One-Two punch lowlight/performance/people shooting bodies for "serious" amateurs

If you were into shooting stage performance (low light) and also people portraits, and you were able to grab any two bodies THAT EXIST TODAY in market, which two would you grab given that you are doing this as a hobby (shooting 2-3 times a month at clubs/venues, once/twice at year making a modest amount of money for it, the rest are shooting people around town and family) ?

Thanks for your time! Cheers...

5D and either 40D or XTi. My XTi works quite well at ISO 800 for low-light theatre work. I'm really hoping to pick up the 5D replacement next year though.

If cost is no object then go with the 5D and the 1Dm3.

tsaraleksi wrote in post #4284541
If cost is no object then go with the 5D and the 1Dm3.

same here. but if you want to save some money, 40D will do just fine

What is your current setup?

Before upgrading to the "best" camera bodies, I'd take a serious look at my lenses. Personally, I'd rather have top glass before I had top bodies, especially since you said that you are "doing this as a hobby mostly but once/twice a year for a modest amount of money."

If you don't already have top glass, I'd recommend you invest your money in fast primes (or zooms) and get yourself two 400D bodies with battery grips.

I would agree with t60p. I would look at the glass before the body. Then again, that depends on the size of the prints you want produced.

I currently shoot with a 30d

But I would like a second body.

Glasswise, my main primes are
sigma 30 1.4
Canon 50 1.4
Canon 85 1.8
Canon 135mm f2 (about to buy)

I don't use my zooms much but when I do:
70-200f4 IS
17-55 f2.8 IS

After glass - and I would get good low-light glass first - I'd get a 5D for portraits and a 40D for stage (the extra reach would come in handy). The 1D series is overkill for stage and portraits if that's all their going to be used for.

Mra

Best low light is 1D3 - critically good to 3200. Second best is 5D - critically good to 1600. All the rest start to have noise that requires work after 800.

Mk3 and ISO 3200 is a given--If money is no object.

Then 5D or 40D--Depends on your lens lineup and distance from the stage.

Mark_Cohran wrote in post #4285500
After glass - and I would get good low-light glass first - I'd get a 5D for portraits and a 40D for stage (the extra reach would come in handy). The 1D series is overkill for stage and portraits if that's all their going to be used for.

Mra

1D - yeah i am finding it hard to decide -- mk3 is pretty much outta the question. i really like the 1dmk2n but like you said, i'm not sure if it is gonna be overkill for what i do.. i just love the multi spot and AF point spot metering in the pro bodies

i listed my lens lineup just above your post... though off topic, would u recommend any other glass? i am really fine with the setup i have for glass thus far... hence i was starting to look for bodies that does high iso well. seems like 5D is the king still but i really thought the 1dm2n isnt much different other than less noisereduction in-camera...

datadump wrote in post #4284489
If you were into shooting stage performance (low light) and also people portraits, and you were able to grab any two bodies THAT EXIST TODAY in market, which two would you grab given that you are doing this as a hobby mostly but once/twice a year for a modest amount of money?

Thanks for your time! Cheers...

depends on which bodies have a lens attached. would be silly to grab the body if no lens, or wrong lens. and which body is new or used. criminy, you need to be more specific about choices.
hobby once or twice a year? under those conditions, you would be foolish to spend thousands of $$ for a once a year night at the club.

freaking102 wrote in post #4285711
depends on which bodies have a lens attached. would be silly to grab the body if no lens, or wrong lens. and which body is new or used. criminy, you need to be more specific about choices.
hobby once or twice a year? under those conditions, you would be foolish to spend thousands of $$ for a once a year night at the club.

oh.. misunderstanding.. i shoot at clubs/venues as a hobby 3 times a month as a hobby. the rest is shooting people. i dont often make any money but once in a while, yeah..

my lens are listed in post #7 above

tsaraleksi wrote in post #4284541
If cost is no object then go with the 5D and the 1Dm3.

absolutely.

the 5D is an obvious choice for one body, and who would select a 30D or 40D over a 1mkIII?

Other than someone lacking the extra $3k, that is...