upgrading dilemma

Ok, I am shooting with a XTi / 430EX currently. (Glass is good as well).

I am going to upgrade, but I have just enough $$$ for either :

1 - 30D + 580EX

or

2 - 40D (nothing else).

I am mainly shooting bar/club/party scenes currently. I also do some photography off cruise ships for various events, etc.. (which the XTi has served me well here.)

Which would be the better deal?

YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!

http://www.the-digital-picture.com …al-SLR-Camera-Review.aspx

Are you getting enough flash power? Do you have fast lenses? What's the reasoning for getting a 580EX? Are you going to use 2 flashes?

For what you shoot I would get a camera with less noise at higher ISO or a faster lenes and more powerful flash. So keep the Xti and don't get another camera yet.

I read that and still seem to lean towards the 40D. Though the 30D seems to have a very comparable performance as well.

Based on the shooting scenarios you describe, I would spend my money on fast glass.

elwood58 wrote in post #4870829
Based on the shooting scenarios you describe, I would spend my money on fast glass.

Well my glass is decent, I am satisfied with it.

Just deciding on whether upgrade the camera or not. I have seen many people compare the XTi very close to performance to the 30D, but I have never owned a 30D so I can't say. Was trying to figure out (a.k.a. convince myself) to just spring for the 40D and believe my 430ex is enough.

I believe a camera with better AF will suit you better for shooting night clubs. So 40d it is.

He is not shooting sporting events. Faster AF is not an issue. He needs fast lens with low noise performance under low light setting. I say he would be very happy with a 5D. That's beyond his budget.

kenwood33 wrote in post #4881236
I believe a camera with better AF will suit you better for shooting night clubs. So 40d it is.

I would go the 40D route myself.

I shoot a 30D-430ex with an XTI backup

My wife shoots a 40D-580exII with an XT backup

The 30D and XTI have very similar AF and image quality--with the 30D you pick up high ISO expansion and a faster frame rate along with spot metering--and a better "feel"

The 40D works better in low light with less hunting for focus and the digicIII processor gives images with better color and a little more room for error in jpg format.

Order a 580 while the rebates are available and sell your 430 ex in the sellers forum--the upgrade will not be that expensive and you would get the best of both worlds.--IMO

Best of luck with your decision.

ClickClick wrote in post #4869760
Ok, I am shooting with a XTi / 430EX currently. (Glass is good as well).

I am going to upgrade, but I have just enough $$$ for either :

1 - 30D + 580EX

or

2 - 40D (nothing else).

I am mainly shooting bar/club/party scenes currently. I also do some photography off cruise ships for various events, etc.. (which the XTi has served me well here.)

Which would be the better deal?

It depends on what limits you're hitting.

The 580EX will get you one additional stop of light over what your 430EX gets you.

The 40D will get you more sensitive low-light focusing, at least for the points around the periphery (they are all cross-type just like the 30D's center point). If you're using the images straight from the camera, the 40D will give you significantly better images than the 30D at high ISOs, but only slightly better (if any) if you postprocess the raw images. I find the 40D's color rendering to be rather a bit better than the 30D's.

The 40D has a number of notable advantages over the 30D:

• Highlight tone priority
  
• 14 bits/channel color resolution (the 30D has 12)
  
• User-changeable focusing screens (this may be a bigger win than you think)
  
• Customizable menu
  
• Customizable shooting modes
  
• Greater sensitivity in the peripheral focus points (my testing with an f/2.0 lens shows no discernable difference in the low-light sensitivity of the center focus point, despite Canon's claim that the 40D's center focus point has diagonal as well as cross sensors).
  
• Nicer grip.

Personally I would go for the 40D I don't think you'll notice enough improvement in the 30D over your 400D to wow you. But there is a difference, especially in usability. With the better autofocus, etc. you'll love the 40D