Christmas gift question..

My wife's been asking me what I want for Christmas and I have a dilemma. I currently own the XT with and OLD 35-105 3.5-4.5 lens, a new 70-200 4.0 L and the kit lens. I'm debating if I should upgrade the body to a 30D or get a 24-105 4.0L lens instead. I primarliy use the camera for landscape, portraits and everyday events. Any comments to make this decision easier (?) would be appreciated.

go 24-105. you won't be disappointed

Merry Christmas

24-105 for sure. I love that lens!

If you are happy with camera body, then go for the lens.

Go for the lens. Camera bodies come and go, but good quality lens will stay with you for some time. Your XT is still good and doesn't compromise on your image quality.

So, unless you feel limited by the XT, why bother changing it?

My $0.02

Absolutely stick with the xT and go for glass!

Thanks for the replies. What makes this difficult is the old 35-105 seems to work great. It's made very well, almost like my new L lens (primarily metal). It does not have USM, so it's a bit slow and noisy to focus. I've been working with the XT and am comfortable with the features, but have read the numerous threads about how much easier the 30D is to operate. I guess this isn't a bad problem to have.

Tough one, lens is really nice and so is the camera. I bought the lens before the camera.

Things I find usefully better so far about the 30D from xt
Easier to use, the wheel is great, so is the little paddle to switch focal points
can see ISO in viewfinder now.
1/3 incremental ISO levels.

Things I liked when I switched from 28-105II to 24-105L (on xt body)
fast focus, rarely hunts.
nicer colours.
small improvement in sharpness.
IS handy for keeper rate in snapshooter mode.


One other point might be useful to you, the image 'quality' between the 30D and the xt with a 70-200 F/4 attached is indistinguishable to me.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I'd recommend a lens instead of a new body. You mentioned landscapes. Which of your current lenses do you normally use for your landscape photography? Typical focal length range? I bring this up because if you are generally satisfied with the 35-105 and since you already have the 70-200 you might want to consider a 10/12-20/24 to replace the kit lens and widen your FOV. Another thought, if you desire a faster aperture and can live without IS and the 70-105 focal length, the 24-70 L is about $90 more than the 24-105 at B&H.

I wouldn't do either, given that you're not unhappy with either the 35-105 or the 350D. Like runninman says, maybe something wider than what you currently have would be good. Look at your photos and see how often you're bumping up against the wide end of your lenses. Then look at whether you're pushing the edge of hand-holdability or not. If you aren't running out of aperture the 24-105 won't help. It's wider than what you have now, but not really wide on the 350D, and while landscapes don't require wide exclusively, they frequently appreciate them. A 16-35 or 17-40 would complement what you have now very nicely.

I've been into photography as a hobby for years. I find that the more I have to carry, the less I bring out the camera. I don't think I'd carry more than one lens at a time. I've thought about going wider, but I have to be realistic about what I'd use. I've tried using prime lenses, and they end us collecting dust. For me, it has be be flexible and light. Regarding landscape, I currently use the 35-105 or the kit lens. For me, the more restrictive the lens is, the less I use it.

Thanks for all the input. I was leaning towards the new lens prior to the post and you've all helped me feel comfortable with the decision. Now I've got to see if my wife can get it here in time!

Yeah, go for the lens. There is a noticible improvement with the L series lenses, especially if you print stuff big. The color is better, too, IMHO. I hane the 24-70mm F2.8L and the image quality is far superior to the non L lenses. I use that lens on both the 1v with film and the Rebel XT. There is a big difference between the lens that came with the Rebel and the L, with the same exposure settings.

Tim