upgrading my camera

hi i have a canon 1100d bought new last year. i have now just bought a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC HSM OS as i'm taking pictures of my son and friends kickboxing. is it worth upgrading my camera say to a 60d and if so what would be the advantages over the 1100?


many thanks

How do you feel you are being limited by your camera now? I dont mean what do you think the new one can do for you, but what you arent getting now.

What is the max ISO of both cameras? A high enough ISO will let you shoot indoors without a flash.
They might not let you use a flash for competitions, but photographing training should be OK.

i don't really feel limited yet as i'm still learning to use all it's functions. there is some cheapish 60ds floating around so, was thinking of upgrading and selling the 1100 before they are worthless

skilsaw wrote in post #16955768
What is the max ISO of both cameras? A high enough ISO will let you shoot indoors without a flash.
They might not let you use a flash for competitions, but photographing training should be OK.

i just use auto iso. was told that i couldnt use a flash at the last competion. not the best pictures but not bad considering the light and camera. my saving grace was using a 30mm lens

The thing is bodies all depreciate and whatever you get will decline just as fast. Unless you are currently limited in some fashion by your current camera, you should look to invest in something that helps improve your photos in a tangible way, like another lens or flash etc. Or simply save your money until you do feel limited, and by then perhaps an even better camera will be in the budget.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16955785
The thing is bodies all depreciate and whatever you get will decline just as fast. Unless you are currently limited in some fashion by your current camera, you should look to invest in something that helps improve your photos in a tangible way, like another lens or flash etc. Or simply save your money until you do feel limited, and by then perhaps an even better camera will be in the budget.

sound advice. my mind is now made up

I just want to clarify that I'm not anti-upgrade. Just that you ought to do it for a reason because new cameras dont make your images instantly better, well maybe if you switch from nikon to canon. But chasing improvement solely though body upgrades rarely works.

Playing devil's advocate, the T3 (1100D) is a particularly limiting body for people that like to actually use the features on their camera. I had one and it lasted about three months before I outgrew it. Not because of the images (ok, maybe the high ISO capability - or lack thereof - was an issue), but because of the control. The difference in usability is night & day between Rebel vs. xxD series. At least for someone that will use it.

If you shoot in auto and aren't finding yourself limited by the controls, you won't see all that much of a benefit. There will be better ISO performance (the 1100D stopped being usable at 1600 for me, where I can get usable 6400 files on the 70D), but aside from that it's all about the control, features (higher FPS, among many other things) and feel.

thanks for the replies. when i feel i cant go any further with the one ive got then, ill change it then. just glad you lot were here to keep me on the straight and narrow

gonzogolf wrote in post #16955785
The thing is bodies all depreciate and whatever you get will decline just as fast. Unless you are currently limited in some fashion by your current camera, you should look to invest in something that helps improve your photos in a tangible way, like another lens or flash etc. Or simply save your money until you do feel limited, and by then perhaps an even better camera will be in the budget.

Considering that they just bought a very good f2.8 OS lens, and most likely cannot use flash in that kind of situation, a camera body is indeed a good option, especially to get 1 or more stops of extra ISO headroom to complement a good lens.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #16955921
Considering that they just bought a very good f2.8 OS lens, and most likely cannot use flash in that kind of situation, a camera body is indeed a good option, especially to get 1 or more stops of extra ISO headroom to complement a good lens.

I wouldnt argue against you, but unless the OP is ready to take advantage of that the camera upgrade itself will still leave him unsatisfied.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16955928
I wouldnt argue against you, but unless the OP is ready to take advantage of that the camera upgrade itself will still leave him unsatisfied.

Sure, without knowing why the shots are now deficient (user skill or equipment), it is hard to say whether a new body will work better. In any case however, I always want to make sure the equipment I have is more capable than I am, so a camera that does great higher ISO levels, has a better JPG in-camera system, and a fast zoom lens with OS makes for such a recipe.

Plus it's good for the economy...

The 60D is a major upgrade in terms of sensor, viewfinder AF, video, FPS, LCD and physical controls. If you shoot kickboxing, you'll get more keepers with the all cross 9-point array and faster FPS. For action, the outer cross points are a major major upgrade over the single axis points on the T3. And once you get used to the extra dials and buttons, you'll never want to go back to menu diving. The larger size is more comfy in most hands. I've owned a 60D for 4 years and it's served me well. I never bonded with the fold out LCD feature but the LCD is clear and vivid.

The only 60D gotcha is the lack of a dedicated FEC button. However you can assign FEC to the SET button and invoke it at moment's notice, albeit the scale is only visible on the LCD and not in the VF.

60D refurbs are $575 on Canon's website so make sure your used deal is significantly better. Finally, the joy of having a new toy to play with trumps most practical considerations, so I say go for it!