500D and use it for candids. Works perfect.
Want better IQ for street and portraits? Get 5Dc or MKII and 50мм prime.

dandelionlover wrote in post #14851771
I was away on holiday and before I went I ordered the 5D and 50mm 1.4.

I used to use my 500D+kit for club photography and it is a little used up. I am still keeping it. But I did my research and I think I am happy that I went with the 5D, because of the full frame and better quality in low light/high iso. You guys made me a little nervous that I made a wrong decision but if I was to upgrade only lens I would be able to buy only one (probably 50mm 1.2 L ). And I thought that 5D+50mm would be a good combination for the next 3 years of Uni. Did I make the wrong choice after all? I think I will be able to get new, better lens around christmas...
Also, what do you think about buying used L lens?

Thank you and I really appreciate all your help.
Cheers

Whether it's the 5D "classic" or the 5D mark 2, the camera you got is excellent and will produce breathtaking images if you do your part, as would any DSLR. With full frame, you'll have some extra depth of field latitude on the shallow end, and that could prove useful to you. Certainly, with your 50 f/1.4, you'll be able to achieve really substantial amounts of subject isolation.

So don't bother second-guessing yourself at this point. Go start using the camera. Discover its limitations for yourself. Only you can decide whether those limitations are an issue. For what you do, you may find that the camera is not limiting in any way.

Nah, I think I'd get a used 5D Mk I (ONE), a light investiment these days which will give you FF, something important which you don't yet have. Then buy good lenses with the rest of your budget. By the time you're thoroughly versed with FF, both your 5D and 500D will be obsolete, and much better bodies with better HD video capabilities will be available, and you'll be able to make better choices. Right now, video capability on 5D MK2 and 7D still leave much to be desired.

(edit: Oops, I see you already made this decision!)

like said, many times above, go for the 5D2...I know it doesnt mean much here, but I guarantee you will not regret it.

Yes, the 7D is amazing..fast and very accurate AF..great build..
but the 5D2 is NOT a crap camera. the only people that say it is are people who either 1) have a mark III, or 2) never used one, or 3) dont know what they're doing

If I didnt need the better AF of the 1Ds Mark II, I would have kept the 5D2...but, you can bet next year when they are down to ~$1k I will have another one

Plus, in another 6-12months you could always 'upgrade' your 500D for a 70D/7D2(dont think the 7D2 is gonna happen for atleast another 1-2years..just imo)..


The most obvious thing you should do is get some great glass for that 5D2...a would get a Sigma 50, and a 135L or 100/2.8 macro(L/non L)..for something wide on the 5D2, I would suggest a Canon/Sigma 28mm F/1.8..
OR...just get a 24-105 L "kit" lens...you/most will be very happy with that combo..
again, IMHO

Good luck!!